Photoshop How To

Every photographer has a unique approach to editing images, and a variety of favorite tools. In the video below you’ll see why one popular instructor says, “I love Layers” while demonstrating how easy they are to use.

One challenge with outdoor photography is that landscape scenes tend to be complicated, often confusing viewers and directing their gaze away from your main subject. One of the best methods for simplifying a busy photo is to blur the background, thereby emphasizing what you consider the key point of the shot.

Have you ever captured a photo, looked at it on your camera’s LCD, and said to yourself, “Wow! This looks perfect,” only to view the image closely on the computer and find a bunch of distracting imperfections? If that’s a familiar scenario, this tutorial is for you.

Macro photography in winter? You bet. Opportunities abound this time of year, from snowflakes, berries, and pinecones, to frozen dewdrops and barren tree branches covered with sparkling frost. If you’re new to close-up photography, the quick tutorial below will help you get started.

Quite a few photographers prefer making portraits with available light—either because they prefer the look, or they don’t own supplemental light equipment. It’s possible to do that indoors, like when using window lighting, but the typical approach is to shoot outdoors.

Outdoor photographers often encounter lighting situations with such a wide range of tones that it’s difficult or impossible to capture a properly exposed image in just one shot. Under such conditions, if you expose for the highlights, shadows are crushed. Conversely, if you expose for the shadows, highlights are blown out.

One frustration when reviewing images on the computer is that we see things we missed when making the shot. A common belated observation has to do with faulty composition, and not positioning a key subject for maximum impact.