# LightBites guides > Step-by-step guides for LightBites on iPhone, iPad and Mac: how to use the app, and how to edit raw photos like a pro. Each step names the app's controls and gives the exact settings. The editing guides start from a raw file that can be downloaded, with the finished settings, from the guide's page. Source: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides · Summary for language models: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/llms.txt ## Get started with LightBites https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/getting-started · Beginner · 3 min · updated 2026-10-21 Bring your photos in, see what LightBites does with them, and learn the three places you'll use every day. ### 1. Add your photos Everything starts with **+** (Add Photos): at the top right on an iPhone, in the bar at the bottom on an iPad. Your originals are left as they are: LightBites copies the photos into its library and keeps your edits beside them. (Mac: Everything starts with **File ▸ Import Photos…** (`⇧⌘I`), or **+** in the toolbar. Your originals are never changed: edits are saved beside them.) - Tap **+**, then **Photos…**, **Files…** or **Folder from Files…**. (Mac: Choose files or whole folders in the window that opens, or drag them onto the grid.) - A camera or card reader that's plugged in shows up as **Connected Camera/Card**. (Mac: A camera or card reader shows up under **+ ▸ Connected Camera/Card**.) Tip: Coming from Lightroom? **+ ▸ Lightroom Catalog…** brings your photos, edits, ratings, keywords and collections across. ### 2. Check what comes in Before anything is added, **Import Photos** shows what it found. Duplicates and photos already in your library are marked and left out, so importing a card twice is harmless. - Untick anything you don't want, or use **Deselect All** and choose a few. - Optionally put them in an album, add keywords or apply a preset as they come in. - Tap **Add** (it says how many). (Mac: Click **Add** (it says how many).) ### 3. Find your way around The tab bar has three places. **Library** is everything you've added. **iPhone** (**iPad** on an iPad) is your Photos library as it is: open a picture there and edit it, and it joins your library with its first change. **Search** sits at the right end. (Mac: The sidebar holds your albums. The switch at its top goes between **Library**, everything you've added, and **Local**: your Photos library and the folders on this Mac, used where they are, with edits saved beside them as XMP files.) - Pinch the grid to make the thumbnails bigger or smaller. (Mac: Pinch the trackpad over the grid to make the thumbnails bigger or smaller.) - Scroll down and choose **Years**, **Months** or **All** beside the tab bar. (Mac: Choose **Years**, **Months** or **All** in the middle of the toolbar.) ### 4. Open a photo Tap a photo to open it, and swipe sideways for the next one. Pinch or double-tap to zoom in. The tools are in the bar at the bottom: **Presets**, **Crop**, **Edit**, **Masking**, **Remove** and **Info**. (Mac: Double-click a photo to open it. The tools are in the strip on the right: **Presets**, **Edit**, **Crop**, **Remove**, **Red Eye** and **Masking**, then **History**, **Versions**, **Keywords** and **Info**.) ### Questions **Does LightBites change my original photos?** No. Your originals are left as they are. Edits are stored as instructions beside the photo and applied when it is shown or exported, so you can always go back. **Which files can I import?** Raw files from many cameras, including Canon CR3, Apple ProRAW and other DNG files, as well as JPEG, HEIC, PNG and TIFF. **Do I have to import my whole Photos library?** No. On iPhone and iPad the iPhone (or iPad) tab shows your Photos library without importing it, and a picture joins your LightBites library only when you change it. On a Mac, Local does the same for your Photos library and your folders. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## Rate, flag and sort your photos into albums https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/organize-photos · Beginner · 4 min · updated 2026-10-21 A good library is one where your best photos are a tap away. Stars and flags while you look through a shoot, albums for keeps, a filter to find them again. ### 1. Rate and flag as you go Use stars for how good a photo is and flags for a quick yes or no: **Pick** the keepers, **Reject** the misses. - Open a photo, tap **…** and choose a rating, or **Flag ▸ Pick** or **Reject**. (Mac: Press `1` to `5` to rate and `0` to clear it; `P` picks, `X` rejects, `U` clears the flag.) - Swipe to the next photo and keep going. (Mac: Hold `⇧` with a number to rate and move straight on; `⇧Z`, `⇧X` and `⇧U` pick, reject or unflag and move on.) Tip: Colour labels are in the same **…** menu, for anything else you want to mark: to print, to send, to fix. (Mac: `6` to `9` add the red, yellow, green and blue colour labels.) ### 2. Do several at once - Tap **Select**, then tap photos, or drag across a row to take a run of them. (Mac: Click a photo, then `⌘`-click to add more, or `⇧`-click to take a run.) - Use **Rating**, **Flag**, **Color Label** or **Add to Album** in the bar at the bottom. (Mac: Rate or flag them all with the same keys, or right-click for more.) ### 3. Make an album - Tap **Albums** at the top left, then **+** (Create New) ▸ **Album**. (Mac: Choose **File ▸ New Album…** (`⌘N`).) - Name it and tap **Create**. (Mac: Name it and click **Create**.) - To fill it, select photos and tap **Add to Album**. (Mac: To fill it, drag photos onto it in the sidebar.) Tip: A **Smart Album** fills itself: every five-star photo from this year, say, or everything with a keyword. **Smart Album from Filter** turns the filter you have on into one. ### 4. Add keywords Keywords make photos easy to find years later, by subject, person or trip. - In a photo, tap **…** ▸ **Keywords**. (Mac: In a photo, press `K` or click **Keywords** in the tool strip.) - Type one in **Add Keyword** and add it. **On This Photo** lists the ones it has. ### 5. Show only the best - Open **Filter** and set a minimum rating, a flag or a colour label; or narrow by type, camera, people, place or keyword. - The chips under the title show what's on. **Clear All** takes them off. ### Questions **What's the difference between a rating and a flag?** A rating (one to five stars) says how good a photo is. A flag is a quick decision while you cull: Pick to keep, Reject to drop. Many photographers flag first and rate the picks. **Do ratings and keywords work with other apps?** Yes. They are standard XMP metadata: on a Mac, photos in Local folders get them in XMP sidecars that Lightroom and other editors read, and exports can include them. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## Find any photo with search https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/search-photos · Beginner · 3 min · updated 2026-10-21 You remember the photo, not the file name. Search by what you know about it: where, when, what was in it. ### 1. Search with words Type a place, a month, a camera, a lens, a keyword or part of a file name, and the grid narrows as you type. It understands places and dates, so “photos in tokyo in march” works. - Tap **Search** at the right end of the tab bar. (Mac: Click the search field in the toolbar, or press `⌘F`.) - Type what you remember, for example “night”. Tip: Add a condition the short way: `rating:4`, `flag:pick` or `iso:>800`. ### 2. Describe it Switch the field from **Words** to **Describe** and write a sentence: “boats on a lake at sunrise”. It runs when you tap Search, on your device, and finds photos by what is in them, keywords or not. (Mac: Choose **Describe** in the field's **Search by** menu and write a sentence: “boats on a lake at sunrise”. It runs when you press Return, on your Mac, and finds photos by what is in them, keywords or not.) Tip: **Describe** appears once search by description is on, in **Settings ▸ AI Models**. Its model downloads once and never sends your photos anywhere. ### 3. Browse the map Tap **…** ▸ **Map** to see your photos where you took them. Zoom in on a place to see the photos from there. (Mac: Choose **View ▸ Map** to see your photos where you took them. Zoom in on a place to see the photos from there.) ### 4. Find people Open **People** from the menu under the library's title. LightBites groups the same face across your library; name it once and every photo of them is a tap away. Turn it on in **Settings ▸ AI Models ▸ People**. (Mac: Choose **View ▸ People**. LightBites groups the same face across your library; name it once and every photo of them is a click away. Turn it on in **Settings ▸ AI Models ▸ People**.) ### 5. Keep a search Set up a filter you'll want again (four stars and up, a camera, a keyword), then in **Albums** tap **+** ▸ **Smart Album from Filter**. It stays up to date as you add photos. (Mac: Set up a filter you'll want again (four stars and up, a camera, a keyword), then choose **File ▸ New Smart Album from Filter…** (`⌥⌘N`). It stays up to date as you add photos.) ### Questions **Are my photos uploaded to search them?** No. Search, Describe and People all run on your device. Their models are downloaded once, when you turn them on. **Can it find text in my photos?** Yes: words in your photos, on a sign or a page, can be searched too, once text recognition is on in Settings. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## Edit a photo: the basics https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/editing-basics · Beginner · 5 min · updated 2026-10-21 Every edit in LightBites can be undone and none of them touches the original. Here is the editor, and the few sliders that do most of the work. ### 1. Open the editor Open a photo and tap **Edit** (the sliders) in the bar at the bottom. The groups run along the panel: **Auto**, **Light**, **Color**, **Effects**, **Detail**, **Optics**, **Lens Blur**, **Calibration** and **Profile**. (Mac: Open a photo and click **Edit** in the tool strip. The panel has **Auto**, **B&W** and **HDR** at the top, the profile, then the groups one under another: **Light**, **Color**, **Effects**, **Detail**, **Optics**, **Lens Blur** and **Calibration**. Click a title to open or close it; `⌥`-click opens only that one.) Tip: **Auto** gives a balanced starting point to adjust from. Tap it again, before you change anything else, to take it away. (Mac: **Auto** (`⇧A`) gives a balanced starting point to adjust from.) ### 2. Set the light Work down the **Light** group. **Exposure** sets the overall brightness. **Highlights** down brings back a bright sky; **Shadows** up opens the dark parts. **Whites** and **Blacks** set the brightest and darkest points, and **Contrast** comes last. Settings: - Light › Exposure: +0.15 - Light › Highlights: −45 - Light › Shadows: +30 - Light › Whites: +10 - Light › Blacks: −8 - Light › Contrast: +10 Tip: Double-tap a slider to put it back to zero. (Mac: Double-click a slider to put it back to zero.) ### 3. Fix the colour In **Color**, the **White Balance** menu (**As Shot**, **Auto**, **Daylight**, **Cloudy**…) and the eyedropper take a colour cast away; **Temp** and **Tint** fine-tune it. Then add **Vibrance**, which boosts the dull colours more than the bright ones, before you reach for **Saturation**. Settings: - Color › Vibrance: +22 - Color › Saturation: +4 ### 4. Compare, undo, start again - Press and hold the photo to see it as it was; let go to come back. (Mac: Hold `\` to see the photo as it was; tap it to keep the original on screen.) - **Undo** at the top left takes back the last change. Hold it for **Redo**, **Reset**, **Versions** and **History**. (Mac: `⌘Z` undoes and `⇧⌘Z` redoes. **Photo ▸ Reset Edits** (`⇧⌘R`) starts over.) ### 5. Dials or sliders On iPhone and iPad, choose how you adjust in **Settings ▸ Interface ▸ Adjustments**: **Dials**, a row of dials like the Photos app's, **Sliders**, like Lightroom's, or **Automatic**: dials under the photo, sliders beside it on a wide screen. Both edit the same way. ### Questions **Can I undo an edit later?** Yes, at any time. Edits are saved as instructions, not baked into the photo: reset a slider, step back through History, or reset the whole photo, even weeks later. **Is LightBites a Lightroom alternative?** It works the way Lightroom does, with the same kind of sliders, masks, presets and raw processing, but it runs entirely on your device, with no account and no subscription. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## Crop and straighten a photo https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/crop-and-straighten · Beginner · 3 min · updated 2026-10-21 A level horizon and a tighter frame fix more photos than any slider. Here is how, in a few taps. ### 1. Open Crop Open a photo and tap **Crop** in the bar at the bottom. The screen is called **Crop & Rotate**. (Mac: Open a photo and click **Crop** in the tool strip, or press `C`.) ### 2. Level the horizon - Tap **Auto** to level it for you, or turn the dial under the photo. (Mac: Drag **Angle** until the horizon is level.) - Or tap **Straighten** and draw a line along something that should be level, like the sea. (Mac: The **Overlay** menu puts a grid over the photo to judge it by.) Settings: - Crop › Straighten: Auto Tip: Double-tap the dial to set it back to 0°. (Mac: Double-click Angle to set it back to 0°.) ### 3. Choose a shape Under **Aspect**, pick **Original**, **Free** or a ratio. **4 × 5** (Portrait) fills the most of an Instagram feed, **9 × 16** is a story or reel, **1 × 1** is square. Drag the photo to choose what's in the frame. Settings: - Crop › Aspect: 4 × 5 Tip: **Lock Aspect** keeps the shape while you drag a corner. (Mac: Press `X` to swap the crop between portrait and landscape.) ### 4. Rotate, flip, and finish - **Rotate** turns it by 90°; **…** ▸ **Flip Horizontal** mirrors it. (Mac: **Rotate Left** and **Rotate Right** (`⌘[` and `⌘]`) turn it by 90°; the flip buttons mirror it.) - Tap ✓ to keep the crop, or ✕ to go back to how it was. (Mac: Click **Done** to keep it, or **Cancel** to go back to how it was.) Tip: A crop is an edit like any other: open Crop again any time to change it, or choose **Reset Crop**. ### Questions **What size should I crop for Instagram?** 4 × 5 for photos in the feed (it takes up the most room), 9 × 16 for stories and reels, and 1 × 1 for a square grid. LightBites has them all under Aspect, in Social. **Does cropping lose the rest of the photo?** No. The crop is stored as an edit. Open Crop again and the whole photo is still there. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## Edit part of a photo with masks https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/masks · Intermediate · 5 min · updated 2026-10-21 A mask lets an edit touch only part of the photo: the sky, the person, the bottom third. It's how a good photo becomes a great one. ### 1. Open Masking Open a photo and tap **Masking** in the bar at the bottom, then **+** (Create New Mask). (Mac: Open a photo and click **Masking** in the tool strip, or press `M`.) - Choose what to select: **Select Subject**, **Select Sky**, **Select Background** or **Select Object**, or draw it with a **Linear Gradient**, a **Radial Gradient** or a **Brush**. - **Color Range**, **Luminance Range** and **Depth Range** select by colour, brightness or distance. ### 2. Select the sky Choose **Select Sky**. LightBites finds the sky and shows it tinted. Now the groups under it, **Light**, **Color**, **Effects** and the rest, change only the sky. Settings: - Masking › New mask: Select Sky - Mask: Select Sky › Exposure: −0.35 - Mask: Select Sky › Highlights: −30 - Mask: Select Sky › Saturation: +15 - Mask: Select Sky › Dehaze: +10 Tip: Darken a bright sky a little and add a touch of **Dehaze**: the clouds get their shape back without a halo. ### 3. Fade an edit with a gradient A **Linear Gradient** fades from full strength to nothing between two lines: drag from where you want the most to where it should stop. It's the classic way to calm the top of a landscape. A **Radial Gradient** does the same in a circle: a soft spotlight, or with **Invert**, a vignette. Settings: - Masking › New mask: Linear Gradient - Mask: Linear Gradient › Exposure: +0.25 - Mask: Linear Gradient › Shadows: +20 ### 4. Select the subject **Select Subject** finds the main subject, a person, an animal, a thing, with the model built into your device. Brighten it a little and it stands out from the background. Settings: - Masking › New mask: Select Subject - Mask: Select Subject › Exposure: +0.30 - Mask: Select Subject › Clarity: +10 ### 5. Add, subtract, fine-tune **±** (Add or Subtract) adds to a mask, takes part of it away, or keeps only where it overlaps another selection: the subject minus a brush stroke, say. In the **Mask** group, **Amount** fades the whole mask's edit and **Invert** turns it inside out. Tip: Name your masks (**Rename…** in each mask's menu) once a photo has a few. ### Questions **Do masks need an internet connection or a download?** No. Select Subject and Select Object use the model built into your iPhone, iPad or Mac, and Select Sky works on the device too. **Can I copy masks to other photos?** Yes: Copy Settings… (in the photo's … menu) lets you tick Masking, which is left out unless you ask for it. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## Remove people and objects from a photo https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/remove-objects · Beginner · 3 min · updated 2026-10-21 A sign, a stranger, a power line. Paint over it and it's gone, filled in from what was around it. ### 1. Open Remove Open a photo and tap **Remove** (the eraser) in the bar at the bottom. (Mac: Open a photo and click **Remove** in the tool strip, or press `H`.) - **Remove** fills in what you paint over from what's around it. - **Heal** and **Clone** copy from another part of the photo, for spots and blemishes; Heal blends in, Clone copies exactly. ### 2. Paint over it - Paint over the distraction, a little beyond its edges. - Let go: it's filled in. Paint again over anything left. Tip: **Select with: Tap** takes away a whole object with one tap, edges and all. ### 3. Bigger things: Generative AI For something large, a person or a car, switch on **Generative AI**. It's a one-time download, then runs on your device. **High quality** takes longer and does better with complex backgrounds. ### 4. Clean up dust spots Dust on the sensor shows as soft dark spots in a clear sky. **…** ▸ **Visualize Spots** makes them easy to see, and **Find Dust Spots** finds them for you. Switch to **Heal** and tap each one. (Mac: Dust on the sensor shows as soft dark spots in a clear sky. Press `A` to visualize spots, or let **Find Dust Spots** find them. Switch to **Heal** and click each one.) ### Questions **Is the original photo changed?** No. Each removal is an edit you can undo or delete later: Delete All Spots in the … menu takes them all away. **Does Generative AI upload my photo?** No. Its model is downloaded once and runs on your device. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## Use, make and import presets https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/presets · Beginner · 4 min · updated 2026-10-21 A preset is an edit you can use again. Find a look you like once, then put it on a whole shoot in seconds. ### 1. Try a preset - Open a photo and tap **Presets**. (Mac: Open a photo and click **Presets** in the tool strip. Hover over a preset to preview it.) - Tap one to apply it; tap it again to take it off. - **Amount** makes it weaker or stronger, from 0 to 200 %. ### 2. Save your own Edit a photo until you like it. Then save the edit as a preset: give it a name, choose a group, and tick what it should keep. Crop, masks and Remove start unticked, because they rarely fit another photo. - In **Presets**, tap **+** ▸ **Create Preset**. (Mac: Choose **Photo ▸ Create Preset…** (`⇧⌘P`).) - Name it and choose **Create**. Settings: - Light › Contrast: +15 - Light › Highlights: −30 - Light › Shadows: +20 - Color › Vibrance: +15 - Effects › Clarity: +8 - Effects › Vignette: −10 ### 3. Import presets LightBites reads its own .lcpreset files, XMP presets, Lightroom's .lrtemplate files, and zips of them. Tap **+** in the library, then **Import Profiles & Presets…**, or **+ ▸ Import Presets…** in Presets. Check what's in them and tap **Import**. (Mac: LightBites reads its own .lcpreset files, XMP presets, Lightroom's .lrtemplate files, and zips of them. Choose **File ▸ Import Profiles & Presets…**, check what's in them and click **Import**.) Tip: Every guide in [Edit like a pro](/guides#pro) comes with its edit as a preset you can import this way. ### 4. Copy an edit to other photos - In the edited photo's **…**, choose **Copy Edit Settings** (or **Copy Settings…** to pick which). (Mac: Choose **Edit ▸ Copy Edit Settings** (or **Choose Edit Settings to Copy…**, `⇧⌘C`, to pick which).) - Open another photo and choose **Paste Edit Settings**, or select several and use **Paste Selected Settings…** in **…**. (Mac: Select the other photos and choose **Edit ▸ Paste Edit Settings**. **Paste Settings from Previous** (`⌥⌘V`) skips the copy.) ### Questions **Can I use my Lightroom presets?** Yes. LightBites imports XMP presets and classic .lrtemplate files, alone or zipped. They map onto LightBites's own settings, so the look comes across closely, though not always pixel for pixel. **Do presets sync between my devices?** Yes, when your devices sync through a LightCraft server: presets follow you like photos and edits. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## Export and share your photos https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/export-and-share · Beginner · 3 min · updated 2026-10-21 Your edit only exists inside LightBites until you export it. Choose a size and a format, and send it on. ### 1. Open Share - In a photo, tap **Share** at the top. (Mac: Choose **File ▸ Export…** (`⇧E`), or right-click a photo and choose **Export…**.) - For several, tap **Select**, choose them, and tap **Export**. (Mac: For several, select them first.) ### 2. Pick the file and the size - **File Type**: JPEG goes anywhere; PNG or TIFF for printing and more editing; AVIF, WebP and JPEG XL make small files; **Original** sends the file as you imported it. - **Size**: **Small** (1080 px) for messages, **Medium** (2048 px) for social media, **Large** (4096 px), or **Full Size** for prints. - **Metadata**: keep it all, only the copyright, or none. **Remove Location** leaves out where you took it. Tip: Use the same settings again and again? Save them with **Preset ▸ Save as Preset…** at the top of the sheet. ### 3. Send it **Share** opens the share sheet: AirDrop, Messages, Mail, Files and the rest. **Save to Photos** puts a copy in your Photos library (JPEG, PNG, TIFF or DNG). (Mac: When it's done: **Share** to send it on, **Show in Finder** to see the files, or **Done**. **File ▸ Export with Previous** (`⌥⇧⌘E`) exports the photos you've chosen with the settings you used last time.) ### Questions **Which size should I export for Instagram?** Medium (2048 px on the long side) is plenty: Instagram shows photos at most 1080 px wide. Crop to 4 × 5 first for the most room in the feed. **Can I export the original raw file?** Yes: choose Original as the file type to send the file exactly as you imported it, or DNG to export it as a DNG. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## How to edit a raw photo, in the order the pros do https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/raw-workflow · Beginner · 8 min · updated 2026-10-21 Most edits go wrong because they're done in the wrong order. Work from the whole photo to the details, and each step makes the next one easier. Photo: Landscape in soft daylight (Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (SM-G998B)). The raw file and the finished settings can be downloaded from the guide's page. ### 1. Start with the profile A raw file has no look of its own: the profile decides how its colours and contrast are drawn before you touch a slider. Choose it first, because everything after builds on it. - Tap **Edit**, then **Profile**, and try a few. Each tile is the photo in that profile. (Mac: Open **Profile** at the top of the Edit panel, or **Browse Profiles** to see them as pictures.) - Pick one that looks natural rather than finished: you'll add the punch later. ### 2. Set the white balance White balance decides whether white looks white. With a raw file it's lossless, so get it right now: every colour after depends on it. - In **Color**, choose a **White Balance**: **As Shot**, **Auto**, or the light you shot in (**Daylight**, **Cloudy**, **Shade**…). - Or tap the eyedropper and then something that should be neutral grey or white. (Mac: Or press `W` and click something that should be neutral grey or white.) - Fine-tune **Temp** (cooler or warmer) and **Tint** (greener or more magenta) by eye. Tip: Not sure? Look at something you know is white, a cloud or a wall, and move **Temp** until it stops looking blue or yellow. ### 3. Get the exposure right Set **Exposure** so the main subject is as bright as you want it. Don't worry about the brightest and darkest parts yet: that's the next step. Settings: - Light › Exposure: +0.30 ### 4. Bring back the highlights, open the shadows This is where raw files shine: there is far more in the bright and dark parts than the camera showed you. - Pull **Highlights** down until the sky has detail again. - Push **Shadows** up until the dark parts open, but stop before it looks flat. - Set **Whites** and **Blacks** last: up and down until the brightest and darkest parts just touch white and black. Settings: - Light › Highlights: −60 - Light › Shadows: +40 - Light › Whites: +15 - Light › Blacks: −12 Tip: Watch the histogram: the graph should reach both ends without piling up against either. ### 5. Add contrast and presence Recovering both ends makes a photo flatter, so add some of it back. **Contrast** for the whole photo, then **Texture** for fine detail and **Clarity** for mid-sized detail, both gently. A little **Dehaze** cuts through haze in the distance. Settings: - Light › Contrast: +12 - Effects › Texture: +10 - Effects › Clarity: +12 - Effects › Dehaze: +6 ### 6. Colour: vibrance first **Vibrance** lifts the dull colours more than the strong ones, and spares skin. Use it before **Saturation**, which pushes every colour equally. For one colour only, open **Color Mixer**: the blue of a sky, the green of grass. Settings: - Color › Vibrance: +20 - Color Mixer › Blue Saturation: +8 - Color Mixer › Green Saturation: −6 ### 7. Sharpen and clean up noise Sharpening and noise reduction come last, looked at up close. Zoom in to 100 % on something with fine detail. - In **Detail**, open **Sharpening** and raise the amount until edges look crisp, not crunchy. (Mac: In **Detail**, raise **Sharpening** until edges look crisp, not crunchy.) - Raise **Masking** to keep the sharpening off smooth areas such as the sky. - Add **Noise Reduction** only if you see grain in the shadows. Settings: - Detail › Sharpening: +40 - Detail › Masking: +35 - Detail › Noise Reduction: +10 ### 8. Straighten and crop Open **Crop**, tap **Auto** to level the horizon, and crop out anything at the edges that pulls the eye away. (Mac: Open **Crop**, level the horizon with **Angle**, and crop out anything at the edges that pulls the eye away.) Settings: - Crop › Straighten: Auto ### Questions **Why shoot raw?** A raw file keeps everything the sensor saw: much more detail in the bright and dark parts, and white balance you can change without losing quality. A JPEG has already thrown most of that away. **Does this work for iPhone ProRAW?** Yes. ProRAW is a DNG file, and LightBites edits it like any raw. Turn on ProRAW in the Camera settings of your iPhone. **Why this order?** Each step changes what the next one sees: the profile and white balance change every colour, exposure changes every tone. Working from the whole photo to the details means you don't undo yourself. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## How to edit a sunset photo https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/edit-sunset · Intermediate · 7 min · updated 2026-10-21 A sunset is the hardest light to photograph: the sky is far brighter than the land. A raw file holds both. Here's how to get them back without a fake glow. Photo: Sunset with light rays over the fields (Samsung Galaxy S21 FE (SM-G990B)). The raw file and the finished settings can be downloaded from the guide's page. ### 1. Keep the warmth Auto white balance fixes what it thinks is a colour cast, and at sunset the cast is the point. Start from **As Shot** or **Daylight**, and if anything nudge **Temp** a little warmer, never cooler. ### 2. Bring back the sky Pull **Highlights** well down and **Whites** a little: the colour comes back into the bright clouds and the sun's glow gets a shape. Settings: - Light › Highlights: −80 - Light › Whites: −15 - Light › Exposure: +0.10 Tip: If the sun itself stays white, that's fine. It was. ### 3. Lift the foreground Raise **Shadows** until you can see into the land, but leave it darker than the sky: that's how a sunset looks to the eye. Keep **Blacks** a little down so it still has depth. Settings: - Light › Shadows: +45 - Light › Blacks: −10 - Light › Contrast: +8 ### 4. Balance it with a gradient A **Linear Gradient** from the top of the frame down to the horizon darkens the sky a little more, and only the sky. Add a touch of **Dehaze** in it to give the clouds shape. - Open **Masking**, tap **+** and choose **Linear Gradient**. (Mac: Open **Masking** and choose **Linear Gradient**.) - Drag from the top edge down to just above the horizon. - Lower its **Exposure** a little and add **Dehaze** and **Saturation**. Settings: - Masking › New mask: Linear Gradient - Mask: Linear Gradient › Exposure: −0.35 - Mask: Linear Gradient › Highlights: −20 - Mask: Linear Gradient › Dehaze: +12 - Mask: Linear Gradient › Saturation: +10 ### 5. Make the colours glow Raise **Vibrance**, then open **Color Mixer** and lift the **Saturation** of the oranges and yellows a little. Leave the reds: they turn neon fast. Settings: - Color › Vibrance: +25 - Color Mixer › Orange Saturation: +12 - Color Mixer › Yellow Saturation: +8 ### 6. Warm the light, cool the shadows In **Color Grading**, give the highlights a warm, golden hue and the shadows a little blue. The contrast between warm and cool is what makes a sunset feel like a sunset. Settings: - Color Grading › Highlights Hue: 40° - Color Grading › Highlights Saturation: +18 - Color Grading › Shadows Hue: 220° - Color Grading › Shadows Saturation: +10 ### 7. Finish A gentle **Vignette** darkens the corners and leads the eye to the light. Then press and hold the photo to compare with where you started. Settings: - Effects › Vignette: −12 - Effects › Clarity: +6 ### Questions **Why does my sunset look grey after editing?** Usually from pulling Highlights down without adding anything back. Raise Vibrance and add warmth in Color Grading's highlights, and keep a little contrast. **Should I use Saturation or Vibrance for sunsets?** Vibrance first: it lifts the weaker colours and leaves the already strong oranges alone. Saturation pushes everything, and a sunset's reds clip quickly. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## How to edit a portrait naturally https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/edit-portrait · Intermediate · 7 min · updated 2026-10-21 A good portrait edit is one nobody notices. Light the face, keep the skin real, and let the background step back. Photo: Portrait in golden hour (Sony ZV-E10). The raw file and the finished settings can be downloaded from the guide's page. ### 1. Light the face Set **Exposure** for the face, not the background. Bring **Highlights** down so bright skin keeps its detail, and lift **Shadows** a little to soften the shadows under the eyes and chin. Settings: - Light › Exposure: +0.20 - Light › Highlights: −25 - Light › Shadows: +20 - Light › Contrast: −5 ### 2. Even out the skin tones Skin is mostly orange, with some red. In **Color Mixer**, lower the **Saturation** of orange a little and raise its **Luminance**: blotchy, ruddy skin calms down and brightens. Keep the changes small. Settings: - Color Mixer › Orange Saturation: −8 - Color Mixer › Orange Luminance: +8 - Color Mixer › Red Saturation: −5 Tip: Never use **Saturation** for skin: **Vibrance** is made to leave skin tones alone. ### 3. Make the subject stand out Open **Masking** and choose **Select Subject**: the person is selected in a moment, on your device. Brighten them a touch and lower **Texture** for gentler skin; that's softer than any blur. Settings: - Masking › New mask: Select Subject - Mask: Select Subject › Exposure: +0.20 - Mask: Select Subject › Texture: −15 - Mask: Select Subject › Clarity: −5 ### 4. Let the background step back Add **Select Background** and darken it a little, with less **Saturation** and **Clarity**. Nothing changes in the face, and the background stops competing with it. Settings: - Masking › New mask: Select Background - Mask: Select Background › Exposure: −0.30 - Mask: Select Background › Saturation: −12 - Mask: Select Background › Clarity: −15 Tip: For a real out-of-focus look, try **Lens Blur** in Edit: it blurs by distance. (Mac: For a real out-of-focus look, try **Lens Blur** in the Edit panel: it blurs by distance.) ### 5. Finish with a soft vignette A gentle **Vignette** keeps the eye on the face. Then look at the photo at full size: if the skin looks plastic, take **Texture** back up in the subject mask. Settings: - Effects › Vignette: −14 - Color › Vibrance: +8 ### Questions **How do I make skin look smooth but natural?** Lower Texture in a Select Subject mask, by 10 to 20. It softens skin and keeps pores and hair, which Clarity and blurring don't. **Can I remove a blemish?** Yes: open Remove, switch to Heal and tap the spot. It's taken from the skin around it. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## How to edit night city photos https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/edit-night-city · Intermediate · 6 min · updated 2026-10-21 Night photos fight you twice: lights that burn out, and noise in the dark. A raw file has room for both. Here's how to keep the night a night. Photo: Dresden skyline at night (Nikon D7100). The raw file and the finished settings can be downloaded from the guide's page. ### 1. Choose the colour of the night Street lights are orange, shop signs every colour: there is no correct white. Try **Auto**, then move **Temp** cooler until the lights look warm but the night isn't brown. ### 2. Tame the lights Pull **Highlights** and **Whites** down: the glow around the lights shrinks and the signs become readable again. Settings: - Light › Highlights: −70 - Light › Whites: −20 ### 3. Open the shadows, keep the dark Raise **Shadows** to see into the streets, then pull **Blacks** down so the sky and the darkest corners stay black. A night photo that's grey all over doesn't look like night. Settings: - Light › Shadows: +35 - Light › Blacks: −15 - Light › Exposure: +0.20 ### 4. Clean up the noise Zoom in to 100 % on a dark, flat area. Raise **Noise Reduction** until the grain is smooth but edges are still sharp, and **Color Noise Reduction** until the coloured speckles go. Then a little sharpening, with **Masking** up so it stays off the smooth parts. Settings: - Detail › Noise Reduction: +35 - Detail › Color Noise Reduction: +30 - Detail › Sharpening: +30 - Detail › Masking: +45 Tip: Noise is worst where you raised Shadows most. If cleaning it up costs too much detail, give back a little Shadows instead. ### 5. Make it glow **Clarity** and a little **Dehaze** bring back the punch that noise reduction takes away. **Vibrance** brings the signs to life. Settings: - Effects › Clarity: +15 - Effects › Dehaze: +10 - Color › Vibrance: +15 ### 6. Teal and orange (if you like) For the cinematic look, open **Color Grading**: a blue-green hue in the shadows, orange in the highlights. Keep both under 20, or it looks like a filter. Settings: - Color Grading › Shadows Hue: 200° - Color Grading › Shadows Saturation: +15 - Color Grading › Highlights Hue: 35° - Color Grading › Highlights Saturation: +15 ### Questions **How do I reduce noise in night photos?** Use Noise Reduction in Detail, looking at 100 %: raise it until the grain is smooth but edges are sharp, and clear the coloured speckles with Color Noise Reduction. **Why does my night photo look grey?** Too much Shadows and not enough Blacks. Pull Blacks down until the sky is black again. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides --- ## How to make a black and white photo that pops https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides/black-and-white · Intermediate · 6 min · updated 2026-10-21 Black and white isn't colour taken away; it's colour turned into light and dark. You decide which colours become which greys. Photo: Mesa Arch, Utah (Canon EOS 60D). The raw file and the finished settings can be downloaded from the guide's page. ### 1. Convert to black and white Tap **Edit**, then **Color**, then **B&W**. Start from a raw file: the colours it keeps are what you'll mix next. (Mac: Click **B&W** at the top of the Edit panel, or press `V`. Start from a raw file: the colours it keeps are what you'll mix next.) Settings: - Color › Treatment: B&W ### 2. Mix the colours into greys **B&W Mixer** sets how bright each colour becomes. Darken the blues and the sky turns dramatic; brighten the oranges and skin glows; darken the greens for moody foliage. Settings: - B&W Mixer › Blue: −25 - B&W Mixer › Aqua: −10 - B&W Mixer › Orange: +10 - B&W Mixer › Yellow: +5 Tip: Not sure which colour is which? Drag the Point Color eyedropper over the photo. (Mac: Not sure which colour is which? Use the Point Color eyedropper on the photo.) ### 3. Build contrast Black and white lives on contrast. Raise **Contrast**, set **Whites** and **Blacks** so the photo reaches true white and true black, and use **Highlights** and **Shadows** to keep detail at both ends. Settings: - Light › Contrast: +25 - Light › Highlights: −20 - Light › Shadows: +15 - Light › Whites: +20 - Light › Blacks: −22 Tip: For a gentle S-curve, open **Curve** and raise **Lights** and lower **Darks** a little. ### 4. Bring out the texture **Texture** and **Clarity** do more in black and white than in colour: stone, skin, cloud and bark gain depth. Go further than you would in colour, then back off a little. Settings: - Effects › Texture: +20 - Effects › Clarity: +18 ### 5. Finish with grain A little **Grain** makes digital black and white feel like film, and hides any noise. Keep **Size** small for a fine grain. A light **Vignette** frames it. Settings: - Effects › Grain: +20 - Effects › Grain Size: +25 - Effects › Vignette: −10 ### Questions **Why edit in black and white instead of desaturating?** Desaturating turns every colour into the same grey it had for brightness. The B&W treatment keeps the colours behind the scenes, so the B&W Mixer can make each one lighter or darker: a dark sky, bright skin. **Can I go back to colour?** Yes, any time: tap B&W again. The mixer settings stay for next time. From the LightBites guides: https://lightbites.eliasruiz.com/guides