Just add some points to the curve, as demonstrated in the previous section.Īnd then drag down the leftmost part of the curve: You should do this with the Curves option, found in the Light tool panel. I’ve talked about the value of adding some contrast to your photos.īut if you want to get really advanced, you can selectively add contrast… Crush the Blacks for a Contrast-Heavy, Cinematic Look The second way to boost the contrast is with the Curves tool (which is found under the Advanced Settings menu in the Light tool):Īdd a few points to the curve, then drag it into an S-shape:Īnd your photo will become nice and contrasty. Just raise the contrast until you get something you like. The first, and simplest, is to use the Smart Contrast slider in the Light tool panel: Now, you can boost the contrast in a few easy ways. It really is a key improvement, and it’s one that you should harness in almost every one of your photos. Here’s another very basic adjustment, but one that’s pretty much indispensable:Ĭontrast will take your photo from something boring, like this: Add Contrast with the Smart Contrast Slider (Or Curves) Luminar Masking Guide The Luminar Essential Panel How to Use Layers in Luminar Ratings, Flags, and Folders in Luminar 11 Luminar Shortcuts to Speed Up Your Workflow 2. They give you a great foundation for further editing in Luminar–and they just make photos look plain better. While both of these adjustments may seem very basic, they’re an extremely important early step in the editing process. To boost the shadows, either to bring back lost detail into the scene, or to make the shadow detail more apparent. You can generally use the Shadows slider in a similar (but opposite) way: It can also be used to enhance detail that’s already present–but just doesn’t stand out. Note that you don’t just need to use the Highlights slider to recover lost detail.

Just drag down the Highlights slider, and you’ll be able to bring out a lot more detail. The Highlights slider is excellent for situations when you have too-bright highlights, such as when you’re working with a bright sky. Luminar offers two excellent sliders for bringing back detail into your photos, both located under the Light tool in the Essentials tab: If you want to create stunning edit effects with Luminar, I recommend you start with exposure.

Recover Highlights and Shadows with the Light Sliders

But for those who prefer text, keep reading! 1.

Luminar ai tutorial