Lightroom > Develop Module >

2 - Editing Order

Look at the top right corner of your screen, and make sure you're in the Develop module.

Typically, the panels and tools are used in the following order.

Panel	Section	Tool
Global Editing (Affects Entire Photograph)
Basic	White Balance	WB Menu ↓ Sliders (If needed)
Basic	Tone	Exposure (All tones) ↓ Contrast (Convert grays to black & white) ↓ Highlights (Reduce) ↓ Shadows (Add fill light) ↓ Whites (Little used) ↓ Blacks (Increase structure, depth)
Tone Curve		Use if fine-tuning is needed.
Basic	White Balance	Double check color after adjusting the exposure tools above.
Basic	Presence	As needed: Clarity Vibrance Saturation
Local Editing (Affects Small Areas)
Basic	Bar on the Top	As needed: Crop Overlay Spot Removal Red Eye Correction Graduated Filter Adjustment Brush
Back to Global Editing (Affects Entire Photograph)
Detail		As needed: Sharpening Noise Reduction
Reward: Press y to compare the original and edited versions.

Print this out for when you're editing.

Let's look at the panels on the right side in general.