Visualize Spots: Reveal Dust Spots in Lightroom

See video at the bottom of the article for an easy-to-follow explanation. 

As outdoor photographers, we often spend time in harsh conditions with strong winds that carry snow, sand or other particles. This can lead to quite the amount of dust spots on your lens or sensor, which you’re not always able to clean in the field.

Either it’s dust spots or distracting elements, Lightroom’s Spot Removal Tool does a good job of getting rid of them. However, dust spots aren’t always easy to spot unless you zoom in 100%, and it’s easy to miss a few.

It might not matter if you only show your work online but let’s be honest, it doesn’t look very professional if you sell a print and there are several dust spots on it.

Reveal Dust Spots with Visualize Spots in Lightroom

This is where the Visualize Spots option comes in handy.

The Visualize Spots option shows an inverted and detailed version of the image, which reveals spots and other imperfections. When activated, you can use the slider to adjust the contrast and details.

Pull the slider towards the right to increase contrast and reveal more imperfections. Typically, I prefer to leave the slider far to the right in order to see even the small dust spots (which will be visible in prints).

For a more in-depth explanation of how to remove dust spots in Lightroom, as well as a few alternatives to the Visualize Spots option, make sure to read our article How to Remove Dust Spots in Lightroom. 

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