Ron Leach

Last week we presented a quick solution for eliminating ugly color fringing from photographs captured outdoors in high-contrast situations. Today we're tackling another unsightly problem; namely, color banding and gradient banding that can also ruin an otherwise great shot.

After all the excitement of spring and summer macro photography, when insects begin to disappear and plants start to wither, it's not uncommon for photographers to stash their close-up lens in the back of their cabinet. That's a real shame because winter provides a bunch of great opportunities if you take a different approach.

Every so often we stumble upon a photo with breathtaking colors that appear natural but seem almost impossible to achieve. Shots like this often involve more than being at the right place at the right time, as you'll see in the quick tutorial below.

A solid understanding of Lightroom's powerful masking tools is essential if you want to edit outdoor photographs for maximum impact. Unfortunately, some photographers spend far too much time getting the job done because they overcomplicate the process.