The Best Way to Use the Radial Filter in Lightroom

On your outdoor field trips, you’ve been capturing some pleasing images of wildlife. Yet when you view the files on your computer, you’re never quite satisfied with how the central subject takes center stage. In this premium video, The Best Way to Use the Radial Filter in Lightroom, professional nature photographer David Johnston gives you tips on how to use the radial filter in Lightroom to accent the main subject in your photographs.

As an example, David uses his dramatic image of a trio of rhinos within the surrounding foliage. His problem is the lack of lighting variation between the rhinos and the background. The solution? The radial filter in Lightroom. You will learn how to create a circle around your main subject so that you can make lighting and contrast adjustments to the exterior of that circle, the background. With the radial filter in Lightroom, your goal is to focus the viewer interest on your key subject.

David clicks and drags an oval that surrounds the rhinos, and then he adjusts the edges. With the radial filter in Lightroom, he uses the exposure tool and lowers background lighting. He also increases the contrast and reduces the clarity. The idea is to soften the background to make the rhinos stand out. In the next step, he selects the invert tool in order to make adjustments to the rhinos on the inside of the radial mask. He slightly increases the exposure to add light detail to the rhinos, then pumps up the highlights, contrast, clarity and saturation. With the radial filter in Lightroom, your goal is to always separate out your main subject from the background.

Join Outdoor Photography Guide’s professional nature photographer David Johnston for a lesson on how to improve your photographs with the radial filter in Lightroom. You will love the results.