LR4 Workflow

Anyone have a set workflow for LR4? Is it similar to LR3?

In LR3 I would start by Alt-sliding exposure to eliminate my ETTR highlights but LR4 is very different, Exposure pushed to the verge of blown highlights makes a VERY bright image.

I have started adjusting Exposure last now, and just by eyeballing it.

Anybody found a good (ie. scientific) way to PP in LR4?

The recommended procedure is to start from the top and work down. That means starting with Exposure, but LR4 Exposure is very different from LR3 Exposure. It is more like Brightness. Instead of starting by setting your white point, you start by using Exposure to set your midtones. Forget about white and black points for now. Next adjust Contrast which is more important than it was in LR3 because the default rendering is flatter. Next Highlights; if you have ETTRed and set negative Exposure to compensate, it has some highlight recovery built in and you tweak it with Highlight which is better than the old Recovery because it doesn't have the flattening effect. Taking it to the left you can bring out huge detail. Shadows you use pretty much like Fill Light but it doesn't pull up the black point the way Fill did. Finally you finish by setting the Whites and Black sliders, if it is needed. It is a workflow that is probably more intuitive for new users, but can be a **** to reset your mind to if you're used to LR3.
A word about Clarity: It is now much stronger and with less danger of haloes, so it is easy to overdo. Also, because it is essentially just midtone contrast increase, after setting it you may want to go back and tweak Contrast.

tzalman wrote in post #14168829
The recommended procedure is to start from the top and work down. That means starting with Exposure, but LR4 Exposure is very different from LR3 Exposure. It is more like Brightness. Instead of starting by setting your white point, you start by using Exposure to set your midtones. Forget about white and black points for now. Next adjust Contrast which is more important than it was in LR3 because the default rendering is flatter. Next Highlights; if you have ETTRed and set negative Exposure to compensate, it has some highlight recovery built in and you tweak it with Highlight which is better than the old Recovery because it doesn't have the flattening effect. Taking it to the left you can bring out huge detail. Shadows you use pretty much like Fill Light but it doesn't pull up the black point the way Fill did. Finally you finish by setting the Whites and Black sliders, if it is needed. It is a workflow that is probably more intuitive for new users, but can be a **** to reset your mind to if you're used to LR3.
A word about Clarity: It is now much stronger and with less danger of haloes, so it is easy to overdo. Also, because it is essentially just midtone contrast increase, after setting it you may want to go back and tweak Contrast.

Absolutely great advice here. This should be in EVERY LR4 thread out there. Well done.

Thanks for the advice Elie. Also, I like your Northern Italy photo set a lot.

Yes, I agree, thanks for the great advice, sorry I wasn't able to reply until now...

aepoc wrote in post #14181900
Absolutely great advice here. This should be in EVERY LR4 thread out there. Well done.

Yes thanks Tzalman. Luckily I never used LR3 so no major adjustments to make. I did see a good video on this but it helps to go over this several times from different perspectives.

tzalman wrote in post #14168829
The recommended procedure is to start from the top and work down. That means starting with Exposure, but LR4 Exposure is very different from LR3 Exposure. It is more like Brightness. Instead of starting by setting your white point, you start by using Exposure to set your midtones. Forget about white and black points for now. Next adjust Contrast which is more important than it was in LR3 because the default rendering is flatter. Next Highlights; if you have ETTRed and set negative Exposure to compensate, it has some highlight recovery built in and you tweak it with Highlight which is better than the old Recovery because it doesn't have the flattening effect. Taking it to the left you can bring out huge detail. Shadows you use pretty much like Fill Light but it doesn't pull up the black point the way Fill did. Finally you finish by setting the Whites and Black sliders, if it is needed. It is a workflow that is probably more intuitive for new users, but can be a **** to reset your mind to if you're used to LR3.
A word about Clarity: It is now much stronger and with less danger of haloes, so it is easy to overdo. Also, because it is essentially just midtone contrast increase, after setting it you may want to go back and tweak Contrast.

This is exactly my workflow as well with LR4

How do you feel about the tone curve in LR4 (versus contrast and the basics panel adjustments)? In LR3 I often used the stronger settings, and used that adjustment more than I did the contrast slider. Seems LR4 is different. I am no expert.