This Simple Lightroom Trick is Basically ‘Dodge and Burn for Lazy People’

Photographer and educator Serge Ramelli recently shared a brilliant little post-processing tip that he’s calling “the best kept secret to Dodge and Burn in Lightroom.” It’s a simple technique, but it could end up saving you a lot of post-processing time.

If you’re like us, words “secret” or “hack” in a YouTube video title make you roll you eyes. But, once in a while, a proper “hack” or “secret” or “trick” comes along that is legitimately just that: a quick tip that changes the way you post-process your images. For those of you who don’t know about this technique, that’s exactly what Serge is sharing here.

Basically, instead of painstakingly dodging and burning a landscape or portrait by painting in individual areas, he shows you how to use Lightroom’s Range Mask slider to apply natural and effective dodging and burning adjustments in a matter of seconds.

Some people will no doubt already know about this technique. Even Serge admits he discovered it online, though he can’t remember which creator turned him on to it. But for those people who have never seen this, Serge summed it up well when he called the tip “Dodge and burn for lazy people like me.”

Watch the full video above to see how Serge uses this technique on both landscapes and portraits, and then check out the rest of his videos for lots more post-processing tips, techniques, and the occasional highly-useful “secret.”