Lightroom Order of Operations with A.I Editing – July 2025

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The order of operations in Adobe Lightroom’s Develop module has long been misunderstood by many. Historically, it has not really mattered all that much in which order you make adjustments in the Develop module, as Lightroom would re-order the adjustments into its preferred order when rendering a finished file. With the adjustments being parametric (simply a list of instructions for how to adjust the image) there was never much concern over where you started or finished with your edit workflow. It has always been good practice to work from top to bottom in the Develop module, but now with the introduction of AI editing, there is a preferred workflow as noted below:

  1. Open and edit a photo using AI-powered features like Denoise, Masking, Lens Blur, Generative Remove, etc.
  2. When a photo has AI-powered edit settings, the AI Edit Status button is turned on. The button will have a yellow highlight when some AI settings need to be updated to render your photo properly.  
  3. Select AI Edit Status to view the details of all the edits made with AI-powered features.
  4. Select Refresh to update only the corresponding AI setting. It’s recommended to review the results before updating subsequent AI settings in the list.
  1. AI Edit Status is shown with an Update All button.
  2. Select Update All to update all highlighted AI settings in top-down order.

Note: The AI Edit Status button is available on Adobe Camera Raw, Lightroom on desktop, Lightroom Classic, Lightroom on mobile, and Lightroom on the web. Follow the mentioned workflow to access the AI Edit Status button in your preferred Lightroom surface.  Order of AI edit operations – The order of operations also applies to Lightroom on desktop and Lightroom Classic.  The recommended order of operations to avoid unexpected results and achieve the best output is as follows: 

  1. HDR
  2. Denoise, Raw Details, Super Resolution
  3. Reflections Removal 
  4. Distracting People Removal
  5. Generative Expand (Currently available only in Adobe Camera Raw as Tech Preview)
  6. Generative Remove, Content-Aware Remove, Heal, and Clone
  7. Lens Blur
  8. Lens Profile 
  9. Crop and Transform
  10. Adaptive Profiles
  11. Global Adjustments
  12. Masking

WNPP Episode 125 – Image Storage and Back Up Strategies

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I have just published episode 125 of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast. In this episode, I briefly recap the workshop I recently completed for Arctic Fox cubs in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in Iceland, and then dive deeper into my thoughts on the current state of image storage and backup in the field, as well as my thoughts on backup strategies for storing hundreds of thousands of precious photographs.

Photograph of the Month July 2025 – Razorbill Dive Bomber

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The photograph of the month for July 2025 comes from my recent workshop to Grimsey Island, located north of Iceland (a trip report is forthcoming) and features a dive-bombing Razorbill during heavy winds with sleet and rain. Taken on the northern side of the cliffs, from what I felt was one of our very best days. With the high winds, it is difficult for the birds to fly close to the cliff, and they perform all sorts of fantastic aerobatics, making for superb opportunities. In this instance, I chose the background I wanted for the image and simply waited for a bird to fly into the frame. Razorbills are one of the workshop’s real highlights. These birds are incredibly photogenic, with their sharp bills and razor-white lines.

Wildlife Photographic Magazine Snowy Owls Stillness in Snow July 2025

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The just-published July / August 2025 issue of Wildlife Photographic magazine includes a feature article on my experiences photographing Snowy Owls in Winter in Canada – the Art of Photographing Snowy Owls in Ontario, Canada. This is the ninth time I have been published in Wildlife Photographic magazine. I have also previously scored the cover shot seven times (the last seven cover shot editions were on Arctic Fox Photography, Walrus photography,  Grey Wolf Photography, Pallas Cat Photography,  Arctic Fox Photography, Polar Bear Photography, and Emperor Penguin Photography). I have also been previously been published in Wildlife Photographic for my Emperor Penguin photography.

You can use the following link to download a free issue: https://www.magsfast.com/Magazines/Wildlife-Photographic/Where-Sharks-Fly-Issue?code=Issue-74-Contributor Wildlife Photographic can be read on iOS and Android devices, as well as from any computer via their new and improved Web Reader at MagsFast – now with a DOUBLE PAGE view! 

2026 Ultimate Snow Leopard of Mongolia Expedition Sold Out

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Our 2026 Wild Nature Photo Travel ultimate Snow Leopard of Mongolia workshop in January next year is now sold out – thank you. This is an all new itinerary that combines traditional approaches used to find and photograph Snow Leopard with photography from hides in the mountain regions. This is a new expedition I am very much looking forward to.

PS – Updates have been a bit thin and sporadic both here on the blog and on my podcast as I have been travelling extensively over the last two months. I will be back in Australia in approximately 12 days and will have trip reports from Grimsey, Svalbard and Iceland as well as several new podcasts.