Your Highlights Are Blown Out — Here's How to Fix It in Lightroom's Basic Panel

Your Highlights Are Blown Out — Here's How to Fix It in Lightroom's Basic Panel

Every time I hand off a gallery to a client, somebody’s arm is too bright. It doesn’t matter how careful I am on location — the highlights blow out, the frilly dress turns into a white rectangle, and suddenly I’m the photographer who didn’t know how to expose properly. I’ve been editing long enough to know this isn’t really an exposure problem. It’s a recovery problem, and Lightroom’s Basic panel is where you fix it.