Applying Develop Mode Effects

You can apply a number of effects to your image in Develop mode.

You can save your settings as a preset for future use.

Photo Effect

You can use the Photo Effect drop-down menu to apply a variety of filters to your images.

To Apply a Photo Effect:

  1. In Develop mode, select the Tune tab.
  2. In the Effects group, check the Photo Effect checkbox.
  3. Select a filter from the Photo Effect drop-down menu.

You can use the Opacity slider and Blend Modes drop-down menu to adjust how the selected effect blends with your image. To access these tools, press the arrow button to the right of the Photo Effect drop-down menu.

Color Overlay

You can use the Color Overlay drop-down menu to apply a color over your image.

To Apply a Color to Your Image:

  1. In Develop mode, select the Tune tab.
  2. In the Effects group, check the Color Overlay checkbox.
  3. Select a color from the Color Overlay drop-down menu.

You can use the Opacity slider and Blend Modes drop-down menu to adjust how the selected color blends with your image. To access these tools, press the arrow button to the right of the Color Overlay drop-down menu.

Gradient Map

You can use the Gradient Map effect to add colors to the dark and light parts of your images. The Gradient Map effect maps shadows to one color, and highlights to another based on the lightness value of each pixel. You can give the darker parts of your image a completely different color from the lighter parts.

To Apply a Gradient Map Effect:

  1. In Develop mode, select the Tune tab.
  2. In the Effects group, check the Gradient Map checkbox.
  3. In the Shadows drop-down menu, specify a color to be added to the dark parts of your image. In the Highlights drop-down menu, specify a color to be added to the light parts of your image.

You can use the Opacity slider and Blend Modes drop-down menu to adjust how the selected colors blend with your image. To access these tools, press the arrow button to the right of the Highlights drop-down menu.

Add Grain

You can use the Grain effect to make your images look like they were printed in a newspaper. It is also useful to use the Grain tool in combination with other effects to achieve a general vintage look.

To Apply a Grain Effect:

  1. In Develop mode, select the Tune tab.
  2. In the Effects group, adjust the Add Grain settings as described below.

Grain Options

Grain Amount

Specifies the strength of the grain.

Grain Smoothing

Specifies the smoothness of the grain.

Grain Size

Specifies the size of the grain.

Cross Process Effect and Lomo

A popular film photography technique in the '80s and '90s involved processing film in a solution that was intended for another type of film. This cross processing gave photos a boost in saturation and contrast, and shifted colors towards greenish-yellow highlights and bluish shadows. You can simulate these retro-effects with the Cross Process tool. Using Cross Process along with Post-Crop Vignette, creates an effect called Lomo.

To Apply the Cross Process Effect:

  1. In Develop mode, select the Tune tab.
  2. In the Effects group, drag the Cross Process slider to the right to increase the retro-effect.

You can right-click a slider to reset to the default value.

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