If you shoot in RAW and you want your photos to look realistic, photo editing is a necessary step in the photographic workflow. Unedited RAW files simply do not look like what you saw with your eyes! For instance, in high-contrast lighting, the human eye can see more detail in the highlights and the shadows – and when faced with colorful subjects, RAW shots just don’t have the same pop as the real-life scene.

That’s where RAW photo editing in Lightroom comes in handy. With a bit of effort, you can balance the light and color to get your photos looking lifelike – so they more closely match the view you experienced.

In this article, I offer five easy tips to ensure you can effectively edit your RAW photos in Lightroom. That way, the next time you capture a batch of RAW files, you know exactly how to process them for outstanding results!

Let’s dive right in.

1. Don’t believe what you see

Many photographers review their images on the camera’s rear LCD screen and find them to be colorful and punchy – but then are confused when the shots look flat and dull on the computer. “What happened to my vibrant, contrasty image?” they ask.

Here’s what’s going on: What you see on your camera screen is a JPEG photo, not a RAW file. The JPEG is automatically processed by your camera to look more true to life, but when you import the RAW image into Lightroom, all your camera’s processing disappears, and you gain access to the original, unaltered file.

Fortunately, this has major benefits. For instance, the JPEG image may show a lack of detail in certain areas – the extreme highlights and shadows – yet the RAW file retains that information. When you process the RAW file in Lightroom, you can carefully tweak the tonal sliders to recover this detail and create a far superior image.

But it’s essential that you account for this when out shooting with your camera. If you want to capture the most detail, spend time understanding precisely how your camera renders JPEGs and RAW files, and know how your camera’s RAW files respond when you post-process them. That way, you can have a sense of what’s achievable when you view the images in the field.

2. Don’t be afraid to use (and make) presets

Lightroom has many presets, which let you make dramatic changes to your shots in a single click. Some of these presets come with the software, while others can be downloaded online and added to your Lightroom collection.

Many presets, when applied, will give your photos a somewhat surreal look. You can create images with cinematic effects, incredible vibrancy, artistic fades, film-like colors, and more. Many of these looks will be gimmicky, but if you put in the effort, you can find presets that will make your images look natural and lifelike.

Spend some time looking through Lightroom’s built-in preset collection. Test out the different options, and see if you can find any you like. As I mentioned above, you can also find presets online, so if you don’t like any of Lightroom’s included offerings, that’s a solid option.

Another approach is to make presets of your own. This isn’t hard to do, and it’s a great way to develop presets that are particular to your editing style.

You can choose presets that look however you like – it’s your photos, after all! – but if you’re looking to make your RAW photos more realistic, then you should be somewhat restrained in your approach. When making your own presets, don’t push the sliders too far, and don’t go for wild color shifts or major tone curve adjustments.

Also, when you develop presets for a natural-looking result, keep in mind how you saw what you photographed. How was the lighting? Was it high or low contrast? Did it have a warm or cold cast? Was it more neutral? What did the colors look like? If you consider the reality of a scene, then you can accurately recreate it during RAW photo editing.

Thinking about what you saw when you were taking your photos will help you create more realistic edits, but it’s not always possible to remember clearly. That’s when you need to think objectively and aim to find a balance in lighting, contrast, and color when you working on editing, as I explain in the next section:

3. Find a balance

As I emphasized in the previous tip, it’s easy to go off the rails when editing RAW photos in Lightroom and end up with highly unrealistic results. Now, a lack of realism isn’t bad if it’s your goal, but most shooters are interested in creating images that accurately reflect how they saw the scene.

Therefore, it’s important that you always think about achieving the right balance when shooting. You generally don’t want to adjust every slider, but should instead focus on using small tweaks to the main sliders until you get a nice result. In Lightroom, the sliders I use most often to achieve a natural effect are:

• Temp
• Exposure
• Highlights
• Shadows
• Blacks

I use the other sliders less often (their use depends on the lighting conditions at the time of capture). At times, I will make alterations to individual colors using the Saturation and Luminance sliders, which you can find in the HSL panel.

Photos taken at different times of the day and night require different edits to suit the lighting. For instance, photos taken on a sunny day will require different editing compared to photos you take when it’s cloudy or indoors. Whether the light is high contrast or low contrast will also make a difference.

I know I mentioned this above, but it bears repeating: Don’t overdo your adjustments. Avoid pushing sliders to their extremes. This will help you achieve a far more realistic outcome. Additionally, once you start maxing out the sliders, you’ll find that image quality begins to deteriorate. Pixelation, banding, and other imperfections will begin to appear, plus you’ll often lose detail in key areas.

4. Adjust the highlights and shadows

Lightroom’s RAW photo editing technology – and RAW photo editing technology in general – has its limits. These depend primarily on the original file; if your RAW shot doesn’t contain detail in the highlights and shadows, you won’t be able to bring it back, even with extensive Lightroom processing.

However, every RAW file contains more detail than might be immediately apparent, and bringing back this detail is essential to creating realistic edits. That’s why I recommend you check the highlights and the shadows of each image, and if you notice a loss of detail, take steps to recover it.

Specifically, bringing down the highlights and boosting the shadows will bring back lost information and make the file look more true to life. You can use Lightroom’s Highlights and Shadows sliders to do this – however, it’s important that you first correct the exposure (using the Exposure slider), or else you may struggle to get a good result.

Here, the histogram is your friend. While there’s no single best histogram, watch for peaks that push up against the sides of the graph (because these indicate a loss of detail!).

And don’t just think about exposure and detail recovery when processing. Make sure that you also get your settings right in the field, and compose your photos carefully so that the contrast range you capture is within the dynamic range of your camera. If you’re faced with very bright and very dark areas in the same frame, you may want to simply recompose.

That said, if you’re in a situation where you desperately want to take the photo but can’t avoid a loss of detail, I’d recommend allowing the highlights to be overexposed while making sure to retain some shadow detail. This mimics how our eyes naturally handle bright lighting conditions; we often can’t see detail on light-colored or very reflective surfaces, but we can see detail in the shadows.

5. Think about Lightroom RAW editing when you take photos

Make sure that your editing process and your shooting process aren’t completely separate. In other words, when you take photos, consider the changes you can make to your RAW images later; that way, you can optimize your settings and your compositions to fit your imagined final shot.

To some, thinking about what you can do in post-production might seem like cheating, but I don’t see it that way. It’s a matter of working with the tools we have available! Modern digital technology gives us opportunities to make photos look more realistic, and you should take advantage of that fact. Knowing how your RAW file can be adjusted later on is a major help, not a harm.

So whenever you head out with your camera, always keep various processing possibilities in the back of your mind. Recognize what detail you can recover and what detail you can’t, and recognize how different RAW files will appear (and how you can adjust them later to create a natural look).

Editing RAW photos in Lightroom: final words

There you have it:

Five key tips to improve your RAW photo editing! I hope you found this article useful; learning to successfully edit your RAW shots is an essential skill, and while it will take time to master, it’s certainly a worthwhile pursuit.

So head into your archives and find some photos to edit. Try to remember how the scene looked when you took the shot, and practice making adjustments so it looks more true to life!

Now over to you:

Do you have any additional tips for RAW editing in Lightroom? What does your workflow look like? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Editing RAW Photos in Lightroom: 5 Essential Tips appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

Do your images need that magical touch of sparkles and glitter? Are you looking for an easy way to add a bit of flair to your shots? You’re in the right place.

In this article, I explain everything you need to know to create a sparkle effect in Photoshop. I show you how to make the sparkles, how to add a glow to them, and how to save them as overlays and brushes (so you can use them whenever you like!).

Ready to create some stunning sparkles? Let’s do this!

What is a sparkle effect in Photoshop?

A sparkle effect features one or more twinkly points of light, which can range from highly realistic to cartoonish and cutesy.

You can use the sparkle effect to add a twinkle to someone’s smile or eyes; you might also add a sparkle to a diamond or metallic object. Another popular edit is to add a starburst to lights or the sun.

The sparkle effect is also a great way to add some magic to your images. Whether your goal is to turn a branch into a magic wand or to add a magical light to an open book, this effect will help you out!

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

There are two ways to apply a sparkle effect in Photoshop.

First, you can use an overlay, which is a quick way to add many sparkles across the entire image or to a specific area (like the top half of the composition, for example).

Second, you can create a brush. This allows you to apply one or more sparkles in a controlled way. You’ll have to add them manually each and every time you want to produce the effect, though.

Below, I explain how to work with both methods. The one you use is your choice!

Method 1: Create a sparkle overlay

An overlay is a layer that you can apply to any picture. Once you’ve created your sparkle overlay, you can quickly and easily add the effect to your files.

Step 1: Set up your document

Start by creating a new document. It can be any size, though since the point of an overlay is to have an asset you can use on any file, pick a size that roughly matches the dimensions of your photos.

Choose black as the background color, and click Create.

Step 2: Turn the background layer into a Smart Object

Smart Objects allow you to modify filters (known as Smart Filters) after they’ve been applied. The sparkle effect does require a filter, so it’s good practice to start by turning your layer into a Smart Object before you get started creating.

To do this, simply right-click on your background layer and select Convert to Smart Object in the menu.

Step 3: Add some noise

Select Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Once the dialog box appears, use the slider to determine how dense you want the noise to be. Since you turned the layer into a Smart Object, you’ll be able to come back and adjust it, so don’t worry too much about getting it exactly right.

Make sure you have the noise set to Uniform and Monochromatic. Then click OK.

Step 4: Adjust using Levels

Now it’s time to modify the noise. Start by adding a Levels adjustment layer (select Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels).

In the Levels histogram, use the handles to adjust the contrast. It’s generally good to make some of the noise disappear by deepening the blacks.

You can also try moving the midtones to the right and the highlights to the left. There isn’t a specific formula; just experiment and see what you can come up with. Since you’re working on a layer, you can always modify the Levels adjustment later if there’s something you don’t like.

Step 5: Add a Sponge filter

You’ll need to further modify the effect with a Sponge filter. Go to Filters>Filter Gallery>Sponge, and use the sliders to adjust the effect to your liking. Click OK.

Step 6: Add a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer

Next, you’ll want to make adjustments using a Brightness/Contrast layer. Go ahead and select Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Brightness/Contrast.

You can use the same values I use (shown in the image above), but it’s better that you move the sliders until you like how the file looks.

Step 7: Create a new merged layer

At this point, you have created the basic sparkles, and in a moment, I’ll show you how to add a glow effect. Note that, if you want your overlay to have more or fewer sparkles, this is the time to go back to the Noise filter and make adjustments. You can also modify your adjustment layers to achieve slightly different looks.

Once you’re satisfied, create a new layer that contains your existing sparkles. You can press Shift+Alt/Opt+Ctrl/Cmd+E, or you can add a new blank layer and select Image>Apply Image, choose Merge, and click OK.

Step 8: Remove the background and add some motion blur

I’d recommend turning off the visibility of the other layers so you’re only viewing your merged (topmost) layer. Use the Color Range tool (Select>Color Range) to select the black portions of the file, then press the backspace key to delete it.

Now you should only see the sparkles. Duplicate the layer by dragging it to the Plus sign at the bottom of the Layer panel. Then choose Filter>Blur>Motion Blur.

In the dialog box, choose the direction of the blur and the distance. (Experimentation can be helpful here, or you can use the settings displayed in the image above). If you’re struggling to see the effect, you can add a Solid Color adjustment layer underneath your sparkle layers.

Repeat the previous step a few more times, changing the direction and distance of the blur as you go. The idea is to ensure that each sparkle glows in a star shape.

Step 9: Finish up and save the overlay

Merge the Sparkle layers together and delete all the other layers. Make sure you save it as PNG; otherwise, it will save with a white background and the sparkles will be lost.

And that’s it! Now you have an overlay that you can use to apply sparkles to any photo.

Method 2: Create a sparkle brush

Another way to create a sparkle effect is with a brush – which, once created, can be used to paint sparkles onto anything you like.

Note that, in order to create a sparkle brush, you’ll need to follow Steps 1-7 in Method 1 (above). Then continue:

Step 1: Select a few sparkles

From your existing overlay, choose a cluster of sparkles that you like. You can use a single sparkle, but using a cluster will help you create multiple brushes with zero extra effort, so it’s more efficient.

Select your sparkle cluster using the Lasso tool. Then copy it onto a new document.

Step 2: Add the glow

Duplicate your main layer and add motion blur (see Step 8, above). You will do this four times, taking care to change the direction of the blur to create a starburst effect.

Feel free to experiment with different levels and directions of blur!

Step 3: Invert the layer

Next, merge all the sparkle layers by selecting Layers>Flatten Image.

Then choose Image>Adjustments>Invert. Instead of seeing a black background with white sparkles, you should see a white background with black sparkles:

Step 4: Save the brush

At this point, you have a sparkle brush, which you can save by selecting Edit>Define Brush Preset. In the dialog box, type a name for your brush, then click OK.

But you can save additional brush tips by making different selections. For example, you can select just two sparkles and save the selection as another preset. Then you can select three sparkles and save the selection again. (This is why I recommended you use a cluster of sparkles! Now you’ll have a bunch of sparkle brushes to choose from.)

Step 5: Modify the brush properties

You’ve created a brush tip, so if you apply a single click to an image, you’ll get a sparkle. But if you apply a brush stroke to an image, it’ll hardly look like many sparkles – just a smudge!

To get a better effect, you must change the properties of the brush. In the Brush Settings panel, start by going to Shape Dynamics. Choose Control>Fade if you use a mouse or Control>Pen Pressure if you use a tablet.

Now drag the Minimum Diameter slider until you like how the brush looks. (You can see a preview at the bottom of the panel, or you can try out the brush on the canvas.)

Go to Scattering in the Brush Settings panel. Here, check the Both Axes option and move the various sliders until you’re satisfied with the results.

Once you like the effect, save it as a brush preset by going to the hamburger menu and choosing New Brush Preset.

That’s it! Every time you open a photo or a document, you’ll have these brushes available to create a sparkle effect in Photoshop.

Sparkle effect step-by-step example

In this section, I explain how you can add the sparkle effect in Photoshop using the tools you’ve built. Before we dive in, make sure you’ve opened the image to which you’d like to apply the effect; for this example, I’m using a photo of a candle.

Step 1: Choose the right color

First, choose the color of your sparkles by clicking on the swatches to open the color picker. You can choose any color you like, though I’m going to sample the yellow from the candle flame:

Step 2: Grab your brush

Add a new blank layer by selecting Layer>New>Layer. This is where you’ll paint the sparkles.

Activate the Brush tool; you can either press the letter B on your keyboard or click on the Brush icon in the toolbox. Choose the sparkle brush you created previously, and adjust the size until you have a result you like.

Step 3: Paint on your sparkles

Now you can add your sparkles! I wanted to create a sparkle trail that went around the candle, so I painted on the layer with my yellow brush, then I used a layer mask to hide part of the trail (that way, the trail appears to pass behind the candle):

Step 4: Add your sparkle overlay

You don’t have to stop there – you can add the sparkle overlay you created, too! Just g to File>Place Embedded. Then select the PNG file you created and apply it to the image.

Make sure to adjust it to fit the picture using the Free Transform tool.

For a more authentic final result, I’ve added a graded layer mask so the effect fades toward the top. I’ve also added a color clipping mask to match the yellow color from the first sparkles:

How to create a sparkle effect in Photoshop: final words

I hope you had fun adding a magical touch to your images with a sparkle effect! Yes, there are a lot of steps involved, no matter the approach you use – but the good thing is that you only have to do it once. Once you’ve created your overlay or your brush, all you have to do is apply the effect to your image and customize it as needed.

So enjoy working with your overlays and brushes. Make some magical edits!

Now over to you:

How do you plan to use the sparkle effect? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post How to Create a Sparkle Effect in Photoshop (Step By Step) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Did you know that you can apply a watercolor effect in Photoshop to any image?

That’s right. You can make any photo look like it was painstakingly painted by hand, which comes in handy if you’re looking to create an abstract effect, or you’re hoping to liven up an otherwise bland image.

In this article, I’ll explain how it works (in simple language that even a Photoshop beginner can understand). I’ll also show you how to use a Photoshop action to create the effect, so you can do it with just a few quick clicks.

Ready to make your photos look like watercolors? Let’s get to it!

What is a Photoshop watercolor effect?

Most of us have done a watercolor painting at some point in our lives. Watercolors are often used by children because, unlike other types of paints, they’re not at risk of being drunk. (Why? Because they’re blocks of pigments bound together by a water-soluble ingredient. This means that the paints are solid – until you rub a wet brush on the pigment block.)

Now, unlike actual watercolor painting, the watercolor effect is done in Photoshop. It’s a post-processing technique that lets you make your photographs look like they were created using watercolor paints.

Not only is it safe, but it’s also easier than painting, and it’s very flexible. You can take full control over the results by proceeding through the steps I share below, or you can use an action, which is basically a preset that lets you automate the process.

When is it useful to create a watercolor effect?

This is an easy question to answer. You should create a watercolor effect whenever you want!

You see, making your photograph look like watercolor paint is a personal choice. Maybe you like watercolors but you don’t know how to paint. Perhaps you simply feel like experimenting with different techniques. Or maybe you just want to create a cool, painterly effect.

In summary, you don’t do the watercolor effect in Photoshop because it’ll help you achieve some other result down the line. You do it because you like how it looks!

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

There are many ways to create a watercolor effect in Photoshop. For instance, you could go to the Filter Gallery inside Photoshop and choose the Watercolor option.

That’s an easy and quick solution. However, if you want your watercolor effect to look its absolute best, you should probably invest a little more time. The process I explain below is the one I like most. It gives great results, and it’s easy to follow and customize.

Before you start

Before you can create a watercolor effect, you’ll need to download watercolor brushes. For this tutorial, I’ve used the brushes offered by Adobe since they’re included in your Photoshop subscription and they’re easy to use.

To download the relevant brush, activate the Brush tool. Then click on the hamburger menu icon – on the Brush panel – to open the menu. Go ahead and select Get More Brushes…

This will launch the Adobe brushes websites. Click Download on the Watercolor package and save it on your computer. Then go back to Photoshop, open the Brushes panel menu again, and choose Import Brushes.

Then select the file you just downloaded and click OK.

You’ll also need a paper overlay to give your piece that authentic watercolor look. You can download one from many online websites. However, I found it easier to photograph a piece of watercolor paper and use that. Whatever approach you use, have this file ready when you decide to make your Photoshop watercolor effect.

Step 1: Open your photo and duplicate the layer

Start by bringing your photo into Photoshop, then duplicate the layer. This isn’t a step that changes the outcome of the watercolor effect, but I always like to do this so that I have an original version to revert back to if anything goes wrong.

You can do this by tapping Ctrl/Cmd + J. Then, because you’ll be working on the duplicate, turn off the background layer by clicking on the eye icon.

You can duplicate your layer – or revert back to the original layer – at any time. You can also turn the background layer on whenever you want. It won’t affect your work.

Step 2: Convert the layer to a Smart Object

Go ahead and convert the layer into a Smart Object; that way, all the filters you apply to that layer will become Smart Filters, and you can adjust them anytime you like (even once the filter effect has been applied).

To do this, just right-click on the layer and select Convert to Smart Object. Alternatively, you can select Filter in the main menu, then choose Convert for Smart Filters.

Step 3: Add the Dry Brush filter

As I mentioned earlier in this article, you can technically create a watercolor effect by choosing Filters>Filter Gallery>Artistic>Watercolor. But the result won’t look top-notch; instead, I’d recommend using a series of filters, starting with Dry Brush.

So in the menu, select Filters>Filter Gallery>Artistic>Dry Brush. Then move the slider until you like the result. Click OK.

Remember that, because you turned the layer into a Smart Object, you can always go back to adjust the sliders later on. So if you’re not sure you like the look you created, don’t worry!

Step 4: Add (and adjust) the Cutout filter

The next filter you need to apply is called Cutout. To do this, you’ll need to go back to the Filter Gallery, so select Filters>Filter Gallery. Be careful not to click on the first Filter Gallery on the menu:

Now, go to Artistic>Cutout:

Don’t worry if your image looks weird – you’ll need to change the blend mode to get the effect we’re after. So click OK.

Now go to the Layers panel and click on the icon on the right side of the second Filter Gallery effect:

This will open the Blending Options window; use the Mode dropdown menu to select Pin Light.

Now you can double-click the Filter Gallery layer to customize the filter if you want. Unfortunately, you can only see the filter effect without the blend mode in the Filter Gallery window, so adjusting the effect may take some trial and error.

Step 5: Blur the image

Next, you’ll need to create a blur effect. This won’t be found in the Filter gallery; instead, simply go to Filter>Blur>Smart Blur. Adjust the settings in the dialog box, and when you’re satisfied, click OK to apply.

Now change the blending mode to Screen. You’ll be able to open the relevant dialog box just like you did the last time: by clicking the icon next to the filter. Lower the opacity to whatever looks best.

Step 6: Apply the Fine Edge filter

The final filter is called Find Edges, which will mimic pencil traces that show through the watercolor. To apply it, go to Filter>Stylize>Find Edges.

Change the blend mode to Multiply and adjust the opacity to your liking.

Step 7: Add a paper texture

Now you’ll need to add a paper texture to make your watercolor effect more realistic. This is where the photo of the paper comes in handy.

You can add your paper overlay by choosing File>Place>Embedded. Alternatively, you can open the paper on a different tab and select Ctrl/Cmd + C and Ctrl/Cmd + V to copy and paste it into the relevant workspace.

Whichever technique you used, the paper photo should now appear as the top layer of your watercolor image. Be sure to adjust the size of the canvas so that the paper covers the entire image.

Go ahead and change the blend mode to Multiply using the dropdown menu in the Layers panel.

Step 8: Paint on the image

Go back to the layer with your watercolor image. Add a black layer mask (you can do this by clicking on the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the layer panel, then hit Ctrl/Cmd + I on your keyboard to fill the mask with black).

At this point, you’ll only see the paper. That’s because the black layer mask is hiding the image. You need to make it visible using white brushstrokes; by doing this right, the image will look painted on the paper.

So grab the Brush tool from the toolbox or enable it by hitting the B key on the keyboard. Go to the Options bar and choose one of the Watercolor brushes you downloaded at the beginning of this tutorial.

Start painting on the layer mask to reveal the image. Make sure you change the brush size often (you can also change the brush tip after a while). This will make the watercolor effect in Photoshop look more real (plus, it’ll look different every time!).

How to create a watercolor effect using Photoshop actions

As I explained above, an action is a way to automate a Photoshop process, very much like a preset. There are already many Watercolor Effect actions available for Photoshop, and they’re very easy to use. Simply download them, import them into Photoshop, and run the action.

Of course, you won’t get much control over the final result. That’s the trade-off; sure, you save time, but you lose customizability.

That said, some Photoshop actions do let you customize the effect slightly. It depends on the action. (And if you like the watercolor effect an action creates, you might not want to customize it!)

In case you want to try creating the effect using an action, I’ll quickly share a step-by-step explanation of how they work. (Note that I’ve already downloaded a cool watercolor action from Adobe.)

First, install the action. To do this, go to the Actions panel. Open the hamburger menu, and choose Load Action. Then, click on the action you downloaded; it should have an ATN file extension.

Once the action is loaded, you’ll find it listed in the Actions panel. If you’re using Adobe’s watercolor action, you’ll see it as a folder because it has two steps. However, if you’re using another action that only has one step, simply click Play and the watercolor effect will appear.

To use the Adobe action, open the folder and select the first step, called Setup. Click on the Play button to start:

Read the instructions and accept:

Select the subject as instructed. I’ll be using the Lasso tool, but feel free to use the tool of your choice. Then click on Watercolor Artist in the Actions panel and click Play:

And that’s it! Your image should now look like a watercolor. Note that the Adobe watercolor action leaves all the layers available for you in case you wish to make adjustments:

How to create a watercolor effect: final words

As you can see, applying a watercolor effect in Photoshop is not very difficult. You can use a filter, a handful of filters, or even an action – and once you’re done, all your favorite photos with look like gorgeous watercolor art.

You can also print the photos on watercolor paper and hang them around the house! So pick a few photos, then test out the watercolor effect. I bet you’ll like the results!

Now over to you:

Do you have any Photoshop tips for achieving amazing watercolor effects? Do you have any images using the technique that you’d like to share? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

The post How to Create a Watercolor Effect in Photoshop (Step-By-Step Guide) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

In the days before digital imaging, if you truly wanted to elevate your photography to the level of art, you learned how to process your images in the darkroom. You learned dodging, burning, masking, sandwiching negatives, flashing, and fogging – all designed to get the most out of your images and deliver your artistic vision to your viewers.

But with the advent of digital imaging, photographers have a new way to bring their artistic vision to life: the digital darkroom. Adobe Photoshop, in particular, is an extremely powerful program for processing images; that’s why it’s used by photographers of all stripes, including world-class professionals.

Photoshop is highly capable, but it’s not exactly beginner-friendly. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you first open an image in the program, and even once you’ve familiarized yourself with the Photoshop layout, you may miss quite a few key tools that have the potential to revolutionize your editing workflow.

Below, I share a list of six must-know Photoshop tools to help you get started editing your images. They aren’t the only tools you need, but the list should give you some idea of where to start. So if you’re ready to really commit to post-processing, then let’s dive right in, starting with:

1. Adobe Camera Raw

It is my personal belief that if you aren’t shooting in RAW, you’re doing yourself a disservice as a photographer. When you allow your camera to convert your image into a JPEG at the moment of capture, you’re throwing out potentially critical data. You are trusting your camera to make creative decisions about the color, contrast, tone, and more, when you might later change your mind completely.

To get the most out of your image, you’ll need to instead set your camera to capture the image as a RAW file. A RAW file contains unprocessed, uncompressed, grayscale data from your camera’s image sensor as well as metadata about how the image was captured.

And then, once you open the RAW photo in Photoshop, the program will automatically launch Adobe Camera Raw, a sort of plugin that you can use to effectively process the image data.

When you open a RAW image in Adobe Camera Raw, you’ll be presented with a tool palette on the right-hand side. It’ll be divided into nine tabs: Basic, Curve, Detail, Color Mixer, Color Grading, Optics, Geometry, Effects, and Calibration. The tabs I use most in my workflow are Basic, Optics, Effects, and Calibration, but you’re free to experiment with literally any tab, slider, or tool.

The beauty of using a processor like Adobe Camera Raw file is that you can apply various effects as often as you like. If you don’t like what you’ve done, or you want to try something different, you can always revert the image back to the original settings, and the file will be the same as it was when you downloaded it from your camera.

So don’t be afraid to play with the sliders and see what they do. You can’t ruin the RAW file, so you might as well have fun!

By the way, after you’ve processed your RAW file using ACR and taken it into the main Photoshop interface, you can always regain access to the RAW processor’s tools by selecting Filter>Camera Raw Filter.

2. Layers and Layer Masks

Technically, these are two separate tools, but if you’re going to learn layers, you’re going to have to learn layer masks as well.

In Photoshop, one of the first things you’ll notice when you open an image is the Layers Palette on the right side of the screen. Initially, it will likely only have one layer, called Background, containing your image.

But you can then add new layers as needed. You have a wide variety of options, including adjustment layers (which I discuss in detail later on in this article) and image layers. You can also add empty layers, which allow you to paint, draw, or copy portions of the image below onto them, and you can also use layers to create a composite from multiple images. Layers can be adjusted to different opacities using the Opacity slider at the top of the palette, so they can be made partially translucent (allowing the layers underneath to show through).

Once you understand the concept of layers, you can create layer masks; these show or hide portions of a layer and allow you to see the layer or layers beneath. You simply paint black on the layer mask to hide that portion of the layer or paint white to make sure that portion of the layer shines through.

Layers give you room for quite a bit of creativity and let you edit areas of an image non-destructively. If you don’t like a layer’s effect, you can simply delete the layer and start over. Additionally, you can sandwich together two separate images – much the way you’d sandwich negatives in a wet darkroom – to create photo composites.

3. Blend modes

As I mentioned above, the Opacity slider allows you to blend the active layer with the layers beneath. The blend modes, found in a drop-down menu to the left of the Opacity Slider, work in a similar fashion, but they use various mathematical calculations to change the appearance of the layer being blended.

For instance, if you simply duplicate an image and set the Blend Mode to Multiply, it will darken the image by about a stop; Screen blend mode, on the other hand, will lighten the image by a stop. If you create a layer on top of your image with black text inside a white box, using Multiply will eliminate the white box and allow the layer below to show through. Screen will do the opposite (see the image above!).

Photoshop currently offers 27 blend modes. The two modes I noted above are ones I use often (I tend to also adjust the opacity slider to get to my final look). Knowing what each mode does will help you choose which one to use for your particular purpose, so either read up on the different options or spend a good hour or two experimenting!

4. Adjustment layers

I’ve already discussed the importance of layers, but adjustment layers are so powerful that they deserve a section of their own.

You see, adjustment layers are a great way to make standard edits – such as saturation boosts or tonal changes – without actually modifying the original file. They’re an easy way to make modifications that you can go back and change again later as needed (as long as you’ve kept the layers intact, that is, by saving the file as a PSD or TIFF).

There are 19 different adjustment layers, which can be combined to create different effects. Some basic layer uses include color adjustment, contrast adjustment, saturation, and black-and-white conversion. In addition, you can use layer masks to apply the effects to specific areas rather than to the entire. And you can adjust the opacity of an adjustment layer to reduce the intensity of the effect.

Adjustment layers provide a ton of flexibility without forcing you to make a change that can’t be easily undone easily!

5. The Spot Healing Brush tool

The Spot Healing Brush is one of the primary retouching tools in Photoshop; it allows you to quickly and effectively remove blemishes and errors from your photos. In the digital age, the bane of all photographers’ existence is dust on the imaging sensor, and the Spot Healing Brush tool makes quick work of any dust-spot-related issues. Note that the Spot Healing Brush works similarly to the Clone Stamp tool, in that it samples from one area of the image to correct other areas.

The Spot Healing Brush automatically detects the content or texture of the surrounding areas and attempts to replicate it wherever you click in the image. There are several ways to fine-tune the effect, all of which appear at the top of the screen. These include brush size and hardness, blend mode, and the type of fix you want to use (i.e., Content Aware, Create Texture, or Proximity Match). Each image will have different needs depending on the content, so if you’re not happy with the results you’re getting, it’s best to experiment with the various settings.

6. The Clone Stamp tool

The Clone Stamp tool and the Spot Healing Brush tool are both used for retouching images, and both work with the sampled areas of the existing image. Clone Stamp, however, allows you to select the area from which to sample by holding the Ctrl/Cmd key and clicking; it then creates an exact copy of the sampled area. Then you can simply click on the area you want to clone out and a copy of the area you sampled will appear.

You have various options for adjusting the effect, including blend modes, an opacity slider, and the layer(s) you’d like to sample. You can also change the edge hardness and size of the tool. The Clone Stamp tool is particularly effective when you have a well-defined edge to maintain, such as the wall of a building. (The Healing Brush tool tries to blend edges, which can cause a blurred mess.)

Essential Photoshop tools: final words

The six tools shared above are my go-to options for editing in Photoshop. In fact, I’d estimate that about 90% of my post-processing is done using those tools.

Yes, Photoshop offers dozens, even hundreds more options – but if you can master the tools I’ve shared, you’ll be off to a great start.

Now over to you:

What are your favorite Photoshop tools? Which of these tools do you plan to use first? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post 6 Photoshop Tools Everyone Should Know appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Berk.

Many photographers rely on Lightroom to organize, edit and share their photos. While the program has a vast array of tools, it’s not exactly known for its speed. Recent updates have helped, but if you’re seeking a faster Lightroom workflow, there are a few simple steps you can take to supercharge your post-processing.

And that’s what I share below: Six easy methods to speed up your editing and organizing in Lightroom. They aren’t hacks or plugins; instead, they’re simple tweaks that are guaranteed to save time, improve your results, and make your life a lot easier.

So without further ado, let’s dive right in, starting with:

1. Apply a preset when importing images

The first thing you can do for a faster Lightroom workflow? Apply a preset on import.

Lightroom’s Develop module has a mind-boggling array of options to try and sliders to adjust. If you use the same types of edits on most – or even some – of your pictures, you can use Presets to shave hours off your workflow time. If you’ve been using Lightroom for a while, you probably know this already, but you might not be aware that you can actually apply Presets when initially importing files.

On the right side of the Import screen, there is an Apply During Import option. Use this to select one of Lightroom’s many built-in presets (or select one of your own presets that you’ve previously saved) and ensure that it’s automatically applied to your pictures on import:

In the screenshot above, you can also see an option called Nikon RAW Import. It’s a custom preset that contains specific adjustments I like to regularly apply to my Nikon RAW files, which gets me to a good starting point when editing. That alone has helped speed up my workflow, and applying it to a batch of photos on import is an even greater speed boost.

By the way, there’s no need to worry about messing up your images when applying import presets. Like everything else in Lightroom, the adjustments are non-destructive, meaning you can always go back and change things later.

2. Sync settings across multiple images

If you’ve spent time editing multiple similar images in Lightroom, particularly from an event or photo session with clients, you have no doubt found the Copy/Paste Settings option to be useful. Right-click on any image in the Develop module and choose Settings>Copy Settings. Then check the boxes next to any (or all!) of the settings you want to copy.

Next, go to another photo, right-click, and choose Settings>Paste Settings. (Or better yet, use Ctrl/Cmd+C and Ctrl/Cmd+V as you would with any word processor.) The adjustments will immediately be applied to the selected photo!

This process works great, but what if you want to paste your settings onto 5, 10, or 100 images? Even the keyboard shortcut method starts to feel like a chore.

Fortunately, there’s a better way.

Make sure you’re in the Develop module, then select a single picture in the filmstrip at the bottom of the screen. Hold down the Shift key and select more images. Finally, click the Sync… button to synchronize any (or all) of your edits from the original image to the rest:

When I discovered this trick, I almost fell out of my chair. It didn’t just speed up my Lightroom editing; it supercharged it!

3. Straighten your pictures with the Auto button

I’m always a little leery of using anything that says “Auto” when I’m editing photos. I don’t need my computer to do what it thinks is best – I want my computer to do what I think is best! Therefore, while I occasionally use some Auto options (like when setting the white balance for RAW files), I think of these as providing a rough draft that I then go and refine.

However, there is one Auto setting that I have learned to use over and over again: Auto Straighten. It may seem trivial, but if you want your photos to look professional, it’s important that you straighten (or at least check) each and every image. Learning to embrace this Auto setting has saved me a lot of time and has genuinely led to an overall faster Lightroom workflow.

Simply select the Crop tool in the Develop module, find the Auto button, and give it a click:

If your image is crooked, it’ll suddenly straighten up:

The reason Auto works so well for straightening images (but often fails in other scenarios) is that it doesn’t try to guess the artistic goals of the photographer. It simply looks for straight lines – such as light poles, buildings, or horizons – and then adjusts images accordingly.

No, it’s not perfect, but it works far better than I initially anticipated, and it certainly speeds things along!

4. Automatically organize images with Smart Collections

Lightroom Collections are an easy way to organize your images. You can create as many Collections as you want, and one photo can exist in multiple collections. What you may not realize, however, is that Lightroom lets you create Smart Collections, which are populated dynamically according to your specified rules.

To create a Smart Collection, choose the + button at the top-left of the Collections panel. Then select Create Smart Collection… and specify your parameters as required:

I create Smart Collections that sort my photos by month. I do this each January, and for the rest of the year, my photos are automatically sorted month by month:

These Smart Collections don’t include any photos with the keyword “PhotoSession,” which I apply to any images taken for clients. Photos with that keyword go in another set of Smart Collections that I use to keep client images separate from personal photos.

You can use Smart Collections to organize your photos by adjusting dozens of parameters, including Rating, Pick Flag, Color Label, Keyword, and even metadata such as the camera model and lens focal length. They are an incredibly powerful yet amazingly simple way to make your day-to-day Lightroom organization significantly faster!

5. Use multiple export presets

Lightroom has long offered customizable export presets. These allow you to export photos with certain parameters, such as file type, image size, quality setting, and even with custom names.

Yet starting just a few years ago, Lightroom now lets you perform a single export operation that utilizes multiple Presets. This means you no longer have to do an export operation for full-size JPEGs at 100% quality, another export for low-resolution proofs at 80% quality, and so on.

Just check the Export presets you want to use, and Lightroom will take care of the rest:

This is a great way to save time when you’re ready to export your images, and though it’s not the kind of workflow addition that will change your life, it’s another effective process that’s guaranteed to shave precious minutes from your editing. (And as someone who exports a lot of photos regularly, those minutes add up!)

6. Cull using Lightroom Mobile

One of my favorite aspects of the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan is the synchronization between Lightroom Classic and Lightroom Mobile. While the mobile version of Lightroom isn’t as full-featured as its desktop-based big brother, it does one thing incredibly well that has made a huge difference for me when editing photos for clients: culling.

Here’s how it works:

First, click the checkbox next to any Collection to sync the photos with Lightroom CC. This means you’ll be able to access low-resolution previews of those files on the web, on your phone, or on your tablet. (Note that this doesn’t work with Smart Collections, only regular Collections.)

Open up Lightroom Mobile on one of your devices, load a picture in a Collection that you’ve already synced, then click the Star icon in the right-hand corner:

This switches to a mode where you can quickly assign star ratings or flags to any picture. Tap one of the Flag or Star icons at the bottom of the screen, then swipe with your finger to load the next image.

All your edits on Lightroom Mobile, including Star ratings and Flag statuses, will instantly be synced back to Lightroom Classic on your computer.

And here’s another little trick that will send your culling into overdrive:

Instead of tapping on the Star rating and Flag icons, simply slide a finger up or down on the right side of the photo to change the Flag status. Slide a finger up or down on the left side to assign a Star rating. Then swipe to the next image and repeat.

I used to dread the arduous culling process, but thanks to this clever syncing technology, I can work so much faster. A few weeks ago, I returned from a photo session with over 1,100 images. In about an hour, I was able to cull them to a fraction of that amount in Lightroom Mobile.

I don’t find Lightroom Mobile particularly useful for detailed editing, but it absolutely runs circles around the desktop program when performing culling operations. If you have an iPad, it could honestly change your entire approach to culling your images. It also works pretty well on other mobile devices, too.

Tips for a faster Lightroom workflow: final words

I hope you found this article helpful; all six of the techniques I shared have saved me a huge amount of time over the years.

So head over to Lightroom and test out a few of these suggestions. See what you think. With any luck, they’ll dramatically speed up your workflow!

Now over to you:

Do you have any other tricks or suggestions for a speedier Lightroom workflow? Share them in the comments below!

The post 6 Tips for a Faster Lightroom Workflow appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Lightroom is so powerful that many of its most useful features can take a long time to discover and are often hidden beneath a blanket of keyboard shortcuts and obscure menus. I first started learning Lightroom as a longtime user of Apple’s image-processing program Aperture, and when making the switch, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of available options.

But after much experimenting, online searching, and good old-fashioned trial and error, I figured out a workflow that suits my needs. And if you’re struggling to get started with Lightroom, you can, too; you may not use every single feature and option available to you in Lightroom, but the key is to find the tools and techniques that work for you and learn to master them.

Below, I share five of the handiest Lightroom tips for beginners. Try out the features and techniques that I share, and you may find that they greatly enhance your own experience with the program!

1. Create import presets

You probably already know that Lightroom contains dozens of presets to get you started editing your photos. These can be quite handy when you need to make a quick adjustment or add an effect, but it’s important to realize that they’re not special filters like what you might find in Instagram or other image-sharing programs.

Instead, Lightroom presets are simply premade recipes using the various sliders and controls available to you in the program’s Develop module. The Cinematic CN01 preset, for example, is a collection of saved values from Lightroom’s Basic, Tone Curve, HSL, and Color Grading panels.

What this means is that it’s easy to create presets of your own. You don’t have to rely on some behind-the-scenes magic, but you can instead make a few adjustments until you like the result, save it as a preset, and then use it the next time you’re editing your photos. It’s a great way to speed up your processing workflow without sacrificing quality.

And did you know you can extend this function even further? It’s true. You see, you can automatically apply a given preset – even one you create yourself – to all your pictures upon import. This is incredibly useful if you have a given set of values that you like to use as an editing starting point – so rather than making similar adjustments to the Highlights, Shadows, Clarity, etc., for every image, you can simply apply default values to every picture on import.

It’s easy to do, too. Simply find the Apply During Import pane in the Import dialog, select a preset, then click the Import button!

2. Use number keys to fine-tune adjustments in the Develop Module

When working in the Develop module, it can be a bit tricky to get the exact values you want by manually moving the sliders. (After all, a bit of cursor movement can result in a huge adjustment…)

One way to fix this? Hover your cursor over the left side of the panes, then drag until the panels are much wider:

But if you don’t want to lose a lot of screen real estate to Lightroom sliders, you can try another handy trick: Simply use the arrow keys to adjust the number values in very small increments.

For example, if you want to adjust the exposure, simply select the slider value in the Basic panel, then press the up or down arrow keys to adjust it in increments of 10. If you want to adjust the Clarity, select the slider value, then press the arrow keys to change it in increments of 1.

Pro tip: For greater adjustments, hold down the Shift key while you press the arrow keys. This will cause the values to change more rapidly (for instance, the Exposure slider will go up by 33, the Clarity slider will go up by 10, and so on).

(By the way, you can also try holding down the Shift key while dragging the Develop module sliders; this will dramatically slow down the rate at which the sliders increase or decrease and can be another great way to gain more precision when editing.)

3. Customize the Develop module

If you’re overwhelmed by the massive number of options in the Develop module, you’ll love this handy Lightroom trick for beginners, which lets you reduce the number of editing options in the program.

Start by right-clicking on the name of one of the adjustment panels (e.g., Basic). Then choose Customize Develop Panel.

This will bring up a menu that allows you to disable the adjustment panels you don’t want. I’d recommend considering each panel individually; ask yourself whether you plan to use it regularly, and if the answer is “No,” then it’s a good candidate for deletion! That way, you can have a cleaner and less cluttered working environment, and you don’t waste time clicking on or scrolling past features you never use.

One additional tip: When you right-click the name of a panel, you also have the option to choose Solo Mode, which is a way to declutter the Develop module even more by collapsing all the panels except the one you’re currently using. With Solo mode active, every time you click on a new panel, the previous panel will be instantly shut! This one little feature has single-handedly saved me a lot of time and a great deal of headache.

4. Create Smart Collections to automatically sort photos

Lightroom’s Library module is a great place to keep your images organized. You can create virtual folders called Collections that can even be placed inside Collection Sets, and if that isn’t enough, you can even create Collection Sets to contain your Collection Sets.

But what I find even more useful than Collection Sets is the Smart Collections feature, which allows you to dynamically organize your images based on conditions you specify (e.g., a file’s ratings, the camera used to take a file, the file type, and more).

To create a Smart Collection, choose New Smart Collection from the Library menu, then specify the parameters you want to use. Any picture that meets your criteria – at any point in your editing process – will automatically be placed inside the virtual folder you created!

In the above image, you can see that I’ve created a Smart Collection that automatically sorts through all my photos and “collects” those shots that are rated at three stars and above, are flagged, were taken using an Olympus camera, contains the keyword “racing,” and is not a DNG file. Neat, right?

Smart Collections are a great way to enhance your organizational process, and they can really help you sort through your images to focus on the ones you want to work with.

5. Hold down the Alt/Option key when adjusting certain sliders

The effects of many of the adjustments in the Develop module are self-evident; increase the Exposure, and your image will get lighter. But what about the adjustments that are not so easy to see, such as the Radius slider in the Detail panel?

Fortunately, Lightroom offers a handy solution: Hold down the Alt/Option key, and you’ll see a real-time display of precisely what happens when you make the adjustment. For certain sliders, you’ll get a gray overlay that helps you evaluate your changes, and for others, you’ll get a black or a white overlay (where colors indicate areas that have zero highlight or shadow detail).

As I was editing this cupcake photo, I needed to make some tonal adjustments. I wanted to dial down the Black levels, but I didn’t want to make any part of the image completely black. By holding down the Alt/Option key as I adjusted the Blacks slider, I was able to see a real-time display of the areas of the image that had no detail:

In the above image, the bottom of the dessert has become completely black, which means it cannot get any darker, and the red areas will soon become entirely black if I continue to move the slider to the left.

If you ever struggle to perceive how your image is being modified by a certain slider, try holding the Alt/Option key and see what happens. It’s a trick that works for many of the sliders in the Develop module, and it can greatly assist you as you edit!

Lightroom tips for beginners: final words

These five Lightroom tips and tricks have made a huge difference in my own post-processing over the years – hopefully, they’ll help you, too!

So head over to Lightroom and try out some of these features. See if you can declutter your workspace, create some Smart Collections to organize your images, and have fun!

Now over to you:

What are your favorite aspects of Lightroom? Do you have any other beginner tips others might now be familiar with? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post 5 Practical Lightroom Tips for Beginners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Lightroom is a fantastic program that’s designed for fast and efficient editing, but if you make all your adjustments using your mouse, you may notice that each little operation starts to add up – until you’ve spent hours upon hours moving your cursor, clicking the mouse, and more.

Fortunately, Adobe built in plenty of handy Lightroom keyboard shortcuts, all of which aim to make life easier for photographers and photo editors. Below, I share a few of the most critical shortcuts, which will allow you to speed up your workflow, improve your editing efficiency, and even access hidden features.

Ready to become a Lightroom shortcut expert? Then let’s dive right in, starting with:

1. Reveal all shortcuts

Lightroom offers dozens of shortcuts, many of which are difficult to remember – especially if you don’t use them often.

Fortunately, you can always tap Ctrl/Cmd+/, and a list will pop up that displays all of the shortcuts available in the current module. Therefore, if you’re working in the Library module, this shortcut will reveal the Library module shortcuts:

And if you’re working in the Develop module, this shortcut will reveal the Develop module shortcuts:

(Once you’re done with this article, I highly recommend you head into Lightroom and read through the shortcuts available for both the Library and Develop modules. You’re practically guaranteed to learn something new!)

When you’ve finished checking out your shortcut options, click anywhere on the list to hide it.

2. Tap “R” to access the crop function

This shortcut is a simple one, but it’s a big timesaver. Whenever you need to crop an image, simply head into the Develop module, then hit the R key. The crop overlay will immediately appear:

And you can get to work cropping your file!

Additionally, if you don’t like the direction of the crop overlay, just tap X, then watch as it’s rotated:

This can be especially useful if you’re trying to crop a portrait image with a landscape aspect ratio and vice versa because Lightroom automatically creates crop overlays that match the orientation of the image file.

3. Use the “/” key to resample the image

Lightroom has several healing modes, all of which can be accessed with the Q key. Each of these modes approaches the healing process – which replaces content from the image by sampling content from elsewhere in the image – differently.

The wonderful thing about the Lightroom Healing tool is that it’s quite good at guessing which part of the image it should sample to create a natural-looking result. It’s a great way to correct dust spots, unwanted facial blemishes, and distracting dirt or rocks on the ground around your subject.

However, despite the Healing tool’s impressive capabilities, it doesn’t do a perfect sampling job all the time. That’s where this shortcut comes in handy!

Start by selecting one of the healing modes and clicking on your image. If you don’t like the sampling choice, just press the / key, and Lightroom will choose a different area of the image to sample. You can repeat this as often as you like until you get a satisfactory result!

For this next (zoomed-in) image, I wanted to get rid of this distracting dark blob in the background:

However, Lightroom’s first guess didn’t really work:

I hit the shortcut key, Lightroom resampled the image, and the result was much better:

Pro tip: If you keep resampling the image and you can’t do any successful healing, you can always sample the file manually by using your cursor (though this does take longer than using the shortcut).

4. Use the “Shift” key to set the white and black points

RAW files often appear a bit flat, and an easy way to add some pop is by carefully setting a white and a black point – that is, by adjusting the Whites slider until the brightest tones stretch to the right side of the histogram, and by adjusting the Blacks slider until the darkest tones stretch to the left side of the histogram.

The process of setting the white and black point can be arduous – unless you know a handy little shortcut!

Normally, if you double-click on the Whites and Blacks sliders in the Basic panel, Lightroom resets them to zero. But if you hold Shift while double-click on these sliders, Lightroom calculates where to position both sliders so that the histogram stretches all the way from the left side of the graph (shadows) to the right (highlights):

This quick fix makes most photos look better right away!

5. Use the apostrophe key to invert a Linear Gradient

Lightroom offers an array of local adjustment tools, including the Brush, the Radial Gradient (formerly known as the Radial filter), and the Linear Gradient (formerly known as the Graduated filter).

The Linear Gradient allows you to apply natural-looking adjustments to a portion of the image, such as the sky or the foreground of a landscape, without modifying the rest of the scene. Normally, you would create a Linear Gradient (you can tap Shift+W to open the Masking panel), then drag it over the foreground or sky of your shot as you see fit.

But what if you want to reverse the direction of the effect? Just press the apostrophe key – ‘ – and the Linear Gradient will flip!

Here’s a great way to use this shortcut:

1. Create a Linear Gradient over the sky of a landscape. Drop the Exposure slider to darken that area.
2. Right-click on the Gradient’s pin. Select Duplicate to create a new Linear Gradient with the same settings as the first.
3. Press the apostrophe key to flip the Gradient. The negative Exposure setting will be applied to the foreground, but you probably don’t want to make the foreground darker; instead, double-click the Exposure slider to return it to zero.
4. Now you’re ready to use this new Linear Gradient to enhance the foreground. Boost the Clarity slider to emphasize foreground texture. You might also subtly darken the foreground by dropping the Exposure slider (which will help retain a sense of drama and depth).

Once you’ve made all the above adjustments, you’ll have a beautiful file modified by two Linear Gradients!

Lightroom keyboard shortcuts: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you’re ready to head into Lightroom, create some stunning edits, and speed up your workflow with these handy shortcuts.

So what are you waiting for? Get post-processing!

Now over to you:

Which of these keyboard shortcuts do you plan to use? Do you have any favorite shortcuts we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post 5 Lightroom Keyboard Shortcuts Everyone Should Know appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Andrew S. Gibson.

Multiply is one of Photoshop’s most popular blend modes. If you’ve ever followed the steps in a Photoshop editing tutorial, you’ve probably used it yourself, and if you’ve ever watched a Photoshop expert apply edits to their work, you’ve probably seen it in action.

But why is Multiply so common? What makes it such a popular choice among Photoshop artists and photographers? It’s because the Multiply blend mode is very versatile; it can be used to create all sorts of interesting effects.

In this article, I offer a comprehensive overview of Photoshop’s Multiply blend mode. I discuss what it is and how you can use it, plus I offer a step-by-step tutorial so you can see it in action.

Let’s dive right in.

What is Multiply blend mode?

As you probably know, Photoshop allows you to work with layers. And on each layer, you can put different elements: text, an image, an adjustment, and so on.

Now, Photoshop’s blending modes allow you to change how a layer interacts with the layers underneath. The blending modes are divided into categories (you’ll see a line dividing each category in the blending mode menu).

One of these blending mode categories is Darken, which includes the mode featured in this article, Multiply. As the name of the category suggests, by applying a Darken blend mode, you darken the overall file.

In the case of Multiply, the image is darkened by multiplying (hence the name) the color values from one layer by the layers underneath.

Don’t worry about the math, though. Photoshop takes care of that! What you need to know is that multiplying any layer by a black layer will create a black image, and that multiplying any layer by a white layer will cause the white layer to disappear. However, if you multiply a midtone layer by another midtone layer, you’ll end up with a combination of the two layers – but as darker versions of themselves.

When should you use Multiply blend mode?

The answer to this question is very straightforward: You should use Multiply blend mode when you want to darken your image.

What does this mean in practical terms? Here are a few common cases in which you might apply Multiply:

• When you want to recover faded color from vintage photographs
• When you’re fixing an overexposed image
• When you want to include a shadow on a cutout
• When you want to color under a traced drawing so that the lines remain black

Of course, there are plenty of other uses for Multiply, so don’t feel restricted by my list; these are just some scenarios to keep in mind.

How to use Multiply blend mode

The Multiply blend mode is very easy to use! Here’s how it works:

First, open any image in Photoshop. It’ll become the base layer (by default, it’ll appear as a locked layer called “Background”).

Next, add a second layer. The layer type doesn’t matter; just do what works for your file. It can be a text layer, an adjustment layer, etc. I’ve used a raster layer that contains this image:

By default, the layer will completely cover the original layer beneath it.

Next, go to the Layers panel. (If you can’t see this, you’ll need to open it. To do so, simply choose Window>Layers or press the F7 key on your keyboard.)

Toward the top of the Layers panel, you’ll find the blending options. You should see the blend mode on the left and the opacity on the right. By default, any layer will be set to Normal blend mode at 100% – but to use the Multiply blend mode, just click on the arrow next to the word “Normal” to open the drop-down menu:

Find “Multiply” on the list. (Remember, you’ll always find it in the Darken section of the menu.) If you’re using Photoshop CC, you’ll see a preview as you hover over the Multiply option – but in Photoshop CS6, you’ll need to actually click to apply the mode before you can see the effect.

Now click on the arrow next to the percentage value to open the Opacity slider. Simply drag the handle of the slider to adjust the layer opacity. You can also input a value directly:

Note: If these options aren’t enabled, it might be because your layer is blocked. Make sure your layer is selected and visible!

Do keep in mind that you need a layer underneath for the Multiply blend mode to have an effect. If you have a single layer and you change the blend mode from Normal to Multiply, you won’t see any difference. (The same is true if the layer underneath is a pure white background!)

Multiply blend mode: a step-by-step example

As I mentioned above, one of the common uses of Multiply blend mode is to fix an overexposed photograph. That’s what I’ll do for my example image:

I’ve already opened my image on a new layer, so I’ll start by adding a Curves adjustment layer. You can do this by clicking on the “Create a new fill or adjustment layer” button at the bottom of the Layers panel:

Without making any adjustments in the Curves properties panel, I’ll simply change the blending mode to Multiply, and the image will immediately darken:

You can already see the difference, but if you want, you can also make some adjustments to the Curves layer:

After adjusting the curve, it’s clear that the darker areas have become too dark. So I’ll lower the opacity a bit:

In my opinion, the brightest areas are too bright, so I’ll duplicate the Curves layer. (Duplicating a layer preserves its blending mode settings; in this case, my duplicate Curves layer is still in Multiply mode at 90% opacity.)

But I don’t want to darken the entire shot – just the too-bright areas – so I’ll fill the layer mask with black so that the second multiply effect isn’t visible. Then, using a white brush, I’ll paint over the brightest areas to reveal the darkening effect.

Here’s a before and after comparison:

Multiply blend mode tips

Here are a few quick tips so you can fine-tune the Multiply effect according to your needs:

1. Try using Blend If

The Blend If feature allows you to adjust how layers blend according to their content.

For example, let’s say that the shadows of my image turn out too dark due to the Multiply mode. I can use Blend If to tell Photoshop to blend my top layer only with the brightest parts of the base layer. That way, I can darken the highlights without losing details in the shadows.

You can find the Blend If feature inside the Layer Style dialog box. To reach this, go to the Layers panel. Then double-click on the layer that you want to adjust. (Make sure you click in the blank space next to the layer’s name. Otherwise, you’ll open a different menu or feature!)

The Layer Style box will pop up, and you should then find the Blend If section. Here, you’ll see two gradients; the top one refers to the layer on which you’re working, and the bottom one refers to the layer underneath.

Simply click and drag the handles along these gradients to modify the blending effect. Note that each handle has a line in the middle, which allows you to split the handle and create a smoother transition. To do this, simply hold the Alt/Opt key and drag along the handle!

2. Use Multiply with brushes

The Multiply blend mode is not only available for layers; it can also be used with brushes. All you need to do is select the Brush tool, then head to the Options bar at the top of the screen.

Then open the Blend drop-down menu (next to the word “Mode”). Scroll down and click on Multiply:

Then go ahead and paint with your brush! Whatever you paint will interact with the layer underneath by following the Multiply blend mode rules.

Multiply blend mode: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know all about using the Multiply blend mode, so go ahead and try it out! See what you can create, and have some fun experimenting with different effects.

Note that, while I talked about using the Multiply blend mode in Photoshop, you’ll also find this effect in other editing programs that work with layers. And in most cases, it’ll behave in the exact same way!

How do you plan to use Multiply? Do you have any tips or tricks that I didn’t discuss in the article? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Multiply Blend Mode: A Comprehensive Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Over the last 12 months, we’ve shared dozens of articles on photo editing, including tutorials and guides covering Photoshop, Lightroom, Mylio Photos, Luminar Neo, and much more.

Below, we feature our most popular post-processing posts of 2022 – so whether you’re looking to improve your editing skills or you simply need a bit of editing inspiration, read on!

1. Image File Formats in Photography: The Ultimate Guide

2. The 20 Best Photoshop Actions in 2022

3. How to Straighten a Crooked Image in Photoshop (Step By Step)

4. A Practical Guide to the Lightroom Histogram

5. Camera Firmware: How to Update It (and Why)

6. White Balancing in Lightroom: Your Step-By-Step Guide

7. How to Create an Infrared Effect in Photoshop (Step by Step)

8. How to Edit Food Photos in Lightroom (Step By Step)

9. The Lightroom HSL Panel: A Quick Guide

10. 10 Best Lightroom Alternatives (Free & Paid)

Top post-processing tips of 2022: final words

Hopefully, you’re now ready to have plenty of post-processing fun! Read a tutorial or two, then head over to your favorite editing program and practice your skills.

Pretty soon, you’ll be a post-processing wizard!

Now over to you:

Which of these editing tutorials is your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post The dPS Top Post-Processing Tips of 2022 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Looking to understand the ins and outs of Photoshop’s Overlay blend mode? You’ve come to the right place.

Overlay is a great way to add punch to otherwise flat images, plus it can be used to apply artistic effects such as color tints. It’s a very versatile blend mode, and it’s pretty popular, too – so it pays to understand what it is, how it works, and when you might want to use it in your photo editing.

Below, we offer a thorough guide to this powerful tool. Let’s get started!

What is Overlay blend mode?

Photoshop – and other layer-based editing programs – offer over two dozen blending modes, which determine how different layers interact. The Overlay blend mode belongs to the “Contrast” section of the blending mode menu, which means that it’ll increase the intensity of the blended layers.

Overlay is actually a mix of two other common blend modes: Screen and Multiply. When Overlay is applied to a layer, Photoshop uses the Screen blending mode to handle any tone that’s brighter than 50% gray. And Photoshop uses the Multiply blending mode to handle any tone that’s darker than 50% gray.

So unlike other Contrast blending modes, it takes effect according to the brightness level of the base layer. In other words, it doesn’t apply some distinct operation to the base color of the layer; instead, it Screens or Multiplies.

That said, if the technical underpinnings of Overlay blend mode are making your head spin, don’t worry. The Overlay effect is easy to understand on a visual level: It makes dark tones darker and bright tones brighter. Look at what happens when I take a normal array of gray tones (below the red line), duplicate the image, and apply the Overlay blend mode (above the red line):

The lightest tones (on the left) got even lighter. And the darkest tones (on the right) got even darker.

When should you use Overlay blend mode?

As I mentioned above, the Overlay blend mode is a mix of two other blending modes – Screen and Multiply – so it’s very versatile. You can use it in all sorts of scenarios, though here are a few of the most common:

• When you want to recover the contrast on a faded vintage picture
• When you want to add contrast to a flat picture
• When you want to add a color tint to a photo
• When working on certain composites (e.g., when adding lighting to a sky)
• When applying certain texture overlays

How to use the Overlay blend mode

Using Overlay isn’t especially difficult. Start by opening an image in Photoshop, then add a second layer.

(Why is this necessary? Remember that blending modes tell Photoshop how layers should interact. Changing the blending mode of a single layer doesn’t have any effect; instead, to see a difference in your image, you need a second layer that can interact with the first.)

The type of layer you add doesn’t really matter. It can be a Smart Object, another picture, a solid color, an adjustment layer, etc.

Next, go to the Layers panel, which should be on the right-hand side of the screen. If you can’t see it, select Window>Layers or press F7.

Select the top layer in the layer stack. Then open the blending modes menu by clicking the down arrow next to the current blending mode:

Navigate to the Overlay blend mode. In Photoshop CC, you can see the blend mode’s effect on your image just by hovering over it. In Photoshop CS6, however, you won’t be able to see the effect until you’ve applied it to your image.

That’s it! If you want, you can adjust the layer’s opacity using the slider next to the blend mode menu.

Overlay blend mode: A step-by-step example

As I mentioned, one of the most common reasons photographers and retouchers use the Overlay blending mode is to add contrast. So that’s what I’ll show you in this example.

My sample photo is a bit underexposed and lacks contrast:

So I’ll click on the Create new fill or adjustment layer button and select Levels. (Alternatively, I could select Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels in the menu.)

Without ever touching my Levels adjustment, I can simply change the blending mode to Overlay and watch as the contrast is increased:

But if I want to modify the effect, I can use the Levels sliders to adjust the highlights, midtones, and shadows:

If I like the look but feel it’s too strong, I can always decrease the opacity of the Levels layer:

Note: Once you’re done adding contrast via the Levels panel, you can always add more adjustment layers (Curves, Color Balance, Hue/Saturation, etc.) to fine-tune your image, or you can save it as it is.

Overlay blend mode tips

Enjoying the power of Overlay blend mode? Here are a few extra tips so you can really explore its potential!

1. Try adding a tint to your photo

If you’re looking to add a tint, a texture, or some other type of final color grade, Overlay can be very useful.

For this next image, I wanted to add a blue tone to mimic cyanotype printing:

All I did was convert the photo to black and white. Then I added a Solid Color adjustment layer, chose a nice blue color, and changed the blending mode to Overlay. That’s how I got the effect shown above!

2. Don’t forget about the Hard Light blend mode

Photoshop has several commuted blending mode pairs. With a commuted blending mode pair, you get the same result when applying one blend mode to the top layer as when applying the other blend mode to the bottom layer (and reversing the layer order).

Overlay and Hard Light are commuted blending mode pairs, so if you apply the Overlay blend mode to the top layer, your image will look exactly the same as if you applied the Hard Light mode to the underlying layer before switching the layer order. (Just a useful little tidbit to keep in mind!)

3. Add a cool glowing effect

Here’s a fun technique: You can use the Overlay blending mode to add a glowing effect – sometimes called an Orton Effect – to any photo.

Start by duplicating your original layer. You can do this by dragging the layer over the Plus sign at the bottom of the Layers panel.

Then convert your duplicate layer to a Smart Object. (Simply right-click on the layer and choose Convert to Smart Object from the menu. Alternatively, go to Filter>Convert for Smart Filters.)

Technically, the Smart Object conversion step is optional, but it will allow you to go back and adjust your glow effect later on, which can come in handy.

Now select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur in the menu, which will open a dialog box where you can set the intensity of the blur (this will directly affect the intensity of the glow effect). Note that there’s no correct blur amount; it depends on the photo and your taste, so you’ll have to use the trial-and-error method.

Once you get a result you like, simply change the blending mode to Overlay, adjust the opacity as needed, and check out your image’s beautiful glow!

Overlay blend mode: final words

I hope you found this guide to the Overlay blend mode useful. As you should now be aware, it’s a helpful blend mode that can be applied in plenty of different situations.

And if you’re not sure whether Overlay might work for a certain scenario, just try it! There’s no harm in experimenting.

How do you plan to use Overlay when editing photos? Do you have any tips? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Overlay Blend Mode: A Comprehensive Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.