Ron Leach

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.

Unless you’re shooting in black and white, the effective use of color can make or break a photo. And that typically means striking a balance between tones that are vibrant and realistic.