Color grading is an essential part of the post-processing workflow for photographers. It involves adjusting the colors, contrast, brightness and other elements in a photo to get the desired look and feel. Two of the most popular tools for color grading are Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.
But which one should you use? Lightroom and Photoshop both have their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to color grading. Here, we’ll compare the color grading capabilities in Lightroom vs Photoshop to help you decide which is better for your needs.
Lightroom’s Color Grading Tools
Lightroom is designed specifically for processing large volumes of photos efficiently. Here are some of the key color grading tools available in Lightroom:
- Basic Panel – The Basic panel contains sliders for adjusting white balance, exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, blacks, clarity, vibrance and saturation.
- Tone Curve – The Tone Curve panel allows you to fine-tune the tonal range of the image, from shadows to highlights.
- HSL/Color Panel – Use the HSL/Color panel to adjust hue, saturation and luminance for specific color ranges.
- Split Toning – Split toning allows you to add a color tint to the highlights and shadows for creative effects.
- Camera Calibration Panel – The Camera Calibration panel lets you override your camera’s default color profiles to dramatically change the look of your photos.
- Presets – Lightroom offers a range of color grading presets that provide instant results with just one click.
These tools give you considerable control over the color and tone of your images. The fact that they are non-destructive edits also makes Lightroom great for experimenting safely.
Photoshop’s Color Grading Tools
While Lightroom excels at efficient raw processing, Photoshop gives you more advanced control and creative options. Here are some of Photoshop’s key features for color grading:
- Levels & Curves – The Levels and Curves adjustments in Photoshop allow for precise control over the tonal range.
- Hue/Saturation – The Hue/Saturation adjustment lets you shift all hues or target specific color ranges.
- Color Balance – Use the Color Balance adjustment to shift the overall color cast between cyan/red and magenta/green.
- Black & White – Convert images to black and white and adjust the brightness of individual colors with the Black & White adjustment.
- Selective Color – Boost or mute specific color ranges with the Selective Color adjustment.
- Photo Filters – Photoshop’s Photo Filters provide warming and cooling filters to easily change color tones.
- Color Lookup – Creative color grades can be achieved with the Color Lookup adjustment and preset LUTs.
Photoshop also provides more options for making masks and selections to apply adjustments locally. Overall, it offers greater precision and creative flexibility compared to Lightroom.
Comparing the Pros and Cons
To help summarize the key differences, here is an overview of the pros and cons of using each tool for color grading:
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When to Use Lightroom vs Photoshop for Color Grading
Based on their respective strengths, here are some guidelines on when to use each program for color grading:
- Lightroom – Best for minor enhancements to large batches of photos. Great for basic raw processing.
- Photoshop – Best when you need precise control and localized adjustments. Better for creative color grading.
As a rule of thumb, try to do as much color grading as possible in Lightroom first. Then finish off with selective adjustments in Photoshop if needed. Here are some examples of when you might take an image from Lightroom into Photoshop for color grading:
- You need to lighten or darken specific areas of the photo
- Skin tones need more localized retouching
- You want to replace a color selectively
- Creative split-toning or color effects are desired
Color Grading Example in Lightroom
Let’s walk through a basic color grade in Lightroom to get a feel for the workflow and tools.
Here is the raw file we will be working with – a portrait shot outdoors in overcast lighting:
The image is dull and flat straight out of camera. It needs some sharpening and contrast enhancement. Here are the adjustments made in Lightroom’s Develop module:
- White Balance – Adjusted the Temp and Tint sliders for more natural, warm skin tones.
- Tone Curve – Added an S-curve to boost midtone contrast.
- HSL Panel – Desaturated oranges slightly to tone down the background.
- Sharpening – Increased Amount to 100 for crisper details.
- Clarity – Set to +20 to enhance midtone contrast.
- Dehaze – Increased to +25 to improve overall contrast.
Here is the final edited photo after about 5 minutes of adjustments in Lightroom:
The color grade helps liven up the original flat raw file and makes the subject pop more. The skin tones are improved and the edit gave it a nice, polished look overall. This demonstrates how effective Lightroom can be for basic color grading enhancement.
Color Grading Example in Photoshop
Now let’s see a more advanced color grade in Photoshop. We’ll take the photo from Lightroom and enhance it further by using masks for localized adjustments.
Here is the image after the initial edit in Lightroom:
First, we will use a Curves adjustment layer to add contrast and shape the tones. By using a layer, we keep the changes non-destructive.
Next, a Hue/Saturation layer is added to desaturate the background elements slightly so the portrait subject stands out more.
A Color Balance layer is then used to adjust the overall color tones. The highlights are given a slight yellow/green tint for a warm, sunlit effect.
Finally, we brush in some Dodging and Burning selectively on the subject’s skin using a soft round brush to even out the tone and lighting.
Here is the final image after the Photoshop color grading:
The targeted enhancements in Photoshop helped improve the portrait. Skin tones are smoother and more pleasing. The background colors are muted to not distract from the subject. And the highlights give it a nice glow.
This demonstrates how Photoshop provides fine control over the color grade compared to Lightroom.
Conclusion
In summary, both Lightroom and Photoshop have their place in a photographer’s color grading workflow. Lightroom makes it easy to enhance large volumes of photos with its intuitive sliders. Photoshop allows more precise adjustments through the use of layers, masks and selections.
A typical color grading workflow would be:
- Initial raw processing in Lightroom for batch edits
- Creative color grading adjustments in Lightroom
- Final selective color enhancements in Photoshop if needed
The most flexibility will be achieved by using both together. Lightroom for efficient global edits, then Photoshop for localized fine-tuning.
With practice you will learn when an image requires the more advanced control that only Photoshop can provide. Both are invaluable tools to have in a photographer’s editing toolkit when it comes to professional color grading.