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July 10, 2023
Answered

P: Recommended order of Edits (Lr & CR)

  • July 10, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 8217 views

I recently saw a blurb attributed to Adobe saying that if one elects to use the Denoise tool that it should be the first step in the editing process before anything else is done, and it made me wonder if there is a "best" or "preferred" order for applying other tools like Enhance Details, Super Resolution, or for that matter if there exists a general guideline of the order in which one should attack the editing process?  It seems to me that setting white balance should be done before adjusting saturation, for example, but I'm wondering what I may be overlooking in the order of other steps? 

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

Correct answer Rikk Flohr_Photography

Effective with the June 2025 release, the new recommended order will be: 

  1. HDR (typically Phone captures with Gain Maps)
  2. Denoise, Raw Details, & Super Resolution
  3. Reflection Removal
  4. Distracting People Removal
  5. Generative Expand (Currently only in the ACR Tech Preview)
  6. Generative and Content-Aware Remove
  7. Lens Blur
  8. Lens Profile
  9. Crop /Transform
  10. Profile
  11. Global Adjustments
  12. Local Adjustments (Masking)


See updates to the Helpx here: https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/optimize-performance-lightroom.html 

And this new Article here: 

https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/using/ai-edit-status.html 

 

2 replies

Ian Lyons
Community Expert
Community Expert
July 10, 2023

The order suggested by Adobe is set out in the Help document that I've linked below. These are aimed at providing the best performance. The order in which the edits are processed internally within the application is not shared pubically.

 

Order of Develop operations

The best order of Develop operations to increase performance is as follows:

  1. Spot healing.
  2. Geometry corrections, such as Lens Correction profiles and Manual corrections, including keystone corrections using the Vertical slider.
  3. Global non-detail corrections, such as Exposure and White Balance. These corrections can also be done first if desired.
  4. Local corrections, such as Gradient Filter and Adjustment Brush strokes.
  5. Detail corrections, such as Noise Reduction and Sharpening.

Note: Performing spot healing first improves the accuracy of the spot healing, and ensures the boundaries of the healed areas match the spot location.

 

 

 

 

https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/lightroom-classic/kb/optimize-performance-lightroom.html

Rikk Flohr_Photography
Community Manager
July 11, 2023

Effective with the June 2025 release, the new recommended order will be: 

  1. HDR (typically Phone captures with Gain Maps)
  2. Denoise, Raw Details, & Super Resolution
  3. Reflection Removal
  4. Distracting People Removal
  5. Generative Expand (Currently only in the ACR Tech Preview)
  6. Generative and Content-Aware Remove
  7. Lens Blur
  8. Lens Profile
  9. Crop /Transform
  10. Profile
  11. Global Adjustments
  12. Local Adjustments (Masking)


See updates to the Helpx here: https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/optimize-performance-lightroom.html 

And this new Article here: 

https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/using/ai-edit-status.html 

 

Rikk Flohr: Adobe Photography Org
Rikk Flohr_Photography
Community Manager
July 12, 2023

Thanks, Rikk, I was going to suggest a qualifier, but decided it best to just highlight the potential issue.


Another item we will call out is Denoise. If AI Denoise, it needs to be first. If using legacy noise removal, it can be farther down the list...

Rikk Flohr: Adobe Photography Org
JohanElzenga
Community Expert
Community Expert
July 10, 2023

These tools generate a new image, so it makes sense to do that first and then edit that new image.

 

-- Johan W. Elzenga