Five hidden Lightroom features you didn’t know about

Lightroom is packed with features we all use and love. But there are some hidden gems you might not have known about, yet they could save you a lot of time and spare you the frustration. In his recent video, Anthony Morganti reveals five of these hidden features in Lightroom Classic. Did you know about them? Let’s check them out.

1. Unlock extra options in preferences

One of the lesser-known tricks involves accessing additional buttons in the preferences menu. Anthony explains that depending on your system, you can find this menu under Lightroom Classic > Preferences (on a Mac) or Edit > Preferences (on a PC).

When you open the General tab, you might notice the “Reset All Warnings” button. But here’s the magic: holding down the Alt/Option key reveals two more options:

• Reset All Preferences and Relaunch: Returns Lightroom to its default state, helpful if you’ve changed too many settings and want a fresh start.
• Generate Diagnostic Report: Perfect for troubleshooting. You can share this report with Adobe Support to address technical issues.

2. Temporarily toggle edits

Did you know you can temporarily view an unedited version of specific adjustments? Anthony highlights the small eyeball icon next to individual adjustment panels like Effects. Clicking and holding it shows you a before-and-after view of only those changes.

For a hands-free version, hold down the Alt/Option key. The eyeball icons transform into toggle switches, letting you turn adjustments off and on without holding the mouse.

Note that this works on most panels, but not under Lens Blur or Basic adjustments.

3. Reset edits with a double-click

If you’ve adjusted specific sections like Tone or White Balance, you can quickly reset them. Hold down the Alt/Option key to reveal a Reset label next to headings. Or, simply double-click on the heading itself to reset it without the extra step.

This trick applies to other tabs, such as HSL and Tone Curve, making it easy to experiment and undo changes.

4. Save time copying and pasting edits

Most of us use the Copy and Paste buttons in the left panel when applying edits from one photo to another. But Anthony shares a brilliant time-saving tip: holding the Alt/Option key changes Copy Settings into a one-click Copy button. It skips the pop-up menu and directly copies your preset adjustments.

5. Hidden catalog options

Anthony wraps up with a bonus feature in the Library Module. The Import and Export buttons at the bottom-left corner transform when you hold the Alt/Option key:

• Import Catalog lets you merge another catalog into your current one.
• Export Catalog creates a standalone version of your current catalog for other systems.

So, were you already familiar with these features, or are they new to you? I’m particularly grateful for the fourth one, as I use lots of Copy/Paste when I go through concert photos. Anyhow, if you found these tips helpful, let us know which hits the spot for you. And don’t forget to watch Anthony’s video for more details and demonstrations.

[HIDDEN Stuff in LIGHTROOM | Anthony Morganti]

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