PHOTO SETTINGS
Note: To the Left means negative number (-50) To the Right means positive number (+50)
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It's important to find a balance as decent images almost always balance the settings correctly, this before and after intends to teach you how LightRoom settings work on an image
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WB or White Balance: dramatically effects the color of your photo.
(The White Balance Setting includes sub settings Temp and Tint)
—Leave this on Auto for now—
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TONE SETTINGS:
Exposure: To make the image darker and soften out the lights drag the exposure slider to the left. To "expose" your image to more light drag the slider to the right.
(This setting is the most important tone setting as it can dramatically effect the light in your image)
Contrast: To make the image softer and give it less "contrast" drag the slider to the left. To make your image harsher and more dramatic drag to the right.
Highlights: To "bring out" the highlights in your image drag the slider to the right. To soften the highlights in your image and make it dull turn down the highlights. Imagine this setting as changing the intensity of the sun.
Shadows: To bring out the detail in the shadows drag the slider to the right. To hide the details in the shadows of your image drag the slider to the left. Sometimes it's best to hide the details in the shadows as those details make your image less appealing. If you turn up the shadows on the image below you can see the plaster on the wall which adds unwanted texture to the image and takes away from the artwork.
Whites: This is essentially another brightness slider. To increase the intensity of the white in your image drag the slider to the right. This brings the "white-ish" colors in your image closer to a pure white (#FFFFFF). Dragging the slider to the left has the opposite effect.
Blacks: This is essentially another brightness slider. To increase the intensity of the blacks in your image drag the slider to the left. This brings the "dark-ish" colors in your image closer to a pure Black (#000000). Dragging the slider to the right has the opposite effect and brightens up your image.
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PRESENCE SETTINGS:
(These settings can dramatically change your image and can add "special effects")
Clarity: To bring out detail and texture, drag the slider to the right. To soften the image, drag the slider to the left. Too much clarity can make your image too harsh and ugly but if that's your style then turn it up.
If you want to make a model's acne or stray hairs less obvious turn the clarity down to a negative number.
Dehaze: Drag the slider to the left to make your image more "hazy", drag the slider to the right to make your image less hazy. Hence the name "dehaze." Dehaze is my favorite Lightroom setting because it can a foggy valley appear crisp and sharp when I turn up the dehaze a moderate amount (+35 for example).
Vibrance: similar to the Saturation setting, the Vibrance setting adjusts the "vibrancy" of the colors in the image. Turned down to the left the image will be close to black and white.
Saturation: Fairly self-explanatory (explained further in the glossary) Drag to the left for a black and white/greyscale image drag to the right to increase the intensity of the colors. A black and white color "preset" located in the left hand panel will just turn down the saturation and vibrance (Presence Settings).
If you're all ready to export your edited image all you have to do is right click on the image and select "export" from the drop down menu.