Lightroom Tips

Friday's Tip – The Alt/Option Key

Woo Hoo! It’s Friday and it’s a long weekend (Memorial Day on Monday) – you can’t beat that. Today my tip is simple – the Alt/Option key… just press it every now and then. Seriously, I know it’s weird but that old Alt/Option key changes certain sliders when you press it. For example, if you hold down the Alt key (Option on Mac) and start dragging the Exposure slider (or the Shadow slider for the darks), you’ll see everything turn black. As you drag toward the right, you’ll eventually start seeing some colors appear. That’s Lightroom’s way of telling you those areas will be clipped (all white or all black) if you don’t pull back on the slider. It’s a good visual way to set your exposure and shadow settings without leaving your clipping warnings (those obnoxious blue and red splotches that appear on your photos) on all the time.

But it doesn’t stop there. Try it in the Split Toning panel when adjusting the Hue slider. It gives you a 100% saturated preview of the color you’re hovering over. Also give it a try in the Detail panel when sharpening. It works for a few of the sliders there.

Finally, if you know of anymore feel free to add them as a comment here. I’m sure I missed a few. But don’t be alarmed if I delete your comment, and just update my post and take full credit for your blatant reminder that I missed a use of the Alt/Option key 🙂 (just kidding). Enjoy your weekend folks and if it’s a 3-day weekend for you, enjoy it even longer.

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