Finally!! a Lightroom Tool that actually IMPROVES Image Quality!

Mark Denney
10 May 202315:13

TLDRThe video discusses the impact of image quality in the era of advanced post-processing tools, focusing on the new features in Adobe Lightroom's update. The host explores the significance of image quality, which encompasses the accuracy of capturing, processing, storing, and displaying image signals. They highlight two major improvements in Lightroom: the Content-Aware tool for cloning and healing, and the new denoise AI feature that preserves fine details and enhances colors even in high ISO photographs. A comparison between the old and new noise reduction methods is presented, showcasing the AI tool's superior performance. Additional features like the curve tool for masks, the ability to target specific areas of an image for adjustments, and visual indicators for edited sections are also covered. The summary emphasizes the substantial leap in image enhancement capabilities with Lightroom's update, providing photographers with powerful new tools to improve their workflow.

Takeaways

  • 📸 Lightroom has introduced significant improvements in cloning/healing and noise reduction tools, addressing long-standing user feedback.
  • 🆕 The new Content-Aware tool in Lightroom offers superior performance over previous options for repairing areas in photos.
  • 🔍 Lightroom's enhanced denoise tool improves handling of high ISO images without losing fine details, avoiding the smearing issues of older methods.
  • 💡 The denoise AI tool is effective on RAW files only, not JPEGs, TIFFs, or PNGs, and creates a separate DNG file with enhancements.
  • 👁️ The denoise tool allows for easy adjustments with a slider, providing before and after previews to gauge effectiveness.
  • 🌈 The enhanced tool preserves or enhances colors that typically degrade at high ISO levels, bringing out subtle hues and contrasts.
  • 🔄 Comparisons between the new and old noise reduction methods show significant improvements in detail preservation and noise removal.
  • 🌐 Additional updates in Lightroom include a new curve tool in the masking section, allowing for precise adjustments to specific image areas.
  • 🖼️ The update also introduces a visual indicator for applied edits, helping users track changes across different sections of their workflow.
  • 🚀 Overall, the latest Lightroom update offers substantial advancements in image processing, notably improving usability and output quality.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of discussion in the video?

    -The main topic of discussion is the improvement in image quality using Adobe Lightroom's new features, particularly the Denoise AI tool and other enhancements in the latest update.

  • What are the two major issues with Lightroom that were addressed in the update?

    -The two major issues addressed are Lightroom's previous inability to effectively clone or heal areas of a photograph and its difficulty in cleaning up noisy photographs without losing fine details.

  • How does the new Content-Aware tool in Lightroom differ from previous options?

    -The new Content-Aware tool works better than the previous options, providing a more effective way to clone or heal areas of a photograph.

  • What ISO level was used in the example photograph in the video?

    -The ISO level used in the example photograph was 25600, which is a very high setting that typically results in a noisy image.

  • What new feature in Lightroom allows for the selection and adjustment of specific areas, such as the sky?

    -The new feature is the 'Select Sky' tool, which allows users to make adjustments specifically to the sky in a photograph.

  • How does the new Denoise AI tool in Lightroom differ from the old noise reduction tool?

    -The Denoise AI tool provides better noise reduction while preserving fine details and even enhancing certain aspects like sharpness and color, whereas the old tool tended to result in a loss of detail and a 'smeared mush' effect.

  • What is the significance of the new curve tool available for masks in Lightroom?

    -The curve tool for masks is significant because it is a powerful feature that allows for more precise and nuanced adjustments to specific areas of a photograph, such as adjusting colors, contrast, and other tones.

  • What are the new indicators in Lightroom that help users keep track of the edits they have made?

    -The new indicators are small dots and eyeball icons that appear in various sections of the interface, signaling that edits have been applied to those areas and allowing users to toggle the visibility of those edits on and off.

  • How does the video demonstrate the effectiveness of the new noise reduction tool?

    -The video demonstrates the effectiveness by showing a before-and-after comparison of a high ISO image, highlighting the significant reduction in noise and the preservation of fine details and color.

  • What is the author's opinion on the new Lightroom update in comparison to other noise reduction tools?

    -The author believes that while they do not frequently use high ISO levels, the new update offers a substantial improvement over previous versions of Lightroom and presents a significant leap in noise reduction technology.

  • What additional tools and features are highlighted in the video as part of the new Lightroom update?

    -Additional tools and features highlighted include the ability to apply curves to masks, new indicators for edits, and the organization and toggling capabilities for different sections of the editing process.

Outlines

00:00

📸 Image Quality and Lightroom's New Denoise AI

The speaker discusses the relevance of image quality in the era of advanced post-processing. They define image quality in terms of the accuracy with which imaging systems handle image signals. With rapid post-processing advancements, the importance of original image quality is questioned. Adobe Lightroom's updates are highlighted, particularly the new Content-Aware tool and the Denoise AI feature. A demonstration is conducted using a high ISO photograph from the Blue Ridge Mountains to showcase the effectiveness of the Denoise AI in reducing noise while preserving fine details and enhancing colors, which was a previous limitation of Lightroom.

05:01

🆕 Lightroom's Enhanced Noise Reduction and Color Preservation

The presenter compares Lightroom's old noise reduction method with the new AI-powered tool, emphasizing the significant improvement in detail preservation and noise elimination. They show how the new tool can even enhance details and colors in high ISO photos that were previously lost or noisy. The comparison reveals a stark difference, with the new method offering a monumental leap in quality. The speaker also briefly mentions other tools in the update, suggesting that while they don't often need extreme noise reduction, having such a powerful tool is highly beneficial.

10:01

🎨 Advanced Masking and Curves in Lightroom's Update

The video script details additional features introduced in Lightroom's latest update. The new masking capabilities allow for more precise adjustments, including a curve tool that can be applied to specific areas of an image, offering powerful control over tones and colors. The presenter demonstrates how to use these tools to adjust the sky and ground in a photo, adding contrast and color to enhance the overall image. The update also introduces visual indicators, such as colored dots and eyeballs, to help users keep track of edited areas and toggle adjustments on and off for a more organized and efficient editing process.

15:03

📅 Conclusion and Engagement Invitation

The speaker concludes the video by summarizing the significant improvements in Lightroom's new update, particularly praising the Denoise AI tool and the addition of curves to the masking section. They express hope that the information was helpful to viewers and invite any questions in the comments section, promising to respond promptly. The presenter also encourages viewers to like the video, subscribe to the channel if they haven't already, and looks forward to their next encounter with the audience.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Image Quality

Image quality refers to the precision with which imaging systems capture, process, store, compress, transmit, and display the signals that form an image. In the context of the video, it is about the clarity and detail of a photograph, especially important when considering the impact of post-processing tools on the original image's integrity.

💡Post-processing

Post-processing is the process of editing and enhancing a photograph after it has been taken. In the video, the author discusses the advancements in post-processing tools, questioning whether the original image quality still matters when these tools can significantly improve the image.

💡Lightroom

Lightroom is a photo editing software developed by Adobe. The video focuses on new features in Lightroom that improve image quality, particularly in the areas of noise reduction and detail preservation, which were previously points of criticism.

💡Content-Aware Tool

A content-aware tool is a feature in Adobe Lightroom that allows users to remove unwanted objects from a photo by automatically filling in the removed area with surrounding content. The video highlights an improvement in Lightroom's content-aware tool, which now works better than previous versions.

💡Noise Reduction

Noise reduction is the process of minimizing the grainy appearance in a photograph, often introduced by high ISO settings. The video demonstrates how Lightroom's new denoise AI tool can reduce noise while preserving fine details and enhancing colors, a significant improvement over previous methods.

💡Denoise AI Tool

The Denoise AI tool in Lightroom is a new feature that uses artificial intelligence to reduce noise in images. The video shows a comparison between the old and new noise reduction methods, emphasizing the AI tool's ability to maintain image details and color accuracy.

💡ISO Level

ISO level refers to the sensitivity of a camera's sensor to light. A higher ISO level can result in a noisier image but allows for faster shutter speeds or lower light conditions. The video uses an example shot at ISO 25600 to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new noise reduction tool.

💡Virtual Copy

A virtual copy in Lightroom is a non-destructive duplicate of an image that allows users to apply different edits to the same photo without altering the original. The video script describes creating a virtual copy to compare the effects of the old and new noise reduction tools.

💡Curve Tool

The curve tool in photo editing software, including the new update in Lightroom, is a powerful feature for adjusting the tonal range of an image. The video discusses the addition of the curve tool to the mask feature in Lightroom, allowing for more precise and complex adjustments.

💡Masking

Masking in photo editing is the technique of selecting specific parts of an image for targeted adjustments. The video highlights the new masking features in Lightroom, such as the ability to apply curves to masks and the visual indicators (dots) that show where edits have been applied.

💡Color Grading

Color grading is the process of altering and enhancing the color of a photo to achieve a particular look or mood. The video mentions the potential for color grading within the mask feature, which would allow for more nuanced and specific color adjustments.

Highlights

The new Lightroom tool has been tested extensively and is shown to improve image quality significantly.

Image quality is defined as the accuracy with which imaging systems handle image signals.

With advancements in post-processing, the importance of maintaining original image quality is questioned.

Adobe Lightroom has addressed two major issues: the lack of a content-aware tool and the difficulty in reducing noise without losing detail.

A high ISO level photograph taken in the Blue Ridge Mountains is used to demonstrate the tool's effectiveness.

The old noise reduction tool in Lightroom has been replaced with a new AI-powered denoise tool.

The new denoise tool preserves fine details and color, unlike the old method which resulted in a loss of detail.

The AI denoise tool in Lightroom is操作简单 (simple to operate) with a slider for adjusting the level of noise reduction.

The tool is only available for RAW files, not JPEG, TIFF, or PNG.

A side-by-side comparison shows the AI tool's superior noise reduction and detail preservation.

The enhanced version of the photograph shows improved color saturation in areas that were previously lacking.

The new update also includes a curve tool for masks, offering more precise adjustments.

The update allows for individual sections of edits to be turned on and off for better organization and workflow.

Small visual indicators, such as dots and eyeballs, have been added to help users keep track of edited areas.

The new Lightroom update represents a monumental leap in image editing capabilities.

While the AI noise tool is the star of the update, other new features like the curve tool for masks are also highly beneficial.

The video provides a detailed comparison between the old and new noise reduction methods, showcasing the vast improvement.

The presenter encourages viewers to ask questions and engage with the content in the comments section.