Editing in Photoshop

Explore a comprehensive tutorial on how to edit a Lightroom photo using Adobe Photoshop and then return the edited photo to Lightroom. This tutorial provides step-by-step instructions on how to effectively navigate between these two powerful tools, making it a valuable resource for those seeking to advance their digital photography and editing skills.

Key Insights

The tutorial covers how to open and adjust a Lightroom photo in Photoshop, and subsequently locate the edited photo within Lightroom.
In order to complete the exercise, Photoshop must be installed on your computer.
The tutorial provides a guided, step-by-step process on how to edit a photo in Photoshop from the Library module in Lightroom.
Instructions include details on how to desaturate the image, adjust brightness and contrast, and save changes.
Upon completion of the editing, users are directed to quit Photoshop and return to Lightroom, where they'll find both the original and edited photos side-by-side.
The tutorial emphasizes the ease and convenience of editing between Lightroom and Photoshop, making it an efficient workflow for digital photo editing.

Learn how to seamlessly integrate and utilize both Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop in this comprehensive tutorial, covering topics such as opening and adjusting a Lightroom photo in Photoshop and locating the Photoshop-edited photo in Lightroom.

This exercise is excerpted from Noble Desktop’s past Lightroom training materials and is compatible with Lightroom updates through 2020. To learn current skills in Lightroom, check out our Photo Retouching Certificate and graphic design classes in NYC and live online.

Topics Covered in This Lightroom Tutorial:

Opening a Lightroom Photo in Photoshop, Adjusting a Lightroom Photo in Photoshop, Locating the Photoshop-edited Photo in Lightroom

Exercise Preview

lightroom previewB4

Exercise Overview

In this exercise, you’ll edit a Lightroom photo in Adobe Photoshop and then return the edited photo to Lightroom.

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NOTE: You must have Photoshop installed on your computer to finish the exercise.

Make sure you’re in the Library module.
In the Catalog panel on the left, click on All Photographs.
CTRL–click (Mac) or Right–click (Windows) on the first Washington Monument photo (_CAS2074). If you don’t see this photo, complete the first part of Exercise 4G: Creating a Basic Web Gallery to import this set of photos.
Select Edit In > Edit in Adobe Photoshop CC 2018.

NOTE: Your version of Adobe Photoshop may be different.
If a dialog opens asking what to edit, choose Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments and click Edit.
If a dialog opens regarding the Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in for full compatibility, click Render using Lightroom.
After the photo loads in Photoshop, at the top of the screen, go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate.
Go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast.
In the dialog that appears, set the following:

Brightness: 15

Contrast: 60
Click OK.
Go to File > Save.
Quit Photoshop and return to Lightroom.
Notice that both the original photo and the Photoshop-edited version are listed side-by-side. The Photoshop-edited version has been renamed _CAS2074-Edit.
CTRL–Click (Mac) or Right–click (Windows) on the _CAS2074-Edit photo and select Show in Finder (Mac) or Show in Explorer (Windows).

The edited photo appears in the original photo’s folder as well.

As you can see, editing between Lightroom and Photoshop is quick, convenient and simple!

Dan Rodney

Dan Rodney has been a designer and web developer for over 20 years. He creates coursework for Noble Desktop and teaches classes. In his spare time Dan also writes scripts for InDesign (Make Book Jacket, Proper Fraction Pro, and more). Dan teaches just about anything web, video, or print related: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Figma, Adobe XD, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and more.