Looking to get the most out of your high-ISO photos? Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise is a brand-new feature that uses the capabilities of artificial intelligence to reduce noise and grain while simultaneously keeping details intact. And it’s all through a simple and straightforward interface that’s easy enough for beginners to handle but powerful enough for professionals.

In this article, I offer a deep dive into Lightroom’s most effective noise-reduction tool to date, and I offer my thoughts on its benefits and drawbacks. While there are a few caveats to bear in mind, it’s certainly worth trying and could easily become a central component of your post-production workflow.

Let’s dive right in.

What is Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise tool?

Longtime Lightroom users might be feeling a bit of déjà vu right about now; after all, hasn’t the program had the ability to remove noise from high-ISO images for years? And it’s true: Tucked away in the Details pane of the Develop panel, a half-dozen sliders let you take manual control over your noise reduction using options like Luminance, Color, Detail, Contrast, and Smoothness.

But though it’s possible to get decent results with these sliders – with enough practice and a healthy dose of patience – they take a fair amount of time to master, and they certainly don’t offer a streamlined workflow. Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise, on the other hand, gives you great results by doing most of the heavy lifting for you – all while adding some benefits you can’t get with the program’s traditional tools.

Standard noise-reduction techniques smooth out the specks and grain associated with high-ISO files at the cost of fine detail. Textures lose their crispness, intricate color gradations become muddy, and skin takes on an artificially smooth appearance. By adding the power of artificial intelligence, Lightroom is able to reduce noise artifacts while preserving details that would be lost using simple slider manipulations.

Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise tool: How it works and ease of use

The best part of Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise feature is how simple it is to use. All you have to do is navigate to the Detail panel in the Develop interface and click the Denoise button:

Lightroom then displays the Enhance Preview dialog box with the Denoise option selected:

You can use a slider to adjust the intensity of the AI-powered Denoise operation, or you can set a value manually. Regardless, you can use the preview window on the left to see what the noise-reduced result will look like. You can also click the preview window to see a before-and-after view of the original and Enhanced images.

Then, when you’re ready to proceed, you should then click Enhance in the bottom right-hand corner of the window.

Note: You can check the Create Stack option to make the final image thumbnail appear on top of the original in Lightroom, but I recommend leaving it unchecked so you can see thumbnails for the original and the Enhanced images side by side.

In keeping with Lightroom’s non-destructive methods, the original file remains completely untouched and intact. Lightroom creates an entirely new DNG file with the Denoise operation applied, and you are free to share that file, edit it in Photoshop or another program, or remove it from Lightroom if you don’t like the results.

Now, there are a few caveats to the process that might affect how and when you choose to use it. First, Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise tool only works on RAW images shot with Bayer or X-Trans image sensors. This covers most cameras from major manufacturers, but if you shoot with something a bit less popular, you might want to check on Adobe’s website to see if your model is supported.

Additionally, the Denoise operation can only be performed on one image at a time, and it takes anywhere from several seconds to a few minutes to complete. That makes it impractical for photographers who have dozens or hundreds of high-ISO shots to process, and while it’s far from a dealbreaker, it is something to keep in mind.

Finally, each DNG file created with Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise operation will be four to five times as large as its original unaltered counterpart. While this is fairly inconsequential for photographers who don’t use the tool very often, shooters who regularly apply it to their images will quickly find themselves running low on storage space. Again, this isn’t a reason not to use AI-powered Denoise, but just make sure to adjust your expectations – and your file storage options – accordingly.

Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise tool: Performance

I was consistently impressed with the performance of Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise feature, especially when compared to the program’s traditional noise-reduction sliders.

It did an admirable job of removing high-ISO artifacts such as unsightly speckles and grain, and its simplicity makes it easy for anyone to use. However, I did encounter some issues that, while not insurmountable, do need to be pointed out.

To illustrate the performance of the AI-powered Denoise, I enlisted my shaggy-haired son (along with some sweets as an incentive to sit still). Both of the following images were shot with the same camera and lens but at vastly different ISO values:

When viewed as small-sized thumbnails the differences are not significant or even noticeable, but everything changes when you start to zoom in close.

The ISO 800 image is relatively clean and you can easily see each individual strand of hair. Color gradations are subtle and fluctuate nicely throughout the image, and hair is still very visible in the dark top-right corner. In contrast, the high-ISO counterpart is a photographic travesty. Whole swaths of hair are nothing more than a muddled mess, while colors are splotchy and the top-right corner looks as though petroleum jelly was smeared across the lens.

Under normal circumstances, I would immediately reject the image on the right. However, Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise was able to salvage the file and transform it into a photo you could practically print and frame. Check out this next comparison, which shows my ISO 800 image (left) next to the ISO 12800 image after I applied some AI Denoising:

After I performed the Denoise operation (leaving the Amount slider at its default value of 50), I had to double-check that I didn’t make a mistake somewhere in the process. The AI-processed file looks even better than the ISO 800 shot: colors are rich and detailed, hair is distinct, and that troublesome top-right corner is entirely usable.

The results are even more impressive when you compare them to what you can get with the traditional noise reduction sliders. While the sliders do an admirable job of reducing noise and grain, they often remove fine details and colors at the same time. This can be mitigated somewhat by refining the slider values, but at the end of the day, AI-powered Denoise gives significantly better results in almost every scenario. Here is that same ISO 12800 image, but processed using Lightroom’s AI Denoise feature (left) and the standard sliders (right):

The image below of a toy lawnmower on a bed of pine needles offers another example of how useful Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise tool really is. I shot it with an old Nikon D200 at ISO 3200, which – as you can see – is well beyond that camera’s usable range. The picture is filled with unsightly high-ISO artifacts and is completely unsuitable for printing or even sharing online.

Lightroom’s noise reduction sliders don’t help much, since they take away the noise but remove almost all of the detail of the pine needles. The result isn’t terrible, but it’s also not that great. Some careful work with masking and targeted noise reduction could help, but those operations take time and can be tedious and painstaking.

Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise does a phenomenal job of removing noise while preserving virtually all of the detail and texture of the pine needles. It accomplishes in seconds (or a few minutes, depending on how fast your computer is) what would normally take much longer, and it gives better results, too.

Let me be clear: For all its power, there are some cases in which Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise does more harm than good. The AI algorithm can end up removing noise so well that the results look fake and take on an artificial, plastic appearance. This can be mitigated somewhat by adjusting the Amount slider to a lower value, but there are certainly times when you just get a better image by sticking with the grainy original.

For the image below, AI-powered Denoise was able to clean up the noise but with some unfortunate side effects. The boy’s skin looks as if it’s made of plastic, and the fence behind him has lost its rich texture. The grass is improved, as is his shirt, but I actually prefer the unmodified original.

It’s also important to understand that, while Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise feature does an outstanding job of removing noise while preserving detail, texture, and color, it can’t create something from nothing. If the original high-ISO image doesn’t have usable data to work with, the artificial intelligence can’t do much to help. Take a look at the picture below, which was taken at ISO 100 and shows fine details across the entire shot:

A 100% crop is displayed below. Notice how even in the shadowy areas on the left, you can still discern plenty of color gradations and fine details:

An identical composition – captured a few seconds later but shot at ISO 12800 – reduces the beautiful scene to a muddy mess. The individual pine needles are obliterated, the red Castilleja flowers are all but gone, and the large bush on the right is mostly just a gray blob:

AI-powered Denoise does an admirable job with some parts of the image, but there’s simply nothing to work with on the right-hand side. The unsightly noise and grain in the 100% crop are gone, but in their place is a dark void with no color or texture at all:

There is one additional caveat worth mentioning that might render this entire feature moot for some photographers. You see, all the pictures used in this article were taken with older cameras that don’t do well at high ISO values.

Therefore, perhaps the biggest drawback of Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise is that it’s simply not as relevant now as it once would have been. Modern DSLR and mirrorless cameras handle ISO 6400 and even 12800 with relative ease, and most people rarely use values that high under normal shooting conditions.

However, even though the need for this feature might not be as great as it once was, it nonetheless offers impressive results and is an outstanding addition to Lightroom’s extensive toolset.

Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise tool: final words

Despite some limitations, I am very impressed with Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise. It does an amazing job of removing noise while preserving details, texture, and color. Its capabilities far surpass those of the traditional noise reduction sliders in Lightroom, and it can resurrect near-unusable images from the Rejected graveyard.

While you will still get better results at lower ISO values, it’s not always possible or practical to shoot that way – and in those cases, Lightroom’s AI-powered Denoise is a lifesaver.

Now over to you:

What do you think of this new tool? Are you impressed? Disappointed? Will you use it regularly? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Lightroom’s AI-Powered Denoise Tool: A Hands-On Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Looking to optimize your Photoshop setup? You’re in luck!

Whether you’re a seasoned Photoshop pro or just starting out on your creative journey, getting your settings right is crucial. If you choose the right settings, you’ll be prepared for a fast, effective, and efficient PS workflow, and your editing will be easier than ever before. If you choose the wrong settings, on the other hand, you may find yourself consistently frustrated by Photoshop’s interface, options, and file-handling approach.

That’s why I’ve gathered some essential tips to help you navigate the labyrinth of PS preferences and customizations. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll be able to adjust Photoshop to fit your own unique needs – so buckle up, because we’re about to unlock the true potential of this remarkable software!

1. Set your history states and memory usage

To kick things off, let’s dive into the realm of history states. Click Edit>Preferences>Performance to access this nifty feature. Here, you’ll find the option to adjust the number of history states, which determines how far back you can undo changes made to your precious images. By default, it’s set to a measly 50 – definitely not enough for any serious editing.

I recommend cranking up the history states to the maximum value of 1,000. That way, you’ll have an ample safety net to undo any tweaks or alterations you make along the way. However, if that seems like overkill, even setting it to 250 would be a wise move.

While you’re at it, let’s ensure Photoshop can tap into the full power of your computer’s memory. Adjust the memory usage to a generous value, taking into account the amount of RAM you have installed. This will give Photoshop the boost it needs to perform at its best.

By fine-tuning your history states and maximizing your RAM usage, you’ll be setting the stage for a smooth and efficient Photoshop experience.

2. Customize your cursor size and shape

Don’t underestimate the impact of your cursor shape—it can actually make a difference when you’re painting, making precise selections, and more.

Once again, head over to the Preferences dialog (Edit>Preferences>General). Click on Cursors, and you’ll find a range of options to explore.

Personally, I like using a Normal Brush Tip for my Painting Cursors and going with Precise for my Other Cursors. But you might have a different preference! Take a moment to check out these options and decide how you want your cursors to appear as you work. It’s worth testing out various cursor shapes to see what feels right to you.

3. Adjust how Photoshop opens files

When you open files in Photoshop, they usually appear as tabs stuck to the toolbar. But guess what? You have more options!

Honestly, the default tab behavior really bothers me. I much prefer a little freedom and flexibility for each new file to float around. If you’re anything like me and you want your documents to float freely in the window, here’s how you can make it happen:

First, go to Edit>Preferences>Workspace. Then uncheck two options: Enable Floating Document Window Docking and Open Documents as Tabs.

By disabling these settings, you’ll experience the joy of new files floating gracefully in the window when they open.

4. Choose your background and panel colors

Photoshop’s default color scheme works fine for most folks, but did you know that you can change both the panel and background colors to suit your preferences?

Simply open the Preferences dialog (Edit>Preferences>General), then select Interface.

Under Appearance, you can choose a different Color Theme. This will change the color of the panels and toolbars around the edges of the Photoshop window.

For instance, the default theme looks like this:

But you can always choose to go dark gray instead:

You can also change the background color (that is, the color surrounding your open documents) by adjusting the Standard Screen Mode option. (Alternatively, you can right-click on the background and choose your preferred color.)

Go ahead and test out different options until you find a combination that you like. Of course, you can also change the background color and theme on a case-by-case basis. It’s up to you!

5. Set your file-saving preferences

When it comes to saving files in Photoshop, you have the power to choose where they end up. When you choose File>Save As, you can either have Photoshop save images back to their original folder, or you can have the program remember the last folder you used for saving files. To determine this default behavior, head over to the Preferences dialog (Edit>Preferences>General) and explore the File Handling area.

If you want your files to go back to their original folder, simply activate the Save As to Original Folder option. On the other hand, if you prefer Photoshop to remember and default to the last folder you saved to, uncheck this option instead.

By taking control of your file-saving process, you can streamline your workflow and ensure that your files end up exactly where you want them.

6. Create a history log

When working on a large project in Photoshop, it’s crucial to have a record of your steps. That way, you can easily retrace your path and make adjustments as needed.

To accomplish this, navigate to Edit>Preferences>History & Content Credentials, and check the History Log box. I recommend saving the log as a text file rather than within the project itself.

In the Edit Log Items dropdown, opt for Detailed as it captures the most comprehensive data. Choose a suitable filename and destination to save your log, and voila! Photoshop will diligently keep track of every action you take on each file, maintaining a detailed log for your reference.

7. Choose your preferred Workspace

By default, Photoshop sets you up with the Essentials workspace, which looks like this:

It’s fine for quick Photoshop work, but it doesn’t have all the common photo-editing tools and panels visible and easily accessible. That’s why I recommend exploring your other workspace options, which you can find under Window>Workspace.

Personally, I recommend the Photography workspace, which offers a visible Layers panel, easy application of adjustment layers, and access to handy photo-editing tools. But if you do a lot of graphic design, you may prefer to use the Graphic and Web workspace.

Pro tip: If you try all of Photoshop’s offered workspaces and don’t love any of them, you can actually save a workspace of your own! Simply adjust the layout to fit your preferred Photoshop setup, then choose Window>Workspace>New Workspace.

You can give your custom workspace a name, then easily find it in the Workspace menu the next time you need it. Cool, right?

Photoshop setup tips: final words

As you now know, setting up Photoshop can be a real game-changer for your photo-editing adventures. With just a few tweaks in the Preferences panel, you can customize this powerful program to fit your needs like a glove – and you can enjoy post-processing like never before.

So take some time to explore the Photoshop menu (especially that Preferences dialog!) and make Photoshop truly your own. Embrace the power of customization and unleash your creativity. Remember, every little tweak and adjustment can make a world of difference to your editing workflow!

Now over to you:

Do you have any Photoshop setup tips that I missed? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post 7 Photoshop Setup Tips (for an Effective Workflow in 2023) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Helen Bradley.

Let’s face it: Sorting and culling your pictures after a shoot can feel like a never-ending task. Whether you’ve spent a wild weekend capturing wildlife or a bustling day capturing a wedding, sifting through hundreds or even thousands of photos to figure out which ones to keep, edit, and store can drive you crazy.

Fortunately, Adobe Lightroom’s star-rating system is a superhero tool that helps you efficiently organize and store your precious images. If you’ve been struggling to keep your photos well-managed, then it’ll be an absolute game-changer – as long as you know the right approach.

In this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about using star ratings in Lightroom, including what star ratings are and how they work, plus some handy tips and tricks to keep your workflow fast and efficient.

Ready to get your photos organized? Let’s dive right in!

What are Lightroom star ratings?

Star ratings refer to one of Lightroom’s handiest image organizational features: the ability to apply a rating (from 0-5) to each and every image in your catalog.

The star rating option will appear underneath your photos in the Library module:

You can click to apply a rating (and if you choose a rating by mistake, you can always click on the stars again to remove it).

You can also apply star ratings in Grid View. Simply click the dots at the bottom of a photo:

And you’re done! Note that you can always use the Lightroom Sort option to sort photos by rating:

Or you can filter based on specific ratings (e.g., 3 stars and above):

How to improve your workflow with Lightroom star ratings: 4 tips

Star ratings have the power to revolutionize your editing process. In this section, I’ll share a handful of valuable tips to supercharge your workflow, starting with:

1. Embrace the magic of hotkey stars

Earlier, I talked about assigning ratings by clicking on the corresponding stars underneath your images. And sure, it’s an effective approach – but did you know that you know you can assign star ratings from 0 to 5 using your keyboard? These awesome hotkeys are what make the star rating system incredibly convenient.

In fact, if you have hundreds of photos to edit, this can dramatically cut down your time spent in Lightroom. Simply open an image in the Loupe View, press a hotkey to assign a star rating, then press the right arrow key to advance to the next file. You can blow through entire batches of images in seconds!

And if you want to go even faster, enable Lightroom’s Auto Advance feature by selecting Photo>Auto Advance. That way, once you rate an image, you won’t even need to press an arrow key; the program will automatically advance to the next photo.

2. Use star ratings to prioritize your photos

So you’ve just imported a bunch of photos, whether they’re wildlife shots, wedding moments, sports highlights, or captivating portraits. Now comes the burning question: Which ones are worth keeping? When you’re out in the field, you may capture multiple shots of similar subjects in slightly different settings or poses. At a wedding, for instance, you’ll have tons of dance photos, but only a select few will make the final cut.

This is where the star rating system swoops in to save the day. By assigning different ratings depending on the quality of each image, you can quickly categorize your shots and make sure that the best photos get shared and edited and the worst end up in the “delete” pile.

(By the way, here’s why I prefer the ratings system over the flag system: With star ratings, you get to be far more granular. Not only do you select the images to edit and delete, but you can also identify which images to edit first and which to edit down the line. You’re not limited to the binary “yes” and “no” of the flags.)

Now, you can assign rating values that align with your personal preferences, but here’s a suggestion: Let “0” (no rating) be your delete category. Then, designate “1” as the keep-but-low-priority-for-editing category—these could be your b-roll shots for applying general presets. Then, when you set an image to “2,” you’re saying it deserves immediate development, and when you assign a “4,” you’re signaling that it’s one of your absolute best shots. This tiered rating system ensures you only have to go through your images once – and ideally not more than twice. Trust me, it’s a massive time-saver, especially when you’re dealing with a large volume of files!

Quick note: I strongly advise against using “5” in your workflow. Reserve that rating exclusively for your top-notch, highest-quality images.

Once you’ve rated your shots, go ahead and sort them by rating. Then dive into the editing process as needed!

3. Use Smart Collections to create a portfolio

No doubt you’ll capture some amazing shots that you’ll be proud of and will want to keep for future reference, printing, or showcasing in your portfolio. As I mentioned earlier, these exceptional images deserve a five-star rating. (Remember: Only a select few shots should achieve this!)

To gather all your best shots in one place and create a stunning portfolio, Lightroom offers a nifty feature called Smart Collections. Think of it as your personal assistant that automatically gathers all images in your catalog with a specific attribute.

Here’s how you set it up: In the Collections tab, choose the Plus icon, then select Create Smart Collection:

Next, give your Collection a name (such as “Portfolio”), and add some selection criteria. You can base it on any attribute you assign in Lightroom – whether it’s stars, flags, keywords, or more. In our case, we want to collect images with a five-star rating, so we’ll create a single rating rule:

Finally, hit Create, and watch as your Smart Collection – with all your five-star images – appears!

As you continue your photographic journey, your five-star collection will keep growing, beautifully documenting your progress and telling your unique story!

4. Use stars to categorize subjects

This method of using star ratings is quite unique, but it can work wonders, especially if you’re keen on keywording your images.

Imagine you’re a bird photographer. Throughout the day, you’re constantly switching subjects, photographing different bird species left and right. When you import those images into Lightroom, the daunting task of keywording awaits you. Well, fear not! The star rating system comes to the rescue, making it a breeze to sort through your feathered friends in no time.

Here’s how it works: Mentally assign star ratings to particular species, and then use hotkeys to swiftly assign the corresponding star rating to each image. Once you’re done “coding” your species with stars, simply filter them in Grid View.

Now you can focus on completing your keywording, knowing that you’ve effortlessly organized your shots. And if you want to remove the star ratings afterward, it’s as easy as highlighting the images and pressing the “0” key.

Note that this technique isn’t limited to bird photography alone; you can apply it to various photography scenarios!

Lightroom star ratings: final words

Lightroom star ratings are like the secret sauce to streamlining your photo editing game. With just a few clicks, you can assign ratings to your images. That way, your photos will be neatly organized and ready to be edited. No more endless scrolling through folders and scratching your head trying to remember which shots were your favorites.

So embrace the power of Lightroom star ratings. Let them be your guiding stars in the vast universe of digital images. Take control of your workflow, save precious time, and unleash your creative genius!

Now over to you:

How do you plan to use Lightroom ratings? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Lightroom Star Ratings: A Quick Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ian Johnson.

Looking to learn everything there is to know about Photoshop’s Camera Raw filter? Well, have no fear, because the ultimate guide to the CR filter is here!

If you’ve only just started out post-processing your images in Photoshop, you may worry that the CR filter is a little too advanced – but that’s a mistake. In fact, the CR filter can be a game-changer for even the most inexperienced of photographers.

In other words, you don’t have to be a Photoshop expert to use this powerful tool. And that’s where this guide comes in. We’re going to break down everything you need to know about the CR filter in a way that’s easy to understand. Specifically, we discuss:

• What the filter actually is
• How to access the filter
• A handful of ways to use it in your post-processing workflow

So if you’re ready to start using Photoshop’s CR filter like a pro, then let’s dive right in!

What is the Photoshop Camera Raw filter?

At its most basic, this filter allows you to use the functions of the Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) interface within Photoshop. You can essentially make adjustments within ACR at any time during your workflow, rather than limiting its usage to the RAW processing stage only.

It’s worth noting that if you were to import your working file into Lightroom to make the same adjustments, it would be a cumbersome step. But with the Camera Raw filter in Photoshop, you can use these tools without any extra effort.

To find the filter, simply select Filter>Camera Raw Filter, and the dialog box will pop up. However, before you do this, you may want to stamp all the layers by pressing Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Alt/Opt+E. This will combine all of your layers into a new layer from which you can work.

Camera Raw filter limitations

While the Camera Raw filter is a great tool, there are some limitations you need to be aware of.

For example, you’ll lose some functionality of the white balance adjustment in ACR because you’re not working from a RAW file. You can still make drastic changes to the temperature of your images with this tool, but it won’t be as versatile as when you’re working on a RAW file in ACR. You’ll also lose the Crop and Rotate tools that you normally have access to when working on RAW files.

It’s also important to realize that because you’re not working with a RAW file at this stage, you won’t have the same versatility that you would when editing in ACR. Instead, the process will be more like editing a JPEG file in Lightroom or ACR. This means you’ll have less information to work with.

Bottom line: If you want to make the most of the Camera Raw filter, you need to get things as close to perfect as possible in the RAW stage of post-processing. That way, you’ll have plenty of information to work with – and, consequently, added versatility – when you use the filter in Photoshop.

How can the Camera Raw filter be used?

The CR filter is packed with tools – so much so that there’s no way to make anything resembling a complete list of its effective uses. But here are a few ways I apply the filter:

• To fine-tune adjustments after RAW processing
• To apply certain adjustments that are difficult to do in Photoshop’s main interface
• To make quick adjustments that apply to certain parts of the image
• To add quick and easy vignettes
• To make final tweaks before finishing your image

Now let’s take an in-depth look at each approach:

1. Fine-tune adjustments after RAW processing

If you’re anything like me, you like to make decisions on the spot when you’re processing your RAW files. But have you ever come back to a photo after a day or two and realized that you no longer like the adjustments you made? It happens to the best of us.

The problem, of course, is that you can’t go back to ACR if you’ve already started making adjustments in Photoshop. You don’t want to lose all your hard work, after all!

Well, here’s a quick and easy solution: Stamp the layers to a new layer and run the Camera Raw filter. That way, you can make any ACR-type adjustments you want, and it won’t affect your original work.

This trick works great for quick edits like exposure, contrast, and vibrancy. It also comes in handy if you find that you want to reduce the highlights or whites before diving into more extensive editing. (I use this technique all the time!)

2. Make trickier adjustments

Photoshop might be all-powerful on its own, but ACR (and Lightroom by extension) does make a few things easier. For example, the Clarity slider is tricky to replicate in Photoshop. Using the Photoshop Camera Raw filter to make Clarity adjustments is easier and can save a lot of time.

Another example is the use of the Highlights, Whites, Darks, and Blacks sliders to make quick, intuitive global contrast adjustments. Using these tools is especially useful if you’re not yet fully familiar or comfortable with Photoshop’s Curves and Levels adjustments.

3. Apply local adjustments

When I’m using the Photoshop Camera Raw filter, one of my favorite techniques is to make targeted adjustments to specific areas, like the background. Once I’ve got the adjustments dialed in, I can use a layer mask to ensure they only affect the parts of the image I want.

This approach works great for textured backgrounds because I can tweak the clarity and contrast to my heart’s content without worrying about messing up the subject. With a well-crafted layer mask, I can rest assured that my edits won’t bleed into areas they’re not wanted.

4. Add a vignette

There are tons of ways to create a vignette in Photoshop. In my opinion, however, the Vignette tool – offered in the Camera Raw filter – is by far the easiest, fastest, and most intuitive to use.

Simply head into the Effects panel, find the Post Crop Vignetting option, then adjust the sliders until you produce an effect you like!

By taking this approach, you can create a subtle – or, if you prefer, an extreme – vignette in just a few seconds. Also, if any part of the vignette is interfering with your subject, you can always mask it out later using Photoshop’s sophisticated masking options.

5. Make final tweaks

Another handy way to apply the Photoshop Camera Raw filter? Use it to add final tweaks to your finished images.

Once you’ve edited your image in Photoshop, you can run the filter and see if there are any additional adjustments you’d like to make. Tiny shifts to the file’s exposure, contrast, clarity, and vibrance can all help give an image a little extra polish. Sure, you can apply these adjustments in Photoshop, but the CR filter – with its array of easy-to-use sliders – is faster and more intuitive.

Remember: By this point in your workflow, your image should be mostly finished. Aim to keep any adjustments at this stage small and subtle, especially since you’re not working with a RAW file.

Just the beginning

With a tool like the Photoshop Camera Raw filter at your disposal, you can apply all sorts of adjustments with relative ease.

For the most part, if you can do it in Adobe Camera Raw (or in Lightroom’s Develop module), you can do it with the CR filter inside Photoshop. Feel free to use it however you need to achieve the results that you want.

Final tip: Use Smart Objects

Using Photoshop Camera Raw filter as a Smart Object might just be the missing piece of the puzzle in your workflow. It can be a game-changer for your post-processing style, giving you the flexibility to come back and tweak any adjustments that you’ve made.

Setting up a Smart Object is simple: just right-click on the layer that you want to work with and choose Convert to Smart Object.

From there, run the Camera Raw filter as normal. Make any adjustments you want, and once you’re happy, click OK. In the Layers palette, under the layer you’re working on, you’ll see the name of the filter below the Smart Filters box. If you double-click on it, you’ll be taken back to the Camera Raw filter dialog box where you can adjust any of the settings you’ve previously tweaked.

This technique is incredibly useful if you tend to second-guess your decisions later on. Smart Objects give you the freedom to make changes without having to start all over again.

Of course, Smart Objects may not work for every photographer’s workflow. If you like to use a lot of stamped layers, you may have already created and worked on a new stamped layer by the time you see something you want to modify. In this situation, any adjustments made to a Smart Object would not be visible.

But in general, using Smart Objects can make a huge difference to your workflow. They provide flexibility and save you time in the long run, allowing you to focus on the creative process. Give it a try and see how it works for you!

The Photoshop Camera Raw filter: final words

If you’re looking to up your image editing game, the Camera Raw filter is essential. This powerful tool seamlessly integrates Adobe Camera Raw into Photoshop, allowing you to make adjustments to your images at any point in your workflow without the need to switch between programs.

While it may not be as good as the original Adobe Camera Raw application when it comes to white balance adjustments or cropping, the Camera Raw filter still offers a wide range of functionality that can help you achieve the perfect look for your photos.

So, next time you’re editing an image in Photoshop, why not give the Camera Raw filter a shot? You might be surprised at just how much it can enhance your editing capabilities!

Remember, photography is all about experimentation and trying out new techniques. Don’t be afraid to play around with the Camera Raw filter and see what kind of results you can achieve. Who knows, you might even discover a new editing trick or two along the way!

Go ahead and give it a try. Your photos (and your viewers) will thank you for it. Happy editing!

The post Photoshop Camera Raw Filter: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

The Photoshop twirl effect is a cool editing trick that can turn bland images into abstract art. Even if you haven’t heard of it by name, I’m sure you’ve seen it around – it’s very popular among Photoshop lovers.

But how does it work, and how can you apply it to your own photos? In this article, I explain how to create a twirl effect in Photoshop, and I also offer several tips and tricks to ensure you get the best possible results!

Let’s dive right in.

What is the twirl effect?

The twirl effect is a post-production technique that stretches and “twirls” an image, like this:

In this article, I focus on creating the twirl effect in Photoshop, but note that it’s not a PS-exclusive technique; you can apply it using a variety of comprehensive editing programs.

During the process, your image loses all detail and figurative references. First, you turn your photograph into an abstract scene formed by colored lines, which you then warp to create a twirl effect.

When is a twirl effect useful?

The twirl effect is a great way to achieve dreamy, abstract art, no matter the underlying image. I’d recommend using it whenever you’re looking to create some digital artwork; while the result won’t look natural, it’s often quite spectacular!

One of the good things about this technique is that you can apply it to pretty much any photo. You might have a few images lying around that, on their own, are nothing special. Perhaps they aren’t technically correct – for example, they’re blurry. However, by applying the twirl effect, you can create something beautiful.

How to create a twirl effect in Photoshop: step by step

It’s very easy to create the twirl effect, even if you have zero editing experience! Simply follow these steps and experiment with each filter until you get a solid result.

Step 1: Select and open your photo

Start by opening a photo in Photoshop. It doesn’t matter which image you use – the twirl effect can be applied to any subject or composition. And if you’re struggling to decide between a few different shots, why not try them all?

Step 2: Prepare a second layer

Next, you’ll want to duplicate the background layer (i.e., your photo). Drag it to the plus sign at the bottom of the Layers panel or simply choose Layer>Duplicate Layer in the menu.

Then convert the new layer to a Smart Object. You can right-click the layer and choose Convert to Smart Object, or you can choose Filter>Convert for Smart Filters.

That way, you can go back to each filter later on and make adjustments again without having to start over.

Step 3: Add a Mezzotint filter

To create the twirl effect in Photoshop, you need to apply a series of filters to your image. The first one is Mezzotint.

In the main menu, choose Filters>Pixelate>Mezzotint. This will open a dialog box. Beneath the preview window, you can open the Type menu and pick your preferred type.

At this point, choosing between the different types won’t make much sense unless you’ve done the twirl effect before. So don’t worry too much about it. You can also come back and change it once you’ve applied the next filters because you converted the layer into a Smart Object.

In this case, I’m using the Medium Strokes type, but don’t feel that you have to do the same.

Step 4: Apply the Radial Blur filter

The next filter you need to apply is a Radial Blur, so head into the menu and select Filters>Blur>Radial Blur.

In the dialog box, set the Blur Method to Zoom. As for the Quality: You can choose Draft to speed things up, or you can use Good or Best if the file isn’t too big. At this point, you still have to apply more filters, so it’s not a problem to keep the value as Draft.

I’d suggest setting the amount to 100. You can always come back later and experiment with different numbers to see how they influence the final effect.

Then add the Radial Blur filter again. When you open the Filters menu, you’ll find the last filter you used at the top, so go ahead and select it:

The Radial Blur dialog box will open once more, and it should feature the same settings as before. Simply click OK.

Finally, apply the filter a third time, but make sure you change the Quality to Best:

Step 5: Add the Twirl filter

At this point, your photo should be looking pretty abstract, which means it’s time to start the twirling process! In the main menu, select Filter>Distort>Twirl.

In the dialog box, boost the Angle slider to add the twirl effect. There isn’t a magic Angle value that works for every image. Simply move the slider until you like what you see in the preview window, then click OK.

Go ahead and duplicate your twirled layer using the same process discussed in Step 2.

Step 6: Modify the duplicated layer

Identify your duplicate layer in the Layers panel. Note that the duplicate layer will contain all the Smart Filters you’ve applied so far. So double-click on the Twirl filter to open its dialog box:

Drag the Angle slider to the left until you reach the negative of the number you previously chose. I used an initial value of 197, so I’ll use an Angle value of -197.

(Pro tip: To quickly reverse the value, just click inside the value box and type a hyphen before the number.)

Now the twirl should go in the direction opposite that of the first layer. Click OK to apply it.

Step 7: Adjust the layer blend mode

At this point, you should have two layers, each featuring opposite twirls. However, the top layer will be completely blocking the layer underneath, and we need both layers to interact.

Simply open the Blend mode menu on the Layers panel, then pick a mode! Feel free to experiment with different modes to create different effects (and if you’re using Photoshop CC, you can preview the result as you hover over different blending options).

And that’s it; your twirl effect in Photoshop is done!

Tips and tricks to improve your twirl effect images

Once you can create a nice twirl effect, try a few of these tips to improve your workflow and level up your results:

1. Create an action

Making the twirl effect in Photoshop is very easy. However, it does involve a handful of steps. If you want to streamline your workflow and quickly apply the effect to any photo, you can create an Action.

Start by opening the image you want to modify. Then open the Actions panel. At the bottom, you’ll find a Plus symbol; that’s the New Action button.

Choose a name and start recording. Then follow the steps shared above to create the twirl effect. Once you’ve finished, stop the recording.

The next time you want to apply the twirl effect to an image, simply play the Action and Photoshop will automatically follow all the steps.

2. Apply the mirror effect

The twirl effect is nice, but if you want to get even more creative, you can apply the mirror effect to your image. To do this, you flip the image and put it next to the original.

You can even create a variety of different copies of the image, each rotated and cropped, and blend them together. There’s no limit to your creativity!

3. Use a mask to reveal part of the original image

Another creative application of the twirl effect? Combine the twirled file with part of the original image. You’ll need to use a layer mask to cover and reveal the different parts. Here’s how:

Create a new Group with the two layers that have the twirl effect. You can do this by selecting the layers and clicking on the folder icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.

Make sure the Group is selected, then click on the Layer Mask button. You’ll see a blank thumbnail appear next to the folder. Here, anything that you paint in black will be covered up, revealing anything that lies below (on the original background layer).

So use the Brush tool to paint black over the layer mask and reveal the unmodified shot underneath. And if you mess up while painting, don’t worry; you can always switch to a white Brush and paint over the mistake.

How to create the twirl effect: final words

I hope you liked this twirl effect tutorial! It’s a great way to produce plenty of interesting abstract effects – and you can apply them to pretty much any image, no matter their original quality.

So spend some time adding the twirl effect to your photos. Maybe even create an action. Good luck!

Now over to you:

Do you have any twirl effect photos that you’re proud of? Do you have any tips or tricks for better results? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post How to Create a Twirl Effect in Photoshop: A Quick Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Great news, Lightroom users: 

Adobe recently implemented its April 2023 Lightroom update, and the enhancements include several outstanding features everyone should try. Note that the upgrades discussed below apply to both Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Lightroom Classic, so you can take advantage of the changes no matter your program of choice.

What does the April update entail?

First, Lightroom now offers AI-powered noise reduction to create an unprecedentedly powerful – and effective – denoising experience. Instead of fiddling around with the Noise Reduction sliders, simply press the Denoise button, adjust the Amount slider as you see fit, and hit Enhance.

Adobe promises that the feature will “efficiently remove noise from Bayer or X-Trans RAW images while preserving all the finer details.” The biggest drawback here is the required processing time, especially if your PC isn’t very powerful; I tested the Denoise feature on my (somewhat aged) desktop, and I waited about seven minutes before I had my new noiseless DNG file. 

But if you only ever need to apply noise reduction to a few images at a time, that shouldn’t be a problem, and the AI-powered denoising has the potential to rescue images that were previously unusable. Also, if you prefer to customize your edits, you still have the option to reduce noise via the old sliders – look under the tab labeled Manual Noise Reduction. 

Next, Adobe has updated its Lightroom Masking tools, which you can access by selecting the Masking icon:

Under the People section, Lightroom still offers the option to detect and mask individuals. When you click on a person, you can then choose whether you want to separately mask the hair, iris and pupil, eye sclera, eyebrows, and more – and here, Lightroom has added several new masking options, including the ability to independently mask your selected subject’s clothing. 

And that’s not Lightroom’s only masking-related update. When you create a mask – whether with a Brush, a Gradient, or Lightroom’s AI selection tools – in addition to all your standard adjustment tools, you now have the option to apply targeted Curve adjustments:

If you’ve never used the Tone Curve before, it’s a powerful tool that lets you adjust image tones and colors with great precision (it’s also a favorite among Photoshop users). The addition of a Curve feature to the local adjustment menu may seem minor, but it’s a huge deal for folks who are looking to make careful tonal and color edits to portions of their images without affecting the whole file. 

Finally, Adobe has tweaked Lightroom’s layout in several key ways. You’ll now see an eye icon next to each editing panel; click on one of these, and any corresponding edits using tools from that panel will be temporarily deactivated. (As soon as you let go of the eye icon, the edits are reactivated.) Additionally, once you’ve made an edit using tools in a panel, the corresponding eye icon will be highlighted; that way, you can go back to old photos and quickly identify which panels have been used. 

Lightroom has been given a few more minor updates – for instance, there are some additional presets, and support has been expanded to a handful of cameras and lenses – and you can see a full list of changes to Lightroom Classic here and to Lightroom here. 

But it’s the noise reduction and masking improvements that are really going to kick things up a notch for Lightroom users, so I encourage everyone to head over to Lightroom and try them out!

Now over to you:

What do you think of these Lightroom updates? Which do you plan to use regularly? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Lightroom’s April 2023 Update Adds AI-Powered Denoise and More appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Photo editing is an essential part of every digital photography workflow. Not only is it a way to handle basic problems – such as dust spots, color casts, and lost detail – but it also allows you to enhance your files with color grading, light leaks, vignettes, and so much more. In fact, thanks to modern post-processing software, users can give their files a refined, pro-level look with only a few clicks.

But while post-processing software is powerful, it’s important that it’s used with both careful consideration and restraint. Sure, you can refine your photos in a few clicks, but you can also ruin them – and I’m afraid to say that folks do have a tendency to edit in the wrong direction, especially when they’re just starting out.

In this article, I share the five photo-editing mistakes that plague beginners’ work over and over again, and I explain how to fix them, too. Fortunately, even if you do make any of the errors that I share, they’re pretty easy to correct – so without further ado, let’s get to work!

1. Selective coloring

Sometimes, we get so obsessed with a particular element in our frame that we desperately want to highlight it. You might capture a bright umbrella, a stunning bird, or a colorful dress, yet when you look at the final image, you feel like it doesn’t stand out against the background – and that’s where selective color can enter the picture.

I’m talking about the technique where you make the entire photo black and white, except you keep one part of the image in color, like this:

As a beginner, you might be super excited by the selective color effect. After all, it looks cool and it can make key elements pop at the same time. But while there’s nothing wrong with testing out different photo-editing options to see what you can achieve, selective color is generally looked upon as a bit…amateurish.

For one, it’s compositionally lazy. If you want to highlight a particular object or color, it’s better to do it through careful composition and perspective choices, not a bit of post-processing magic. It often also feels rather gimmicky, like the photo is primarily interesting because of the selective color effect, not because of its subject, lighting, composition, etc.

Therefore, if you wish to step up your photography game and make your images look more professional, I’d encourage you to avoid selective coloring (and other, similarly gimmicky effects such as artificial background blurring) as much as possible. If you do run into a situation where you need to highlight one specific area in post-processing, try selectively boosting the exposure or saturation; it’s effective, but it’s also a lot more subtle.

2. HDR techniques

Of the five beginner photo-editing mistakes I discuss, this one has probably seen the most use – and, unfortunately, ruined the most pictures. HDR techniques aren’t as popular as they once were, but I still see a lot of problematic HDR edits, especially in landscape and interior portfolios.

Now, HDR photography isn’t inherently bad. It refers to the technique of capturing several photos at different exposures (i.e., bracketing), then blending them together in post-processing to create a final file that features detail in the highlights and shadows. It’s an approach that’s often used by professional landscape photographers to handle difficult lighting conditions, and it’s one that I encourage you to try out for yourself.

The problem is not when HDR techniques are used. The problem is when they are taken too far, either in an attempt to create an artsy look or with the purpose of showing tons of shadow and highlight detail. When you push HDR processing to a ridiculous degree, you’ll end up with unnatural-looking shots that look crispy, over-saturated, and just plain bad:

So here’s my advice:

If you do decide to use HDR processing on a photo, make sure that the results are natural. The tones in the image should align with what you saw with your eyes at the moment of capture. I’d also recommend doing your HDR processing with standard editing software (e.g., Adobe Lightroom), which is designed to create a subtle blended effect, not an eye-catching but ultimately unpleasant HDR look.

3. Oversaturating your files

We’ve all come across photos with vibrant and attractive colors, especially on photo-sharing apps such as Instagram. I get it; some of these photos look amazing.

But in trying to reproduce those results, it’s easy to boost the saturation level way too far – so much that you end up with a garish, distorted version of your original shot, one that looks worse, not better.

Check out the image on the left versus the image on the right below:

The shot on the left features vibrant reds and blues, but they don’t seem unnatural. The shot on the right, however, is so saturated that the man’s skin looks strange and his clothing has experienced a complete loss of detail, which is not at all ideal.

Unfortunately, it’s tough to get this one right. When you’ve spent several minutes (or hours) editing a single frame, you can develop a sort of blindness, where you’re unable to objectively evaluate the shot’s level of saturation.

That’s why I recommend taking a two-minute break from the screen after your final edit is complete. When you come back to your device, peek at the image and see what you think of the saturation level. You may find that the colors look far too intense, in which case you’ll need to dial back that saturation or vibrance slider. I use this process, myself – so you can trust me when I tell you that it’ll make a huge difference!

4. Using a black-and-white conversion without careful consideration

For many beginners, black and white is an artsy effect that can save nearly any image from the Rejects folder – but while a monochrome conversion can certainly improve images, it’s not a one-size-fits-all look. There are plenty of photos that are harmed by the black-and-white treatment, and it’s important that you approach each new edit with a fresh and analytical mind.

Personally, I find that images featuring lots of contrast tend to look good in black and white, whereas images that have very little contrast are damaged by the approach. Therefore, if I want to decide whether to convert to black and white, I check if the frame has contrast in it.

And even if a scene has good contrast, I also like to check if the image has any prominent colors that might add to the composition. If your shot includes a beautiful and colorful sunset, monochrome probably isn’t the way to go, even if you often do like the effect!

Of course, testing out a black-and-white look is easy – you can simply drop the desaturation slider or click the black-and-white conversion button – but the key is to be patient and analyze the image (both before and after the conversion). If you feel the colors aren’t especially appealing and the image features some nice high-contrast areas, go ahead and stick with the black-and-white effect.

One more tip: If you’re really struggling to determine whether black and white works for an image, ask a friend or family member. They don’t need to be a photographer; sometimes, all you need is someone who can be a little more objective.

5. Overuse of the vignette effect

Vignetting refers to the practice of darkening the edges of the frame to direct the viewer’s eye inward. As with a number of the other photo-editing mistakes I’ve explored in this article, vignetting isn’t necessarily bad – in fact, it can be quite effective when done correctly – but it is often overused or applied without significant restraint.

Overuse of the vignette effect will make your entire portfolio look amateurish, and if you push the effect too far in a single image, the vignette will actually detract from the subject, not emphasize it.

I myself love using a vignetting effect in photos where I want to emphasize a particular subject, but I don’t recommend using it in every image. And when I do use it, I aim to be subtle about it. The best vignettes are felt rather than seen!

Look, for instance, at the difference between these two images:

Both use a vignette, but the shot on the left is far more natural, while the vignette on the right is so obvious that it causes problems.

Also, I’d encourage you to avoid using the editing technique on landscape and interior architecture shots (and if you do wish to use it, keep it subtle so the overall beauty of the frame doesn’t get destroyed).

Photo-editing mistakes: final words

Hopefully, you’ve identified whether you’ve been making any of these mistakes yourself – and if you have, you know how to handle them.

Do remember, however, that editing is a subjective process. If you like a certain look that goes against the grain, then by all means, use it! Just make sure you’re making the choice carefully.

So head on over to your favorite post-processing program, then see if you can find some images to re-edit. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to avoid these top mistakes without any thought!

Now over to you:

Have you been making any of these five photo editing mistakes? Do you wish to add any editing mistakes to the list? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post 5 Photo-Editing Mistakes Every Beginner Should Avoid appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kunal Malhotra.

Lightroom Classic is a powerful editing program, but did you know that it contains an array of hidden tools that can speed up your workflow while also making it more efficient?

It’s true! Adobe packed Lightroom full of helpful little features, and in this article, we take a look at our seven favorites, including:

• A quick way to adjust the overall look of your images
• How to make precise exposure adjustments with minimal effort
• How to save space when importing images
• Much more!

So whether you’re a beginner just familiarizing yourself with Lightroom’s tools or you’re a serious editor looking to revolutionize your workflow, keep reading!

1. Visualize Spots

Have you ever shared an image online or printed a picture only to find that you failed to remove some ugly dust spots? It happens to the best of us, and it’s a deeply frustrating problem. After all, who wants to spend long minutes scrutinizing every inch of their images?

Thanks to Lightroom’s Visualize Spots feature, you don’t have to. You see, Lightroom boasts a handy little tool that makes it insanely easy to see – and then eliminate – spots from your photos.

Here’s how it works:

First, make sure you’re in the Develop module. Then select the Healing option (you can also hit Q on your keyboard).

Next, head down to the bottom of the screen, where you should see the Visualize Spots option. Click the checkbox (2), and watch as all your dust spots are revealed! You can also adjust the level of detail in the visualization (3):

Note: If you don’t see the Visualize Spots option, hit T on your keyboard to reveal the relevant toolbar.

At this point, you’ll want to quickly go through your image, switching Visualize Spots on and off while you remove all unwanted spots using the Heal or Clone tools. (You could remove spots with the Visualize Spots feature always on, but it’s better to make sure that spots are removed properly.)

You’ll finish with a spot-free image!

2. Hidden Quick Develop tools

Lightroom’s Library module is primarily designed to review your images after import, not apply edits. That said, it can be helpful to make basic changes to your images as you view them (especially if you struggle to decide which photos look best).

And that’s where the Quick Develop options come in, which you can find on the right-hand side of the Library module (underneath the Histogram panel). These handy buttons let you adjust the image exposure, contrast, white balance, clarity, and more.

Take a look at the Quick Develop options, however, and you’ll notice that two common adjustments – saturation and sharpening – are missing. Happily, these editing tools are available. They’re just hidden! Simply ensure that your Quick Develop panel is open, and look at the Clarity and Vibrance buttons:

Press and hold the Alt/Opt key. Clarity will instantly turn to Sharpening, and Vibrance will instantly turn to Saturation:

Keep holding the Alt/Opt key as you make your adjustments. When you’re done, take your finger off the key, and the tools will revert back to their default states.

3. Quick Develop adjustment precision

As I emphasized in the previous section, the Quick Develop tools can be very handy. However, they’re not very precise, which can be a problem – unless you know what to do.

You see, in the Quick Develop panel, you have four buttons for each adjustment. The inner two buttons will incrementally adjust your image, while the outer two buttons will make larger changes:

The Exposure buttons, for example, feature single and double arrows for increasing and decreasing the exposure. Single arrows change the exposure in 1/3rd stop increments. Double arrows change the exposure by 1-stop increments.

But what if you want to make more subtle changes? Are you stuck using the standard single-arrow buttons?

As it turns out, no! If you need more precise buttons, simply hold down the Shift key. The single arrows will become smaller, and when you click the corresponding buttons, the adjustment will only affect the image half as much.

4. Refine your Linear Gradients

Lightroom’s Linear Gradient tool (formerly known as the Graduated filter tool) is a great way to bring back detail in the sky without affecting the foreground. Note that you can access the Linear Gradient by selecting the Masking option in the Develop module:

However, if you use the Linear Gradient frequently, you’ll run into scenarios where the tool affects more of the scene than you’d like. In this next shot, I wanted to darken the sky without also darkening the cliff and the trees on the left-hand side:

Fortunately, you can achieve the result you’re after in a few different ways. One option is to apply your Linear Gradient, then – with the tool still selected – pull up the shadows; it’ll brighten up the darker areas while leaving the lighter sky untouched.

The second method requires more work, but it’s also far more precise. Once you’ve applied your Linear Gradient, select Subtract in the Masks panel:

Choose Brush, then use your cursor to paint away the areas that should remain unaffected by the Gradient.

5. Adjust the preview size when importing

Lightroom doesn’t edit your RAW files, but upon importing images, the program does generate previews – and the size of these previews depends on your settings.

In the Import window (under File Handling), you can select one of four options:

If you select the 1:1 option, Lightroom will produce giant previews for each image. While this will make editing at high magnifications much faster, it will also take up a ton of space. Standard previews are generally a better choice; these correspond to the previews you see when your image is viewed at screen size in the Library or the Develop module. (You also have the option to create Minimal previews, but these are too small for any in-depth reviewing.)

Even Standard previews can take up a lot of space, however, so if you have a lot of photos (or a small hard drive), you may wish to adjust their dimensions. Select Edit>Catalog Settings, then click the File Handling tab:

Here, you can choose the size of your Standard previews. The default option is Auto, which automatically sets the preview size to match your monitor’s resolution, but what if you’re using multiple monitors? Or what if you use a 6K monitor and don’t wish to create gigantic Standard previews?

Therefore, I’d recommend looking through the options and even testing out a few sizes until you find the right settings for your needs. The smaller the preview size, the less space the images will take up – and you can also save space by reducing the preview quality.

By the way, Lightroom automatically creates 1:1 previews when you zoom in for close-up editing, but by telling the program to discard these previews after one day, you can ensure they don’t fill up your hard drive.

6. The Profile tool

If you capture your photos in RAW (which we generally recommend!), you have the option to change the look of each shot without applying a single editing slider. I’m talking about the Profile option, which lets you select from a number of different ways of rendering the colors and tones in your images:

Lightroom offers a handful of basic Profiles, and I encourage you to test out each one. The default option is Adobe Color, which generally looks fine, but the Adobe Landscape, Adobe Portrait, and Adobe Vivid Profiles are all solid alternatives.

And if you can’t find a basic Profile that you like, Lightroom has dozens of additional profiles, which you can find by selecting the Browse option under the Profile list (displayed above).

These include Artistic Profiles, B&W Profiles, and even Vintage Profiles for that retro vibe that’s so popular on social media:

Here’s an image of mine that displays the power of Lightroom’s Profiles. The left side uses the Adobe Standard option, while the right side uses the Camera Matching Landscape option:

So the next time you’re unhappy with an edit, try switching the Profile. Maybe you’ll hit on something amazing!

7. Use the Alt/Opt key to set the blacks and whites

Most of the time, it’s a good idea to maintain detail everywhere in your images. In other words, you want to ensure there’s information in both the highlights and the shadows without any clipped areas.

When you’re adjusting image tones in the digital darkroom, however, it’s easy to accidentally lose detail (or fail to recover detail) without realizing it. That’s where this Lightroom tool comes in handy.

Simply hold down the Alt/Opt key while adjusting the Exposure, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, and Blacks sliders. Lightroom will create a mask that allows you to easily identify clipped areas as you work!

For instance, if you adjust the Whites slider while pressing the Alt/Opt key, your image will turn black – but if some parts are overexposed, you’ll see them as white or colorful areas.

And the opposite is true for the Blacks slider: If you hold down Alt/Option key and push the slider, the picture will turn white. If you clip some of the shadows, the areas will turn either colorful or black:

I highly encourage you to use this method when checking and adjusting the contrast of your picture. By carefully preserving detail in the whites and blacks, you’ll ensure that your images look professional – and thanks to Lightroom’s handy tools, you can achieve maximum contrast along the way.

Handy Lightroom tools: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you should be familiar with plenty of useful tools to enhance your editing workflow.

So head on over to Lightroom and test them out. See if you can re-edit a few of your images using insights from this article!

Now over to you:

Do you have any favorite Lightroom tools that we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post 7 Handy Lightroom Tools to Improve Your Editing Workflow appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sebastian Jezierski.

Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop are both powerful editing programs, but determining which to use – whether you’re a beginner, an enthusiast, or even a professional – can be tough.

And while the two programs are widely used by the photographic community, they each serve a unique purpose and feature essential differences. In other words, it’s important that you choose between Lightroom vs Photoshop carefully.

In this article, I explain everything you need to know about these two programs. I discuss key similarities and fundamental differences, and I conclude with a discussion of the best editing software for you.

Ready to pick a post-processing program? Then let’s dive right in!

Lightroom vs Photoshop: Overview

Both Lightroom and Photoshop are designed to do the same thing: edit images. How the programs go about handling that task, as well as how they’re designed to be used, is quite different – but if you are simply looking for software that will allow you to alter, tweak, and enhance your photographs, either one will suffice.

The two programs are capable of handling multiple file types such as JPEGs, PNGs, and TIFFs. Technically, Photoshop can’t edit RAW files directly, but it includes a RAW processor that’s highly sophisticated. In fact, both Photoshop and Lightroom use the Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) processing engine to handle RAW image files, so you can expect similar editing capabilities when adjusting saturation, working with curves, correcting for lens distortion, and so on.

Both programs also feature an extensive set of editing and manipulation tools allowing you to do everything from basic edits like cropping and adjusting exposure to advanced alterations such as working with brushes, tone curves, and graduated filters. You will find a variety of built-in effects that’ll allow you to instantly apply black and white, sepia, and other artistic effects.

Bottom line: Photoshop and Lightroom are highly capable image editors. I know some photographers who use Lightroom exclusively and never touch Photoshop, as well as plenty of others who spend all day in Photoshop and never open Lightroom.

That said, it’s worth exploring the benefits and drawbacks of each program so you can pick the software that best suits your needs, starting with:

Lightroom vs Photoshop: File handling

Lightroom, unlike Photoshop, doesn’t actually edit photos, nor does it move your images to different locations on your computer. Instead, your image files remain untouched, and every change you implement is kept in a separate catalog file (a sort of recipe book of instructions for how each photo should be processed).

Therefore, when you apply an edit in Lightroom – such as an exposure adjustment or a saturation boost – the software simply logs the alterations in its database while leaving the original image intact. This is known as non-destructive editing.

For example, several months ago I sent my father a photo I took of him, which I had spent some time editing in Lightroom.

But because I edited in Lightroom, the original file was left unchanged, and I can go back and re-edit the photo any time I want.

Another benefit of this approach is that the Lightroom catalog itself is generally quite small; it’ll often take up only a few hundred megabytes on your hard drive, even if you’ve imported thousands of files.

Photoshop, on the other hand, operates quite differently. When you edit a file, you’re always working on the original, unless you save a Photoshop PSD copy that is usually several dozen megabytes in size. A PSD file contains all of your edits, and in order to share the final image, it must then be saved as an easily displayable JPG, PNG, etc. In essence, if you want to perform non-destructive edits in Photoshop, you’ll end up with three separate files: the original camera RAW file, a PSD, and the final copy saved in a shareable format. The process works something like this:

To sum up, Lightroom and Photoshop’s editing processes look similar on the surface, but they come with one major difference: in Lightroom, all your edits are saved in a relatively small catalog file, while in Photoshop, all your changes are saved in unique files for every single picture you edit.

A Photoshop workflow will therefore require far more space, and you’ll end up with multiple versions of each image, too. So why would you want to choose Photoshop instead of Lightroom? In a word, power.

Photoshop vs Lightroom: Editing capabilities

Lightroom is kind of like an all-terrain farm vehicle: It’s fast, nimble, and can be used for a variety of tasks like hauling small objects and towing little trailers. But it simply cannot match the sheer power of a massive farm truck when it comes to getting big, serious jobs done like transporting bales of hay, pulling a horse trailer, or ploughing in mud and snow.

Years back, Adobe realized that not everyone needed the capability of Photoshop, particularly photographers who needed to edit hundreds of images at high speeds. What this new generation of digital photographers demanded was the core editing tools of Photoshop – without all of the fancy extras – packed into one easy-to-use program (Lightroom).

Because when it comes to editing capabilities, Photoshop is far beyond Lightroom. The program contains a dizzying array of filters, brushes, and other tools that allow you to perform hundreds of edits to your images. While Lightroom does offer a handful of excellent local editing options, Photoshop offers a level of precision that Lightroom can’t match.

But more than that, Photoshop operates by letting you create different layers on which your edits actually take place. You might use dozens of layers to edit a single image, and each layer can be modified independently of the others.

Lightroom, by contrast, works in a much more linear fashion. There are no layers, fewer editing tools, and less overall flexibility. This is great if you’re looking to make some basic edits and move on, but it’s not ideal if you’d like to spend hours carefully adjusting colors and tones in targeted portions of your images.

Note that both programs contain a History panel that lets you step back in time to any of your edits, but working with layers gives you infinitely more control over the editing process.

Let’s say you want to add a vignette to a portrait. In Lightroom, this is as simple as adjusting the Amount slider of the Post-Crop Vignetting tool, and while you can change a few basic parameters, there’s not an overwhelming number of options. It’s a quick, no-fuss solution that is incredibly useful for all sorts of photography situations, and if you want a bit more control you can always create a Radial Gradient.

In Photoshop, however, you would need to add an adjustment layer to your photo – probably Levels or Curves – and use it to darken the image. You’d then need to apply a mask to the layer so you only affect the outer edges, and you’d also have the option to modify the layer’s opacity or blend mode. That’s just the beginning, and while all these additional steps might seem hopelessly convoluted, the more you learn how to use the tools Photoshop has to offer, the greater degree of control you’ll have over the editing process.

Thanks to its huge number of options and features (including support for text, 3D graphics, and even video), Photoshop is ideal for almost any image-editing situation, but it takes longer to learn and each process requires more effort. Lightroom essentially distills Photoshop down to the tools that photographers use most, which is one of the reasons it is so appealing to shutterbugs.

Lightroom vs Photoshop: workflow and image organization

Photo organization is where Lightroom really shines – in fact, the program offers an end-to-end workflow solution for photographers. Since it’s designed specifically to address the needs of photography enthusiasts and professionals, it handles everything from importing photos from your memory card to organizing, editing, sharing, and printing.

Lightroom also has support for keywords and virtual folders to help you keep track of your images, and you can even use it to create a slideshow, a photo book, or a print. Many photographers, including professionals, go weeks or months without ever opening Photoshop because Lightroom really does it all.

On the other end of the spectrum is Photoshop, which doesn’t transfer files, won’t organize your images, and certainly can’t make slideshows or photo books. You can use the free Adobe Bridge software to handle some workflow-based tasks like importing photos and organizing the digital media on your computer, and when paired with Photoshop, it does offer a Lightroom-like workflow experience – but it’s not quite as streamlined as working in Lightroom alone.

At the end of the day, Lightroom is far and away the better choice if you’re looking for software that can handle your file organization. In fact, it’s one of the best image-organization programs on the market, and it’s often worth the subscription price for this reason alone. But if you need the power of Photoshop, then working with Adobe Bridge is definitely an option (or you can use both Lightroom and Photoshop for an integrated solution).

Lightroom vs Photoshop: Which program is best for you?

By now, you undoubtedly realize that both Lightroom and Photoshop have their advantages and disadvantages. So which program is best? That really depends on you!

If you’re serious about image editing and you want to post-process each image with pixel-level precision, Photoshop is probably the better choice (along with Adobe Bridge to manage your files). It’ll let you apply all sorts of targeted adjustments using brushes, gradients, and more, and it’ll even let you apply focus stacks and do high-level compositing.

But if you’re looking for a program that offers basic to mid-level editing and that can also take care of all your image workflow needs, then Lightroom is the way to go. Its digital asset management capabilities are outstanding, and it’ll help you keep each and every one of your images carefully organized.

One more factor to consider is price. You cannot purchase either of these programs for a single fee; instead, you’ll need to pay monthly for an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription plan. You can currently purchase Adobe’s basic Photography plan for just $9.99 per month, and it includes both Photoshop and Lightroom (as well as 20 GB of cloud storage).

So if you’re not quite sure which program to use, consider buying a Creative Cloud subscription, then try out both products and see what you think!

Now over to you:

Which program do you plan to use, Lightroom or Photoshop? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Lightroom vs Photoshop: Which Editing Program Is Best? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

If you want to improve your street photography after you’ve pressed the shutter button, then you’ll undoubtedly be interested in the best Lightroom street photography presets. After all, it’s one thing to capture the decisive moment when you’re out in the street with your camera, and it’s another thing entirely to edit each shot so your final files look precisely the way you envisioned.

Often, that extra bit of refinement or pop comes with the help of a favorite Lightroom preset. Presets allow us to control the look and feel of our photos so others can understand how we felt about the scenes as we photographed them.

Lightroom presets are extremely popular, and there are a huge number of options to choose from. Whether you’re just starting out or have had some experience with presets in the past, picking the best ones can be challenging. Therefore, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite presets, which will help you transform your RAW street photography snaps into images with depth and character – so long as you apply them well.

I’ve included a few presets that you can download (for free) and import into Lightroom. I’ve also made good use of some of the prepackaged presets that come as part of your Lightroom subscription. That way, you can see how easy it is to improve your street photos with a single click.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at the best street photography presets in 2023!

1. Classic – B&W Presets

In the Lightroom Develop module, you can find some wonderful black-and-white presets to apply to your street shots. Once you’ve picked a photo to edit, find the Classic – B&W Presets section in the Presets dropdown menu.

You should see a handful of black-and-white presets, and the one that works best will depend on your specific image. I’d recommend hovering over each of the presets as you observe the highlights and shadows of your shot. See what looks good, and don’t be afraid to tweak the editing sliders further once you’ve selected a preset.

Here’s my original image:

I decided to use the B&W Look 5 preset. Here is the result:

I like the effect it has on this street scene with a spirit house. Although I think the colors in this image work well together, I wanted to experiment with a monochrome effect, and I appreciate how B&W Look 5 manages the shadows and highlights while drawing attention to the woman’s face.

2. Cross Process

The cross-process look is old school. When using film, you need to make sure that it’s processed with the correct chemicals – but if you want to get unusual results, you can process color negative film in chemicals for color transparency film (or vice versa).

Cross-processing results are often unpredictable and can vary from film type to film type. So by applying a cross-process Lightroom preset, you know you’ll get some eye-catching color shifts! To find Lightroom’s cross-process options, go to the Preset panel, then select Classic – Color Presets. You should see three cross-process options: Cross Process 1, Cross Process 2, and Cross Process 3.

Below, I’ve put the cross-process presets to the test. Here’s my original image:

And here’s my image after applying a cross-process preset:

I like the color adjustments – the bright yellows and reds are toned down. I also love how this preset treated the stainless steel. Note that I manually tweaked the preset slightly to enhance the appearance of the colors.

3. Cool Shadows and Warm Highlights

The Cool Shadows and Warm Highlights preset is an outstanding choice for most forms of street photography; in fact, because it’s so universally applicable, you can use it to edit all kinds of different street shots and give a group of images a more unified appearance. (When you consistently use the same few presets, it can lend your photographic portfolio a stylized look and feel.)

You can find the preset in the Lightroom Preset panel under the Creative tab. Here’s my sample (before) photo:

And here’s the image after applying the Cool Shadows and Warm Highlights preset:

As you can see, the presets made the shadows cooler, and their bluish-green tones contrast nicely with the added warmth in the highlights. The warmer highlights even look good in the bright green of the umbrella.

4. Vivid

Some Lightroom presets can give your street photos an intense look, but the best ones tend to be more subtle. That’s why I recommend trying Vivid (in the Color section of the Lightroom Preset panel); it applies a little pop to photos without taking them too far.

Check out this simple image of a manikin:

And see the result after the preset has been applied:

I like how the preset lifted the colors and gently opened up the shadows. It’s also helped balance the contrast in the highlight areas. 

I’ve noticed a common trend in photo editing where the details are pulled out in both shadow and highlight areas. While such an approach can emphasize lots of detail, it also makes photos look unnatural. Just because it’s possible to exploit the shadows and highlights in this manner does not mean you need to do it frequently. It’s a bit like driving your car as fast as you can everywhere you go; it’s not always going to work out well. Instead, try using a subtle preset that keeps the image looking natural.

5. Cool Light

When your image contains lots of contrast, you might be tempted to use a preset that radically alters the colors and tones. In my experience, however, this is unnecessary. When an image already contains drama, you can make the most of it by applying a more subtle edit.

I deliberately exposed this next photo for the highlights; I saw the nice bright light illuminating part of the scene, and I appreciated the heavy shadows. So I set my exposure for the highlights and waited. Within a minute or two, a man pulled his motorcycle onto the sidewalk and caught the sunlight.

The original is nice, but I wanted to add a more subdued feeling to the shot. That’s why I applied Lightroom’s Cool Light preset (found in the Creative options), which lifted both the highlights and shadows while adding a blue tinge to the whole photo that unified the different elements.

6. Vintage Street Photography (by Weedit.Photos)

Sometimes, you might want to give your photos a vintage feel without going monochrome. Black and white certainly lends an old-fashioned look to photos, but sometimes leaving the color intact can work well, especially when you use a good vintage preset. A great option here is the Vintage Street Photography preset you can download from Weedit.Photos.

My original image is complex and colorful:

But the preset makes it even better:

As you can see, the image now has a distinctly older look and feel. By subduing the colors and dulling down the shadow areas, the preset replicates how some photos look when they are older. (Colors and blacks tend to fade and lose contrast, particularly if the photo hasn’t been processed well.)

I deliberately chose an image that had no obvious technology, though the motorcycle might give the game away.

7. Illumination Street Photography (by Weedit.Photos)

The Illumination Street Photography preset comes, once again, from Weedit.Photos, and it’s completely free to download. It’s a great way to unify your shots with subtle color toning, and it can even give photos a slightly cinematic feel.

For this next image – featuring two men talking at a street noodle shop – I wanted to dampen down the colors. The bright shirts and the vibrant hues in the background didn’t match the mood.

So I applied the Illumination preset to balance the colors and contrast. Here’s the result:

8. Urban Cool (by PresetLove)

Some Lightroom presets only adjust image tones, but others alter the main colors in an image (occasionally with spectacular results!). I loved the look of this stylized building contrasted with the mass of messy powerlines, but I thought the scene looked a bit dull:

So I added the Urban Cool preset from PresetLove. It added a nice blue to the midtones in the scene, and the result was much more to my liking:

9. Demarcation Street Photography (by Weedit.Photos)

When I edit my street photos, I aim to keep skin tones looking relatively natural. I’ll tweak brightness and contrast levels but often leave skin tones alone. 

Therefore, I prefer to use presets that don’t adjust skin too heavily. This next street portrait needed a bit of contrast:

So I added the Demarcation Street Photography preset from Weedit.Photos. The woman’s skin tone looks natural, but the preset added a touch of contrast that helps separate the subject from the background:

10. Street (by PresetLove)

Not every photo needs to look subtle and realistic. Sometimes, you may wish to create a more radical look and feel to your shots, and that’s where the Street preset from PresetLove comes in handy.

Take a look at my image prior to adding the preset:

Then, when I add the Street preset, here’s what I get:

As you can see, the preset has adjusted the look of this image quite heavily. The greens have turned to aqua, while the yellows and reds have swung more toward orange. The whole photo vibrates in an odd color space that works nicely with the juxtaposition of the sunflower, the signs, and the CCTV cameras.

The best Lightroom street photography presets: final words

Finding the best Lightroom street photography preset for your image is often a matter of experimenting with lots of options. The more you try, the more you’ll understand what you like, though I certainly hope this list provides you with a good starting point.

Remember: If you scroll your cursor over your Lightroom presets, you’ll see the effect previewed on your image. This can be a great way to quickly determine the right preset to use.

And once you’ve been applying presets for a while, you can try tweaking them to refine the look of each photo you edit. It’s faster than editing photos from scratch, and it also offers extra customizability for the best possible results. (You might even create some presets of your own!)

Now over to you:

Which of these presets do you plan to use? Do you have other favorite presets that we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post 10 Best Street Photography Presets (for Lightroom) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.