Ron Leach

We recently featured an eye-opening tutorial from photographer Fil Nenna who demonstrates a quick-and-foolproof test for determining the sharpest f/stop of every lens you own. He's back again today, this time with an easy camera-sensor test that he refers to a "compulsory."

There's quite a mystique about shooting in Manual mode, and if this works for you there's no reason to stop. But as you'll see in the video below, this "advanced" approach isn't always the most efficient way to shoot in the field.

Experienced wildlife photographers know how difficult it can be to capture critically sharp photographs of our feathered friends. And this challenge goes beyond subjects in flight because birds tend to be twitchy even when they're perched on a branch.

If you've avoided Photoshop's powerful Blend modes because you thought the technique was too complex for your post-processing skills, this quick tutorial from the Adobe Live Community will correct that misconception and get you started today.