So...the biggest problem you are probably having is trying to take PV 2010 experience and knowledge and trying to apply that to PV 2012. That's the disconnect...
All of the PV 2012 Basic controls are image adaptive which means that the numbers you use are adjusted based on your image. That can be useful but it can also be disconcerting till to adapt to the new behaviors.
We'll cover that in depth in the new vids...
An in-depth look at the new “Process Version 2012 Workflow” and a discussion about the adaptive controls.
Top-Down: You and Adobe both advocate working the Basic “Tone” sliders from top to bottom - this gets you to the “Blacks” slider last.
If you start with “Exposure” then “Contrast”, when do you find the black point?
[The old bromide - “Minimum exposure for maximum black” keeps ringing in my ears.] If you adjust your “Blacks” slider later in the adjustments, it will change the “Black Point” and therefore the overall contrast. You will then need to readdress the “Contrast” slider - correct?
My LR workflow has been to first click “Auto” (letting LR find the Black and White points) then adjust the other sliders. In LR4, I click “Auto”, then have to manually set “Black Point”** then adjust the others sliders from Top-Down. What do you think of this workflow for PV2012?
**I am aware of the “Known Issue” of LR4 beta that “The Auto Tone algorithm is still a work in progress. In some instances, Auto Tone in PV2010 will produce better results than Auto Tone in PV2012”. Currently, when I click “Auto”, only the “Exposure” slider is affected. Have you found this? I need to find my “Black point” manually with the “Blacks” slider while holding the “Alt” key. (I assume this will be fixed in the final version.)Histogram Areas Affected by sliders:I’ve noticed that some sliders of PV2012 affect the same areas on the Histogram as the PV2010 sliders.
(I have posted some screen grabs of the 6 sliders on my blog. If you want to take a look - Click here http://bobd.tv/?p=192) I am aware that LR4 has adaptive Highlight and Shadows controls so affecting those areas of the Histogram could produce different results depending on the image. However, are the “Whites” vs. “Recovery” and the “Blacks” sliders comparable in LR4 & LR3?