Adobe Lightroom

Texture Slider in Lightroom Classic

May 30, 2019 in Before/After Images, Lightroom

Check out the new Texture slider in Adobe Lightroom! It’s also available in Photoshop under the Camera Raw filter. This is a great tool that I will be using all the time. In this video, we will talk about how and where to use it.

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Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan: https://amzn.to/2R1UUmI
ScreenFlow: https://amzn.to/2zwRQbl
iMovie
Davinci Resolve

Computer Equipment
Macbook Pro:  https://amzn.to/2OlAerr (I have a 2015, but this is the new version)
Drobo 5Dt:  https://amzn.to/2N5LQtC
Datacolor Spyder5PRO:  https://amzn.to/2R1Vhh6
Canon PIXMA Pro-100 Printer:   https://amzn.to/2zvL0T

Adobe Lightroom CC Tips, Tricks & Shortcuts | Library Module

March 25, 2019 in Lightroom, Photography for Beginners, Photography

Sharing some Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts in Adobe Lightroom CC! Helping you speed up your workflow.

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My Photography Gear (Affiliate Links that support my channel at NO EXTRA COST to you)
My MAIN Camera:  https://amzn.to/2Ok1jee
MAIN Camera Battery Grip:  https://amzn.to/2N4QSH1
My BACKUP Camera:  https://amzn.to/2OcELMv
My Favorite Lens:  https://amzn.to/2N4mWKR
The Widest Lens I have:  https://amzn.to/2IjzZr9
Wides Aperture Lens I have:  https://amzn.to/2N3dEyX
Variable ND Filter: https://amzn.to/2pKMnrC
Good Kit Lens for Beginners: https://amzn.to/2OgpSsK
My Flash: https://amzn.to/2IkykS6
Rogue Flash Bender Soft Box:  https://amzn.to/2N5duXF
GoPro Hero 5 Black: https://amzn.to/2N3oK71
GoPro Dual Battery Charger + Battery:  https://amzn.to/2IjGTgb
Wacom Intuos Pro Pen and Touch Small Tablet:  https://amzn.to/2Ij7qtW
My Camera Bag: https://amzn.to/2MYctkl
Awesome Tripod:  https://amzn.to/2IkP3VA
Sensor Cleaning Kit: https://amzn.to/2Iid9QD

Audio Gear
My Mic for Desktop Recording: https://amzn.to/2R1kMir
Lav Mic, Rode RodeLink FM Wireless Filmmaker System: https://amzn.to/2zx5ECK

Software I Use
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan: https://amzn.to/2R1UUmI
ScreenFlow: https://amzn.to/2zwRQbl
iMovie
Davinci Resolve

Lightroom Classic CC Preferences Tutorial

February 11, 2019 in Lightroom

Just getting started in Lightroom and trying to set up your PREFERENCES? In this video, I’ll go through the preferences menu to help you get set up for success in Lightroom CC. I’ll share my settings that help me to work organized, smoothly and efficiently every day in Lightroom.

If you have questions about any settings in the preferences menu, leave a comment below!

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My Photography Gear (Affiliate Links that support my channel at NO EXTRA COST to you)
My MAIN Camera:  https://amzn.to/2Ok1jee
MAIN Camera Battery Grip:  https://amzn.to/2N4QSH1
My BACKUP Camera:  https://amzn.to/2OcELMv
My Favorite Lens:  https://amzn.to/2N4mWKR
The Widest Lens I have:  https://amzn.to/2IjzZr9
Wides Aperture Lens I have:  https://amzn.to/2N3dEyX
Variable ND Filter: https://amzn.to/2pKMnrC
Good Kit Lens for Beginners: https://amzn.to/2OgpSsK
My Flash: https://amzn.to/2IkykS6
Rogue Flash Bender Soft Box:  https://amzn.to/2N5duXF
GoPro Hero 5 Black: https://amzn.to/2N3oK71
GoPro Dual Battery Charger + Battery:  https://amzn.to/2IjGTgb
Wacom Intuos Pro Pen and Touch Small Tablet:  https://amzn.to/2Ij7qtW
My Camera Bag: https://amzn.to/2MYctkl
Awesome Tripod:  https://amzn.to/2IkP3VA
Sensor Cleaning Kit: https://amzn.to/2Iid9QD

Audio Gear
My Mic for Desktop Recording: https://amzn.to/2R1kMir
Lav Mic, Rode RodeLink FM Wireless Filmmaker System: https://amzn.to/2zx5ECK

Software I Use
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan: https://amzn.to/2R1UUmI
ScreenFlow: https://amzn.to/2zwRQbl
iMovie
Davinci Resolve

Lightroom CC - QUICK Overview of the Interface Tutorial

February 01, 2019 in Photography, Photography for Beginners, Lightroom

If you’re new to Adobe Lightroom CC and want a super quick overview of the Lightroom Classic CC interface, this video is for you! In less than 3 minutes, I’ll give you a fast rundown of the program.

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My Photography Gear
My MAIN Camera:  https://amzn.to/2Ok1jee
MAIN Camera Battery Grip:  https://amzn.to/2N4QSH1
My BACKUP Camera:  https://amzn.to/2OcELMv
My Favorite Lens:  https://amzn.to/2N4mWKR
The Widest Lens I have:  https://amzn.to/2IjzZr9
Wides Aperture Lens I have:  https://amzn.to/2N3dEyX
Variable ND Filter: https://amzn.to/2pKMnrC
Good Kit Lens for Beginners: https://amzn.to/2OgpSsK
My Flash: https://amzn.to/2IkykS6
Rogue Flash Bender Soft Box:  https://amzn.to/2N5duXF
GoPro Hero 5 Black: https://amzn.to/2N3oK71
GoPro Dual Battery Charger + Battery:  https://amzn.to/2IjGTgb
Wacom Intuos Pro Pen and Touch Small Tablet:  https://amzn.to/2Ij7qtW
My Camera Bag: https://amzn.to/2MYctkl
Awesome Tripod:  https://amzn.to/2IkP3VA
Sensor Cleaning Kit: https://amzn.to/2Iid9QD

Audio Gear
My Mic for Desktop Recording: https://amzn.to/2R1kMir
Lav Mic, Rode RodeLink FM Wireless Filmmaker System: https://amzn.to/2zx5ECK

Software I Use
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan: https://amzn.to/2R1UUmI
ScreenFlow: https://amzn.to/2zwRQbl
iMovie
Davinci Resolve

ORGANIZE Photos in Adobe LIGHTROOM

January 28, 2019 in General, Photography, Photography for Beginners, Lightroom

Looking to organize your photos in Adobe Lightroom? ln this video, I’ll share my organization structure and some tips that may help you with your photo organization. The key is that you need a system that will allow you to find images in your Catalog when you want something specific.

To help you develop your own system, I’ve created a document with some tips and my organization structure in it for you to download for FREE. Pick it up over on my blog here:

LEARN ADOBE LIGHTROOM SERIES Playlist: Here

FREE Tips and my Organization Structure Document

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Audio Gear
My Mic for Desktop Recording: https://amzn.to/2R1kMir
Lav Mic, Rode RodeLink FM Wireless Filmmaker System: https://amzn.to/2zx5ECK

Software I Use
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan: https://amzn.to/2R1UUmI
ScreenFlow: https://amzn.to/2zwRQbl
iMovie
Davinci Resolve

Importing Photos In Lightroom Classic CC - Quick & Easy

January 21, 2019 in General, Lightroom, Photography for Beginners

Are you new to Adobe Lightroom and ready to start importing your photos? In this video of our Lightroom Series, I’ll show you the quickest way to import your photos so you can get started editing them. If you’re a beginner and haven’t seen the previous videos in the series, be sure to check them out at the links below. As always, leave a comment if you have any questions!

LEARN ADOBE LIGHTROOM SERIES Playlist

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and click the Notification BELL to keep up as we learn Lightroom together!

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Website: www.jasonyadlovski.com
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Audio Gear
My Mic for Desktop Recording: https://amzn.to/2R1kMir
Lav Mic, Rode RodeLink FM Wireless Filmmaker System: https://amzn.to/2zx5ECK

Software I Use
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan: https://amzn.to/2R1UUmI
ScreenFlow: https://amzn.to/2zwRQbl
iMovie
Davinci Resolve

Learn Adobe LIGHTROOM Classic CC for Beginners - Introduction to New Series

January 08, 2019 in Lightroom, Photography, Photography for Beginners

Do you want to learn how to use Adobe Lightroom Classic CC? You are in the right spot! I’m getting started on a new series where I’m going to show you everything I know about Adobe Lightroom! If you are a new photographer or looking for new software to organize and edit all of your photos, then Lightroom might be the answer for you.

It may be little intimidating to get started in Lightroom, but it’s not as hard as you might think. Throughout this series, I’ll show you how to get started and set up for success in Lightroom. We will cover things such as importing, editing, exporting, tips, trick, and everything in between. When I was learning Adobe Lightroom, it was super helpful for me to learn the ins and outs of the program through other YouTubers. Now I’d like to share all that I’ve learned.

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Audio Gear
My Mic for Desktop Recording: https://amzn.to/2R1kMir
Lav Mic, Rode RodeLink FM Wireless Filmmaker System: https://amzn.to/2zx5ECK

Software I Use
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan: https://amzn.to/2R1UUmI
ScreenFlow: https://amzn.to/2zwRQbl
iMovie
Davinci Resolve

How to Install Lightroom Presets PLUS Review of Fix The Photo Presets

October 09, 2018 in Photography for Beginners, Reviews, Lightroom

Lightroom Presets. There’s no doubt that you’ve heard of them, maybe tried some of them, and possibly even created your own. Presets can help speed up your workflow as well as help you create a consistent look among your photos. They are relatively easy to use and in this post, I’m going how you how to install new presets into Adobe Lightroom and share my experience using a set of Landscape Lightroom Presets provided by a company called Fix the Photo.

Recently I had a representative from Fix the photo (www.fixthephoto.com) reach out to me and ask me if I would give some of their presets a try and share my experience using them. In the spirit of transparency, Fix The Photo did provide me with a free set of their Landscape Presets that cost $29 on their website and can be found here: Landscape Presets There are also some FREE presets that you can try out here: Fix The Photo FREE Presets

Who Is Fix the Photo?

Fix the Photo (www.fixthephoto.com) is a company that has been providing photo retouching services and professional photo editing since 2003. They have a wide variety of services to offer that include things such as portrait retouching, wedding photo editing, photo restoration, product retouching to name a few. Check out their website to see all of the services they offer.

Lets Get to the Presets!

Presets are a great way to get started editing your image. They speed up the editing process by applying specific settings to your image. Many times when editing a set of photos there are some basic settings that we use as part of our image style. Instead of having to select all of these develop settings manually, the preset can apply these settings in one click. From there, I’ll usually make some additional tweaks to an image before I’m finished.

If you’re new to presets, the first thing you need to do is download the new presets. Once you’ve downloaded them, the next step is to get them into Lightroom. I’ll be using Lightroom CC on a MacBook Pro and there are several different ways to import them. Adobe Lightroom has now switched preset files from .lrtemplate file types to .XMP file types for presets and I’m going to show you how to import the .lrtemplate files.

Step 1:

Open Lightroom! Once in Lightroom, select ‘Lightroom’ from the top left of the menu bar. Then select ‘Preferences’.

Step 2:

Next, select the tab that says ‘Presets’. About half way down the window under ‘Location’ select ‘Show All Other Lightroom Presets’. We need to use this option since the preset files we have are in the .lrtemplate format. Finder will now open with the location you need to place the presets.

Step 3:

You should now be in the ‘Lightroom’ folder in Finder. Within that folder, select ‘Develop Presets’. Simply Copy (Cmd + C) and Paste (Cmd + V) the entire folder of presets you want to add into this location. Close Finder after you paste in the presets.

Step 4:

Jumping back into Lightroom, close the program and reopen it. Go back into the Develop module and to the ‘Presets’ tab. Lightroom will likely give you a quick message that it is converting the new preset files from .lrtemplate to .xmp files. It will also copy the new preset file types into the new preset directory for Lightroom CC. When Lightroom is finished, you will see the message that all presets were converted to XMP.

Step 5:

Give the new presets a try! You should now see the folder of presets you added under the ‘Presets’ tab. For me the folder is called Landscape Presets_Fix the Photo_Paid

Using Fix The Photo Presets

My first impression of the Fix The Photos Presets is that they are pretty well organized. They are numbered from 1-30, titled as ‘Landscape’ presets and have a brief description of what the preset does. The descriptions are clear and pretty straight forward.

Screen Shot 2018-10-03 at 10.40.12 AM.png

The best way to try the a preset is select a photo, apply each preset to the photo, then see how it looks. One great feature in Lightroom is the ability to hover overtop of a preset name and then Lightroom will show a preview of that preset without having to apply the preset to the image. This allows you to quickly move through a variety of presets to determine which you like best.

Generally you will find certain presets you like and certain presets you don’t like so much. Maybe you like the faded desaturated look. Or maybe you like the bright airy look. I always look at presets as a good starting point for your images. It helps the image go from flat and boring to having some style to it super quick. Then to make it your own, further tweak the image based on how you want the image to feel.

I tried the presets on a bunch of different photos and I chose several photos to show you here. I kept coming back to the ‘Film’, ‘Cinematic’ and ‘Drama’ presets. Once I selected these presets, I’d go ahead and apply a few more corrections to get the image just where I wanted it.

When using presets, you will find that not all presets will work on all images. Some presets work better on bright sunny photos while other work better on dark moody photos. Trial and error is the only what to see what will work on a particular photos type.

If you are looking to give some presets a try, I’d recommend stopping by www.fixthephoto.com and downloading some of their free presets to try. If you like the free ones, trying picking up one of their paid sets of presets. Here are links to both the free landscape presets and the paid landscape preset package that was provided to me.

Landscape Presets Free Bundle

Sunrise Presets Free Bundle

Sunset Presets Free Bundle

Majestic Landscape Presets - $29

I’d like to thank Fix The Photo for reaching out to me and sending me some of their landscape presets to try. I enjoyed trying the different looks on my images. I think they are quality presets that deliver value to any photographer and help speed up your editing workflow.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out this post!

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Audio Gear
My Mic for Desktop Recording: https://amzn.to/2R1kMir
Lav Mic, Rode RodeLink FM Wireless Filmmaker System: https://amzn.to/2zx5ECK

Software I Use
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan: https://amzn.to/2R1UUmI
ScreenFlow: https://amzn.to/2zwRQbl
iMovie
Davinci Resolve

Adobe Lightroom vs Adobe Photoshop for Beginner Photographers

September 11, 2018 in Adobe Photoshop, Photography for Beginners, Lightroom

Have you heard of Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop but wondering which one is right one for you to use? In this video, I’ll give you super quick rundown of some key differences between the programs. Hopefully this will help you discover what each program is for and how to use each program. See my YouTube channel for more in-depth information about Photoshop and Lightroom.

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Create a Panorama in Lightroom

March 23, 2018 in Lightroom

Creating a panorama in Lightroom is super easy! In this video, I’ll show you how to merge together several images to create one panoramic image.

Be sure to check out the rest of my YouTube channel along with my website: http://www.jasonyadlovski.com

Please SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy the videos and are learning something!

FOLLOW ME:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayyadlovski/
Website: www.jasonyadlovski.com

My Photography Gear
My MAIN Camera:  http://amzn.to/2G9cvn6
MAIN Camera Battery Grip:  http://amzn.to/2rARJd2
My BACKUP Camera:  http://amzn.to/2F3qGcb
My Favorite Lens:  http://amzn.to/2BnsRF9
The Widest Lens I have:  http://amzn.to/2E2p6Ii
Wides Aperture Lens I have:  http://amzn.to/2rsFSxs
Good Kit Lens for Beginners:  http://amzn.to/2E3aXu u
My Flash: http://amzn.to/2DuUOfY
Rogue Flash Bender Soft Box:  http://amzn.to/2BntjDl
GoPro Hero 5 Black:  http://amzn.to/2E4ZVF7
GoPro Dual Battery Charger + Battery:  http://amzn.to/2Dtgx8a
Wacom Intuos Pro Pen and Touch Small Tablet:  http://amzn.to/2BnzW8K
My Camera Bag: http://amzn.to/2DxA1wG
Awesome Tripod:  http://amzn.to/2DSqvjD

Audio Gear
My Mic for Desktop Recording: http://amzn.to/2rsH2ZQ

Software I Use
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan: http://amzn.to/2BlOhCK
ScreenFlow: http://amzn.to/2Dua2SJ
iMovie

Computer Equipment
Macbook Pro:  http://amzn.to/2DvuPsW (I have a 2015, but this is the new version)
Drobo 5Dt:  http://amzn.to/2Dwt6Qk
Datacolor Spyder5PRO:  http://amzn.to/2BnQJbN
Canon PIXMA Pro-100 Printer:   http://amzn.to/2G8LWib

How to Upload and Sell Images on Adobe Stock

December 28, 2017 in Lightroom, Photography

In this how-to tutorial, I’m going to take you through the process I use to upload my images to Adobe Stock. It’s a great way to put your images to work for you and even have the chance of making money while you sleep!

Thank you for stopping by my channel and website! If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Be sure to check out the rest of my YouTube channel along with my website.

Please subscribe if you enjoy the videos and are learning something!

Below is all of the photography gear, audio gear and software I use for capturing images, video, audio and editing. These are affiliate links to amazon. If you choose to use them, thank you for your support!

My Photography Gear
Canon 60D: http://amzn.to/2xyNAov
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS II USM: http://amzn.to/2gN6iC3
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM: http://amzn.to/2gOR5QT
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM: http://amzn.to/2gP3bJS
Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM: http://amzn.to/2z4f88U
Canon 430EX II Flash: http://amzn.to/2gNrXd7
Rogue Flash Bender Soft Box: http://amzn.to/2xAoNQO

GoPro Hero 5 Black: http://amzn.to/2xzNQn3
GoPro Dual Battery Charger + Battery: http://amzn.to/2nfRsKj

Wacom Intuos Pro Pen and Touch Small Tablet: http://amzn.to/2A0A8eu

Think Tank Photo Airport Essentials: http://amzn.to/2gODWr0
Audio Gear
Blue Yeti: http://amzn.to/2AlEIr3

Software I use
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan: http://amzn.to/2nfq27k
ScreenFlow: http://amzn.to/2AiTrR0
Computer Equipment
Macbook Pro: http://amzn.to/2Ajf1Vn
(I have a 2015, but this is the new version)
Drobo 5Dt: http://amzn.to/2zOWUtx
Datacolor Spyder5PRO: http://amzn.to/2AfjgTR

Lightroom Quick Tip - Adding Keywords

August 21, 2014 in Lightroom, Photography

Adding keywords to your photographs is easy and allows you to search for specific photographs within your Lightroom catalog. The more keywords you use that are specific to that image, the better the chance you have of finding that image in the future if you need it. Everyone has great images, but if you can’t find them, it doesn’t do you any good.

In this quick tutorial, I’ll show you how to add keywords to your images that are already in your Lightroom catalog.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below! Be sure to check out the rest of my YouTube channel. If there is anything you would like to learn in a future tutorial, please leave it in a comment below.

Subscribe if you enjoy the videos and are learning something!

Thanks for watching!

Lightroom Quick Tip - Star Ratings & Pick Flags

August 07, 2014 in Lightroom, Photography

We all face the challenge of sorting through our images to find the keepers, the throwaways, and the best of the best. Personally I use both star ratings and ‘pick’ flags to sort my images. This tutorial is a quick tip on how to speed up your workflow when rating and picking images. You might only save a small amount of time for each image you review, but over several hundred or several thousand images, the time will add up.

Whenever possible, it helps to have Lightroom do the work for you. In this case, we will make Lightroom auto advance to the next image after we apply the star rating or flag the image as a pick. The first thing I do is to place all of my unrated images into one collection or folder. While in the Library module, I make the first image full screen within Lightroom (or complete full screen by pressing the ‘F’ key in Lightroom 5). This will allow you to see the image at a large size so you can make a good decision as to how you want to rate the image. Next, make sure the caps lock is turned on. By turning on the caps lock, Lightroom knows that it should automatically advance to the next image any time a rating is applied to the current image. Once caps lock is on, use the number keys 1 through 5 to rate the images or press ‘P’ to flag the image as a pick.

I rate all of my images with stars to help keep track of the quality of my images. There is no right or wrong way to do it here, you need to find out what works for you. Here is my rating system:

1 star = picture is no good, trash

2 stars = not usable other than for some kind of abstract background, image not in focus

3 stars = image in focus, but nothing special, more of a snapshot, sometimes deliverable depending on client and intent of photographs

4 stars = image in focus, good composition, interesting etc., deliverable image

5 stars = fantastic image, one of my favorites, deliverable image

I use a ‘Pick’ flag for all images that I want to deliver to a client, print, post on my website or blog, etc.

After you initially review your images and rate them, it’s a good idea to revisit the images after a few days to see if you have changed your mind on any of the ratings you choose. This can be a quick look through all of the images again. You may see the hidden potential in an image that you did not notice the first time you reviewed the image.

Turning on the caps lock allows Lightroom to auto advance to the next image which will save you time and energy when reviewing your photographs. By using a streamlined review process for your images, you will become more efficient in post processing as well as be able to spend more time working on the best images from your photoshoot.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below! Be sure to check out the rest of my YouTube channel.

Please subscribe if you enjoy the videos and are learning something!

Thanks for watching!

How to Make a Bad Image Look Awesome

June 25, 2014 in Before/After Images, Lightroom, Photography, Retouching

How many times have you looked at an image you took and thought it was no good? By capturing your photos in RAW format, it is possible to recover your photo using Adobe Lightroom and turn it into something awesome.

At first glance, I figured this file was no good. I started playing with it just to see what I could get out of it. It’s not as hard as you might think to bring back images that appear to be no good. I think the results that came out of this photo are great.

Remember that your camera can’t always capture what you envision in your mind when you take the photograph. The post processing you can do to an image plays a big part in the creative process and helps your image to reach the potential you have pictured in your mind.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below! Be sure to check out the rest of my YouTube channel.

Subscribe if you enjoy the videos and are learning something!

Thanks for watching!

Twilight Sky - Before/After

June 04, 2014 in Before/After Images, Lightroom, Photography

Have you ever seen the sky have brilliant blues, purples, pinks, oranges and reds? Many times when we try to photograph these beautiful skies, the camera does not capture the colors as vividly as we see them with our own eyes. In this tutorial using Adobe Lightroom, I’ll show you how you can bring out the amazing colors that you know were there. Having your camera set to save images in RAW format instead of JPG will help preserve the colors and detail that you will be able to enhance in Lightroom.

One thing to note here is that these settings are what worked for this image and what I thought looked best. When I took the photograph I had an idea in my mind what I wanted the final result to be. The key thing to remember here is that you need to experiment with the sliders and settings to find what you like and what works for your image. With this in mind, lets get started!

Step 1

The first thing to do with this image is to drop the temperature and raise the tint. This will help make the blue look more blue and the hint of pink look more pink.

Step 2

Increase the exposure to .75 and the contrast to 75. I want the trees to be a black silhouette against the gradient in the sky.

Step 3

Adjust the Highlights, Shadows, Whites, and Blacks. The image to the right shows the settings I used. These settings will vary based on your image and the effect your going for.

Step 4

Increase Clarity. I like to use Clarity on landscape shots. I think it helps bring out details and increase the contrast a bit. Be sure not to over do it with the clarity, unless of course that is the look you’re going for. Increase the saturation. I typically use vibrance when there are people in the image and saturation for landscape images.

Step 5

Under ToneCurve I changed the curve to a medium contrast. I want to make sure the trees are black against the sky.

Step 6

In the HSL panel, I used the target adjustment tool to modify the saturation of the purples. This enhances the pink and purple colors of the sky.

Step 7

Add sharpening. The sharpening settings I used are Amount: 86, Radius: 1.4, Detail: 52, and Masking: 64. Adjust the masking as you need. If you hold down the Opt. or Alt. key while clicking on the masking slider, you will see a preview of the areas that are being sharpened in white.

Hold Opt. or Alt. while adjusting the Masking slider to see the areas that will be sharpened in white.

Step 8

Under Lens Corrections, I chose Remove Chromatic Aberrations to take care of some purple fringing around the trees.

Step 9

Add a Post-Crop Vignette. I used an amount of 38 and changed the feather to 100.

The image is complete! To see a before/after of your image, make sure you are in the Develop Module in Lightroom and press the ‘\’ key. This will toggle between before and after images.

If you have any questions or would like to learn other techniques in Lightroom, please leave a comment below. Thanks for watching and reading this tutorial!

Before Image (left) and After Image (right).

Before/After - Dandelion in a Bubble

May 22, 2014 in Before/After Images, Photography, Lightroom

In this tutorial I’ll show you my post processing workflow for this dandelion in a bubble image. I used Adobe Lightroom and Perfect Effects 8 for the post processing of this image. In my opinion Perfect Effects is a great tool to use in combination with Lightroom.

The image was taken with my Canon 60D using the 18-135 f3.5-5.6 IS lens at 120mm. Camera settings in manual mode were, 1/250 sec at f8.0, ISO 400. It was a cloudy overcast morning which created a nice diffuse light.

Step 1

Bring the image into Adobe Lightroom.

Step 2

Make some global adjustments in Lightroom. Here I adjusted the exposure, highlights, shadows, whites and blacks. I did not modify the contrast because I knew I wanted to use the dynamic contrast filter in Perfect Effects. With these adjustments complete, I brought the image over into Perfect Effects by going to File – Plug-in Extras – Perfect Effects 8.

Step 3

Once the image is in Perfect Effects I started adding Filter Layers. First, I added a Dynamic Contrast - Natural layer. Under the Filter Options and Detail, I adjusted the settings as follows: Small = 30, Medium = 20, Large = 0.

Step 4

Add a new layer to the Filter Stack. Choose Color Enhancer – Green Enhancer. Using the mask tool, place a mask on top of the yellow dandelion so the effect is not applied to the flower. The green is now a little to much, so reduce the layer opacity to 50%.

Step 5

Add a new layer to the Filter Stack. Choose Sunshine – Glow. Reduce the layer opacity to 20%. Copy the layer mask from the previous ‘Color Enhancer’ layer by using Ctrl + click to drag the mask to the current layer.

Step 6

Add a new layer to the Filter Stack. Choose Sharpening – Amazing Detail Finder. Using the masking bush, mask out the background and foreground of the image. To see where you are masking, press Ctrl + M. Since these areas are out of focus to begin with, they do not need to be sharpened.

Step 7

Add a new layer to the Filter Stack. Choose Vignette – Big Softy. Reduce the layer opacity to 65%.

Step 8

Click Apply to apply the filters and bring the image back into Lightroom.

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Thanks for watching!

Before/After Image Processing - Bleeding Hearts

May 13, 2014 in Before/After Images, Lightroom

Before - RAW File Out of Camera, Canon 60D, 50mm f/1.4, 1/500 sec at f/2.0, ISO 200 — *Before - RAW File Out of Camera,* Canon 60D, 50mm f/1.4, 1/500 sec at f/2.0, ISO 200

After - Image Processed Using Adobe Lightroom & onOne Perfect Effects 8.                                                … — *After -* Image Processed Using Adobe Lightroom & onOne Perfect Effects 8.

Ever have a chance to photograph a bleeding heart? These are awesome plants! The plants are beautiful when in bloom and I couldn't help but photograph this one. This is a quick before/after tutorial to show you how I arrived at my final image. After taking a few shots of this plant, I liked this one the best so lets get started!

Camera Setup & Settings

It was an overcast day with full cloud cover, just before a rain storm. Cloudy days provide great light for photographs because the clouds cause the sky to act like a big soft box giving off nice even and diffuse light. This image was shot with the Canon 60D using a 50mm f/1.4 lens. The settings I used to create the image were 1/500 second at f/2.0, and and ISO of 200. Every image I shoot is in RAW format. I always recommend using RAW format since this will give you the highest quality and the best ability to modify images down the road if necessary.

Lightroom

The first thing I did with this image was to bring the RAW file into Adobe Lightroom 5. Next, I went into the develop module and applied some general adjustments to the image. Starting at the top of the Basic panel, I worked my way down. Exposure was increased by +.20 to help brighten the bleeding hearts a bit. I reduced the contrast a because I love the dynamic contrast feature in Perfect Effects 8. I'll use the dynamic contrast filter later on to bring back contrast in the image. I pulled back on the highlights to insure there was no detail lost in the bottom section of the flowers. Shadows were increased a bit to help bring out the entire flower. Whites and blacks were adjusted a bit to help round out the image.

Quick Tip:

When adjusting Highlights, Shadows, Whites and Blacks, you can hold the option key on Mac and alt. key on a PC to show you the clipping points for each slider. It's helpful in determining how much of each slider you use.

Perfect Effects

With these few global adjustments made, I'm now ready to bring the file over into Perfect Effects. In Lightroom go to File > Plug-in Extras > Perfect Effects 8.

Once the image is opened in Perfect Effects, The first filter layer I'm going to add is Dynamic Contrast - Natural. There are a few modifications I want to make on the Dynamic Contrast layer. On the right side of the window, under Filter Options, there is a section called 'Detail'. Here you have the ability to adjust how the Dynamic Contrast is applied to the image. 'Small' makes contrast adjustments to all of the small or fine details within the image. I used a setting if 10. Next, 'Medium' effects the contrast of the medium or mid size-details within the picture. Most of the areas I want to see more contrast in are within the medium range. Therefore I used a setting of 25 to get the amount of contrast I liked without over doing it. 'Large' effects the larger areas and textures in your image. Here I don't want to add much contrast to the background, so I use a setting of 2. You might be thinking - how do I know what settings to use? The best thing to do is play with the sliders and see what you like. Experimentation is the best way to see how things work and are affected by different settings.

Perfect Effects 8 - Bleeding Hearts Image with Dynamic Contrast Applied.

Next, add 2 new filter layers by clicking the '+' in the filter layer stack. I want to enhance the color of the image, so I'm going go to the Filters on the left side of the window, then find 'Color Enhancer'. For the first filter layer, lets choose 'Increase Color'. Reduce the layer opacity to 40% so the effect is not over done. On the next filter layer, again go to 'Color Enhancer' and choose 'Red Enhancer' to help bring out the magenta in the bleeding hearts. Reduce the layer opacity to 20%. I also made some adjustments in the filter options of the 'Red Enhancer' layer. Under 'Color Range' I increased the saturation of both Magenta and Green just a touch to help it all pop a little more.

Perfect Effects 8 - Color Enhancer Filters

The next adjustment is to add a 'Sunshine Filter'. The sunshine filter really helps warm everything up and gives it a slight glow. It helps convey a warm, happy feeling through the image.

Perfect Effects_Sunshine_Bleeding Hearts

Next we need to apply some sharpening to the image to help tighten everything up. To do this, add a new layer in the Filter Stack. Then, look under 'Sharpening' in the Filters list on the left hand side. Select 'Amazing Detail Finder'. Reduce the layer opacity to 90%. Finally I think a vignette will finish off this image nicely. Again, add a new layer in the Filter Stack. Choose 'Vignette', then select 'Subtle'. Now the image is complete. Click 'Apply' at the bottom right hand side of the window and the filters will be applied and brought back into Lightroom.

I hope this tutorial helps you to further understand how Adobe Lightroom and onOne's Perfect Effects can be used together to create great images. If you have any questions, leave a comment below. Thanks!

Before/After Image Processing - Old School Gas Pump

May 06, 2014 in Before/After Images

Recently I was looking through some old images and I came across the image below. It is a photograph of an 'old school gas pump' in front of a vintage hardware store. I liked the photograph, but I thought it looked flat, dull and needed some cleaning up. The photograph was taken in Lancaster Pennsylvania back in 2008.

Canon Powershot A80, 7.8mm, 1/500 sec at F/5.0, ISO 50

Step One

First, some background information on this photograph - it was taken with a Canon Powershot A80. Yes a point and shoot camera! Regardless of the kind of camera you use, great images can be made with any camera. You just have to put your mind to it and be creative.

Adjustments made in Adobe Lightroom's 'Basic' panel

After finding this image, the first thing I did was to bring it into Adobe Lightroom. As I've mentioned, I keep all of my images in Lightroom. The first thing I did with the image was to go into the Develop module and make some global adjustments. I increased the contrast, reduced the highlights, opened up the shadows, subtly reduced the whites and increased the blacks. I also added a hint of clarity to help tighten everything up a bit. Be careful with the clarity sliders. Drastically increasing the clarity can create an unrealistic looking image. Of course there are always exceptions - for example if you are trying to go for an HDR look for your image, the clarity slider will help you achieve that look.

Image after being processed in Lightroom

Screen Shot 2014-05-04 at 10.03.26 PM.png

Step 2

After some quick global adjustments in Lightroom, it's time to bring the image over to Adobe Photoshop for some retouching and enhancements. I brought the image over to Photoshop using the Cmd + E shortcut. You can also select the image, go to the menu bar and select Photo > Edit In > Edit In Adobe Photoshop CC (or the version you have).

First I created a new layer above the background layer titled 'Retouching'. I went through the entire image and removed all of the distractions, wires, pavement markings, imperfections in the gas pump, and shadows I didn't want to see.

Image with Lightroom adjustments in Photoshop.  Yellow arrows indicate the major areas to be retouched. — Image with Lightroom adjustments in Photoshop. Yellow arrows indicate the major areas to be retouched.

Image in Photoshop after retouching is complete.

Step 3

Next, I combine the background image and the retouching layer using Shift + Opt + Cmd + E on the Mac (Shift + Ctrl + Alt + E on a PC). This shortcut makes a new flattened layer of all the layers below it.

Step 4

The next thing I'd like to do is make some adjustments to help the overall contrast of the image. I added a curves adjustment layer and created a slight 'S' curve to help darken the shadows a bit and lighten the highlights a little. Next I added an additional curves adjustments layer to open the shadows up just a little bit.

Step 5

After the curves adjustment layers, I added a new layer to do some dodging & burning. The layer was filled with 50% gray and set to the Soft Light layer blend mode. By using the Soft Light blend mode, the gray will be invisible. However, any areas that are dodged and burned will appear. I then used the dodge and burn tools on that layer to darken and lighten various areas of the photo. This helps bring back some depth into the image. After the dodging and burning is complete, I lowered the layer opacity to 55%.

Step 6

Once I was finished with dodging and burning, I added a gradient map adjustment layer. I reduced the gradient map adjustment layer opacity to 10% and changed the blend mode to Soft Light. I felt that it added a little more contrast/punch to the image and gave it that little extra boost.

Step 7

At this point, I felt the image process and retouching were complete. The second to last step was to add some sharpening to the image. To do this, I used the High Pass filter. First, create a merged layer using Sift + Opt + Cmd + E on a Mac. Next, go to Filter > Other > High Pass to bring up the High Pass filter window. I used 1.5 pixels for the radius size, but you can play with different amounts to see what works for your image. Click OK. The layer blend mode should be set to either Overlay, Soft Light or Hard Light. Each blend mode will give you a varying amount of intensity of the High Pass layer. In this case, I chose Hard Light and reduced the opacity to 50%.

Step 8

Finally to complete the image, I added a Post Crop Vignette. To do this, I again merged all the layers together using Shift + Opt + Cmd + E, then went to Filter > Camera Raw Filter. I then went to the Effects panel and added the vignette. With the vignette added, the image is complete. I simply saved it and closed it to bring it back into Lightroom. Below is the final image I ended up with. Overall I am happy with the end result.

Gloomy Morning Photographs

May 05, 2014 in Recent Projects, General

Foggy, wet, a little cool outside. May not seem like ideal conditions to get out and shoot some photos, but I bet if you venture out you will find some interesting things. That's exactly what I did late last week. It was a cool, damp, foggy morning here in New Jersey. As I looked at the fog in the morning light, I thought that there has to be some interesting images I could create. So I ventured out in search of some interesting things to take pictures of.

Below are a few of the images I captured during my 1 hour or so of being out and about. All of the images are taking with the Canon 60D using an 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS lens. Images were imported into Adobe Lightroom for cataloging and post processing. Some of the images were then also brought into onOne's Perfect Effects for finishing touches.

How often do you take photographs when the weather is less than ideal?

Getting Started in Lightroom - Importing Photos

April 30, 2014 in Lightroom

I'm a big fan and advocate of Adobe Lightroom. Lightroom is a fantastic program that I use for importing, organizing, and developing all of my photographs. It took some learning to get up to speed on the program and how to use it, but now I could never go back to using simple folders or other methods of organizing my photographs. Below is a quick tutorial of how to import photos into Lightroom 5. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or email me.

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