Enhance Autumn Colors in Lightroom with Ease

Enhancing the warm and vibrant tones of autumn photography is easier than it seems with just a few simple adjustments in Lightroom. By carefully refining exposure, boosting contrast, and enhancing the reds, oranges, and yellows, you can transform any fall image into a rich and captivating scene. Using only Lightroom’s basic tools along with the Color Mixer and Color Grading panels, you’ll bring out the full beauty of autumn landscapes with ease.

Step 1

Open your image in Lightroom.

Step 2

Go to the Develop tab.

Step 3

Expand the "Basic" tab and apply the following settings.

Step 4

Next, expand the "Tone Curve" tab, be sure to have the "Point Curve" selected and click 3 times anywhere on the curve to add 3 new control points.

Step 5

Set each control point to the following Input/Output values:

1. 0 - 0
2. 65 - 45
3. 130 - 120
4. 195 - 190
5. 255 - 255

Step 6

Expand the "Color Mixer" tab and apply the following settings.

Step 7

Expand the "Color Grading" tab, select the "Shadows" and apply the following settings.

Step 8

If you plan to use this effect on more images, a good idea is to save all of these settings as a new Preset. To do that, on the left panel, click on the "Add New Preset" icon and from the dropdown menu select "Create Preset".

Step 9

In the "New Develop Preset" window, give your preset a name and click the "Create" button. This will create a new preset that you can later use over any other image you want.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to enhance autumn colors in Lightroom, you can bring out the rich tones of fall in any of your photos. Experiment with different levels of contrast, saturation, and color grading to match the atmosphere you want to achieve. This editing style works beautifully on landscapes, portraits, or even close-up shots of leaves, allowing you to capture the season’s warmth and vibrancy with ease.