The Consistent Underwater Edit #3: Exposure Comes After White Balance
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 ...
