Texture and Finishing Touches: Bringing Dimension to Your Photos
(Foundational Tutorial Series — Lesson 7)
Once you’ve refined your tone and color, the final step in Lightroom’s workflow is adding texture and detail.
These finishing tools — Texture, Clarity, Dehaze, Sharpening, and Grain — don’t drastically change your composition or lighting, but they have a huge impact on how polished and dimensional your image feels.
Used correctly, they can make a photo feel crisp and tactile — like you could almost reach into it.
Used carelessly, they can quickly push your edit into overprocessed territory.
In this lesson, we’ll break down what each of these tools does, when to use them, and how small adjustments can create professional results.
1. Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze — The Detail Trio
These three sliders sit near each other in Lightroom’s Presence section for a reason: they each control a different type of contrast that affects perceived detail and depth.
Texture
- Enhances fine surface detail like fabric, rocks, foliage, or skin texture.
- Works on medium-frequency detail — the kind that defines structure without affecting overall contrast.
Best Uses:
- Add subtle crispness to landscapes and architecture (+10 to +25).
- For portraits, try reducing Texture (-10 to -20) for smoother skin.
Tip: Apply locally with a brush or mask when you only want to affect part of the image — for example, sharpening rocks in the foreground but keeping the sky soft.
Clarity
- Increases midtone contrast, giving images more punch and definition.
- Affects edge detail and tonal separation, which can enhance structure and depth.
Best Uses:
- Add mild clarity (+10 to +20) to make landscapes and textures pop.
- Avoid heavy clarity on people — it can exaggerate skin imperfections.
- Negative clarity can create a soft, dreamy glow in fog or backlit scenes.
Tip: Clarity is more dramatic than Texture. Use it sparingly for a natural look.
Dehaze
- Adds or removes atmospheric haze by adjusting contrast and saturation in low-contrast areas.
- Ideal for improving foggy, smoky, or low-visibility photos.
Best Uses:
- Increase Dehaze (+5 to +20) to cut through light haze or mist.
- Decrease Dehaze (-5 to -15) to add an artistic, soft-haze mood.
Tip: Be careful with strong positive values — they can darken shadows and oversaturate colors quickly.
How They Work Together
Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze all influence contrast, but at different levels.
Texture refines fine detail, Clarity shapes overall structure, and Dehaze manages atmosphere and depth.
Used together, they can transform a flat image into one with a realistic sense of dimension — but it’s best to apply them in small, controlled amounts to avoid an overprocessed look.
2. Sharpening — The Fine Detail Enhancer
Sharpening adds crispness by increasing contrast along edges in your image.
It doesn’t actually create new detail — it enhances what’s already there.
The Four Key Sliders
- Amount: Controls the strength of sharpening. Start around 50 for most RAW files.
- Radius: Determines how many pixels around each edge are affected. Keep between 0.8–1.5 for natural results.
- Detail: Adjusts how much fine detail is sharpened. Lower values protect smoother areas; higher values bring out texture.
- Masking: Holds one of the most important controls — hold Alt/Option while dragging it to visualize.
- White areas show where sharpening is applied.
- Black areas are protected.
For example, set Masking around 70–90 for portraits to avoid sharpening skin texture.
Tip: Always zoom to 100% when sharpening so you can accurately see the effect.
When (and Whether) to Apply Sharpening
I don’t always add sharpening to my images. Modern cameras and lenses capture incredible detail right out of the box, and extra sharpening isn’t always necessary — especially for web or small print use.
When I do apply it, it’s almost always at the end of the editing process and in very small amounts.
Sharpening should enhance, not announce itself.
If you can see it clearly, it’s probably too much.
Your approach should depend on the intended use of the photo:
- Web or screen display: Minimal sharpening, if any.
- Large prints: Slightly more sharpening can help retain crispness when viewed up close.
- Fine art or soft styles: Often best with little to no sharpening at all.
In short, sharpening is optional — and when used, it should always be applied sparingly and intentionally.
3. Grain — The Film Finish
Grain adds subtle, randomized texture that mimics the organic feel of film.
It can give digital images a tactile quality and help blend gradients or soft tones naturally.
Key Settings
- Amount: Overall visibility of the grain. Start around 10–25 for subtle texture.
- Size: Controls how large each grain particle appears. Lower for fine detail; higher for coarse texture.
- Roughness: Affects uniformity — lower for smooth grain, higher for a gritty feel.
When to Use It:
- Add light grain to soften overly clean digital files.
- Use moderate grain in black and white photos for a more classic, filmic look.
- A touch of grain can also help balance fine textures if you’ve applied heavy noise reduction.
Tip: Grain often looks best after resizing or exporting. Subtlety is key — you should feel it more than see it.
4. Balancing Texture and Smoothness
The tools in this lesson all affect perceived sharpness and depth.
Used together, they can define structure — or quickly overdo it.
The suggestions below are meant only as starting points.
Every image — and every creative vision — will dictate how much or how little adjustment feels right.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and trust your instincts as you find the balance that best supports your intended mood.
Here’s a quick reference:
Goal
Suggested Tools
Adjustment Range
Subtle detail & realism
Texture + Sharpening
+10 to +25
Mood & atmosphere
Dehaze (±) + Clarity
±10 to ±20
Dreamy, soft look
Negative Clarity / Texture
-10 to -20
Filmic finish
Add Grain + Gentle Sharpening
10–25 Grain, 40–60 Amount
Tip: If your image starts to look harsh, back off on both Clarity and Sharpening — softness often feels more natural than extreme contrast.
5. Local vs. Global Adjustments
Remember that all these tools can be applied globally (to the entire image) or locally using brushes and masks.
Examples:
- Add Texture and Clarity only to foreground rocks.
- Increase Dehaze in the sky without affecting the ground.
- Apply Sharpening just to key subjects like eyes or foliage.
Local adjustments let you control depth and focus — directing the viewer’s attention exactly where you want it.
My Workflow Tip
I like to think of this stage as “the handshake” of an image — the small refinements that make your photo feel finished.
When I start pushing Texture, Clarity, or Dehaze, I try to stay in the +10 to +25 range at most.
If I find myself going beyond that, it’s usually a sign that the image needs more foundational adjustments instead of surface detail.
My approach is to apply these finishing touches near the end of editing.
I’ll make a virtual copy before I start, then use Before/After view (\) to decide if the changes improve the photo or distract from it.
If the difference feels natural and consistent with my intent, I keep it. If not, I reset and try again.
Conclusion
Lightroom’s finishing tools may be subtle, but they have a big impact on how your photo feels.
Texture, Clarity, Dehaze, Sharpening, and Grain all add depth, realism, and polish — when used thoughtfully.
The key is balance.
A good edit doesn’t draw attention to itself — it quietly enhances what’s already there.
Mastering these tools is about knowing when to stop, not how far to push.
In the next lesson, we’ll tie everything together in Lesson 8 – Developing a Complete Workflow, where we’ll walk through a full start-to-finish edit using everything you’ve learned so far — from import to export.