help with LR Adjustment Brush

[david_feindel]

<p>Is there any easy way to define an area in your image and make a series of adjustments to that area, and then without having to re-define the area, make a different set of adjustments to the inverse of that selection? An example would be an image of a bird in a field, where you might want to sharpen and increase the contrast of the bird itself, but then slightly blur and lower the contrast everywhere else? I'm using LR 6.7 (not the subscription version) and do not have PS.</p>

[Spearhead]

<p>There's a somewhat inexact way to do this. Using your example, make the adjustment brush very large and paint over the entire photo with the blur and lowered contrast. Then set the brush to erase, make it small and just work the bird. Then set the adjustment brush to New and paint your sharpening and increased contrast onto the bird.</p>

<p>There's also the radial filter, which can be inverted, but if your subject doesn't work with a circle or oval, that's not much help.</p>

[Norman 202]

sometimes i think photo editing is as intriguing & elegant as photography itself.

[sjmurray]

<p>You can use an adjustment layer, make your adjustment such as sharpening the entire picture, then use white paintbrush to erase the sharpening in areas you don't want sharpened. You can be very precise this way. I think you can do multiple layers, then "flatten" to one layer when done. I'm no expert, but I have done this with complex images when doing color balancing on different parts of the image, or sharpening, blurring, etc.</p>

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>You can use an adjustment layer</p>

</blockquote>

<p>How do you make an adjustment layer in Lightroom? He says he doesn't have Photoshop.</p>

[sjmurray]

<p>Jeff, I didn't know LR didn't have layers! Just assumed it did.</p>