Should I lower Exposure or Highlights first?

Set broad Exposure first, then use Highlights and Whites for the bright range. Revisit Exposure after local masks if the overall balance changes.

Why do recovered highlights look gray?

The bright controls may have been reduced too far. Restore a clean white point, preserve local contrast, and accept naturally bright regions when they do not need texture.

How do I fix a blown out sky in Lightroom?

Use the Select Sky mask and lower Exposure and Highlights inside it. If no cloud or color detail remains, reduce the glare and keep the sky neutral rather than pushing it into gray.

Can I fix backlit photos in Lightroom?

Yes. Protect the bright background with a Sky or luminance mask, then lift the subject with a Select Subject mask. Balance the two so the scene keeps a believable light direction.

Does Lightroom mobile have the same exposure controls?

The Edit panel in Lightroom mobile exposes the same Exposure, Highlights, Whites, and masking tools as the desktop apps, so the same correction order applies on a phone or tablet.

Lightroom guide

How to Fix Overexposed Photos in Lightroom

Use the histogram and a controlled editing order to recover bright detail without making the entire image gray.

Fix an Overexposed Photo

Overexposed photo before and after correction in Lightroom

Read the histogram before moving sliders

Separate overall exposure from highlight recovery

Use local masks for sky and subject balance

Check clipping and color after every major adjustment

Quick answer

In Lightroom, lower Exposure until the midtones are close, reduce Highlights and Whites while watching the histogram, then use a Sky or Subject mask when different parts of the frame need different corrections. RAW files provide the most highlight latitude.

Lightroom histogram showing highlight clipping warning

Read highlight clipping in the histogram

Open the Develop or Edit view and inspect the histogram. A heavy stack against the right edge suggests bright clipping. Turn on highlight warnings so clipped areas become easy to locate.

The histogram describes tonal distribution, not artistic quality. Use it alongside the photo and decide which highlights need texture and which may remain naturally bright.

Correct the Basic panel in the right order

Lower Exposure for the overall frame, then reduce Highlights to restore bright texture. Adjust Whites last to set the brightest clean point. Add a small amount of Contrast or Blacks only after the image has stopped looking clipped.

Avoid dragging every bright control fully left. Extreme recovery can produce dull highlights, gray whites, and unnatural color at clipped edges.

Exposure sets the broad starting point
Highlights controls bright detail
Whites sets the upper tonal endpoint
Contrast and Blacks restore depth after recovery

Lightroom Basic panel exposure and highlight controls

Lightroom Select Sky mask on an overexposed image

Balance sky and subject with masks

Use Select Sky when the background is too bright but the foreground is already correct. Use Select Subject when a face or object needs a separate lift. Refine mask edges around hair, branches, and architecture.

Local masks should support a believable light direction. A dark stormy sky over a brightly lit subject rarely looks coherent unless the scene actually contained that contrast.

Finish with a subject check

Toggle the before and after view, zoom into important edges, and inspect skin color. If the main subject became too dark during highlight recovery, use a modest subject mask instead of raising global exposure again.

Lightroom subject mask used to balance an edited photo

Fix a blown out sky with a Sky mask

When the sky is the only part that needs work, use the Sky mask instead of dragging global Highlights further down. Select Sky, then reduce Exposure and Highlights inside the mask while watching the horizon and any gaps between branches or buildings.

If the sky is already pure white, the mask can reduce glare and blend the edge more naturally, but it cannot recreate clouds the camera never recorded. In that case, accept a calm, evenly bright sky rather than pushing the mask into gray or blue-banded tones.

Select Sky first when the foreground is already correct
Reduce Exposure and Highlights inside the mask
Check the horizon and fine edges for halos
Leave a fully clipped sky neutral instead of forcing false color

Frequently asked questions

Questions about how to fix overexposed photos in lightroom

No editor can restore exact detail that was not recorded. RAW files may contain hidden highlight information that is absent from a rendered preview or compressed JPEG.

Fix excessive brightness in your own photo

Upload the original image, compare the corrected exposure, and keep the version that looks natural.

Upload a Photo