Ron Leach

This video may be controversial because lenses with maximum apertures of f/2.8 or faster tend to get all the love. That’s because they typically fall into the “premium” or pro category and are so useful for shooting in low light. But slower lenses with f/4 maximum apertures have a few significant benefits too.

Let’s say you’re photographing landscapes on a foggy day, expecting to capture images full of drama. Instead what you get are boring, disappointing photos. Rather than dumping these uninteresting shots to the trash, why not transform them into something special with the simple edit below?

Shutterbug readers tend to be a gear-happy lot, with a variety of cameras for different purposes. In addition to a DSLR or mirrorless camera (or both) with an arsenal of lenses, there may be a pocket-size compact with a large sensor, a lightweight super-zoom model, and perhaps a film camera or two. Despite all this equipment, we all shoot with our smartphones on occasion (whether we admit it or not).

Yesterday we shared a comprehensive guide to editing colors in Lightroom, with an overview of the most basic techniques. Today we’ll take a more detailed look at two tools that often create confusion because of their similarity, and explain when one works better than the other.