Videos

There's nothing more frustrating that capturing a beautiful landscape scene, thinking that you totally nailed focus and exposure, only to return home, view the image on the computer, and discover that you didn't get the light right after all. Sure, you can fix many exposure problems during post processing, but wouldn't you rather get things right in the camera?

We recently featured an eye-opening tutorial explaining why it sometimes make sense to shoot Jpeg images, and the best way edit them in Lightroom for optimum results. We're following that up today with this beginners guide to processing Raw files in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

Most so-called "experts" capture images in the Raw file format because this approach provides far more control during post processing. Jpeg images, on the other hand, are a "lossy" compressed format that often results in image degradation that's particularly noticeable in areas with sharp edges and fine details.

Most outdoor photographers understand that a shallow depth of field draws attention to the key element of a scene by separating it from a distracting background, foreground or other clutter within the frame. But what if your lens doesn't have a fast maximum aperture that makes it easy to achieve this important effect?

What if you were told to "avoid Lightroom's Contrast slider" because there's a much better technique that delivers superior results and is easy enough to accomplish for users of all skill levels? You don't have to trust us on this because the claim comes from one of our favorite professional wildlife and landscape photographers.

One big challenge for all of us who shoot landscapes is creating order out of expansive, chaotic scenes, and that's why good composition skills are so important for this genre of photography. And one of the first framing techniques we all learn from the get-go is the familiar Rule of Thirds.

Adobe recently upgraded Photoshop's Gradient capabilities with new versatile options, but this seven-minute tutorial isn't a deep dive into everything these tools can do. Rather, we're taking a targeted look at what one pro says are the "three best ways" to employ Photoshop's updated Gradients.