Lightroom’s HDR Editing Explained - The Essentials

This video is the first in a series on HDR editing in Lightroom. We’re not talking about Merge to HDR or tone mapping. We’re talking about working on an HDR-capable display and seeing more of the dynamic range your RAW file actually captured — right inside the Basic (Light) panel.

In this introductory episode, I cover the essentials: how to enable HDR editing, what changes in the histogram, how to use Visualize HDR, how clipping overlays behave, and how the HDR Limit slider maps brightness to your display. I also touch on why screen brightness matters and how it influences both your perception and your edits.

My goal is simple — to help you understand what’s going on under the hood so you can make informed, confident adjustments without pushing your image into unrealistic territory.

Clouds Rolling Over Deception Island, Antarctica
Contact Scott to commission a print or license this image.


Scott Davenport

Scott Davenport is a landscape photographer and photo educator and based in San Diego, California. He leads photo workshops, writes photo books, hosts podcasts, makes tutorial videos, and feels weird referring to himself in the 3rd person.

He also can't help getting his feet wet photographing at the beach.

https://scottdavenportphoto.com
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Lightroom’s HDR Editing Explained – Curves & Luminance Range Masks

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If You’re Not Using Intersect in Lightroom, You’re Missing Out