Experienced Lightroom users understand why using local adjustments to control white balance can be one of the best ways to enhance colors in an image while maintaining a realistic look. And today’s tutorial from pro Austin James Jackson provides a quick-and-effective method for getting the job done to perfection.
Jackson is a Utah based professional landscape photographer and an exceptional instructor whose weekly editing and in-the-field lessons are guaranteed to help you create more compelling images. Today’s Lightroom tutorial is all about enhancing color for creating natural-looking photos that pop off the screen.
You’ll learn (once again) why we’re strong proponents of selective enhancements rather that limiting your edits to global adjustments that affect the entire image at once. Jackson puts it like this: “While a global white balance adjustment can neutralize colors in an image, you’re often missing out on an opportunity to add drama and mood while creating color separation between the subject and background.”
In other words white balance can be one of the most important settings if done right but doing things wrong can spoil a potentially great shot. Jackson reveals the transformational power of color separation while working on a tight shot of a moose captured at the long end of a 150—600mm telephoto zoom at ISO 800.
The original shot looks pretty good, but Jackson is unhappy with how the color of his subject sort of blends into the background. But watch what happens when he applies his white balance trick that takes less than eight minutes to explain. There’s a bit of snow on the moose’s back which is why Jackson wants to retain the warm look of his subject but cool off the background for a more wintery effect.
Jackson’s goal is difficult or impossible to achieve with a “lazy” global approach to processing the image. The foregoing is a leadup to how adjusting white balance selectively to different areas within the frame is a foolproof solution. He walks you through every step of the way, and you’ll quickly realize how useful this technique can be for balancing colors in other types of photographs.
Jackson’s popular YouTube channel is a great source of shooting and editing how-to videos, so be sure to take a look when you have time to explore.
And don’t miss the related Lightroom tutorial we featured recently with another accomplished pro who demonstrates why and how to set the white and black points during post-processing to create outdoor photographs with accurate tones.