Even if you’ve been using Lightroom for ages, I bet there are still some things you could improve and do better. In his latest video, Mark Denney explores five common mistakes photographers make in Lightroom even after years of editing. I admit I found myself, but thankfully, Mark offers solutions to help all of us elevate out photo editing skills.

1. Misusing the vignette tool

While many photographers use the Vignette tool to darken corners, it treats all four corners equally. This may not be an issue sometimes, but in many cases, it leads to unnatural-looking edits.

Solution: Instead of relying on the Vignette tool, use the Radial Gradient tool in the Mask section. This allows you to customize the vignette effect and target specific areas, like darkening the corners while keeping the sky bright.

2. Unreliable white balance dropper

The white balance dropper tool is my absolute favorite when I want to set a neutral white balance by clicking on a neutral area. However, if that area has a slight color cast (and it often does), it can throw off the entire image balance.

Solutions: Mark suggests a clever trick: use the Saturation slider to check if a neutral area has a hidden color cast. If the cool tones disappear at 100% saturation, the area is warm. Conversely, if the warm tones disappear, the area is cool. Make sure to look for an area with truly neutral tones, not just something that appears grey.

3. Over-sharpenin

Many photographers, especially beginners over-sharpen their photos. They crank up the sliders until they can easily see the effect – but this can create unwanted artifacts and noise.

Solution: Refine your edit by using masked sharpening. This allows you to target specific areas for sharpening, like details in the foreground, while leaving areas like the sky soft. Hold Option/Alt while adjusting the masking slider to see which areas are being sharpened.

4. Ignoring the clipping indicator

Lightroom’s clipping indicator (shortcut key J) shows areas with blown-out highlights (red) and underexposed shadows (blue). Many photographers ignore these warnings, leading to detail loss in both highlights and shadows.

Solution: The clipping indicator can be your best friend. Use it to identify overexposed and underexposed areas and then adjust the highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks accordingly to recover details.

5. Neglecting content-aware fill

Lightroom’s Content-Aware Fill tool can remove unwanted dust spots, sensor dust, or other small imperfections. And yet, photographers often oversee this helpful tool and take their images to Photoshop for edits like this.

Solution: Mark notes that you can use Content-Aware Fill and click on the area you want to fix. Lightroom will attempt to fill the area seamlessly, and it often does a great job. You can also hold Cmd/Ctrl and click on a different area to specify the source for filling the unwanted spot.

Do you also make these mistakes in Lightroom and overlook some helpful tools that could elevate your editing?

[5 Things You’re STILL Doing Wrong in Lightroom | Mark Denney]