Category: Photo how to

Lightroom boasts a bewildering array of powerful tools, but some of them are difficult to find. In fact, instructor James Feaver says that, “unless you’ve been using Lightroom for a very long time, you may not even know they exited to begin with. And today I’m going to share my seven favorites.”

Feaver is a British pro who shares twice-weekly instructional Adobe videos that are appropriate for advanced users and less-experienced photographers alike. At the top of today’s list is what Feaver refers to as “Lightroom’s Hidden Color Profiles”—effects that can be applied to an image before you begin applying adjustments and enhancements.

Most of you are familiar with the Profiles tab located within a dropdown menu in Lightroom’s Basic panel, with choices like Adobe Color, Landscape, Portrait and B&W options at the bottom. But did you know there are a lot more Lightroom Profiles, as many as 100, to be found by clicking a button? If not, they’ll be a secret no more.

Feaver moves on to an obscure tool he calls the “Color Picker Color Mixer.” This one is very helpful when working in Lightroom’s Color Mixer panel that can be confusing if you’re new to the game. This trick makes it super simple to work out which slider correlates to a specific tone within an image.

The trick here involves a tiny icon atop the panel that enables you to “Adjust Hue by dragging in the photo.” Simply click on this small circle and choose a hue. Then, if you drag it up and down you’ll see how Lightroom targets that color and lets you quickly change it.

Feaver’s third hidden tool is similar to #2 and he names it the “Color Picker Tone Curve.” This one, as you may expect, is located within Lightroom’s Curves panel and is also accessed by clicking the small circular icon. It’s super help for adjusting exposure instead of color as before. “All you have to do is hover over an area within the frame, click on that spot, and then you can instantly make it brighter or darker.

At this point you’re not even halfway through the lesson, with four more hidden tools to disclose. After watching until the end you’ll likely decide to revise your everyday workflow accordingly. Then pay a visit to the popular Photo Feaver YouTube channel where there’s much more to learn about editing your photos.

We also recommend watching a tutorial we featured with another post-processing specialist recently who demonstrates the best way to create high-density-range (HDR) photographs in Lightroom with maximum details in highlights, shadows, and midtones.

If you’re not taking advantage of lens filters, this tutorial from one of our favorite instructors might just change your mind and enable you to capture outdoor photographs with a unique attention-grabbing look. These transformational accessories are among the most affordable there are and you’ll learn which ones Simon d’Entremont says you should have in your bag.

Simon is a well-respected nature and wildlife photographer based in beautiful Nova Scotia, Canada. He’s also a globally popular educator who says the mission of his instructional YouTube channel is to “lift the knowledge, skills, and spirits of the people around me so they can be at their best.”

In the next 11 minute’s Simon describes his favorite types of filters, when and how to use them, and how they affect exposure. He also provides a link in the description the beneath the video where you can purchase filters that meet your needs, along with other accessories that he finds particularly helpful.

The question isn’t if filters will enhance your results, but rather which ones are most appropriate for your specific genre of photography. One warning up front is to avoid purchasing cheap no-name brands because it’s silly and counterproductive to mount an inferior product on a good lens just to save a few bucks.

Simon’s recommendations span the gamut from neutral density (ND) filters, polarizers, protective UV filters, and even mist filters. His bottom line is that some of these are must-have accessories—especially if you regularly photograph landscapes and/or nature and wildlife imagery.

The next step, after making your choice, is to understand exactly how they work, mistakes to avoid, and exactly what effects to expect. Simon illustrates his practical real-world advice with beautiful photos that drive these points home

The video concludes with several buying tips, including the most important features to look for. Once you’re done, head over to Simon’s popular YouTube channel which is a great source of inspiration for everyone who shoots in the field.

And don’t miss the tutorial we featured recently with a post-processing expert who demonstrates a straightforward Lightroom technique for enhancing Blue Hour photographs with beautiful, soft light.

Experienced outdoor photographers understand why shooting into the sun is a sure-fire way to capture attention-grabbing images with a unique look. Achieving correct exposures can be challenging for beginners who don’t understand the technique, but this tutorial from the Wildlife with Rich YouTube channel quickly demystifies this process so you can get in on the action today.

Here’s how Rich describes the four-minute episode: “We’ll reveal five easy tips that make backlighting a breeze. We cover everything from getting a correct exposure and positioning considerations, to editing methods for adding this dramatic effect to your everyday toolkit.”

Rich says the main issue when it comes to backlighting is the wide dynamic range that you’ll confront when shooting towards the sun. Simply put, “If we’re able to make the right decisions in the camera, we’re able to maximize the amount of detail we retain in both the key subject and the sky.

Tip #1 is to carefully evaluate the position of the sun in relation to the subject and the vantage point from which you shoot. Rich explains that “the closer the sun is to directly behind a subject, the more contrast there will be between this key element and the background.” This is why it’s necessary to apply a few thoughtful tricks that will balance all the tones from highlights to shadows to everything in between.

Rich then describes why  he recommends underexposing an image by 2/3 of a stop. As he says, this will allow you to retain important details within the highlights and bring back details in the shadows. Doing this requires as much data as possible, which is why shooting in Raw is a big benefit that offers far more control during post processing.

He explains why shooting in raw “helps us recover missing details without introducing too much unsightly noise.” You’ll watch Rich demonstrate practical applications for the foregoing and his other helpful tips in the field while photographing birds circling overhead with everchanging light.

If you enjoy wildlife and nature Photography be sure to visit the Wildlife with Rich YouTube channel for more tips and techniques.

And on a related note, don’t miss a tutorial we featured recently with another accomplished outdoor shooter who demonstrates how to embrace harsh, midday light coming from any direction and use it to capture spectacular high-contrast photographs.

Are you struggling to capture perfectly exposed photos with balanced tones, deep shadows, and highlights full of detail? It a common problem that we often address in post-processing tutorials. Today, however, we’re taking a close look at how a camera’s meter-mode setting will greatly impact the look and feel of every image you shoot.

Instructor Jimmy West is an accomplished micro-four-thirds shooter whose goal for this 13-minute primer is to break down Matrix (ESP), Center-Weighted, and Spot metering, and demonstrate how each mode affects the images you capture in different ways. He also promises that learning how to meter with intention will change the way you shoot, whether the subject is a landscape, street scene, or environmental portrait—even when harsh light is the challenge at hand.

West also shares the metering mode he uses most and explains how this one, quick setting “helps me capture more consistent and creative images without relying upon post processing. Sometimes making the perfect shot isn’t about what’s in front of you, but rather how you use it.”

The bottom line is this: The mode you select helps determine how bright or dark your photo will be, and getting this wrong can lead to blown highlights, crushed shadows, or results that don’t resemble what you saw through the viewfinder. The proper choice, on the other hand will quickly solve these problems and others while enabling you to imbue images with the exact mood or effect you’re after.

First up is the camera’s default Matrix mode (also referred to as ESP or Multi-Segment). West explains that this option “measures light across the entire frame, evaluates the scene, and attempts to find to find a balanced exposure for the image.” Most of the time this works quite well, but the camera can be tricked when there are both bright highlights and deep shadows within the frame.

This is where other oft-ignored metering modes are preferable, and West explains when, why, and how to make the right choice. As you’ll see, choosing the most-appropriate mode is definitely not a set-it-and-forget-it operation. In fact, it’s truly an essential consideration for every image you capture.

West’s popular YouTube channel is a great source of straightforward how-to videos that explain a wide variety of common photography techniques.

And on a related note, be sure to watch the tutorial we featured with another experienced educator who demonstrates how to manage high-contrast scenes properly and create balanced exposures when shooting photographs in hard-light conditions.

You’re missing out on some great opportunities if, like other photographers, you always avoid shooting in harsh middy sun. There’s no doubt that Blue Hour and Golden Hour can both be described as “prime time,” but hard light offers bold shadows and strong highlights that deliver dramatic imagery if you understand what to do.

Instructor Gil Kreslavsky is a well-respected shooter and educator who’s not shy about sharing his photography experiences, good or bad, and he begins today’s episode with an honest admission: “I used to be terrified by hard light. I could take good photos during Golden Hour or on an overcast day, but going out  in high sun, well, no way. I just didn’t know how to deal with. it.” Sound familiar?

As his skills evolved, however, Gil developed an effective method for capturing compelling high- contrast images, and that’s what you’ll learn how to do in the next 12 minutes. Then you may agree with Gil’s statement that, “I’m actually happy when it’s sunny outside because it give me the opportunity to just go out and play,” and portfolio-worthy images usually follow.

Gil says that the first important step is to understand the limitations of a camera as compared the capabilities of human vision. In short, our eyes can simultaneously discern details in both bright and dark areas in a scene (and everything in between), but even the best DSLR or mirrorless camera falls far short when it comes to its ability for recording such an expansive dynamic range.

And this is one reason that any of the images we capture in hard light may appear far less impressive on the computer than they did through the viewfinder—unless your follow Gil’s straightforward advice for embracing hard light, controlling exposure to perfection,  and capturing images with raw power.

By the time the video concludes you’ll think of harsh light as a welcome friend—not a frightening foe. Then take a close look at Gil’s informative YouTube channel where you’ll find more confidence-building tips and techniques.

We recently featured a related tutorial with another accomplished pro who demonstrates how to capture stunning outdoor photographs in any light by learning how ISO works, when to raise or lower it, and ways to avoid common image-killing mistakes.

The term HDR stands for “high dynamic range” and describes a powerful method for capturing details in the lightest and darkest elements in a scene while maintaining accurate midtones. Some cameras (even compacts) offer a built-in function that captures multiple images of the same scene at slightly different exposures and automatically combines them into one balanced shot.

Today’s tutorial from the PHLEARN YouTube channel takes a different approach by demonstrating a Lightroom technique that delivers more flexibility and control so you can achieve the exact look you’re after with precision. All it takes is a better understanding of exposure control in Lightroom.

This how-to video is installment #11 of a 30-Day’s of Lightroom Series with Adobe expert Aaron Nace who introduces the lesson like this: ‘We’ll show you how to blend multiple exposures and adjust settings for balanced highlight, midtones, and shadows.” He does this with two sample Raw files that you can download with a link beneath the video so you can follow along on real time.

Nace explains that sometime a camera can’t capture all of the brightness values of a scene with one click of the shutter. As a result, maybe the sky is blown out or the shadows are crush—leaving very little detail in one or both of these areas. His HDR technique helps you overcome this barrier quickly and realistically.

There’s a preliminary step you have to take with the camera before capturing the images and opening them in Lightroom. Simply put, “you have to make sure that you a succession of photos that are underexposed, properly exposed, and overexposed.

You can do this in two ways: manually by moving some dials or automatically by choosing a menu setting for Bracketed Exposures. In the latter case you can still specify the number of exposures capture and to what degree each exposure varies in increments of one stop, a half-stop or third-stop.

The remainder of this straightfor eight-minute video is devoted to demonstrating the merging process in Lightroom, and it’s far easy that it sounds. You’ll quickly get the hang of it and want to include this process in your everyday workflow.

Once you’re done watching head over to the popular PHLEARN YouTube channel where there are almost another thousand instructional videos.

And don’t miss the tutorial we featured recently with another post-process expert who demonstrates a straightforward Lightroom workflow for creating beautiful Blue Hour photographs in minutes.

We all know that Blue Hour is one of the best times to shoot attention-grabbing images in the field. The challenge, however, is that sometimes our results fail to capture the magic and whimsy that we saw through the viewfinder as the sun dipped below the horizon.

The solution is careful, thoughtful editing that accentuates the peaceful mood of twilight when the scene is bathed in soft blue light. Today’s tutorial from the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel demonstrates a straightforward Lightroom workflow that anyone can master in the next 12 minutes.

Instructor Christian Mohrle is a notable German landscape photographer and image-editing expert based in the southern region of the country near beautiful Lake Constance. Be sure to download his sample file, from a link in the description beneath the video so you can follow along and make the changes yourself as the steps are explained.

If you’ve followed Mohrle in the past, you know that he always makes several basic, global adjustments to refine the image as much as possible before moving on to selective masking techniques. He begins by opening Lightroom’s Transform panel and fixing the skewed horizon that causes unwanted distortion to a prominent church in the middle of the frame. A bit of cropping is also required.

The next step takes place in the Basic panel where Mohrle changes the profile from Adobe Color to Adobe Landscape which significantly boosts base saturation. He then modifies highlights and shadows in a way that makes details more visible. Other preliminary adjustments include increasing Texture, Clarity, Vibrance, and Dehaze to boost sharpness, midtone contrast and introduce a bit more “pop.”

White Balance is a critical aspect when editing Blue-Hour photos, and Mohrle demonstrates how to get it just right while retaining a natural look. After few more simple adjustments you’re ready for the transformational selective enhancements to different portions of the shot.

Mohrle walks you through every step of the way from masking, final color grading and careful sharpening, to a final cleanup in Photoshop. Compare his before/after images and you’ll be duly impressed. Then head over to the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel which is a great source of tips and techniques for anyone who photographs in the field.

We also recommend watching a tutorial we featured earlier with another post-processing expert who reveals his five top picks for the best FREE online software options in 2025. No more subscriptions or downloads required!