Software How To

Outdoor photographers love shooting at “Blue Hour”—that quiet, moody time just before dawn or after sunset. That’s because images take on a soft, ephemeral glow before the sun rises in the morning or drops below the horizon at night.

Q. Re: your answer to the question about solving noise problems in the writer’s wedding shots in the February 2017 issue. You mentioned Photoshop, Lightroom, and Nik for noise reduction, but left out the best noise reduction software I’ve ever used—DxO’s OpticsPro 11. I had great night shots of lava flowing into the sea off Hawaii that were unusable because of noise, but OpticsPro 11 Prime worked wonders.

Have you ever wondered why so many of the best landscape photos from yesteryear and today are presented in b&w? Personal preference aside, it’s a simple fact that some outdoor scenes are more compelling when rendered in monochrome.

Colorful sunset scenes and moody long-exposure photos are among the most popular subjects for nature and landscape photographers. But what if you’re at a great location in bright light during the day, and can’t wait around for the sun to drop below the horizon.

Today’s Photoshop tutorial is all about analyzing boring photos carefully before relegating them to the trash. That’s because a drab image with good composition and a compelling subject can often be transformed into a beautiful scene with a few thoughtful adjustments in Photoshop.

Just so you’re not confused, this is the second tutorial of the day from two German landscape pros with the same first name. This one is from Christian Mohrle of the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel—not Christian Irmler who is responsible for the earlier discussion on using different aspect ratios for more effective landscape photos.

Many photographers strive for images with bright vibrant colors that are saturated to the max. But taking a more subtle approach can deliver beautiful results, with soft pastel colors that stand out from the crowd.