Photo How To

Are you struggling with post-processing because the approach you take is too complicated and time consuming? Or perhaps, despite all your hard work, the results aren't as refined as you expect. In either case, the straightforward tutorial below will solve these and other common problems and really up your game.

In this eye-opening episode instructor Lachlan Garutti demonstrates a variety of simple hacks, in barely four minutes. They're designed to forever streamline your Lightroom workflow and deliver superior edits so you can get back out in the field doing what you love most. As he says, "Whether you're a beginner or a season pro, these easy-to-implement tricks will leave a lasting impact on your photos."

Garutti's "I wish I knew this before" moments begin with a discussion of Lightroom's simple Auto Tone tools that reside in the Exposure panel. He explains why this is a particularly great method for inexperienced users, before they move on to more complex techniques once they gain confidence. At that point you'll be prepared to stylize photos in whatever ways you want.

Hack number two demonstrates a trick for levelling photos with the Ruler. For this one you begin in the Crop mode. As you'll see, "instead of adjusting the slider you click on a button, draw a line on the horizon or any straight reference point in the image, and Lightroom will then adjust the photo to match your horizontal or vertical line.

The next method involves a basic understanding of Dynamic Range. Garutti notes that "unlocking the true potential of a Raw image is something every photographer should master," and this hack illustrates a foolproof way to evaluate an image before beginning to make whatever adjustments you deem necessary.

Garutti then demonstrates how to avoid a heavy-handed approach to enhancing contrast, and this often means limiting the adjustments so the image retains a realistic look. He introduces the technique like this: "Contrast is like a double-edged sword. On the positive side it can make images pop and look great, but you can also overdo it and kill a photo completely."

The remaining hacks deal with everything from selective saturation, a faster and better way to sharpen that minimizes noise, an effective method for employing Lightroom's Clarity slider, and how to create HDR images of photos captured with smaller sensors. After watching the video take a look at Garutti's YouTube channel for more easy-to-use advice.

We also suggest watching a tutorial we posted earlier, explaining another expert's three-step editing Lightroom process for stunning winter landscape photographs shot in challenging light.