Levels in Lightroom

AndyWest

AndyWest

Suspended / Banned
Messages
8,400
Name
Andy
Edit My Images
No
I know there's no seperate window in lightroom (v2.7) for levels but is there a way of using the histogram in the same or similar way as you would in PS. It does annoy me that something so simple is missed out in LR as it's a pain to open the image in PS elements just to tweak the levels.

I don't really want to upgrade to PS5 as LR does me for 80% of my workflow.
 
Andy

When I started using Lightroom I found the lack of levels initialy a bit concerning. However 2½ years later I've forgotten all about levels. In fact I think it stopped being a problem a few days after I got into Lightroom.

If you really need to stretch the Histogram to fill the window, then use the Tone Curve controls. These will give you a similar effect. Work with the Darks and Lights sliders.

However can I suggest that you might like to ignore exactly how the histogram looks and concentrate on getting the image to your liking. I don't know how long you've worked with Lightroom, but if you simply use the controls to give you the image you want, I think you'll find that you are not missing the levels control

John C
 
Lack of levels is one reason that most of my images go through photoshop too! If someone did a levels add-on that might be useful :)
 
What am I missing here? To do levels you just click and drag parts of the histogram, or use the exposure, black point and fill light and recovery controls. Since you can actually make the histogram bigger, it has much more fine control than any version of photoshop, and the adjustment method is much more direct.
 
If you have a problem with Lightroom then use Camera Raw and then open in PS.
Camera Raw has most of the tools Lightroom has. The Lightroom Print Engine is far superior and for workflow is a far better bet. Tone Curve is just another tool for adjusting Levels, the outcome is virtually identical. It is what you are comfortable with.
 
FranchiseJuan said:
What am I missing here? To do levels you just click and drag parts of the histogram, or use the exposure, black point and fill light and recovery controls. Since you can actually make the histogram bigger, it has much more fine control than any version of photoshop, and the adjustment method is much more direct.
Click to expand...

^^ this

The only thing you're missing is individual control of the colour channels and there are other ways to achieve most of what that will do within LR. :shrug:
 
FranchiseJuan said:
What am I missing here? To do levels you just click and drag parts of the histogram, or use the exposure, black point and fill light and recovery controls. Since you can actually make the histogram bigger, it has much more fine control than any version of photoshop, and the adjustment method is much more direct.
Click to expand...

:agree:
 
All I want is a simple histogram where I can see that there is space at the start and end and where I can then drag the histogram to the start and end like I can in Photoshop. I appreciated there are other ways of doing this but that way is simple and works!
 
I find that you can do everything you need to make your images sing in Lightroom using a combination of the four develop sliders.

To add apparent saturation use the black slider.

One thing I overdid was to turn the highlights down so that the images "looked right" on my monitor. Brightness levels on monitors must vary because on other monitors my images looked dark and drab.

Tim (tdodd) pointed this out to me on here and I am very grateful to him. Now I check each image, using the histogram, to see if the whites are blowing out. If they are, then I turn the highlights down. And I have to remember to adjust all my earlier images before using them.
 
cowasaki said:
All I want is a simple histogram where I can see that there is space at the start and end and where I can then drag the histogram to the start and end like I can in Photoshop. I appreciated there are other ways of doing this but that way is simple and works!
Click to expand...

I'm not sure is I'm missing something in this discussion, but I find that if I go into Develop and click my mouse at either end or centre of the histogram you can just slide the histogram along the same as in CS3. It doesn't work in Library mode though.
 
The "Levels" in Lightroom is surely more intuitive and just as effective if not more so than PS.

You actually click and drag in the histogram. Which is split into 4, Left to right. Blacks, Fill Light, Exposure, Recovery.
If you hold the Alt/Option Key whilst dragging you can see the clipping points on your image. When you've done the 'Levels' you can fine tune with the sliders if yo wish.

In Photoshop you only get 3 sliders, in LR you get 4... bonus! :)
 
For those of you who don't know this - if you click on the triangles in the top left and right corners of the histogram box you get to see the blown highlights in red and the blacked-out blacks in blue. You can then adjust and see the changes.
 
MisterE said:
For those of you who don't know this - if you click on the triangles in the top left and right corners of the histogram box you get to see the blown highlights in red and the blacked-out blacks in blue. You can then adjust and see the changes.
Click to expand...

What arrows?

lrhist1.png
 
These




You don't even need to click on them. Just hover your cursor over them
 
Mystery sorted !!

IF you look at the levels whilst in library you can't change them but if you do the same in develop you CAN change them although the method of changing them is not as easy as in PS. Anyway at least it is doable now.
 
cowasaki said:
although the method of changing them is not as easy as in PS.
Click to expand...

er, click and drag

[still confused how it seems difficult :thinking:]

and yes, you do all of your editing in the Develop module. Library is for organising and cataloguing your photos.
 
Musicman said:
er, click and drag

[still confused how it seems difficult :thinking:]

and yes, you do all of your editing in the Develop module. Library is for organising and cataloguing your photos.
Click to expand...

No, its not difficult. I'm not saying that but in PS we have the ALT change button to show where the level is hitting max/min and you just click and drag from the end to the point you want. In LR you don't appear to have the max/min showing button and also you have to click from a point towards the edge and the whole area is split into separate sections. You have to click within a section and drag that towards the edge. It just seems simpler in PS that's all.

I am pleased that I can do simple levels in LR now though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top