5 Signs You're UNDER-EDITING Landscape Photos

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In this week’s episode, we discuss 5 signs that you're under-editing landscape photos. You often hear people talk about over-editing photos, but you rarely hear anyone mention the struggles related to under-editing. And from my personal experience, under-editing has become a much greater long term issue for me as opposed to that of over-editing. Now I think when you’re a beginner and first starting out, over-editing probably is the bigger issue, but as you progress I’ve found that recognizing when you’re over-editing becomes substantially easier to identify and resolve than that of under-editing.
In this video, I'll share with you 5 signs to look out for that will help you determine if you're under-editing your landscape photos. Under-editing is a photo editing problem rarely discussed and when left untreated can become as big of an issue if not even bigger than the more commonly referred to problem of over-editing. Finding the sweet spot when it comes to editing your landscape photos is something we're all after and in order to achieve that we need to be able to identify when we're over and under-editing our photos. I hope this video provides you with some helpful things to look out for the next time you begin your post processing workflow.
If you enjoyed this video, please consider giving it a thumbs up and let me know what you think in the comments below - I guarantee I'll get back to ya.
Thanks for watching everyone!
-Mark D.
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[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Anyone else struggle with this?

[@b.a.p.4718]

One of my recent moves to try and combat this for the future is to shoot RAW plus JPEG. I noticed that when I upload a RAW on LR, a nice “edited” version of it can be seen very briefly when I first upload the photo (maybe a second) before the image becomes that flat and dull profile of the RAW file. Sometimes it can be a struggle for me to capture the beauty of that in-camera-JPEG but yet maintain the flexibility and data of a RAW.

[@ibar1878]

The contrast one is seriously my #1 too. It grinds my gears when I have a photo that I thought looked good, post it on social media then see that under contrast "grey" look. This was a huge help!

[@adrianvanleeuwen]

@@b.a.p.4718 I also agree. I tend to capture everything in Raw plus Jpeg, so I can see where the Raw can go. For landscape, I use the Raw to get full dynamic range and get back blown out highlights, but the small jpeg I also saved gave me idea of potential of photo in terms of light. I also will vary the exposures a bit.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

@@ShootingLandscapes Thanks so much Phil! Really happy you found the channel as well!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

@@ibar1878 I echo your same feeling!

[@flevingfinn5885]

Good hint (that I'm usually too impatient to follow) is the "leave the photo alone for few days and check it again" which usually gives new perspective to finish the last 20% of the edit that turns good photo into great photo

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

I struggle with that as well, but it's such good advice!

[@SamLucas26]

I think that most of us, especially early on in, in our photography/editing journey have a tendency to go pretty heavy handed on the sliders. So our natural tendency is to immediately counter with a “less is more” approach to editing. I’ve found for myself that “under-editing” is a culmination of this “less is more” mentality combined with a lack of a vision for how I want the image to turn out when sitting down to edit. I set out with a plan and great intentionality when actually shooting the image. I often have a subject and composition in mind that I want before even pulling my camera out. But I often find that I’m not sitting down to edit with that same intentionality and that’s always where I run into these kind of “under editing” issues, is because I had a clear purpose when shooting but no clear purpose in editing. So I have to remind myself that the image isn’t complete until I’ve executed my plan in the edit the same way that I executed in camera. As always, thanks for the great video, friend!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Great comment - well said Sam!

[@SamLucas26]

Thanks Mark! Great video 🤙🏼

[@vedranb87]

In the new Lightroom there is now a feature called "Versions" where you can create virtual copies of your images without them becoming actual copies, but just the copies of changes. I, coming from a software world and version control mentality, love that feature. I'm not sure have they added this to the Lightroom classic yet, but certainly something to look into.

[@adrianvanleeuwen]

Amazing how trying out different crops can make the image more impactful in your first couple of examples.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Right! Makes a huge difference!

[@jaredanderson4600]

Dim light is a big one for me. The photo looks great on my laptop but once I get it on my phone I realize it is way darker than I thought.

[@hassanscottodierno9284]

Thanks, this is very useful actually. I always struggle with the thought that too much editing is "cheating", but this video shows how we can make the picture seem more lifelike actually and not going too far.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Great to hear you found the video useful - thank you!

[@johnshares]

Hi, as a total newby I must say I really appreciate the “before and after “. step. It helps me try to understand the process better. Thank you Mark.

[@Fotogoscar]

So true.... I've been shooting for last 3yrs and as I got more comfortable with my editing, I have gone back to revisit some old photos.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Always a good time reediting images from the past👍

[@mikeyoungmedia]

I've recently moved to doing nature and landscape photos since my normal style won't be happening anytime soon

[@abibstopherwilliam]

Thanks for the tips!! I always worry about over-editing but I'd never really considered the problems of not editing enough

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad to do it and thank YOU for checking out the video - hope it helps!

[@davidclode3601]

Thanks Mark. Always very helpful!

[@Daddy4rime]

Thanks for this, great tips!

[@MotoMoose]

Hi Mark, Just wanted to say thank you for your easy to follow videos. I learned the hard way that photography and post-processing is a perishable skill. When my daughter was born a few years ago, my creative landscape and wildlife photography took a back seat to the typical child growing up kind of dad with a camera photos. Now that I'm getting back into things it's nice to learn again with ease with your videos and learn about all the cool new features of lightroom that weren't there before. Appreciate what you do for the rest of us.

[@markusjenni4804]

Very helpful tips Mark, txs a lot!

[@MA-no8tz]

Another excellent video. Thanks!

[@kyle8575]

This was very helpful, thank you!

[@johnredwine]

I really love viewing your photo on dark and white background to determine exposure! Learned something new. I always struggled with determining if photo exposure was right. It would look right after my edit but later I would look at the photo again and see something wrong

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Same here John! So many of my early photos were underexposed, but this little trick has certainly helped that!

[@nolanwest6831]

Great tips thank you for sharing.

[@aorzya]

Fantastic tips! Thank you for sharing the knowledge.

[@ilovethismightyfineplace]

The most egregious under editing mistake is being too lazy to do a full edit. 😂

[@Minoritynomad]

Basically my entire career. lol

[@carlosm9323]

Very good explanation and examples, thank you for sharing

[@jimevans8290]

Another great video....easy to understand.....Keep it up Mark

[@guillandanthony711]

I love your videos. Everything so clearly and slowy explained. Thanks for that!

[@inakiizetavidaller3287]

Very good! Thanks so much.

[@brycenew]

Great vid Mark, got a lot from this! Love the short cuts I learnt, as much as the 5 signs. Many thanks!

[@rlfisher]

Great tip to look at it from the "other direction." Sometimes, one can get so afraid of OVER-editing that we don't add enough correction. BTW... with survey view (N) you could look at all three contrast adjustments at the same time.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! I used to use survey mode, but my eyes aren't the best so I now only look at two at a time so they're larger on screen.

[@alivtehrani]

This was really helpful Mark. Thank you!

[@bullseyetravel5388]

Always providing great tips!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks Eric!

[@wahabdilawar]

Some of your best photos in this video. Thanks for sharing and thank you very much for your time and effort.

[@colliescameraaction8944]

Another one I really enjoyed. Love all the LR tips as there are some things that I realised I haven’t touched before such as the calibration section and the tones (medium and strong contrast). Love how you’re creating new terminology as well., Very memorable - you’re very good at this. ❤️

[@scarface1961]

Mark, The majority of photography channels show the author in the field taking photographs. That's great for inspiration, but I need something more. A greater majority of channels show photographers educating viewers on various field camera techniques. That's great for the beginners, but I have been in photography for a long time and I need more. A fewer number of photography channels show their authors providing information on image editing techniques. This is the area I feel I needed the most education. When searching Google for image editing, I found your channel. I have been going through many of your older videos and have found that you provide a very well rounded photography experience. Many of your editing videos have provided me with a wealth of information. Inspiration and technique are very important, but, in today's world, the editing is where an artist makes their work stand out from others. Keep up the great work. Thanks, Bob

[@jimmcdonald6465]

Really excellent presentation! Great pace, explanation of subtlety and all-round help. Thank you Mark.

[@URSENIORUTUBER55]

Excellent tutorial Mark. Concise, easy to follow and hitting it out of the park on topics you chose to hit on. Thank you very much

[@joshuagharis9017]

Great videos man

[@alexn6950]

These calibration technic you shared -- it boosts my knowledge a lot: work with tones and colours will stay a tricky thing, but now I know more. And the background colour trick: it's simple, yet powerful tool. The whole lesson helps definitely, thank you

[@tomwarrington4150]

Great tips Mark! Thanks!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks for checking it out Tommy!

[@jhonnybakkenphotography]

Thanks for the video and those great tips. Struggle with al of them, so a great thanks for leading me in the right direction. Can't wait until your next video, great work Mark!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much friend - really appreciate that!

[@lemon_sundew]

Thank you for this video! Loads of good info and I don't feel like im wasting time watching it as I do with a lot of other videos I've seen and end up turning off after 2 minutes. I subscribed and look forward to checking out more of your content!

[@JasonStewartPhotography]

I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one that has this issue! Thank you Mark, this is such a great tutorial with such helpful stuff.

[@SciTeF]

Thanks a lot, yet again! Another good one!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

THank you!

[@hasoneconleche]

Thanks for teaching us all these little things that make a huge difference! Turning the background white to help with exposure is simple, but HUGE! We appreciate what you're doing here!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Much appreciated Jason - thank you!

[@gretchencole296]

I always let my images simmer for a few days and then revisit. It makes for better processing at least for me.

[@funnygirl592]

These could even come in handy when editing other types of photos besides landscapes! I think my favorite was comparing different levels of contrast. Thank you for creating such amazing content. Can't wait to see how this this channel keeps growing, you deserve way more exposure.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much for that - really appreciate it!

[@Tunesmithnw]

Excellent video, Mark. Thanks again.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thank you!

[@sudheerbandaru2010]

I always have this confusion on handling the exposure and contrast in my landscapes. These tips really helped me in adjusting exp/contrast in a better way. Thanks a heap.

[@TheMackhimself]

Great video!

[@NeillRobinson]

I really enjoy your videos man. Thanks!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks Neil!

[@donspicer2699]

Thanks for the tips Mark!! I also struggle with some photos as well. Have a great day

[@InWanderment]

These are all my current struggles. Thanks for the video, it has really helped.

[@jakerourke7765]

thank you for the tips i will be using these tips on my editing

[@adiringer1959]

Mark, thanks for the video. My take-aways today were two shortcuts: Shift+double click exposure and control+comma. I have a suggestions for you, in case you don't already know: When you compare 3 images to see contrast, you might want to use "N" for survey mode, to see all 3 images at the same time. Shift+tab will give you the entire screen space to make them larger. Keep up the good work!

[@gretchencole296]

Great tips! Changing the background colors for exposure is thumbs 👍 up!

[@ralphnetta4563]

Mark, great informative video as usual.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Much appreciated Ralph - thank YOU!

[@jeffreyprosser5652]

Just discovered your videos. Really helpful and I have now subscribed

[@graemewilson602]

great video and cool tips, thank you

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Much appreciated - thank you!

[@palko52]

Mark, Your videos have proven to be the most valuable inputs for my improvement in composition and editing ... and they caused me to refocus on quality of my pics instead of quantity ... thanks a lot ! Paul

[@hp58770]

I lovelovelove your videos and tips. You can explane hard stuff so easy that you just make me exited to edit! Thank you!

[@paulasimson4939]

Well, you just totally and completely rocked my world with the calibration tab! I've never even noticed that tab before and always relied on HSL.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Awesome to hear you were able to pick up something helpful out of this week's video Paula!

[@georgee3401]

Excellent tutorial. Very useful info. Thanks!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

George E Thanks so much George!

[@kaiaris1244]

Great work keep it up mate

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks Kai!!

[@palantir135]

Since Lightroom went to monthly payments I changed to Skylum Luminar and Aurora. Editing raw photos and correcting all you mentioned here is much more easy and you will get more out of your photo.

[@inittoo]

Hi Mark, I really enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work. Cheers

[@johnkelm1764]

Thanks for this weeks video Mark. Loving the content of your channel and the tips you keep sharing. Cheers!!!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks a million John!

[@hilleviupmanis8687]

Thank you!

[@warianb]

Great video! Whenever I see an 18min video I think I'll probably just watch some of it, but you keep it so interesting that time flies by! I really like the tips and the examples of how to actually edit and fix the issues.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Such an amazing compliment - thanks a million for that!

[@gprice1903]

I always learn something from your videos. This week has inspired me to take a second look at some images I liked, but just couldn't get happy with. Thank you!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Very happy to hear this!

[@no1skeeper160]

Thank you for the tips. I'm implementing them on my channel and it really works I'm seeing results in my newer videos.

[@johanhefer3512]

Great advice. Very practical

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Much appreciated Johan!

[@matthewjeffres4640]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I really enjoy your channel and your body of work! Thanks for sharing! best wishes, Earl J.

[@brianjennings2185]

Very good post process video. Helps a lot.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

I'm glad you think so Brian!

[@blobfish.]

I've just started using a DSLR and Lightroom and your videos are amazing!! I cannot overstate how much I appreciate your before-and-afters. I have to say though that I actually loved your RAW Oregon photo (which you said was flat). I love gloomy, spooky photos and it worked for me. Great capture 😄

[@vasanssv]

Fantastic tips Mark!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much!

[@TomasWilliams]

Thanks Mark, great stuff! Really enjoy your videos, always enlightening 🖖

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much Tomas!

[@PKAmedia]

All good tips, but the the changing the background colour to white to check exposure, so helpful. Cheers!

[@johnaufiero7950]

So helpful. Your presentations are actually art classes as well as photo editing tips. Thanks for your hard work and exacting detailed explanations.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks a million for the amazing comment John - really appreciate that!

[@Johannes]

The switching to white, then black background seems like a neat technique. I will give that a try, thank you. Have noticed that when I edit photos late at night in a dark room they tend to be darker edited.

[@xAmayaxx]

I started editing photos for just over a week and this video is so helpful, thank you ! (I had no idea there was some preset for the tone curve, I have been struggling with it this will definitely help)

[@rickifyful]

Thanks for the tip on switching between the white and black background!

[@davehallock3102]

More tips that aren't talked about anywhere else. Thanks Mark. I just took a photo that I gave up on over the weekend and played with the calibration and may have something now. Never would have thought of that prior to your video. Love your videos!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much Dave! Hope the calibration section can help your image!

[@JustinNicholsProductions]

Glad to see I’m not the only one that struggles with this! I always edit an image to where I think it looks great, look at some similar examples other photographers post and then realize I’ve under edited quite a bit. I couldn’t figure out a way to g set past this but I think these tips will really help. Thanks!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks for checking out the video Justin!

[@BucNasty32]

Love your vids Mark. One of my favs to watch.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Many thanks - means a lot to me!

[@richard5005]

Mark, as always, an excellent presentation with this video. It is helping me learn and navigate Lightroom as a beginner, and with more videos like this, I will advance to the next level. Thanks, Richard

[@williamcharlesworth4617]

Great tips, Mark. Love your teaching style and the amount of useful information you put into your vlog. Great job. Stay well. Bill.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Much appreciated Bill - thank you!

[@carolynvines2027]

Wow! I learned so much from this video. Thanks Mark! I can see myself getting so much more creative with my editing. That tip about quickly creating virtual copies to compare different editing ideas is going to make a big difference for me; and I think it's going to save me some time, too!

[@wendynewing8834]

Thanks for a really good tutorial. It is so informative.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks for watching Wendy!

[@bikeandbreath]

another great video mark!! you rock!! 🙌✌

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much for this!

[@bobneedham6224]

Great video. Very informative. I’m glad you continued advocating minimalist editing. So many images these days are over edited

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad you enjoyed it Bob!

[@baksania]

Wow. This video is very insightful for me. Thank you Mark!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Great to hear you enjoyed it!

[@camera55mauromachado23]

Very very informative video, I’ve learned a few new things. Thanks

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Great to hear that!

[@SinaFarhat]

Very informative and great photo examples! I am too scared to use shadows so I go more for having the shadow details but at the same time you get a more moody photo when you hide things in the shadows so I have to be more brave! Keep up the good work!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much!

[@nora25908]

Thanks for the video! I'm on my second week of learning lightroom. I didn't know about the toggle sliders to turn the effects on and off! Or the range masks option to adjust the radial filter. And I hadn't noticed the calibration tab. Tried it out on a photo I had just "finished" editing and fixed some very very green shadows I hadn't even noticed.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad to do it and thanks for watching it Nora!!

[@petermaidment1175]

I love the colours of video and studio!

[@peteberkery9652]

I am not deep into the editing, lately, from other photographers, they are warning away from getting excessive on the edits. You always do a nice presentation. !

[@jackielarena-lacayo9884]

I very much appreciated this week's video. Instead of over-editing I tend to under-edit. Crop, flat color and dim lit are my biggest nemesis and WOW did your video shed some new light on these challenges and how to work it out. Thanks again for a great and informative video Mark!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

This is awesome to hear - thanks Jackie! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kathyspraggins4557]

Thank you, Mark. I am at that point where I know just enough to be dangerous to my own progress. You have cleared up some stumbling issues for me. Thank you again for the work you put in to share, and make us better photographers.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much for watching Kathy! I hope this week's video was helpful!

[@andreagentili8460]

Really nice tip with shifting from white to black background!!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks Andrea! Glad you think so!

[@MrRandomatom]

Great tips. I like the presentation style, too! Liked & subscribed.

[@Fedor_Tkachev_Music]

12:45 incredible workflow with the white background, I overlooked having a point of reference like that!

[@robino0821]

Man, you hit the nail on the head. I'm a new photographer, trying to learn shooting as well as Lightroom, and I find myself very light-handed with edits because I'm afraid of over-processing and making everything look too "Instagrammy".

[@AaronDeister99]

I had no clue you could even do any luminance masking in Lightroom. Awesome!!

[@rosssayer6524]

Being new to lightroom and editing that was very helpful and really well explained, many thanks Mark.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

I'm glad you think so Ross!