Software How To

We’ve all been there: You shoot a quick portrait that you think is pretty nice, only to find out later on the computer that there are subtle, ugly shadows on your subject’s face. The image is ruined, right? Well, not so fast.

One of the keys to a great portrait is to create separation between your model and the background, to minimize distracting elements and direct the viewer’s eye to your subject. This is particularly true when shooting outdoors where cluttered backgrounds are common.

If you’ve seen the classic 1973 film “Day for Night” you’re no doubt familiar with the cinematic technique, popularized by director Francois Truffaut, of making imagery shot during the day look like it was captured at night. And with a few quick steps in Lightroom, you can do much the same thing with your photographs.

French photographer Serge Ramelli is a favorite among Shutterbug readers, not only because of his incredible landscape and cityscape imagery, but also for his helpful tutorials on shooting and editing nature photos. If you’d like to emulate Ramelli’s work, or just improve your particular style, check out the video below.

Have you ever wanted to give panorama photography a try, but feared you lacked the necessary gear or image-editing expertise? Well fear not, because the following tutorial demonstrates an easy way to get the job done with the equipment you own and a simple Lightroom secret.

Colin Smith of Photoshop Café has become a favorite among Shutterbug readers looking for powerful image-editing techniques that are easy to accomplish. In the quick eight-minute video below, he reveals his five favorite Photoshop hacks and tricks that are unfamiliar to many photographers. As you’ll see, they can make a big difference in your results.

It’s always great to discover a bunch of shooting or editing secrets that will quickly up your game—especially if they’re easy to understand and incorporate into your photography. And that’s what you’ll find below, as the exuberant Peter McKinnon reveals his favorite Lightroom tips that you probably don’t know about.