Robert Herb Photography Blog

Exposure comes after White Balance because reliable color makes tonal decisions easier to judge. When an underwater photograph appears dark, flat, blue, or green, the natural inclination is often to reach for the Exposure slider. You may raise Exposure, open Shadows, reduce Highlights, and adjust Whites and Blacks until the image starts to look brighter, more balanced, and closer to what you remember seeing underwater. Only after that do you correct White Balance. Then the image changes. The color of the water shifts, contrast changes, and areas that once seemed too dark may now look acceptable, while highlights that seemed safe may now appear too bright. This often sends you back to the tonal sliders, making adjustments you thought were already finished. This does not mean you used the wrong Lightroom tools. It means you used the right tools in the wrong order. In The Consistent Underwater Edit workflow , Exposure is Step Two, after White Balance. White Balance needs to come ...

Correcting White Balance first creates a reliable color foundation for every editing decision that follows. Most underwater photographers understand that White Balance is important.  However, simply knowing that it matters is not the same as truly understanding  why it should be addressed first .  This is often where many underwater editing workflows fall apart, which is why understanding the rationale behind proper White Balance is essential for achieving the best results. You open an image in Lightroom or Lightroom Classic. The water looks too blue or too green. The subject looks dull. Maybe the image feels dark and flat. So you start moving sliders. You increase Exposure. You add Contrast. You push Dehaze. You increase Vibrance or Saturation. You create a mask around the subject. And after several minutes of editing, the image still does not look right. The problem may not be that you used the wrong tools. The problem may be that you used them in the wrong order. In Th...