Tag Archives: post-processing

Podcasts, The Image Doctors

The Image Doctors #113

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Creative Ways of Using The Texture/Clarity/Dehaze Tools

If you do any post-processing of your images, you’re probably familiar with the Clarity, Texture, and Dehaze sliders (in Lightroom, and elsewhere). However, these tools become extremely powerful when used to enhance or diminish detail and contrast in your photos, including creating effects that you might not have thought of before. We’ll describe how these tools work, and offer some use cases for how you can put them to work to enhance your own photos.

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Software and Post-Processing, Tips and Tricks

Moving to Macphun: Tips for Nik Users

Luminar from Macphun can be used to create dramatic effects and is an effective replacement for many Nik Collection plug-ins.

With the recent announcement that Google will no longer support the Nik Collection, I’ve started using Macphun’s suite of editing tools more and more frequently. Most specifically, I’ve jumped feet-first into their newest editor, Luminar. I’ve found it to be an excellent choice for photographers who are familiar with the Nik Collection suite. You can read my initial thoughts on Luminar here.

Here’s why I’m moving to Macphun:

  • Macphun Software applications use the latest technologies for image adjustments and special effects
  • Macphun products are compatible with Lightroom and Photoshop, plus you can use Luminar as a stand-alone editor (it even opens most RAW files)
  • Luminar offers a full complement of tools and effects filters that in many cases replace multiple Nik plug-ins, including Color Efex Pro 4 and Silver Efex Pro 2.
  • Built-in layer support for selective editing and effects partitioning.
  • Smart “erase” and noise-reduction tools, along with clone stamp
  • Smart Filter support in Adobe Photoshop
  • Luminar for Windows will be released this fall
  • It’s a full-featured image editor with lots of effects filters for under $60

Get Luminar for Mac Here
Get Luminar Public Beta for Windows Here

Learning to Love Luminar

While there are several Macphun software plug-ins available for Mac users (and they are excellent), Luminar is so incredibly flexible that it can take the place of most of the other filters, provided you know where to look. Because Luminar is coming to Windows, too, it’s the one Macphun product I think you should be familiar with. Here are some tips for getting the most out of Luminar. Continue reading Moving to Macphun: Tips for Nik Users →

Tips and Tricks, Workshops/Training

The Photoshop Techniques Every Lightroom User Should Know

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lr-psDespite the fact that I’ve owned a copy of Adobe Photoshop since the 1990’s, I’ve rarely made a big deal about it in my workshops and presentations. That’s because the cost of ownership presented a huge barrier to amateur photographers. Moreover, Lightroom has become quite powerful in its own right; many users simply find they didn’t need to leave the Lightroom editing environment.

If you’re using Lightroom via the Adobe Photography Plan (Creative Cloud subscription), then you’re getting the complete version of Adobe Photoshop right along with it. If you have access to this powerful tool, you ought to know how to use it (at least in terms of your photos).

There are so many tools in Photoshop that it’s easy to get lost and intimidated. However, there are a few things that Photoshop lets you do that you can’t do in Lightroom, and for certain photos, those tools can be tremendously useful. Read on to see my list of “go-to” tools.

Continue reading The Photoshop Techniques Every Lightroom User Should Know →

Books, News

Finish Strong.

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The “Secret Sauce” for Fine-Art Image Processing

Nik Collection plug-ins have been my "secret sauce" for creating images with impact after processing RAW files in Lightroom.
Nik Collection plug-ins are my “secret sauce” for creating images with impact after processing RAW files in Lightroom.

Photography, like any other medium, is a craft. In woodworking, you produce a finished product through a serial application of sandpaper, working from coarse to fine. The best finish is only obtained after using the finest-grit sandpapers, sometimes even between coats of lacquer. So it is, too with photography.

Your camera settings apply the foundation of the image, but they cannot refine the image in the same way your editing software can. Even seemingly small adjustments can be the difference between a snapshot and a gallery print. For years, my “secret sauce” has been to finish images with the “Big 3” Nik Collection plug-ins (Color Efex/HDR Efex/Silver Efex).

For a limited time, my collection of PDF guides to the Nik Collection by Google are available for only $9.99 each. Or, you can purchase the set of three guides for only $24.99. No coupon code necessary!

Each PDF guide is user-printable and also includes a set of installable custom presets for the Nik Collection plug-ins.

Nik Collection PDF Bundle
Includes all three guides listed above

*Special Note: These products contain multiple files and are delivered as a ZIP archive.  To download the files to an iPad, you will need  a free ZIP utility, such as iZip for iOS. Android users should consider using WinZip. Otherwise, download and extract the files to a Mac or PC and then transfer them to your tablet device.

Tips and Tricks, Videos

Dodging and Burning Digital Photos

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Dodging and burning techniques have been around for over a hundred years. While you may think of these techniques as a method of adjusting and balancing tones, they also serve a more distinct purpose: enhancing and diminishing areas of interest in an image. Psychologically, your eye will be drawn towards bright, colorful areas in an image and away from dark, dull areas. With modern digital processing tools, we can take a 21st century approach to dodging and burning. Here’s a short video on how to accomplish this using Adobe Lightroom.

For a complete tutorial on using brushes in Adobe Lightroom, check out Lightroom: Mastering Brushes & Gradients (video workshop)