Editing Gritty Street Photography in Lightroom
Gritty street photography is a style of photography that's characterised by its raw, unpolished look. It often involves taking photos in urban environments, capturing scenes that are filled with energy, tension, and a sense of unpredictability. Gritty street photos typically feature high contrast, deep shadows, and a general feeling of grit and grime. This style of photography is often associated with the film noir genre, as well as with early street photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Walker Evans.
Gritty street photography is a compelling way to capture the energy and vitality of urban environments. It can be an excellent way to tell stories about the people and places that make up these complex environments. Gritty street photos are often taken with a sense of urgency, capturing fleeting moments of life as they unfold in front of the camera. To create a gritty effect in your street photos, you might consider adjusting the tone curve, increasing the contrast, and adding grain, vignette, and other effects in post-processing. By doing so, you can create a unique and memorable look for your photos that truly reflects the spirit of the streets.
You can also learn more about street photography in my article here.
Lightroom is a powerful photo editing software that allows photographers to make a wide range of adjustments to their photos. In this article, we'll outline suggested steps for using Lightroom to edit your street photography to get a gritty effect.
Before we start, I always find it useful to have the histogram displaying when editing. You can learn read my guide to histograms and how to read them here. It is also worth remembering that these suggestions are not hard and fast rules. Experiment with each photo to see what works best
Import your photo
Start by importing your photo into Lightroom. You can do this by clicking on the "Import" button in the Library module or by dragging and dropping the photo from your computer into the Lightroom window.
Adjust the Tone Curve
The Tone Curve is a powerful tool in Lightroom that allows you to adjust the tonality of your photo. It works by mapping the input levels of your image (the brightness values in the original image) to the output levels (the brightness values in the final image).
If you want to learn more about the Tone Curve, you can read my guide to it now.
To adjust the Tone Curve to create a gritty effect, you'll want to darken the mid-tones and highlights, and lighten the shadows. This will help to create a more dramatic and intense look, which is often associated with a gritty aesthetic.
Here's how to adjust the tone curve in Lightroom:
Go to the "Edit" module, open the “Light” panel and click on the "Tone Curve" panel.
In the Tone Curve panel, click on the "Point Curve" option. This will give you control over the tone curve by allowing you to adjust the curve using a series of points.
To darken the mid-tones and highlights, click on the curve in the mid-tone region and drag it down. This will lower the output level of the mid-tones, effectively darkening them.
To lighten the shadows, click on the curve in the shadow region and drag it up. This will increase the output level of the shadows, effectively lightening them.
Keep adjusting the curve until you're happy with the look of your photo. You can also adjust the individual RGB channels to fine-tune the tonality of your photo.
It's important to note that the Tone Curve is a powerful tool, and it's easy to overdo it and end up with an unnatural-looking photo. Be careful with your adjustments, and make sure to preview your changes often to make sure you're getting the desired effect.
Increase the contrast
Contrast refers to the difference between the lightest and darkest areas in an image. Increasing the contrast can make an image appear more dramatic, vivid, and intense.
To increase the contrast in Lightroom, you'll want to use the "Contrast" slider in the "Basic" panel of the "Develop" module. Here's how to do it:
Navigate to the "Edit" module and click on the "Light" panel.
Find the "Contrast" slider and move it to the right. The farther you move the slider to the right, the more contrast will be added to your photo.
Keep adjusting the contrast until you're happy with the look of your photo. Be careful not to overdo it, as too much contrast can make your photo look unnatural and unbalanced.
It's also helpful to keep in mind that increasing the contrast can have different effects on different parts of the image. For example, increasing the contrast can make shadows darker and highlights brighter, which can give your photo a more intense look. On the other hand, it can also make mid-tones appear more defined and separated, which can help to give your photo a more dramatic feel.
By adjusting the contrast, you can control the overall mood and feel of your photo. It's a simple yet powerful tool that can help make your images stand out.
Add grain
Adding grain to a photo can help to create a gritty, textured look, which can enhance the overall aesthetic of your image. Grain is a common characteristic of film photography, and can help to give digital photos a more organic look.
In Lightroom, you can add grain to your photos using the "Texture" slider in the "Effects" panel of the "Develop" module. Here's how to do it:
Go to the "Edit" module and click on the "Effects" panel.
Find the "Grain" slider and move it to the right. The farther you move the slider to the right, the more grain will be added to your photo.
Keep adjusting the texture until you're happy with the look of your photo. You can also adjust the "Roughness" and "Size" sliders to control the size and intensity of the grain.
It's important to keep in mind that adding too much grain can make your photo look noisy and grainy, which can detract from the overall quality of your image. Be careful with your adjustments, and be sure to preview your changes often to make sure you're getting the desired effect.
Additionally, you can also add a film grain effect by using one of the film grain presets that are included in Lightroom. These presets can give your photo a distinct look, and can be a great starting point for further adjustments. To use a film grain preset, simply go to the "Presets" panel in the "Edit" module, select the film grain preset you want to use, and apply it to your photo. You can then fine-tune the adjustments as needed to get the look you want.
Adjust the saturation
Saturation refers to the intensity of the colours in an image. Adjusting the saturation can help to create a more vivid or muted look, depending on the desired effect.
To adjust the saturation in Lightroom, you'll want to use the "Saturation" slider in the "Basic" panel of the "Develop" module. Here's how to do it:
Go to the "Edit" module and click on the "Color" panel.
Find the "Saturation" slider and move it to the right to increase the saturation, or to the left to decrease it. The farther you move the slider to the right, the more intense the colours will be. The farther you slide the slider to the left, the more muted the colours will be.
Keep adjusting the saturation until you're happy with the look of your photo. Be careful not to overdo it, as too much saturation can make your photo look unrealistic and unnatural (unless you specifically want to do this).
When creating a gritty effect, it's often a good idea to decrease the saturation slightly. This can help to create a more muted and somber look, which is often associated with a gritty aesthetic. On the other hand, if you want to achieve a more intense and dramatic look, you can increase the saturation.
It's helpful to keep in mind that adjusting the saturation can have different effects on different colours. For example, decreasing the saturation of reds can make a photo appear more vintage, while decreasing the saturation of blues can create a more moody look. By adjusting the saturation, you can control the overall colour palette of your photo and create the desired mood and feel.
Add a vignette
A vignette is a darkening of the edges of a photo that draws the viewer's eye towards the centre of the image. Adding a vignette can help to create a more dramatic and focused look, which can be particularly effective when creating a gritty effect.
In Lightroom, you can add a vignette using the "Post-Crop Vignetting" option in the "Effects" panel of the "Develop" module. Here's how to do it:
Please navigate to the "Edit" module and click on the "Effects" panel.
Scroll down to the "Vignette" section and find the "Amount" slider. Move the slider to the left to add a vignette. The farther you move the slider to the left, the more intense the vignette will be.
Adjust the "Midpoint" slider to control the size of the vignette. Moving the slider to the right will increase the size of the vignette, while moving it to the left will decrease it.
Keep adjusting the vignette until you're happy with the look of your photo. You can also use the "Roundness" and "Feather" sliders to control the shape and softness of the vignette.
It's wise to keep in mind that adding too much vignette can make your photo look too dark and unbalanced. Be careful with your adjustments, and be sure to preview your changes often to make sure you're getting the desired effect.
Additionally, you can also add a vignette using a vignette preset in Lightroom. These presets can give your photo a unique look, and can be a great starting point for further adjustments. To use a vignette preset, simply go to the "Presets" panel in the "Edit" module, select the vignette preset you want to apply, and apply it to your photo. You can then fine-tune the adjustments as needed to get the look you want.
Finalise your edit
Finalising your edit is the final step in the process of creating a gritty effect in Lightroom. At this stage, you should review your photo and make any final adjustments to ensure that it looks the way you want it to. Here are some tips for finalising your edit:
Review the overall look of your photo: Make sure that the image looks balanced, and that the adjustments you made in the previous steps have created the desired effect.
Check the exposure: Make sure that your photo is correctly exposed and that there are no blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows. If necessary, adjust the exposure using the "Exposure" slider in the "Light" panel.
Adjust the white balance: If necessary, make adjustments to the white balance to ensure that the colours in your photo look natural. You can do this using the "Temperature" and "Tint" sliders in the "Color" panel.
Check the sharpness: Make sure that your photo is sharp enough to look good when viewed at full size. If necessary, adjust the sharpness using the "Sharpness" slider in the "Detail" panel.
Review the vignette: Check the vignette that you added in the previous step, and make sure that it's not too strong or too weak. You may want to make further adjustments to the vignette to get the look you want.
Save your changes: Once you're happy with your edits, save your changes by clicking on the "Sync" or "Export" button. You can also save your edits as a preset to use again in the future.
It's important to keep in mind that creating a gritty effect is a subjective process, and what looks good to you may not look good to someone else. The key is to experiment with different adjustments and to trust your own eye. By following these steps and making your own adjustments, you should be able to create a gritty effect that you're happy with.
By following these suggested steps, you should be able to create a gritty effect in your photos that's both dramatic and impactful. Remember to experiment with different adjustments, and to trust your own eye as you work. With Lightroom, you have the power to turn your photos into beautiful works of art that truly capture the essence of your subject. Whether you're a professional photographer or simply someone who loves taking photos, Lightroom is a valuable tool that can help you bring your vision to life.