Photoshop How To

Photographer and Photoshop expert Scott Kelby is back with another quick tips video for Shutterbug. In the below two-minute video, Kelby explains a simple way to clean up and control sliders in Lightroom.

It often takes considerable concentration to capture compelling images, and every so often we miss a distracting background element while focusing on our main subject. Other times we’re aware of the distraction, but make the shot anyway because there’s no way to recompose and avoid the problem.

One of the basic rules of composition, that’s even familiar to most beginning photographers, is to avoid framing a shot so a tree, fence post or telephone pole appears to be emanating from a subject’s head. But what about those ugly power lines running across the sky, that seem to be everywhere we look?

A solid understanding of key camera settings is essential if you're serious about shooting impressive photographs instead of mere snapshots, and one of the most important considerations is whether to use the Raw file format or shoot Jpegs. As you'll see in the video below, the decision you make depends up a variety of factors—including the specific way you intend to use the images you make.

One way to improve the overall “feel” of landscape photographs is to adjust white balance to achieve either a subtle or more dramatic effect. You can often do that by selecting the appropriate camera settings, or in the case of this tutorial, by making a few adjustments when processing an image.

A telephone pole emanating from a subject’s head is the classic example of a distracting element ruining an otherwise fine photo. But there are numerous other examples, like a car driving down the street behind a person in your shot, or passersby in front of an architectural scene you’re photographing. 

Every so often we capture a photo with an unsightly colorcast, like when shooting performances with strong, colored stage lighting. There are numerous other situations in which harsh supplemental light obliterates the original colors of a subject.