Lightroom Editing Sins! Avoid These 9 Deadly Mistakes!

When I first started editing, my photos looked like a chaotic rainbow explosion! 🌈💥 Bright, contrasty, and... well, let's just say "unique." 😅 Luckily, you don't have to repeat my early editing disasters! Let's dive into 9 common Lightroom sins and how to avoid them.

1) Alien Portraits: Overdoing Skin Softening 👽

A little skin smoothing is nice, but turning your subjects into plastic dolls? Not so much! 🙅‍♀️ Aim for natural-looking enhancements. If the skin smoothing jumps out at you, you've gone too far. My trick? Dial it back, then dial it back again. Trust me, less is more!

2) Sharpness Halo: Over-Sharpening 🔪

We all love a sharp photo! But over-sharpening creates weird halos and amplifies noise. 😫 Remember, you can't magically fix an out-of-focus image with sharpening. Go easy on that slider, and always sharpen for the intended output.

(Grab the FREE Lightroom Unlocked Checklist for a step-by-step editing guide! 📝)

3) Oompa Loompa Skin: Saturation Overload 🍊

Saturation can lead to unnatural, orange-y skin tones. Opt for Vibrance instead! It's smarter, boosting less-saturated colors without making your subjects look like they've had a bad spray tan. 😅

4) Magic Presets: Expectation vs. Reality 🪄

Presets are great for saving time, but they're not a substitute for learning the fundamentals! 🕰️ If your images look nothing like the preset previews, it's time to learn how to edit properly. Then, presets become powerful tools!

5) Black Hole Vignettes: Overdoing It 🌑

Vignettes can draw attention to your subject, but they should be subtle! If you can see the vignette edges, you've gone too far. Aim for a gentle, almost invisible effect.

6) Sledgehammer Editing: Over-Processing 🔨

Don't try to "rescue" a bad photo with extreme edits! 🙅‍♀️ Over-processing makes your edits the focal point, not your subject. Watch out for clarity and contrast – too much can ruin your image!

7) Color Clipping Catastrophe: Ignoring Color Limits 🌈

Pushing colors too far can lead to clipping, where colors lose detail and look flat. 📉 Always keep an eye on your histogram to avoid this!

8) Unnatural Clarity: Clarity Gone Wild 🌀

While clarity can add punch, too much can make skin look grey and unnatural, and create a very gritty look. Check your "before" and "after" to make sure you didn’t take it too far.

9) Editing Ghost: Doing Nothing At All 👻

Editing isn't cheating! It's a vital part of photography. Even JPEGs have had camera-applied edits. Take control of your images and explore the creative possibilities!

So there you have it! It’s so important to learn the functions in Lightroom as there are so, SO many more tools and capabilities than you may think!

Want me to teach you the entire ins and outs of Lightroom Classic? Check out my comprehensive course, Lightroom Unlocked: Blank Canvas to Masterpiece. You take it at your own pace, it’s completely online, and you have access forever.