Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Soft Proofing is new in Lightroom 4, and for a lot of folks, this was their
#1 most-wanted feature. Basically, this gives you a preview of how your image will
look when it's outside of Lightroom (it was designed to give you a print preview,
but there's a web feature there, too). That way, if something's way off (or even just
a little off), you can fix it now, while it's still in Lightroom, so it looks as good as
possible in print or on the web (I say “as good as possible,” because not every rich,
vibrant color can be printed on today's printers). Here's how it works:
Step One:
While you might not want to take the
time to soft proof every image you print
(I sure don't), in a case like this—a photo
with really vibrant colors—you should
probably take a look and see what's going
to happen when you output this to make
a print or post on the web. One thing that
I think surprises a lot of people at first
is that the Soft Proofing feature is in the
Develop module, rather than the Print (or
Web) module. But, it make sense when
you realize that if you do find a problem,
you wouldn't be able to fix it in the Print
module—you'd have to jump back to the
Develop module, so you may as well start
there. To turn on Soft Proofing, just turn
on its checkbox in the toolbar below the
Preview area (circled here in red) or just
press the letter
S
on your keyboard.
Step Two:
It's pretty easy to tell when you've entered
Soft Proofing mode because the gray back-
ground surrounding your image changes to
Paper White to simulate the color of paper
(or a webpage, for that matter). If that bright
white gets on your nerves, just Right-click
anywhere in that white background area
and choose a different background color
from the pop-up menu (as shown here. The
regular background color is 50% Gray, if you
want to change it back). Another way to
know that you're in Soft Proofing mode is
that the Histogram panel header now says
“Soft Proofing” and some proofing options
appear below the histogram, as well. Also,
in the upper-right corner of your Preview
area it says “Proof Preview.”
