What order should you go through the DEVELOP MODULE editing controls?
The answer ends up being a personal workflow choice, of course but this sequence can get you started. Generally, work from Global adjustments first then Targeted adjustments.
- Choose Color or B&W and then your Profile from the Basic Panel: these settings affect your starting point with the image so they are appropriately first.
- Choose a Profile only if desired, these can be helpful and leave all your sliders at Zero.
- ACR only, not Lightroom Develop, look into the Workflow Options (this is the old style linked text at the bottom of the ACR window: If you are prepping images for a certain print size or use this can save a lot of time. If you just want highest quality and most flexible workflow then this can be your normal settings.
- Crop and Straighten
- WB & color cast corrections
- Spot Removal - unless there are a lot of them! It can slow down editing.
- Basics panel for exposure, contrast, and basic color adjustments
- The targeted adjustments: The Masking options
- Other adjustments; color, lens corrections; color grading etc. Some may be set by default.
- Noise
- Sharpen
- Re-visit your Develop Default Settings? See the directions below.
How to set your Default Settings for the Develop Module
Once you have worked with Adobe Camera Raw editing controls in the Develop Module for awhile you will want to save the default values for your workflow. Carefully go thru and set all that you want to have be the defaults. Then create a Preset that holds those edits. Then go to the Preferences and choose the Presets Panel. Next to the word “Global” select the Preset you made. Then restart Lightroom.