To filter photos in Lightroom Classic, open the Library module in Grid view and use the Library Filter bar. To change how a photo looks, open Develop and choose a preset or a mask instead. These controls solve different problems: finding a photograph, applying a look, and adjusting one part of an image.
This guide separates those jobs, then shows where Lightroom on mobile and the web differs. Instructions follow Adobe's documentation checked September 28, 2026, with Lightroom Classic 15.5 as the desktop reference. The screenshots are credited Adobe examples; this is a documentation-based guide, not a report of our own Lightroom editing session. See Adobe's Classic release notes for version changes.
Choose the right kind of filter
Start with the result you need:
- Find or shortlist photos: use Library filters in Classic, or search and filter controls in cloud Lightroom.
- Apply a repeatable look: use a Develop preset. Its saved settings can affect the whole photograph or include selective adjustments.
- Change a specific area: use a mask, such as a Linear Gradient across a bright edge.
- Fix perspective: use geometry or Upright controls. That is a correction task, not a way to search your library.
A useful order is to select the photographs worth finishing, establish a consistent overall treatment, and then solve local problems. There is little value in carefully masking five near-identical frames when you only intend to deliver one.
Find photos in Lightroom Classic
- In Library, choose the folder, collection, or catalog source you want to search and switch to Grid view.
- Choose Text in the Library Filter bar to search a field such as Filename or Keywords. Pick a matching rule and enter your text.
- Choose Attribute to narrow by flags, stars, or color labels.
- Choose Metadata to filter by camera, lens, date, or another available category. Click a column heading to change its category, then select a value.
- Shift-click another mode name to combine modes. You can use one, two, or all three together; results must meet the combined criteria.
- Choose None to turn the filter modes off.
If a photo appears to be missing, check both your selected source and active filters before changing the catalog. Adobe explains the Library Filter controls, including saving a filter configuration through the Custom Filter menu. A saved search filter is different from a Develop preset.
Screenshot: Adobe, from the Library Filter documentation linked above. This example shows metadata columns and the Text, Attribute, Metadata and None controls; it is not a screenshot of our catalog.
View the full-size Library Filter screenshot
A practical event culling sequence
Use flags, stars and labels for distinct decisions. The following is a suggested convention, not a requirement imposed by Lightroom:
- Limit the job. Work through one event or collection so unrelated photographs do not enter the shortlist.
- Review obvious failures. Mark accidental frames or unusable focus as rejected. Keep borderline expressions for a second look instead of making deletion part of the first pass.
- Compare similar frames. Choose the strongest expression and useful coverage, then assign stars to the photographs worth editing.
- Reserve labels for a purpose. For example, a label could identify photographs needing retouching. Write down the convention so another editor can follow it.
- Filter the shortlist. Review your chosen group together before starting detailed edits. Check that the story still includes establishing frames, people and important moments.
For a reception photographed with two cameras, select the reception collection, narrow Metadata to one camera or lens, and add your chosen star threshold under Attribute. Add a Text search only when there is a relevant filename or keyword. More criteria are useful only if they answer a real selection question. For a broader catalog workflow, see our guide to photo organization software.
Where Assisted Culling fits
Current Classic versions include Assisted Culling; it is no longer accurate to describe the feature only as a demonstration. Adobe's Assisted Culling instructions cover enabling analysis in Catalog Settings, selecting a folder or collection, and reviewing focus, eyes and rejection criteria.
Treat those scores as review aids. A deliberately soft photograph can still matter, and closed eyes may be appropriate in a quiet portrait. Inspect the suggested selects and rejects before applying ratings or flags. Do not turn an automated score into an automatic deletion rule.
Use masks for local edits
In Classic, open a photo in Develop, then choose Masking. Select a tool, inspect its overlay, and adjust the selected area. Use Add or Subtract when the selection includes too much or misses something. Adobe's masking guide documents these controls.
- Linear Gradient: drag across an area that needs a gradual transition, such as a bright edge. Watch for unwanted changes to a face crossing the gradient.
- Radial Gradient: draw an oval to target a subject or surrounding area. Use a soft transition so the result does not look like a spotlight.
- Brush: paint a specific area that needs attention. Keep texture believable when adjusting skin or clothing.
- Subject or Sky: let Lightroom create an initial selection, then inspect the boundary rather than assuming it is perfect.
Screenshot: Adobe's Linear Gradient example. The red area is a selection overlay, not a finished color effect. The visible Masks panel includes Add and Subtract for refining the selection.
View the full-size Linear Gradient screenshot
Judge the adjustment at two scales
Inspect edges around hair, glasses, veils and backlit subjects at a close view. Then look at the whole photograph. A technically neat mask can still produce an unnatural bright face or a sky that no longer fits the scene.
Make one purposeful change at a time. If the issue is a face that looks too dark, start by correcting its brightness and reassess before adding several unrelated effects. Toggle the adjustment to decide whether the photograph actually improves.
Apply presets without losing consistency
In Classic's Develop module, expand the Presets panel. Hover over a preset to preview it and click to apply it. Where supported, use Preset Amount to change its strength; some presets disable that slider. Adobe's preset instructions also explain importing presets and creating one from selected settings.
Screenshot: Adobe. The highlighted left panel contains preset groups, including Adaptive options. It shows where to choose a preset, not a measured before-and-after result.
View the full-size Presets screenshot
Apply a candidate look to a representative photograph, then check exposure, white balance and skin tones again. A preset can include exposure or white-balance settings and overwrite earlier adjustments. When creating your own, include only the settings you intend to reuse.
Group by lighting, not just by job
An outdoor portrait, a window-lit interior and a reception under colored lights may need different starting points even when they belong to the same gallery. Try the look on one example from each lighting group before applying it more widely.
Keep a small preset library whose purpose you understand. A useful name describes the intended light or treatment. Judge a purchased preset on your own files; the creator's sample photograph may have very different light, color and exposure. Our Anni Graham presets guide discusses one named preset collection. Adaptive presets also need a review of the areas they affect.
Profiles are a separate control
A profile establishes a color and tonal rendering without moving the other Develop adjustment sliders. It is not interchangeable with a preset that changes saved adjustment values. In Classic, find profiles through the Basic panel's Profile control and browser.
Creative profiles such as Artistic, B&W, Modern and Vintage can expose an Amount slider. Adobe separately documents an Amount range of 0–200 for Adaptive profiles. Do not expect the same controls for every profile. See the profile and color controls.
Filter on mobile and the web
Lightroom on mobile does not use Classic's Library module. In the Lightroom tab, choose Filter, then use Star Rating or Flag in the FILTER BY panel. The star comparator changes whether the results are above, below or equal to a rating. Clear an active filter with its cross button when you want to see the wider set again.
Adobe says free accounts and expired trials have only star and flag filters; other options depend on access. Its mobile filtering guide lists the available criteria. Button placement can differ between mobile interfaces.
In Lightroom on the web, use the search bar and the filter control beside it. Do not look for Classic's Text, Attribute and Metadata tabs there.
A mobile handoff that keeps file quality clear
For a Classic workflow, sync a collection containing the shortlist and wait for it to appear on your mobile device. Review flags and ratings, make suitable edits, and check that changes have synchronized before continuing elsewhere. You can also work with photos imported directly into mobile; a Classic catalog is not a prerequisite for using the app.
Classic uploads Smart Previews when syncing to the cloud, not the original files. Do not assume a mobile export from that collection has the original's full dimensions. Export the final full-resolution delivery from a location with access to the original. Adobe's Classic sync FAQ explains the direction of transfers.
Preset availability needs a separate check. To bring Classic presets into cloud Lightroom, Adobe describes importing them through File > Import Profiles & Presets in Lightroom desktop; those installed presets then sync to mobile. See the preset migration instructions. Do not assume that adding a preset in Classic continually updates the mobile library.
Finish the shortlist and export
Use this sequence as a starting point, adjusting it to the job:
- Select a coherent set with flags, ratings and comparison of similar frames.
- For files that need it, consider noise reduction before detailed local adjustments.
- Apply the overall look and correct each lighting group.
- Refine local masks and inspect important edges.
- Review the set together, then export for the intended use.
In current Classic documentation, Denoise, Raw Details and Super Resolution are available in the Detail panel. Do not assume that every enhancement necessarily creates a separate DNG as older workflows did. Super Resolution doubles width and height, giving four times the pixel count; it does not multiply each dimension by four. Check Adobe's Enhance guide for supported files and your version's controls.
Choose export dimensions and quality for the destination, then open an exported file before delivering the whole set. Look for unexpected crops, color differences and missed edits. Keep your working originals separately from the exported delivery files. If your source is a DNG, see converting DNG to JPG for the delivery-file workflow.
Common questions
Should I filter before editing?
Usually, make a first selection before detailed edits. A quick exposure adjustment may help judge a dark frame, but full retouching can wait until you know which version you want to keep.
Should I use presets, profiles or masks?
Use a profile for the underlying rendering, a preset for reusable settings, and a mask for a particular area. You can combine them, but make each change for a reason and review its effect.
Should every photo use the same filter?
Aim for a consistent set rather than identical values. Different lighting and skin tones can need different exposure, white balance or local adjustments even when the overall style stays the same.
Is Auto enough for geometry corrections?
Treat automatic geometry correction as a starting point. Check the horizon, important vertical lines, crop boundaries and people near the edges. Keep the correction only if it improves the photograph without creating a worse distortion.
Where does delivery fit?
Delivery follows selection, editing and export. Upload the finished set to a gallery instead of sending the client your working shortlist. Create a SendPhoto gallery to present the exported photographs, then review the gallery's sharing settings before sending its link.