Software How To

So you captured a gorgeous landscape scene and nailed focus, exposure, and composition. Then you reviewed your images on the computer, expecting stunning results, only to discover that the horizons are curved and distorted.

Every so often we all take things too far when making adjustments in Photoshop, and some photographers cancel the enhancement and begin again. But what if we told you there are "hidden undo sliders" that enable you to backtrack your steps incrementally rather than starting over?

Many photographers avoid high ISO settings because of the realistic fear that ugly noise artifacts will pollute their images. But there are consequences to be paid for taking that approach, including the necessity of carrying a tripod to avoid blurry photos.

Photoshop's straightforward Clone Stamp tool is extremely useful for accomplishing  a variety of tasks when processing all sorts of images captured indoors or out, be they portraits, landscapes or just about anything else. If you're not taking advantage of the simple technique involved, it's long past time to get started.

Today's eye-opening tutorial begins with a question from instructor Mark Denney: "What Raw Color Profile do you use when editing photos in Lightroom?" The answer from many photographers often begins with a blank stare, followed by something like this: "Uh, I guess I use the default or the Standard Profile."

Whether you process images in Lightroom, Photoshop, or another full-featured editor, it's difficult not to get carried away by all the capabilities available. But sometimes you'll achieve much better results by restraining yourself and taking a subtle approach so that you don't ruin photos by giving them an "over-cooked" look.

A firm understanding of how to use Photoshop's straightforward Eraser tool is a fundamental aspect of improving your post-processing skills, and today you'll everything you need to know in less than two minutes.