Photoshop How To

Sometimes you’re in the right place at the wrong time, or the light just isn’t cooperating. In the quick video below, you learn a really easy Photoshop trick that transforms a scene from boring to WOW in just seven minutes.

Photographer Nemanja Sekulic is an image-editing expert, and in this simple tutorial he walks you through the process of making a drab photo more interesting and compelling. And best yet, apart from Photoshop, all you need is a camera and tripod.

As you’ll see, Sekulic was in a promising location, but the conditions were rather dull. So he mounted his camera on a tripod and waited until after sunset when the city began to light up. The photo he captured still didn’t convey the mood he was after, and that’s where the fun begins.

Sekulic’s technique involves capturing three images of the same setting, each taken at different moments as the light changes and his scene begins to transform. Then it’s a simple matter to combine the shots in Photoshop, for a final image with a beautiful range of tones.

He explains how to capture an image for use as the base exposure, as well as one that’s overexposed and another that’s darker. This is a very simple example of a technique known as “image stacking,” and Sekulic demonstrates everything you need to know to get the job done.

You can find more tips on Sekulic’s YouTube channel, and in another of his tutorials, in which he explains the difference between Photoshop’s Vibrance and Saturation tools and how to use them.