If you're just like me, you don't walk around your photoshoots with a tripod and don't (or can't) take multiple images to create a bracketed HDR. Well, good news my friends, we don't have to do it anymore either! Today, I'm showing how to create kick-ass HDR with single images (while having a little fun on the way). Ready? To your spoons everyone! HDR editing was originally created by merging multiple images to obtain maximum details from the expanded dynamic range. You know the technique: An underexposed, correctly exposed and overexposed … [Read more...] about Single image HDR: The sundae technique
workflow
Integrating Aurora HDR into your photo editing workflow
I use Lightroom Classic for the vast majority of my post-processing work. I like to use the software package as my overall working hub and then shoot images out to other programs as necessary. As long as the images come back into Lightroom then it is easy for me to always find them and organize them into folders, collections and slideshows. I’ve been using HDR software for quite a number of years including programs such as Nik HDR Efex Pro, Photomatix Pro, Photoshop and Lightroom’s HDR processing tools. This newest version of Aurora HDR is a … [Read more...] about Integrating Aurora HDR into your photo editing workflow
Show or hide the parent folder in Lightroom Classic
At times you may need to view the parent for one of the folders containing photos being managed within Lightroom Classic. In this quick video tip you'll learn how you can reveal the parent folder, or hide the parent folder, for any of the folders containing photos in your Lightroom catalog. Want more tips like this? Check out my "Lightroom Quick Tips" course on GreyLearning, part of the "Mastering Lightroom" bundle of courses. … [Read more...] about Show or hide the parent folder in Lightroom Classic
Trimming a video in Lightroom Classic CC
You may already be aware that the videos you capture alongside your still photos can be managed within Adobe Lightroom Classic CC. In addition, Lightroom provides some basic tools for editing video, including the ability to trim a video, as you'll learn in this quick video. Want more tips like this? Check out my "Lightroom Quick Tips" course on GreyLearning, part of the "Mastering Lightroom" bundle of courses. … [Read more...] about Trimming a video in Lightroom Classic CC
Send multiple photos to Photoshop from Lightroom Classic CC
You already know you can send a photo from Lightroom Classic CC to Photoshop to apply a wide variety of adjustments and special effects. But did you know you can actually send multiple photos at one time? Check out the trick in the video below. Want more tips like this? Check out my "Lightroom Quick Tips" course on GreyLearning, part of the "Mastering Lightroom" bundle of courses. … [Read more...] about Send multiple photos to Photoshop from Lightroom Classic CC
The Nikon Z6 for headshot photography
The mirrorless bug finally bit me. As a long time Nikon shooter, I was patiently waiting for the Z series. With a D4S and D850, I was interested to see how the Nikon Z6 could fit into my professional (and personal) workflow. As a corporate headshot photographer, I’m typically on location, in a conference room for the day or in my studio for individual sessions. Headshots on location For the volume corporate headshot jobs, the D4S is still my favorite tool. It will sit there all day, ready for action in a fraction of a second. I love that it … [Read more...] about The Nikon Z6 for headshot photography
Portrait Tips: Utilize graduated filters to finish your portraits
There I was, in a ghost town in the desert in Arizona, or Nevada — it was so remote it's hard to be sure — with a super-telephoto zoom lens, a model in a flowy dress and an empty highway. I just got so excited to lay down in the middle of the road that I forgot that the sky was totally bland. Now, a bland sky doesn't ruin a portrait, but it would have been nice if there were some huge monsoon thunderheads up there. I could use Luminar to combine this with another photo of puffy clouds and combine the two images (and maybe I will later), but I … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Utilize graduated filters to finish your portraits
Applying a Lightroom preset to multiple photos
Presets in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC enable you to quickly achieve a specific look for a photo. In this video tip, you'll learn how you can apply a preset from the Develop module to multiple photos at the same time, with a trick involving the Library module. Want more tips like this? Check out my "Lightroom Quick Tips" course on GreyLearning, part of the "Mastering Lightroom" bundle of courses. … [Read more...] about Applying a Lightroom preset to multiple photos
ACDSee’s Mobile Sync is really cool
Transferring pictures between your phone and your computer is troublesome but often necessary. If you're like me, then just because you shot a picture with your phone doesn't mean you don't want to use the best tools available on your computer to finish the photograph — especially as phone cameras get better and better (did you know you can shoot RAW files on your phone?). ACDSee has a terrific solution. Their mobile app, called Mobile Sync, is a free download for Android and iOS and it is simple to use. Let me show you how it works. Connect … [Read more...] about ACDSee’s Mobile Sync is really cool
Editing hundreds of images in minutes with Luminar’s batch processing
Batch processing is a huge time saver in my editing workflow. It allows me to be more efficient and deliver images faster to my clients with the exact look, format and size I want. No doubt after reading this, you'll fall in love with this process too! What is batch processing? Batch processing is an automated action that allows us to apply a Look to multiple images in a single click. It's a tremendous and easy way to edit hundreds — thousands! — of images with the same unique and seamless look at once. Why do I use it? When I have hundreds … [Read more...] about Editing hundreds of images in minutes with Luminar’s batch processing
Combo superpower: Using Luminar 3 and Aurora HDR 2019 together
Whether it be for outdoor images or oppositely poorly lit indoor ones, combining the power of both Aurora and Luminar in my editing workflow helps me achieve looks that would otherwise be impossible to get. Here are two recent pictures example I did with two different lighting conditions. Example 1: The breezy sunrise Picture yourself: It's 6:30 in the morning and you are in the middle of a vast area surrounded, wind and snow and below zero temperature. The sun isn't up yet but a bunch of courageous athletes is already warming up to take on … [Read more...] about Combo superpower: Using Luminar 3 and Aurora HDR 2019 together
Perfecting color in landscapes with Perfectly Clear Complete
If you can make a terrific foundation, then you can be free to create. This is especially true regarding color. Great color allows you to make better black and whites and utilize all kinds of creative apps. Let me show you how Perfectly Clear's excellent tools can help you make a sure color foundation to build your photofinishing on. Preset: Landscapes Start by clicking on the Landscapes preset button at the top of the window. This activates the excellent tone and color settings in Perfectly Clear and leaves all the stuff for portraits … [Read more...] about Perfecting color in landscapes with Perfectly Clear Complete
Four easy steps to kick-ass Luminar custom Looks
Looking for a time-saving solution to your post-editing workflow? Here are some quick and easy tips to become more efficient while making sure you keep your personalized editing style by creating your own customized Luminar 3 Looks. What is a Look? A Look is a recorded set of filters, and it helps to edit images in a very fast and personalized way. A big advantage of Luminar's Looks is that they are still fully customizable once saved. Which means you can tweak them over and over again — you are not stuck with the base Look you've saved at … [Read more...] about Four easy steps to kick-ass Luminar custom Looks
How to work less and achieve more
I’ve been traveling again, and as usual when the schedule becomes tight, time for certain things flies out of the window and we find ourselves having to make decisions about what we really need to do and what can be set aside for a few extra days — until we get our breath back or our feet on the ground and covered by Wi-Fi again. The fine art of making intelligent workflows When our time is tight, we learn to prioritize, and there’s no skill more valuable than that when it comes to running a business or simply getting our projects done. … [Read more...] about How to work less and achieve more
Learn how to get the most from Aurora HDR 2019’s Detail Boost filter
The improved HDR Details Boost filter in Aurora HDR 2019 improves image sharpness without increasing digital noise, creating unnatural ghosting or halos in an image. Here’s how apply this powerful tool to improve the quality of your images. Understanding the HDR Details Boost sliders The HDR Details Boost filter has 5 sliders, Small, Medium, Large, Protect and Masking. Each setting can be used alone or in combination with the others. Fight your first instinct to move all the sliders around and see what happens. Instead, experiment and … [Read more...] about Learn how to get the most from Aurora HDR 2019’s Detail Boost filter
Photography Marketing: Prompt delivery is key
As an event photographer, I'm always asked after a photoshoot when I'll be able to deliver images to clients. In today's social media driven world this is important for clients, so they can show off their event to their followers. With the corporate event clients I work with, I have standard delivery times, but I promise to deliver event photographs within 48 hours. Nine times out of 10, my turnaround time exceeds what the client expects or desires, so it just adds to the positive experience they have with me. Have a reliable workflow I've … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Prompt delivery is key
Portrait Tips: A Layered Workflow for Retouching
Retouching the portraits you make can be a lot of fun, and it can be a lot of frustration. I realize that I've retouched thousands of portraits and one thing that makes it more fun than frustration is simply the way you go about it — the workflow. Let me show you how using layers in your retouching allows you freedom and creativity and reproducibility. I'll demonstrate using Luminar, but you can get similar results using any layered app. Basics Start by doing your basic tweaks — adjust the camera profile and white balance, which are in … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: A Layered Workflow for Retouching
Portrait Retouch Part 3 of 3: Adding a Finishing Touch with Luminar 2018
Part two of this three-part series on Portrait retouching with Luminar showed how to smooth skin, sculpture the face and remove blemishes. Read Part one here. The third part of this series shows how to add the finishing touches to the image. To start, I will apply a preset that adds a combination of four filters: Structure, Details Enhancer, Top and Bottom Lighting, and Vignette. This gives the image a modified version of my sports grit look style. Next, I'll desaturate the image then adjust highlights and shadows to complete the … [Read more...] about Portrait Retouch Part 3 of 3: Adding a Finishing Touch with Luminar 2018
Portrait Retouch Part 2 of 3: Smoothing Skin, Sculpting the Face and Removing Blemishes
Part one of this three-part series on Portrait retouching with Luminar showed how to enhance eyes and facial features. The second part of this series is showing how to smooth skin, sculpture the face and remove blemishes. To smooth a subject’s skin, we are going to add the Orton Effect filter. This filter is unique to Luminar. It applies enhancements to an image that includes glow and focus which produces photos that are sharp and blurry at the same time. Sharp and blurry at the same time? Yup, think of it as the sweet and sour sauce we all … [Read more...] about Portrait Retouch Part 2 of 3: Smoothing Skin, Sculpting the Face and Removing Blemishes
Portrait Retouch Part 1 of 3: Enhancing Eyes and Facial Features
To enhance eyes and facial features, we are going to add Structure, Brightness and Contrast filters to the entire image, then—using a filter mask—selectively apply the effect to just the eyes, eyebrows, nostrils and lips. The Structure filter will add clarity and micro-contrast. The downside: this filter usually darkens the image. To bring back brightness, we will use the Brightness and Contrast filter. Let’s get started! Basic Development Before we tackle enhancing the eyes and facial features, let’s begin processing the image using the … [Read more...] about Portrait Retouch Part 1 of 3: Enhancing Eyes and Facial Features
Photography Marketing: Strategize Your Instagram Hashtags with Focalmark
One of the biggest struggles I have in using Instagram is deciding what hashtags to use. I usually use some that are consistent with each post, specific to my camera make (Olympus), location and type of photography. But recently, I discovered a tool to make this a little easier — Focalmark. The app is available for free (with paid upgrades) for both iOS and Android devices. How it Works With Focalmark, you can copy up to 30 hashtags directly to Instagram or your phone's clipboard. Focalmark works by asking you three questions. First, it … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Strategize Your Instagram Hashtags with Focalmark
Tips and Tricks for Using Layers
What is a Layer? Layers are a powerful way to “build up” your images. They allow you to add filters--or stack several filters together--to apply corrections or enhancements. Changing blending modes, adding a layer mask and adjusting the overall opacity (revealing or hiding the layer below) will give you the freedom to experiment until you achieve exactly the look you’d like for your image. Base Layer Luminar creates a base layer when an image is first opened. Think of this as the background layer. Since there isn’t a layer beneath it, you … [Read more...] about Tips and Tricks for Using Layers
Star Rating Strategy
While there are a variety of methods available for identifying your favorite photos from a given trip or photo shoot, star ratings remain a popular solution for this purpose. Star ratings are widely supported and somewhat easy to understand. But I actually use a somewhat unique approach to using star ratings, which I thought I would share for your consideration. Redefining the Ratings Star ratings are available in a range from one star to five stars, or of course the option to not assign a star rating at all. It is perfectly logical to … [Read more...] about Star Rating Strategy
Quick Tip: Reject Before Delete
If you prefer to delete your not-so-great photos so you only keep your best work, you may want to add an extra step to your workflow just to be safe. In this quick tip, I'll share how you can use the Reject flag in Lightroom as part of your workflow for deleting photos that didn't work out as intended. Want more tips like this? Check out my "Lightroom Quick Tips" course on GreyLearning, part of the "Mastering Lightroom" bundle of courses. … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Reject Before Delete
How Photographing Sports Changed My Life
Guest post by Erin Holmstead. Shooting sports changed my whole photography business! At the end of 2015, I met a gentleman, Rick Parker, who shoots sports photography for a local online news center. We were in the same photo club and he was presenting some of his work and during this time he mentioned that anyone could tag along and learn at one of the games coming up. I, of course, jumped right on that thinking, why not? The first game I attended with him was a local high school game and I left feeling like I should probably put my camera … [Read more...] about How Photographing Sports Changed My Life
Live Webinar Tuesday: Picture Perfect Retouching with Roberto Valenzuela
You gotta join us live for our next Live Webinar, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Tuesday, December 5th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Live Webinar Tuesday: Picture Perfect Retouching with Roberto Valenzuela
Live Webinar Tuesday: Picture Perfect Retouching with Roberto Valenzuela
You gotta join us live for our next Live Webinar, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Tuesday, December 5th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Live Webinar Tuesday: Picture Perfect Retouching with Roberto Valenzuela
Landscapes in Luminar – Tips, Techniques, and a Simple Workflow for Beautiful Results
Digging into Skylum's newest version of Luminar, the first question I had to answer is, "What can it do that will save me time, make my images look better, and not take forever to learn?" Once you open the program up, you find a tremendous amount of options for processing. But, it is an easy to learn program that I have found can help you make quick adjustments to get great results. These tips and techniques will help you sift through the options and features, so you can develop (pun intended) your own workflow, not just for your landscapes, … [Read more...] about Landscapes in Luminar – Tips, Techniques, and a Simple Workflow for Beautiful Results
Live Webinar: Picture Perfect Retouching with Roberto Valenzuela
You gotta join us live for our next Live Webinar, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Tuesday, December 5th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Picture Perfect Retouching with Roberto Valenzuela
Live Webinar: Picture Perfect Retouching with Roberto Valenzuela
You gotta join us live for our next Live Webinar, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Tuesday, December 5th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Picture Perfect Retouching with Roberto Valenzuela
