Photoshop How To

One of the most common image-editing tasks is cleaning up a photo by eliminating distracting elements. Until recently the standard approach involved turning to Photoshop’s Object Selection tool, and using or one or more time-consuming options to vaporize and fill the mess.

It's a fact that some landscape scenes look far more compelling in b&w, and if you've ever made a dramatic monochrome conversion you know how true this. We've previously featured tutorials on this topic, but this one from a pro who says, "I've cracked the code," takes a very different approach.

There are few things worse than dull and flat monochrome images. After all, striking contrast and drama are two of the reasons many photographers forego color in favor of b&w. Fortunately, you can transform a photo from boring to dramatic with a few simple steps in Lightroom, Photoshop, or whatever editing application you use.

Shooting photos at sundown doesn’t always go as planned. Sometimes you get the timing wrong and sometimes the sky and, more critically, the light doesn’t cooperate.

There are numerus ways to shoot and edit landscape photos depending upon the look you're after. Sometimes you may want a dark and moody image, while other times the goal is to accentuate interesting atmospheric condition like fog, snow, or rain. Another common approach is to create vibrant images full of eye-catching color—even when shooting under flat light or in the shade.

Professional photographers often add vignettes to their photos to create impact and direct a viewer's eye to the most important part of a scene. Less-experienced shooters tend to ignore this powerful technique that is actually very simple to accomplish.

Nothing spoils an otherwise great photo more than a really unattractive or distracting background. And that holds true whether you’re shooting portraits, macro, flowers, or certain types of wildlife images.