How To Use Lightroom to Process Photos (as of 2025)

I take a lot of photos. In fact, I've even described my approach to photography as, "If you take enough photos, some are bound to be decent." I stand by that statement, but it's not fair to suggest that quantity is the only path to getting high quality shots.

Since I'm often asked what software I use and how I approach post-processing of my photos, I figured that a step-by-step guide - of sorts - that walks through my process could be beneficial.

I'm No Expert

Before getting into my workflow, it's worth mentioning that I'm largely self-taught with Lightroom. I've got no formal training, and I'm sure there are folks out there who could run circles around my process, even though I've watched a few "How to become a Lightroom Expert in 5 Minutes" videos on YouTube. Please, if you are one of those people, let me know what I could do better.

Which Lightroom?

I use Lightroom Classic, which Adobe only sells as a (monthly | annual) subscription. This is the original version of Lightroom, and I think Adobe eventually plans to deprecate it in favor of the "newer" Lightroom applications (called "Lightroom" and the "Lightroom Ecosystem" for iOS, Android, and Web) that share a codebase and are centered around Adobe's Creative Cloud.

The reason I continue to use Lightroom Classic (which I will call Lightroom from here on) is because it allows for both photo processing and catalog management (photo organization). The newer versions are slowly adding some of these management features, but are still lacking quite a few features as compared to Lightroom Classic.

Get to the Workflow Already

OK, now to the actual workflow I use when processing photos. At a high level, I do the following, usually in batches of photos that I've taken over a period of 1-5 days:

1. Copy the proprietary RAW files from the camera to the computer.
2. Convert the proprietary RAW files to Adobe DNG (Adobe's RAW file format).
3. Import the DNG files into a "to process" folder Lightroom.
4. Make a first pass through the DNG files in Lightroom to combine multiple exposures for HDR and Panorama shots, and mark "possible keepers."
5. Move files that aren't keepers into a reject folder.
6. Apply my standard Preset (which includes Masks) to my "possible keepers."
7. Work my way through individual processing of the "possible keepers," picking the best of similar images and rejecting even more that don't meet my bar. Once I've processed and narrowed down my photos this second time, I have a final list of processed keepers.
8. Add tags for people, location, places, and other important details of a photo.
9. Move the photos into the appropriate location (folder) in my Lightroom Catalog in order to get ready for the next import.
10. Repeat with the next set of photos.

So, with that general outline in mind, let’s get started at the beginning. Sort of.

Copy RAW Files to Computer, Converting to DNG, and Importing to Lightroom

There are several ways to copy files to the computer, and any of them are fine:

• Remove the memory card from the camera and insert it into a reader.
• Use a USB cable to connect the camera and computer, then transfer the photos.
• Use WiFi or Bluetooth.

Once the files are on the computer, I like to use Adobe DNG Converter to convert them from Canon CR3 files to Adobe DNG files. Lots of people would argue that this conversion ranges from unnecessary to destructive, but I do it because I like the fact that essentially all Lightroom metadata can be stored inside a DNG file, so changes I make in Lightroom will automatically move around with the original file. When using proprietary RAW formats from Canon, Sony, Nikon, etc., Lightroom cannot save the metadata inside the RAW file, and so creates a file known as a "sidecar." This file has the same filename (but with a .xmp extension) as the original, and must be copied around with the original in order to maintain all of the metadata/settings. That's a huge pain in the ass that I'm not willing to endure.

Whatever you decide about RAW file conversion, place all the files in a folder named "Process" and import that Process folder into Lightroom. I don’t apply any presets at this point, because there's still a lot of work to do before I want to let Lightroom grind away with preset processing and heat generation.

First Pass Through (HDR, Panorama, and "Possible Keepers")

With all the photos in Lightroom, this first pass through them will take place entirely in the Library module.

1. Lightroom should already show you the photos that you just imported, but if not, select the Process folder
2. Move through each photo in the folder (I use the arrow keys for this) and do one of the following:
   • To mark a photo as a possible keeper, press the [`] key (back tick, usually left of the 1).
   • To mark a photo as a reject, press the [x] key.
   • If the photo is part of an HDR set, select all photos to merge and press [Ctrl+H]. Complete the HDR Merge and then mark the resulting photo as either a possible keeper or reject. Additionally, mark the "source" HDR files as keepers or rejects; I generally reject most of them, unless one seems to have a "good" exposure that I might want to process without HDR information.
   • If the photo is part of a Panorama, select all photos to merge and press [Ctrl+M]. Complete the Panorama merge and then mark the resulting photo as either a possible keeper or reject. Additionally, mark the "source" Panorama files as keepers or rejects; I generally reject them.

Making a first pass through all of the photos and reject most of them.

Moving Rejects Out of the Way

I like to keep a clean work area, and part of doing that is moving photos that I'm not keeping out of the way, so I don't accidentally spend time dealing with them as I continue to process and whittle down the keepers.

1. If you don't have a Rejects folder in Lightroom already, create one.
2. Use the Attribute toolbar to filter the Library to only rejects.
3. Press Ctrl+A to select all rejects and move (drag) them to the Rejects folder.

Apply a Preset and Masks to Possible Keepers

Apply a Standard Preset (which includes Masks) to "Possible Keepers"

Since most photos are taken with the same camera, and usually with similar settings, a lot of the processing in Lightroom is similar between photos. Rather than manually perform the same processing steps every time, it's much easier to apply a Preset and commonly used Masks.

1. In the Library module Grid View, select all of the possible keeper photos and then select the Preset to apply in the Quick Develop > Saved Preset drop down.
2. Applying presets that use certain "AI" features, or with Masks that contain "AI Masks" can take some time, as Lightroom must evaluate the photo in order to apply the settings. The speed of your computer can dramatically affect the amount of time you have to wait.

Applying a Preset. You can choose a built-in Preset, but making your own is always a better choice.

Processing (and Culling) Individual Photos

If you've done a good job defining your Preset, nearly all of your photos will look a lot better after Lightroom applies the develop settings and creates the Masks defined in the Preset. Now it's time to go through all of the photos again - this time in the Develop module - to finalize processing and reject another round of photos that don't make the bar.

1. Switch from the Library module to the Develop module by clicking on Develop in the top toolbar, or by pressing [d].
2. Select the first photo from the filmstrip along the bottom.
3. If there are several similar photos, use the arrow keys to move through them in order to find the one(s) you want to save. Use the [x] key to mark the others as rejects, and then do not waste time further developing the rejects.
4. Evaluate the overall look of the photo and take note of the Histogram in the upper right corner, but don't make any changes, yet.
   1. If there is a white (or non-gray) triangle in the upper right corner of the histogram, hover the mouse over it. This will highlight areas of the photo that are completely white (washed out) in red.
   2. If there is a white (or non-gray) triangle in the upper left corner of the histogram, hover the mouse over it. This will highlight areas of the photo that are completely black (lost in shadow) in blue.

This photo already looks much better, but there are areas that are missing detail because they are too dark as well as areas that are too light.

If the areas missing detail (light or dark) are confined to the Sky or Not Sky areas of the photo, it is usually better to change the Develop settings for the respective Mask than it is to change the setting globally.

5. Open the Masks panel by pressing [Shift+W].
6. Select the Sky or Not Sky mask based on the area of the photo that you'd like to modify.
7. Tweak the Basic Develop sliders in order to get that area of the photo looking good. In general:
   • To bring detail to overly bright areas, decrease one or more of Highlights, Whites, Exposure.
   • To bring detail to overly dark areas, increase one or more of Shadows, Blacks, Exposure.
   • To make the Sky "bluer," move the Temperature slider toward blue (but not too much!)
   • To make the Not Sky seem "sunnier," move the Temperature slider toward yellow (but not too much!)
8. Repeat steps 5-6 for any other masked areas of the photo that need tweaking.
9. Press [Shift+W] to close the Masks panel.

When the Masks panel is open and a mask is selected, the sliders in the Basic Development area apply only to the masked area of the photo.

A photo is generally more appealing if the center of the photo - or the area around the subject, if the subject is not centered - is slightly brighter than the rest of the picture.

10. If it's not open already, open the Masks panel by pressing [Shift+W].
11. Select the Center Light mask.
12. Move the main radial gradient to the area of the photo that should draw a viewers attention.
13. Slowly increase the Whites and Shadows (and in some cases, Exposure) in order to highlight that area of the photo. Refrain from "overdoing it," so the photo maintains a more natural lighting.
14. Press [Shift+W] to close the Masks panel.

At this point, the photo is probably looking reasonably good, but further tweaking might lead to a stunning result.

15. Open the Masks panel by pressing [Shift+W].
16. Create any new Masks and set the appropriate Develop settings in order to achieve the result you are after. In general, I try to keep the following in mind:
    • Radial Gradient masks are the most natural looking, so usually a good place to begin.
    • Linear Gradient masks are rarely a good idea on their own, since few things in the world are perfectly straight lines.
    • It is tempting to use the Brush mask, but these masks are hard to modify after the fact, so I try to use them infrequently.
    • Creating a multi-element mask where an AI Sky mask is subtracted from the main mask (click the Subtract button once the main mask is created) can be extremely useful.
    • Masks that darken already dark areas or highlight already light areas can add a lot of drama and visual pop to a photo.

Continue to add masks or tweak Develop settings at a global level until you have the photo looking fantastic. If you can't get it looking fantastic, press the [x] key in order to mark it as a reject. A few tips I've found over the years:

• A little bit of the following settings can be nice, but too much can quickly leave the photo looking unnatural:
  • Contrast - max of 15
  • Clarity - max around 15
  • Dehaze - max around 20
  • Vibrance - max around 20, set this prior to setting saturation
  • Saturation - max around 10
• I often end up with Highlights at 0 and Shadows near 100, due to my tendency to shoot at -1.0EV.
• I've found that the sky usually looks best when Color Mixer > Hue > Aqua slider is usually best when set to 100 (toward blue). Note: this can make some things that are actually blue-green - like road signs - look too blue, so be careful.
• I've found that images that contain no sky at all can benefit from the Effects > Post Crop Vignetting (Highlight Priority) > Amount slider being set to a value between (-5) and (-20). Keep it natural though.

Once all photos have been individually processed or marked as reject, move the additional rejects into the Reject folder in order to keep the workspace clean.

17. Press the [e] key or switch into the Library module.
18. Use the Attribute toolbar to filter the Library to only rejects (black flag).
19. Press Ctrl+A to select all rejects and move (drag) them to the Rejects folder.

Adding Tags and Storing Photos

Once I've determined which photos I'm keeping and have processed them, I like to add keywords so I can find them later.

1. Press the [e] key or switch into the Library module if necessary.
2. Find the Keywording panel and enter any keywords that apply to the photo. I like to enter at least:
   • People Shown
   • Location Taken
   • Notable Objects Shown
   • Collection Name

Adding Keywords will make finding photos easier in the future.

At this point, the only thing left to do is clean up the Process folder:

3. Press the [e] key or switch into the Library module if necessary.
4. Press [Ctrl+A] or select all of the files you are done processing.
5. Drag them into the appropriate folder in the Lightroom Folders pane (left side). I store all photos for a single year in one folder, but use whatever filing system works for you.

When the Process folder is empty, you are ready to begin the procedure again with the next batch of photos. Yay!

 

My Camera Setup

 

Some of My Favs