What is deghosting in Lightroom?

What Is Deghost in Lightroom? Essential Tips for Stunning Edits

When you're out shooting a series of HDR exposures of the same scene, there's always that one moment—the wind kicks up, a bird cuts across your frame, some guy in a bright red jacket wanders into shot three of five, or there's slight movement between exposures. You get home, merge the files, and suddenly your landscape has ghosts. That's where Lightroom's deghosting feature steps in—and it's one of those tools I've come to appreciate after years of trying to eliminate movement in otherwise beautiful bracketed scenes.

Introduction to Deghosting

So, what is deghosting in Lightroom? It's Adobe's solution to a pesky problem—ghosting artifacts caused by movement between exposures when merging HDR images. During HDR Photo Merge, Lightroom compares your bracketed shots and detects elements that moved across frames. Instead of blending those, it pulls data from just one exposure to keep that part of the image clean and crisp.

You've got control over how aggressive Lightroom is with this, too—the HDR photo merge preview window provides a few options for deghosting strength, letting you choose between Low, Medium, and High deghosting levels depending on how much movement crept into the scene. But here's the trade-off: the more Lightroom relies on a single exposure, the less dynamic range you get in that area. It's a balance—clean edges versus tonal depth—and learning when to use deghosting is just as important as knowing how to do so.

Understanding HDR Photography

HDR, or High Dynamic Range photography, is how I capture the full tonal richness of a scene—deep shadows, bright highlights, and everything in between. One exposure just doesn't cut it when the sky's on fire and the ground's in shadow. So, I bracket exposures: usually three or five frames taken at different exposure levels. These are bracketed photos captured using exposure bracketing techniques to ensure multiple exposures at different exposures for HDR merging.

Lightroom makes HDR surprisingly effortless. With its Photo Merge feature, I can combine those exposures into a single RAW-based DNG file, ready for editing. The goal? A natural-looking image that preserves the feel of the moment without blowing out the highlights or crushing the shadows.

Camera Settings for HDR

If you're planning to merge exposures later, your setup in the field matters. I shoot bracketed sequences—typically three exposures at ±2 EV—using a tripod if there's any chance of camera shake. That said, with fast enough shutter speeds and good alignment, I've managed to pull it off handheld more than a few times.

Keep your aperture constant. I often use aperture priority and manually adjust the shutter speed, or rely on auto-bracketing. If auto-bracketing isn't available, you can use manual mode to set the exposure values for each shot. A remote trigger or timer avoids that tiny bump from pressing the shutter.

Capturing Photos

When planning your HDR workflow, start by considering the importance of capturing bracketed exposures and deciding how many photos you need to achieve optimal results.

You don't always need five exposures. Sometimes, two or three well-placed brackets (-1.5 to +1.5 EV) give you all the range you need—three images is a common choice for many HDR photographers. What matters is that every critical part of the scene is correctly exposed in at least one frame.

But more frames aren't always better. Too many can increase ghosting, especially if clouds, leaves, or people are in motion. The goal is to capture photos that cover the full dynamic range of the scene. It's about intention. Capture only what you'll need.

Preparing Images for Merge

Once I've loaded all the images (your bracketed exposures) into Lightroom's Library module, I select them, right-click, and choose Photo Merge > HDR. Here, you're working with individual photos—your original images, ideally raw files—for the best results. This brings up the HDR Merge Preview.

Here's where the magic starts:

• Auto Align: Crucial if you weren't shooting on a tripod.
• Auto Tone: Sometimes helpful as a starting point.
• Deghosting: My go-to when motion creeps in.

Lightroom previews the merge and highlights ghosted areas in red. After adjusting your settings, click the merge button to create the HDR image, which is then added to your Lightroom catalogue. The new HDR file is saved with "-HDR" in the filename—easy to spot and ready for refinement.

Using Lightroom's HDR Merge Feature

One of the best features of Adobe Lightroom is its ability to streamline the process of creating HDR images. The HDR merge feature is designed to take your bracketed exposures—each shot at different exposure values—and blend them into a single HDR image that captures the full dynamic range of your scene. This means you get all the detail from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights, without losing the natural feel of the moment.

When preparing to use Lightroom's HDR merge, it's essential to select images that accurately represent the range of light in your scene. I find that three bracketed exposures, each separated by two or three stops, typically yield a balanced exposure in the final merged image. This approach ensures that every part of the scene is correctly exposed in at least one frame, which is key for a successful HDR merge.

The beauty of Lightroom's HDR merge is that it's both powerful and user-friendly. You don't need to be a technical wizard to create a single HDR image that looks professional. Just ensure that your bracketed exposures cover the full range of light, and let Lightroom handle the heavy lifting. The result is a merged image with rich detail and a natural look—perfect for those high-contrast scenes where a single exposure can't keep up.

Creating an HDR

Lightroom uses your bracketed sequence of exposures, following an exposure offset pattern, to create an HDR image.

Behind the scenes, the Lightroom HDR merge process combines your bracketed RAW images into a new, high-dynamic range image—all within the non-destructive editing framework. This process is designed to create HDR images with optimal detail and minimal artifacts.

Auto Align and Auto Tone are optional but worth enabling if you're unsure. Deghosting, though? That one's situational. I only turn it on if I know something has moved. Otherwise, I let Lightroom do a clean blend and keep every bit of tonal range I can.

If needed, I'll redo the merge with different deghosting settings. Sometimes, Low is enough. Other times, I crank it to High if the ghosting is aggressive. But I always zoom in and inspect, especially around trees, water, or people. Once you are satisfied with the preview, click 'Merge' to finalize the optimal HDR merge.

Auto Settings and Editing

Lightroom's HDR photo merge feature comes with several innovative tools to help you achieve the best results from the start. In the HDR merge preview window, you'll see options like auto align and auto tone—these are your shortcuts to a clean, evenly toned merged image. Auto align is especially handy if you shot your bracketed images handheld, as it lines up the exposures to avoid any unwanted blur. Auto tone gives you a good starting point by automatically adjusting the exposure and contrast of your merged HDR image.

But here's where you can make the process your own: you're not locked into these auto settings. In the preview window, you can turn off auto-align or auto-tone to gain more control over the final look. I often use the auto settings as a baseline, then fine-tune the image myself for a more natural result.

Another powerful tool in the HDR merge preview is the deghost overlay. This feature highlights areas where movement occurred between exposures—think swaying branches or passing people—so you can apply just the right amount of deghosting to eliminate ghosting artifacts. By paying attention to these overlays, you can ensure your merged image is free from unwanted artifacts and has a smooth, balanced exposure.

To capture scenes with an extensive dynamic range, always use bracketed exposures—either by using your camera's auto-bracketing function or by manually adjusting your settings. The more you practice merging photos and experimenting with these features, the more natural and evenly toned your HDR images will become. Lightroom's photo merge feature provides the flexibility to create stunning HDR photos that accurately reflect the scene as you saw it.

Editing the HDR Image

Post-processing is where you refine and enhance your merged HDR image to achieve the final look.

Now the fun begins. In the Develop module, I start shaping the final image:

• Adjusting exposure, contrast, highlights, and shadows
• Dialling in colour via HSL and tone curve
• Sharpening just enough without inviting noise

For more control, I'll add graduated filters to the sky, radial filters to enhance key areas, or brush in subtle tweaks. Once it's all singing, I export at high resolution for print.

Best Practices for HDR Photography

Here's what I've learned over the years:

• HDR shines in high-contrast scenes—think midday sunlight and shadowed alleys.
• Always shoot in RAW and bracket intentionally.
• For best HDR results, capture multiple photos at different exposures.
• Use a tripod when detail alignment is critical to the mission.
• Only deghost when you see ghosts—more isn't better.
• Don't just rely on Auto Tone. Edit deliberately.
• For advanced HDR merging and organization, Lightroom Classic offers powerful features for serious photographers.

Common Mistakes in HDR Photography

• Over-merging: Using too many brackets can result in flat images or ugly ghosting.
• Inconsistent bracketed sequence: Failing to capture a consistent bracketed sequence can result in poor HDR merges, with exposure gaps or alignment issues.
• Incorrect deghosting level: Using a low setting when you need high—or vice versa—can result in smears or harsh transitions.
• Forgetting to Auto Align: Even minor shifts ruin an HDR.
• Skipping the check: Always zoom in and inspect merged files.

HDR should enhance your image, not obscure it with artifacts.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If your HDR image has weird shadows, colour shifts, or smudges:

• Re-check your exposure settings. Did you need five shots?
• Try a different deghosting level.
• If highlights are blown or blacks are muddy, start again with better brackets.

The preview window is your friend. Use it to catch mistakes before they go to print

Conclusion

Lightroom's deghosting tool isn't just a checkbox—it's a lifesaver when movement creeps into your HDRs. But use it with intention. Sometimes the best move is knowing when not to touch it.

For me, HDR is all about control—pulling detail from the shadows without sacrificing realism. And deghosting is part of that control. Like all great tools, it works best when you know exactly what it's doing and when to leave it alone.

Final Tips

HDR takes patience. It's not about cranking up sliders or going nuclear on vibrance. It's about capturing the essence of a scene and crafting an image that stands the test of time, whether on screen, in print, or on our wall.

Experiment with different deghosting levels. Revisit old files. And trust your eye—no amount of tech replaces that.