Sleeklens Through the Woods Lightroom Workflow Review

Dock Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal | Great Bridge | Chesapeake, VA

Recently I was asked to review the Sleeklens Through the Woods Lightroom Workflow. While I don’t use many Lightroom presets these days, I’m always interested in finding new and better ways to work with my photos.

After loading up the Develop Presets and Brush Presets, I set to work on one of my photos. This one was captured earlier this year at a dock on the Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal.

Dock Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal | Great Bridge | Chesapeake, VA

Unprocessed

The Through the Woods presets are categorized in a way that represents many photographers’ workflows. In addition to presets that are meant to be a one-stop-shop, there are progressive categories that are meant to be layered as you work an image. They include:

  • Base – these presets are a starting point for certain “looks”
  • Exposure – lights, darks, shadows, highlights
  • Color, Color Correct, and Tone/Tint – fine tune the colors
  • Polish – Clarity, Contrast & Sharpening
  • Vignette – a one-click option to lighten or darken the edges of a photo

Here is how I worked the image above:

Dock Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal | Great Bridge | Chesapeake, VA

  1. Extending DR – Crispy & Sharp
  2. Color Correct – Reduce Blue
  3. Tone/Tint – Warm it Up
  4. Polish – Add Clarity:
  5. Polish – Sharpen
  6. Vignette – Subtle Black
Dock Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal | Great Bridge | Chesapeake, VA

After Using the Develop Presets Listed Above

The presets did a great job at quickly processing this photo. However, as is the nature of Develop Presets – the adjustments are global, meaning the entire image is affected. Luckily, the Through the Woods Workflow also has the ability to make local, targeted adjustments with Brush Presets.

I used the Basics – Contrast & Clarity Brush and Light Reduce Highlights Brush on the dock, and the Color – Cooler Brush to take a bit of the yellow out of the pylons on the right. The local adjustments really give the image a finished look.

Dock Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal | Great Bridge | Chesapeake, VA

After Global Develop Presets & Local Brush Presets

Overall, I’m quite impressed with Sleeklens’ Lightroom Workflow. They’ve done a great job at organizing their presets into a natural progression, which saves valuable post-processing time. I can see these presets becoming a part of my regular workflow, particularly when I don’t have the time (or desire) to branch out into one of my processing plug-ins.

Click Here to Learn More About Sleeklens and the Through the Woods Lightroom Workflow

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1 Comment

  1. […] first thing you need to learn about how to use lightroom is to create import presets. There are numerous presets that can be used to edit your photos, which […]

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