Software How To

Photoshop has a number of tools for accomplishing similar tasks, and sometime the approach you take is a matter of personal preference. Other times, however, like in the case of Flow, Fill and Opacity, tools may appear to control the same variables but the differences are worth noting.

Many of us tend to forget that Photoshop isn’t designed exclusively for photographers. In fact, graphic designers, those who design websites, and many other content creators, use this powerful software.

Tilt-shift lenses are very powerful tools for all sorts of shooting from landscape to architectural photography. They enable you to fine-tune perspective and enhance depth of field by maximizing focus throughout an entire scene.

Photoshop users know that Vibrance and Saturation are similar but not quite the same, and these tools can be employed separately or together for different purposes. Lightroom, on the other hand doesn’t have a Vibrance tool, and if that sounds crazy just take a look; all you’ll find is a Saturation slider.

Have you ever searched for Photoshop’s White Balance Tool, only to come up empty? Well, join the club. The futility of that search isn't because you looked in the wrong place, but because, surprisingly, that tool doesn't exist.

So what goes into making an epic landscape photograph? That’s a difficult, if not impossible, question to answer because the notion of artistic beauty is a very subjective matter. What we do know, however, is that you have to check a few boxes off your list before any image can be considered fantastic.

It’s often necessary to use slow shutter speeds to get the results you want, even when shooting during the day. And editing images made with long exposures sometimes requires a different approach to post processing, depending upon the effect you’re after.