Videos

Shutterbug readers tend to be a gear-happy lot, with a variety of cameras for different purposes. In addition to a DSLR or mirrorless camera (or both) with an arsenal of lenses, there may be a pocket-size compact with a large sensor, a lightweight super-zoom model, and perhaps a film camera or two. Despite all this equipment, we all shoot with our smartphones on occasion (whether we admit it or not).

Yesterday we shared a comprehensive guide to editing colors in Lightroom, with an overview of the most basic techniques. Today we’ll take a more detailed look at two tools that often create confusion because of their similarity, and explain when one works better than the other.

Unless you’re shooting in black and white, the effective use of color can make or break a photo. And that typically means striking a balance between tones that are vibrant and realistic.

Let’s face it: We all aspire to “shoot like a pro,” regardless of how we make a living. And whether or not that’s a realistic goal, it doesn’t hurt to expand one’s skills as much as possible for the best possible photos.

There are a number of reasons that landscape and other outdoor photos may be underexposed. Perhaps you neglected to add the necessary EV compensation, or an overly bright sky biased the exposure.

One very common Photoshop task is making selections that are used for a variety of purposes during the editing process. We’ve featured tutorials on this several times in the past, but the video below is all about a specific refinement that’s easy to accomplish and will vastly improve your results.

Lightroom is loaded with tools and special features, some of which change or are added every time there’s an update. So you’ll be excused for not taking advantage of everything this software has to offer.