Lightroom Classic to Photoshop: Lightroom Crop, Remove, and Red Eye Tools

Adobe Lightroom Classic includes powerful yet easy-to-use tools that help photographers refine composition, remove distractions, and correct common problems without ever leaving the Develop module. In this guide, we’ll take a deep dive into three essential tools every photographer should master:

• The Crop Tool – for composition and straightening
• The Remove Tool – for cleaning up distractions
• The Red Eye Tool – for correcting flash-related eye issues

These tools are often used early in the editing workflow and can dramatically improve the quality and professionalism of your images.

The Crop Tool in Lightroom Classic

The Crop Tool is one of the most fundamental tools in Lightroom Classic. It allows you to improve composition, fix crooked horizons, and prepare images for specific output sizes.

Accessing the Crop Tool

You can access the Crop Tool in two ways:

• Press R on your keyboard
• Click the Crop Overlay icon in the Develop module toolbar

Once activated, a crop box appears over your image.

Aspect Ratios and Cropping for Output

Lightroom Classic provides several preset aspect ratios, including:

• Original
• 1:1 (Square)
• 4:5 (Popular for portraits and social media)
• 16:9 (Widescreen)
• Custom ratios

You can choose an aspect ratio from the drop-down menu or create your own by entering custom values. Locking the aspect ratio ensures the image maintains consistent proportions when cropping.

Freeform Cropping

If the aspect ratio is unlocked, you can drag any side or corner of the crop box freely. This is useful when you want full creative control over composition.

Straightening Images

The Crop Tool includes a Straighten Tool, perfect for:

• Crooked horizons
• Tilted architecture
• Slightly misaligned compositions

Select the straighten tool, then click and drag along a line that should be level (such as a horizon or building edge). Lightroom automatically rotates and crops the image.

Composition Overlays

To help with composition, Lightroom offers several crop overlays, including:

• Rule of Thirds
• Golden Ratio
• Golden Spiral
• Diagonal
• Grid

Press O to cycle through overlays and Shift + O to rotate them. These overlays help guide subject placement and balance within the frame.

Non-Destructive Editing

Cropping in Lightroom Classic is completely non-destructive. You can always revisit the Crop Tool and adjust or reset the crop without losing image data.

The Remove Tool in Lightroom Classic

The Remove Tool is used to eliminate unwanted elements such as dust spots, sensor spots, blemishes, or small distractions.

Accessing the Remove Tool

You can access the Remove Tool by:

• Pressing Q on your keyboard
• Clicking the Remove icon in the Develop module

Remove Tool Modes

Lightroom Classic offers multiple remove modes depending on your version:

Heal

• Blends texture and color from the sampled area
• Best for skin blemishes and organic textures

Clone

• Copies pixels exactly from the sampled area
• Best for edges, patterns, or structured elements

Content-Aware Remove (Newer Versions)

• Uses AI to intelligently fill in removed areas
• Excellent for more complex distractions

Brush Size, Feather, and Opacity

You can refine your removal work using:

• Size – Adjusts the brush diameter
• Feather – Controls edge softness
• Opacity – Determines how strongly the correction is applied

Use the bracket keys [ ] to quickly resize the brush.

Visualize Spots

The Visualize Spots option is extremely helpful for:

• Finding sensor dust
• Identifying subtle imperfections

It displays a high-contrast view of the image, making spots easier to see. This is especially useful for skies and studio backgrounds.

Best Practices for the Remove Tool

• Zoom in for precision work
• Use Heal for natural textures and Clone for hard edges
• Keep removal subtle to avoid noticeable edits

The Red Eye Tool in Lightroom Classic

The Red Eye Tool is designed to fix red-eye issues caused by on-camera flash reflecting off the retina.

Accessing the Red Eye Tool

The Red Eye Tool is located within the Remove Tool panel. Once selected, your cursor changes to a crosshair.

How to Use the Red Eye Tool

1. Zoom into the subject’s eyes
2. Click and drag a small box around the red pupil
3. Lightroom automatically detects and corrects the red eye

Pet Eye Correction

Lightroom Classic also includes a Pet Eye option, designed to correct green or yellow eye reflections commonly seen in animals.

Simply check the Pet Eye option before applying the correction.

Adjusting Red Eye Settings

You can fine-tune the correction using:

• Pupil Size – Adjusts the correction area
• Darken – Controls how dark the pupil becomes

The goal is to create a natural-looking eye without making it appear flat or unnatural.

Recommended Workflow Order

For best results, consider using these tools in the following order:

1. Crop Tool – Establish composition and framing
2. Remove Tool – Clean up distractions and imperfections
3. Red Eye Tool – Final corrections for portraits and flash images

Using this sequence ensures that you don’t waste time removing areas that may later be cropped out.

Final Thoughts

The Crop Tool, Remove Tool, and Red Eye Tool are essential building blocks of an efficient Lightroom Classic workflow. Mastering these tools allows you to:

• Improve composition
• Eliminate distractions
• Fix common portrait issues quickly

Because Lightroom Classic is non-destructive, you’re free to experiment, refine, and revisit your edits at any time. With consistent practice, these tools will become second nature and significantly elevate your photo editing results.