A lot of this look is usually created in-camera, not just in Lightroom. A common approach is to underexpose the ambient light by about 1–2 stops so the background becomes darker and more saturated, then add light to the subject with off-camera flash. That keeps the face properly lit while the environment goes moodier.

This is especially common in editorial and fashion portraiture because it gives clear subject separation instead of making the whole frame look underexposed.

You can also use gels with flash and adjust white balance creatively. For example, warming the subject light with a CTO gel and then correcting the overall image cooler can make skies and backgrounds appear deeper blue while keeping skin tones looking intentional.

So the “missing step” is often lighting control before editing: reduce ambient exposure for the scene, then relight the subject. Post-processing can refine the look, but if the subject is already too dark in the capture, editing alone often makes the face look muddy rather than moody.