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How to Use Warm Tones to Alter Mood in Lightroom


This guide will give you the easiest ways to edit warm tones in Lightroom.

Over the years, Adobe Lightroom has become my go-to tool, especially when I want to bring out the richness of warm tones in my photos.

Editing warm tones helps you inspire feelings of joy and comfort or energize photos.

Let’s dive into the tutorial.

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Warm tones are engaging and inviting. They can promote feelings of comfort or send a signal of warning.

Knowing how to generate warm tones is a useful editing trick to have up your sleeve.

You can use the technique to increase warm tones ever so slightly or rev them up ultra-high.

But whatever you choose to alter warm tones, you want to do it in a classy, professional way.

Knowing which images need warm tones and when to add them is the benchmark of a pro editor.

So, let’s check out how to use warm tones like a pro.

If you want to read more about the use of warm vs cool tones in photography, check out this complete guide.

To Make an Image More Alluring

The image below of a stunning model in a red dress is impressive, but you wouldn’t call it inviting.

Although the dress is red in tone, it has a slight blue tint. The model’s skin is verging more towards cool than warm.

A woman in a red dress holding a feather, standing on a sandy beach, displayed in a photo editing software interface.

Cooler tones push the viewer away; warmer tones draw them in.

We are going to increase the warmth in the photo to generate a more appealing image.

We want the viewer to feel welcomed, not alienated.

The background’s tones are perfect; we don’t want to alter them, so we will use a Mask.

This will allow us to edit the model separately from the background.

To do this, first click the Mask button – the circle icon at the top right of Lightroom’s Develop module.

The Mask editing panel will open.

Screenshot of a graphical editing software interface showing a histogram panel, mask options for 'subject,' 'sky,' and 'background,' and selection tools including 'objects' and gradients.

Click the Subject button under Add New Mask. Lightroom will automatically select and mask the subject.

When the subject is masked, click the arrow beside Tone.

Woman in a red dress standing on a beach, shown in a photo editing software interface with histogram and color adjustment settings visible.

The woman is slightly under-exposed, so before we increase the warm tones, we will increase the exposure.

Screenshot of a photo editing software interface showing adjustment sliders for exposure, contrast, highlights, whites, and blacks, with an option to reset sliders automatically checked.

We increase the Exposure slider to 0.31 to fix the exposure.

Next, click the arrow beside Color, and the Color editing panel will drop down.

Here, you will find two sliders, the Temp and Tint sliders.

Interface of a color adjustment tool with sliders for temperature, tint, hue, and saturation, and a "use fine adjustment" checkbox.

Adjust the sliders depending on your image. We increase the Temp slider to amplify the warm tones.

Woman in an elegant red dress kneeling on a sandy beach, looking directly at the camera.

In the final image, the cool tones have been subdued, and the warmer tones of the model’s skin and dress create a more alluring image.

We have successfully changed the atmosphere of the model and image from distant to inviting.

Generate a Feeling of Celebration

Perhaps you’ve photographed a celebratory event, only to realize later that the images look dull and flat.

The photos definitely look more bleak than celebratory. How can you turn this around?

You guessed it – simply warm up the tones.

Below is an image of a group of friends; the cooler tones give the image a melancholy mood. Maybe the friends are parting ways.

Back view of a group of friends sitting closely together, looking at cable cars over mountains, with photo editing software interface visible.

To increase the feeling of celebration, we open the Tone Curve editing area.

Clicking on the third button, the red circle, we select to edit the image’s warm tones.

Clicking down on the curve panel, we drag the curve upwards to increase the warm tones.

Group of friends sitting arm-in-arm, watching a sunset over mountains with cable cars visible in the distance.

The image now has a more celebratory feel. Possibly the friends are about to go to a party.

Heighten Energy Using Warm Tones

Some images look energetic no matter what the color tones. Cooling the tones down or warming the tones up won’t alter their energizing impact.

Take, for example, a photo of a running tiger or a group of dancing teenagers.

However, the subject matter of some photos can lean either way; they can look sleepy and placid or have the potential for action.

Altering the tones of the image will alter the energy levels.

Take the image below, for example – the man on the ledge could be ready to leap or sleep.

Person sitting on a high ledge overlooking a brightly lit cityscape at night, with skyscrapers and busy roads visible.

We will increase the image’s warm tones to increase the energy level and create an expectation of action.

We increase the warm tones using the White Balance sliders in the Basic editing panel.

The image changes from a sleepy night to the potential of an adventure.

Instead of the man on his pew appearing to placidly view the scene below, we wonder what his next move will be.

A person sits on a high ledge, overlooking a brightly lit cityscape at night, with blurred buildings and streets visible.

There are many more reasons to modify the cooler tones of an image to make them warm.

It might be to create a comforting atmosphere or to convey a sense of urgency or danger.

If you have another reason for increasing warm tones, let us know in the comments—we’d love to hear your perspective!

Lightroom offers a variety of tools to enhance the warm tones in a cool image.

Take some time to experiment with Lightroom’s editing features and see what works best for your creative vision.

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial and can use the editing tips to your advantage.

If you liked this tutorial, you will most likely enjoy – How to Instal Lightroom Mobile Presets (the Easiest Ways).

FAQs

How to do a warm edit in Lightroom?

You can do a warm edit using the Basic, HSL, or Tone Curve panel in Lightrooms Develop mode.

When the Basic panel is open, slide the Temp slider to the left to increase the photo’s warm tones.

What is warmth in Lightroom?

Warmth in Lightroom refers to the range of red, yellow, or orange tones in a photo.

How do I make creamy tones in Lightroom?

You can achieve creamy tones in Lightroom by using the Tone Curve.

Drag the mid-tone section of the curve upwards to add brightness to the photo.

Adding brightness to the mid-tones will bring out the creamy tones in an image.

How do I get earthy tones in Lightroom?

To achieve earthy tones in Lightroom, you can increase the image’s depth and contrast.

To do this, use the Tone Curves parametric curve and move the Shadows and Light sliders to the left.



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