Lightroom 3 Adjustment Brush Effects

Over the last several weeks we have focused on Lightroom 3's Adjustment Brush tool.  In last week's post we used the Adjustment Brush to bring out some additional detail in an under exposed line of trees on the horizon.  This was a rather simple illustration, but the mechanics of the process will almost always be the same:

1. Select the Adjustment Brush tool
2. Set the brush size
3. Adjust the hardness/softness of the brush edge (Feather)
4. Set the thickness (Flow) of the "paint".  With a pen and tablet, you can also control flow with the amount of pressure you apply... just like a normal pen or brush.
5. "Paint" the area in need of adjustment

6. Adjust the necessary sliders to your liking.

If this last step causes you trouble, the nice folks at Adobe were kind enough to provide you with some presets or "effects" to help you get started.  Simply click the drop down next to the "Effect" option on the Adjustment Brush panel to reveal a menu of common types of brush adjustments.  Select one, and the sliders are automatically set for you.  You can even save your own settings as a new preset for later use.

Until next time, keep click'n.
-Ken