Why Using the Clarity & Vibrance Sliders in Lightroom, Might be Best

Contrast and Saturation are two elements of an image that can make a huge difference in its overall look. Lightroom makes adjusting them easy enough.

In the Develop module, under Presence, you'll see the Clarity and Vibrance sliders. These two will help you improve the contrast and Saturation of your images without much fuss or spending too much time. Let's take a closer look at them. 

What does the Clarity Slider do?

You can use the Clarity slider to adjust the contrast by increasing the mid-tones of an image. Why only the mid-tones, and why is it called "Clarity" instead of "Contrast"?  

Increase the contrast too much (or too far, as seen on the histogram); you'll affect the mid-tones. This will introduce highlight clipping and too much noise in the shadows, which you likely wouldn't want. However, if you boost the clarity slider instead of contrast, the movement is more to the left or right of the mid-tone center.

The image becomes sharper without too much contrast or noise. (Try using the contrast and clarity tools while observing both the histogram and the image so you can see what we're talking about.)

The difference between the contrast and clarity tool can be subtle but significant enough to matter when selecting which one to use. 

When to use the Clarity Slider

You'll want to make all your edits and enhancements first, then turn to the clarity slider. That means correct color, exposure, shadows, and highlights first. When you're ready, adjust the clarity slider carefully. You can use the histogram while using the slider, but, ultimately, it's the image itself that will tell you when to stop.

What is the Vibrance Slider?

Just like you can choose between using the Contrast or Clarity sliders, you can decide between the Saturation or the Vibrance sliders. Once again, the results can be subtle but powerful. The Vibrance slider will only affect the mid-tones, while the Saturation will affect the entire image without distinction. You can use the histogram to see the differences between the two tools and how they will change the colors and their Saturation. 

You also can use each slider on the same image to you can see the results you would get from each one. The Vibrance slider will increase the Saturation of softened colors while leaving the colors that are already highly saturated. The Saturation slider, on the other hand, enhances Saturation throughout the entire image.

When to Use the Vibrance Slider

If you need to increase Saturation in an image without going to intense and broadly, the Vibrance slider is probably the way to go. Try the same exercise you did above. Pick a balanced image and try both sliders on it to see how the Saturation and colors are affected. You'll find that the Vibrance slider gives you more discriminating results without impacting the entire image.

Using both the Clarity and Vibrance sliders

If you need to enhance the contrast and Saturation of an image carefully, the Clarity and Vibrance sliders are probably the way to go when selecting which tools to work with. Together they offer photographers a more cautious and deliberate approach to making these enhancements. 

Using Presets to save time

Instead of making these changes manually across each image, you could use a preset to achieve the results you need for your pictures. Lightroom Presets will save you time and energy when it comes to making enhancements. There are countless presets available today to help you achieve the effects you want and need. Lastly, the advantage with a preset is that you can then apply those effects across a batch of images, rather than needing to replicate those edits to individual photos.