Software How To

Have you ever captured what you thought were great images, only to be disappointed when reviewing them on computer? It’s a rather common occurrence that images don’t look as impressive on a monitor as they did through the viewfinder (or with your naked eye when viewing the scene).

Last week we featured what turned out to be a very popular tutorial for those new to Photoshop, explaining the first tools to learn. We don’t want Lightroom users to feel ignored, so today we’re doing something similar for you.

Photoshop is such a comprehensive package that it can be very intimidating—even to experienced users. And if you’re a novice, getting started may seem absolutely bewildering.

We’ve discussed the relative merits of shooting Raw vs. JPEGs numerous times, and the consensus is the former delivers superior image quality, far more leeway during post processing, and a number of other benefits. The primary advantage of JPEGs is the significantly smaller file sizes, which can be important for certain applications.

We all strive for sharp images with a minimum of noise, which can be particular difficult when using slow shutter speeds and high ISO settings under low-low conditions. Conventional wisdom is that when you optimize one parameter you make the other worse.

Star trail photos of the nighttime sky are extremely dramatic, but the typical approach takes a lot of time and advanced shooting and editing skills. If you want an easy approach for getting in on the fun, today’s straightforward tutorial explains how to create the impressive effect from a single image, using a ”hidden hotkey” in Photoshop.

If you’re serious about landscape photography and want to blow a few minds, pull up a chair and watch the 15-minute tutorial below, as one of our favorite outdoor photographers demonstrates how to create absolutely amazing HDR panorama images in either Photoshop or Lightroom.