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This is the original photo with some cropping applied.

Click on the image to see the settings full size.

And now we can see what the shot looks like with the basic settings applied. You’ll notice that we’re starting to loose some of the background details and the lighter tones in the photo are beginning to wash out - but there’s still an abundant amount of dark areas. These we’ll get rid of as we go.

Click on the image to see the settings full size.

Once we apply the tone curve settings (shown on the left) we basically wash out more of the highlights and begin to lighten up the shadow areas. You’ll note that I chose to leave the Point Curve at Medium Contrast. Here you could select “Linear” or “Strong Contrast” and slightly alter the overall effect.

Click on the image to see the settings full size.

The next logical step is to see how much of the “high key” effect we can achieve with the addition of the vignetting tool. The settings shown here are pretty much the maximum you can pull out of the current vignettes in Lightroom. Some of you may be thinking, “that’s not bad - good effect”, and if you are happy with the look so far, by all means look no further. But there’s still things we can do to enhance the photo. For example, you’ll probably notice that there are still some distracting background elements in the shot. We’ll take care of those next …

Click on the image to see the full screen shot.

In this shot I’ve turned off the white vignette (switch is highlighted in yellow) so that we can better see the effects of adding a graduated filter. I’ve added one in this screen shot and aligned it with the contour of the face. By adjusting the “spread” of the graduated filter the filter can seamlessly be made to blend in with the face. The only adjustment I’ve added is to the brightness slider - to begin to wash out the background.

Click on the image to see the full screen shot.

Now I’ve added a few more grad filters completing eliminating the background. Each grad filter has more or less brightness added, just enough to eliminate the background. A by-product of this approach to “vignetting” is that we have complete control over each area of the photograph. In the last grad filter, I’ve defocused attention on the hair by making multiple adjustments to this filter (as can be seen in the screen shot).

Tips: When adding grad filters to your photo and they appear to have the wrong orientation, you can flip them using the ‘ key. Also, when adjusting the “spread” of the filter, hold down the ALT key to anchor the pin.

Click on the image to see the full screen shot.

One last thing, let’s not forget the Adjustment Brush! It too plays a valuable role in creating that outstanding masterpiece in Lightroom. Now just for fun, and this step is wholly optional, I’ve added some sparkle to this girl’s eyes and a bit of color to her lips.

And the final shot! Some will say the additional Lightroom vignette is not required. Of course that’s up to you - if you don’t like it, don’t use it!

I made two additional small adjustments in this final image using the “Spot Removal” tool. I found the folds in the skin and the girl’s sweater (still visible in the lower left of the previous shot) somewhat distracting, so I removed them. Also, there was a small reflection in each eye that made the eyes “look strange”. I also removed them using the spot removal tool. On the small images here you’ll be hard pressed to see a difference but it was there.

But don’t stop there, go ahead and experiment! Nothing you can do will break anything. For those that want a more “contrasty” look, play around with the Exposure and Black sliders and you’ll surely get that effect. If you like this type of article, tell me about it in the comments section below.