How to best use the powerful new color grading tool in Lightroom

In the latest update to Lightroom, Adobe removed the Split Toning tool and replaced it with Color Grading, a move the photographer Mark Denney explains in this 12 minute video forever changed the way he develops color – for the better.

Denney says that of the three factors that make a compelling landscape image – composition, light and color – the most important is color. Since what you can do with composition and light is quite limited in posting, how you work with color is of critical importance when editing.

Lightroom’s new color grading tool is, in Denney’s opinion, the most exciting update the platform has seen in a long time.

“If you’ve already updated to the most recent version, you may have noticed that the section called Split Toning has been removed, which can be a bit alarming,” Denney says. “But what it’s replaced is so much better – more color control and precision than ever before. There’s even another long-awaited and welcome change in the new Lightroom 10 update that has nothing to do with color which I’m also passionate about! “

Denney explains in detail how he uses the color grading tool, which should be familiar to anyone who has worked in Adobe Premiere for the past few years. It allows you to independently color tones of shadows, midtones, and highlights, and also has blend and balance controls. If you’re wondering how to get the most out of the update, Denney’s instructions will prove invaluable.

To learn more about Denney, you can subscribe to his Youtube channel or his many photography tutorials.

(via Fstoppers)