lightroom 3 highlight sliders

rickp

I have a question on LR 3 and the highlights, lights, darks, shadows sliders.
I noticed that when I move the highlights slider the image will turn a bit gray. Has anyone else noticed this?

So far what I'm doing is using the exposure sliders and only use the others when absolutely necessary.

R.

pathfinder

I do not have highlights slider on my LR3 Develop Panel.

I do have an Exposure slider, is that what you are referring to, perhaps?

Icebear

pathfinder wrote: »

I do not have highlights slider on my LR3 Develop Panel. QUOTE]

Send it back, Man. Ya got gypped!

pathfinder

Yeah, yer probably right!

rickp

pathfinder wrote: »

I do not have highlights slider on my LR3 Develop Panel.

I do have an Exposure slider, is that what you are referring to, perhaps?

You have to expand "Tone Curve". Then you'll see the box and sliders.

R.

pathfinder

OK, I gotcha.

I rarely use the Tone Curve inside LR, I think I default to doing that in PS if needed, out of habit, probably. I have always felt the tone curve adjustments in LR were kind of funky. I do use the scrubby adjustment to the Tone curve in LR sometime, but as you could see, I was slow on the pickup for the highlights slider.

Why would you only use the Exposure slider, and leave all the other multiple sliders at their default positions? If you are going to do that, why not just shoot jpgs?

rickp

pathfinder wrote: »

OK, I gotcha.

I rarely use the Tone Curve inside LR, I think I default to doing that in PS if needed, out of habit, probably. I have always felt the tone curve adjustments in LR were kind of funky. I do use the scrubby adjustment to the Tone curve in LR sometime, but as you could see, I was slow on the pickup for the highlights slider.

Why would you only use the Exposure slider, and leave all the other multiple sliders at their default positions? If you are going to do that, why not just shoot jpgs?

If I'm understanding you right, I don't. In the exposure section I use all the sliders, exposure, recovery, fill light, etc... What I dont' use a lot is the sliders in the Tone Curve. I've been able to get the results I was looking for with the exposure sliders. The little I have used the Tone Curve sliders I've noticed the gray tint, and I don't like it. Actually i get the gray moving the first slider, highlights.

Also, I don't get what you mean by all the other sliders and shooting in jpg, do you mean ALL the other sliders? If so, I use just about all of them.

R.

rickp

pathfinder wrote: »

Are you editing Raw files, or jpgs?

RAW mostly

pathfinder

Ok, like you I rarely use the Tone Curve function, because I can usually get what I need with the standard four exposure sliders. Jpg files will be more brittle when pushed than Raw files, of course. Is they grey tone more consistent when the file is a jpg rather than a Raw file, perhaps?

Or is this something you notice frequently, even with Raw files?

I have not really noticed this, but anytime you really push a file you risk it with aggressive edits, even if they are just metadata.

How about posting a screen capture of all the sliders when you are seeing this grey shift, so we can all see what your edits are when this is happening?

Icebear

I don't think it's a true grey tone, as much as a general flattening of the image as you progressively take all the highlights away. If you bump up the "Lights" you get back some of the tone, but I'm with Pathfinder here, I've been using Lightroom since 1.nought and I can't think of a single image I've ever used that slider on. If I'm mucking about with curves, I'm in PS.

pathfinder

One of the things I don't like about Curves in LR and ACR is that no matter what you cannot change the final point of the curve on the upper right or lower left, whereas in PS I can alter the slope of the entire curve, including the endpoints.

Qarik

if your are not using the curves...are you at least using the contrast slider? if your are using the contrast slider then might as well use the curves for finer adjustment?

rickp

I noticed it when sliding the Highlights slider to the left. If I remember right its the only slider that I've noticed changing the color to a gray cast. I'll see if I can find a picture showing the issue.

colourbox

I always thought of the curves as alternatives to Brightness and Contrast. Because you can't move the endpoints or go beyond them, I don't think the curves can replace Exposure or Blacks, and certainly not Recovery and Fill Light because those use masks.

If you aren't quite getting what you want with Brightness and Contrast, the curve lets you finesse both. At least that's when I use them. I believe Icebear is probably correct that if an image is turning gray it's only because you're using the curve to kill contrast within the affected range. I would guess the same thing would happen if you put it in Photoshop and created the same curve shape there.

jfriend

rickp wrote: »

I noticed it when sliding the Highlights slider to the left. If I remember right its the only slider that I've noticed changing the color to a gray cast. I'll see if I can find a picture showing the issue.

Sliding the highlights slider to the left serves to flatten out the highlights part of the tone curve. This both reduces contrast in the brighter parts of the image and turns white things into gray by reducing their tonal value. Both of these behaviors are the expected results by that type of curve manipulation. If that's what you are seeing and that isn't what you want, then you probably want a different Lightroom control for accomplishing your goal.

If you are seeing something different than that, then please include a sample image or two so we can understand better.

rsquared

pathfinder wrote: »

One of the things I don't like about Curves in LR and ACR is that no matter what you cannot change the final point of the curve on the upper right or lower left, whereas in PS I can alter the slope of the entire curve, including the endpoints.

Not true anymore in LR3!! Take a look at the screenshot you attached in post 6, and find the little curve icon in the bottom right. Now go to LR, click that icon, and you can suddenly drag ANY point anywhere you want it.

pathfinder

Rob, i' ll have to give that a try. Thanks!

Cool!