Photoshop How To

Most photographers are at least tangentially aware of the benefits of shooting Raw to maximize image quality and provide enhanced post-processing flexibility. But what if you prefer to keep things simple, never make large prints, and typically display your image online? In other words, what are your options for shooting and editing Jpeg files for optimum results?

Photoshop's Selective Color tool represents a powerful non-destructive means of employing an adjustment layer to correct and enhance specific colors in an image. There are many practical applications like creating outdoor photos with a "cinematic" look or fixing skin tones in portraits by eliminating unwanted red and magenta tones.

Halos are those unsightly white (or dark) outlines around high-contrast edges that may result from heavy-handed processing or in scenes in which dark objects like trees are set against a bright sky. These image-killing artifacts can also be caused by improper HDR processing, over-sharpening, masking mistakes, or the excessive use of Photoshop's Clarity and Texture tools.

Sometimes our nature and landscape photos fall shot of the beauty we witnessed through the viewfinder, either because our camera settings were incorrect or we used the wrong approach during post processing. The video below from the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel addresses the latter concern with a straightforward color-grading technique that anyone can master in minutes.

Lightroom features a variety of simple sliders that are designed to streamline the image-editing process for beginners and more experienced users alike. When used properly these straightforward tools are a big help for balancing exposure, color, contrast and saturation so that your edits appear natural and intentional.

Let's start with a question from photographer and Adobe expert Colin Smith: "Do you ever get spots on your photos from sensor dust or a dirty lens?" Eliminating these image-killing distractions used to be a time-consuming task, but Adobe just made it automatic and effective.

Photoshop's versatile Pen tool enables you to easily accomplish a wide variety of transformational edits from creating masks, to making accurate selection and shapes. And it works its magic quickly with uncanny precision.