Using the Adjustment Brush Tool

Topics Covered in This Lightroom Tutorial:

The Adjustment Brush Tool, Adjusting Exposure & Saturation, Viewing Masks, Deleting Adjustment Brush Masks

Exercise Preview

Exercise Overview

In this exercise, you'll master the Adjustment Brush tool—one of Lightroom's most powerful precision editing instruments. This tool enables you to apply targeted corrections to specific areas of your image without affecting the entire photograph. You'll learn to selectively darken an overexposed sky and desaturate vibrant flowers, demonstrating how professional photographers achieve balanced, compelling compositions through selective adjustments rather than global corrections.

The Adjustment Brush Tool

1. If you have not imported the photos that were imported in Exercise 2E:
   • Go into the Library module.
   • At the bottom left of the screen, click Import.
   • In the dialog box that appears, on the left under Source, navigate to Desktop > Class Files > Lightroom Class and select the Develop folder.
   • At the top, above the photos, make sure Add is selected (highlighted).
   • On the bottom right, click Import.

2. In the Library module, select the Hampton Court Palace & violets photo (_CAS4948).

3. Press D to go into the Develop module.

4. In the Navigator panel, click on FIT if it is not already highlighted.

5. Under the Histogram panel, click the Adjustment Brush tool .

6. In the panel that appears:
   • From the Effect menu, select Exposure if it's not already selected.
   • Drag the Exposure slider to around − 1.00.
   • In the Brush section under Flow, check Auto Mask.

7. Press the right bracket key ] a few times to increase the brush size.

   NOTE: The left bracket key [ will decrease the brush size. These keyboard shortcuts are essential for maintaining workflow efficiency during detailed editing sessions.

8. Brush the entire sky (try to avoid brushing the buildings and trees, though it won't cause much damage due to Auto Mask protection).

9. When finished, click the Adjustment Brush tool again to deselect it.

10. Click the Adjustment Brush tool to select it again.

11. On the photo, locate the circle , which corresponds to the sky's mask. These mask pins are visual anchors that allow you to return to and modify specific adjustments at any time.

12. Click on this circle to reveal the mask.

    NOTE: A black dot will appear inside the circle to show it's activated

13. Hover over that circle for a few moments, and the mask will be indicated by the color red (appears pink/light red). This visualization helps you verify the exact areas affected by your adjustment.

14. Next to Exposure, drag the slider to − 3.00. Notice how this dramatic change affects only the masked sky area, leaving the rest of the image untouched.

15. If you've missed some spots, use the Adjustment Brush tool to brush them now.

    If you've accidentally brushed too much, press Opt (Mac) or ALT (Windows) and brush over those areas to subtract from the mask. This erase function is crucial for precision work around complex edges.

16. Notice that some buildings and trees have a slight halo where the sky meets them. This common issue occurs when adjustments are too aggressive near high-contrast edges. We need to tone down the exposure.

17. In the right side panel, set the Exposure to − 1.60. This demonstrates the non-destructive nature of Lightroom's adjustments—you can always refine your edits.

18. Click the Adjustment Brush tool to deselect it.

19. At the bottom of the screen, click the Before & After icon to examine your work. This comparison view is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of your adjustments.

20. At the bottom of the screen, click the Loupe View icon .

Now that you've mastered selective exposure adjustments, let's explore how the Adjustment Brush can control color saturation with surgical precision.

Adjusting Saturation Via Adjustment Brush

Let's decrease the saturation of the bright purple flowers to create a more balanced composition where no single element overwhelms the viewer's attention.

1. Click the Adjustment Brush tool .

2. In the panel that appears, from the Effect menu, select Saturation. This preset automatically configures the tool for color intensity adjustments.

3. Below that, drag the Saturation slider left to − 20. This moderate reduction will tone down the flowers without making them appear lifeless.

4. Press O to show the red mask color as you brush. This overlay mode allows you to see exactly where you're applying the effect in real-time.

5. Brush some of the flowers. Focus on the most vibrant blooms first to gauge the effect's impact.

6. Press the O key again to hide the mask and to see the flowers desaturated. This toggle technique helps you evaluate your work without visual distraction.

7. Press O again to reveal the mask.

8. Brush the rest of the flowers to achieve consistent saturation across all the blooms.

9. Press O to see the changes. Notice how the reduced saturation creates better visual balance between the architectural elements and natural features.

Understanding how to remove adjustments is just as important as knowing how to apply them. Let's explore mask deletion techniques.

Deleting Adjustment Brush Masks

1. To get rid of one of the adjustment masks that you brushed onto the photo, click on the circle corresponding to the sky's reduced exposure to select its mask. The selected mask pin will display the black dot indicator.

2. Press Delete on your keyboard to delete it. Notice how the sky immediately returns to its original exposure value.

3. Delete all the remaining masks:
   • Click on the circle on the flowers.
   • Make sure it now has a black dot inside it.
   • Press Delete to delete it.

   We've now reverted to the original photo, demonstrating the completely non-destructive nature of Lightroom's editing workflow.

   As you've discovered in this exercise, the Adjustment Brush tool is indispensable for professional photo editing. It enables precise, reversible adjustments that would be impossible to achieve with global corrections alone. This selective editing capability is what separates amateur snapshots from polished, professional images. Master this tool, and you'll have the power to guide your viewer's eye exactly where you want it to go while maintaining complete creative control over every pixel in your composition.