What is exposure control?

Learn about exposure control and how to master it in your photo editing process.

Perfectly exposed photos are the dream — but they’re not always the reality. So, how can you balance your exposure when taking images and when editing them? Keep reading to learn more about exposure control and how to use it.

What exactly is exposure control?

Exposure control is the unique combination of certain factors — like aperture, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and exposure time — to create the desired result for exposure metering when capturing an image. Typically, exposure control is categorized by choices that include:

• Auto Exposure: your camera picks the aperture and exposure time for you.
• Aperture Priority: your camera chooses an exposure time that’s best for the aperture selected.
• Shutter Priority: your camera chooses an aperture setting that’s best for the shutter speed selected.
• Manual Control: your camera takes a back seat, and you control both aperture and shutter speed.

How you choose your strategy for exposure control will depend on what you prioritize.

How to adjust exposure control when editing.

Of course, perfectly exposed images aren’t always possible — that’s where skills in editing your images can come into play. Adjusting your exposure in post-production can be simple, quick, and in just a few clicks, take your image to the next level.

The easiest ways to adjust the exposure for your image when editing include strategies like:

• Select Auto Adjust in Adobe Lightroom to allow the program to automatically adjust the image exposure.
• Adjust the Exposure slider to find the best balance.
• Toy with the highlights, shadows, blacks, and whites by adjusting their subsequent sliders.

Discover your photography potential.

Your next beautiful image is just waiting for you to capture it — but first, discover some great photographytips to help you get started. Head out with your camera and unlock both your photography and editing skills with Lightroom today.