Software How To

Got Questions About Photography? Professional Photographer and Photoshop Expert Scott Kelby Has Got Answers

We don’t subscribe to the notion of some so-called purists that “Photoshop” is a dirty word. After all, some of the best works of iconic film photographers owe their impact to a mastery of the darkroom. The before and after images you see here from young Russian digital artist Max Asabin show that he definitely pushes the envelope when it comes to the digital darkroom.

I’ve worked with all the popular film emulators and black-and-white conversion plug-ins, looking for the one that met my workflow and esthetic requirements. After countless hours, I’m still not fully convinced of their efficacy as such. Still, they are fun to use and do fill a niche. So far, I’ve found Alien Skin’s Exposure X2 does the most convincing job so that I feel comfortable enough within my own alien skin—see what I did there?—that I’ll continue to use it, so to speak.

It’s not too difficult to turn a good photograph into a great one by making some simple adjustments to contrast, sharpening and toning in Lightroom. The helpful video tutorial below shows you how to do just that while retaining a natural look.

The photo above is a pretty dramatic shot of a Jaguar F-Pace and a Maserti Levante, right? Well, let’s just say it didn’t “come right out of the camera,” as the amazing time-lapse below illustrates.

Lightroom tutorials are always popular with Shutterbug readers so here’s one that’s as simple and effective as they get. In the 2:30+ minute how-to video below, Jordan from Sleeklens gives you some great tips on how to remove sensor dust from your image using Adobe Lightroom.

There are a variety of methods for dodging and burning in Photoshop, with the traditional tools requiring you to employ a “destructive” workflow. After watching this this easy-to-follow tutorial from Jimmy McIntyre, you’ll consider yourself an expert on achieving beautiful results with non-destructive techniques.