Henry Kerrigan
May 12, 2025
Editing isn’t about fixing — it’s about finishing. Here’s how I use Lightroom to enhance mood, tone, and detail without losing the soul of the shot.
Start with Mood, Not Perfection
When I open a RAW file, I’m not chasing technical perfection — I’m chasing a feeling. The first thing I adjust is white balance, not to match reality, but to shape the mood. Cooler tones if I want stillness, warmth if I want something nostalgic or intimate.
From there, I start working the shadows and highlights. I’m not trying to recover every bit of detail — I’m looking for balance. Just reshaping the light slightly can take a flat image and make it feel like it’s breathing again.
Subtle Color, Stronger Story
Color grading, for me, is about guiding emotion. I use the HSL sliders to gently shift skin tones, blues in the sky, or greens in the background — never all at once, and never to impress. It’s about choosing what part of the story I want to amplify.
If I want the image to feel cinematic, I’ll add a bit of split toning — warm in the highlights, cool in the shadows — but always restrained. The goal isn’t to make the colors pop. It’s to make them feel right.
Tools That Guide the Eye
One of my go-to tools is the Radial Filter. It’s quiet, but powerful. I use it to subtly draw focus, adding a bit of exposure or clarity where I want the viewer to pause. It’s my alternative to heavy vignetting, which I rarely use. Once I think I’m finished, I always compare the edit with the original.
That last question I ask — “Does this feel more honest or just more edited?” — helps me stay grounded. Because a good edit shouldn’t steal attention. It should give the image more to say.