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 🤙🏼

[@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.

[@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.

[@ilovethismightyfineplace]

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

[@Minoritynomad]

Basically my entire career. lol

[@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.

[@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!

[@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

[@MarCus-su4rr]

When I read the title I though: And Serge Ramelli is like: Nope, not gonna happen!

[@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. ❤️

[@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!

[@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.

[@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!

[@brycenew]

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

[@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!

[@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!

[@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

[@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!

[@jimmcdonald6465]

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

[@GenericaQwerty]

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 😄

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@davidclode3601]

Thanks Mark. Always very helpful!

[@bullseyetravel5388]

Always providing great tips!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks Eric!

[@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

[@markusjenni4804]

Very helpful tips Mark, txs a lot!

[@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!

[@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!

[@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!

[@Daddy4rime]

Thanks for this, great tips!

[@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.

[@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!

[@kyle8575]

This was very helpful, thank you!

[@guillandanthony711]

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

[@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!

[@alivtehrani]

This was really helpful Mark. 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.

[@nolanwest6831]

Great tips thank you for sharing.

[@aorzya]

Fantastic tips! Thank you for sharing the knowledge.

[@johndoherty6448]

Another 'on the money' video, Mark. Great tech help, esp now as we each have regionally restricted movement. On over/under editing, as you pointed out in some previous vids, I find it hugely helpful to 'walk away' for an hour or even a few days and come back with 'fresh eyes', so to speak.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks John! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@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.

[@donspicer2699]

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

[@ralphnetta4563]

Mark, great informative video as usual.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Much appreciated Ralph - thank YOU!

[@yesaididit329]

Thank you for the tips. However, I would argue with you on "contrast deficit" and "flat colors". I believe, this is entirely personal preference. After you have intensified the colors and adjusted the contrast I started to get this fantasy/fairy tale feeling which isn't always a good thing in my book. To me it's more like a modern trend to make things vivid and sharp for the sake of questionable beauty. My point is, I loved your shots the way the were :D

[@fredtaylor9792]

I definitely agree with the "fantasy/fairy tale" comment. All of the photos people are sharing and getting alot of "likes" have that feel to them. I guess I'm just not "hip".

[@mikegeske6488]

My wife is always showing me social media pictures - and they are almost always over-the-top fantasy/fairy tale (great term). Every one seems to think they are incredible. To me, they are ridiculous. It is a pet-peeve of mine. And therefore, I over-react and leave my pics all under-edited. I've just recently become aware of my under-editing. This video is timed perfectly for me. THANK YOU Mark, this is extremely helpful, more than any photography video I've watched in a long time.

[@mikegeske6488]

A good friend of mine recently took an adult ed photography course. The instructor told them to get the exposure correct in the camera and then leave them alone. That to edit them was "cheating". I argued - but look at Ansel Adams! He dodged-and-burned his way to glory and fame. She said something like "yes, isn't that a shame?". My second response was "so, you are just going to let the camera and camera manufacturer tell you what is a good photograph and do it all for you!"

[@MA-no8tz]

Another excellent video. Thanks!

[@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!

[@jeffreyprosser5652]

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

[@jimevans8290]

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

[@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!

[@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

[@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)

[@carlosm9323]

Very good explanation and examples, thank you for sharing

[@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.

[@wahabdilawar]

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

[@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!

[@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. !

[@TomasWilliams]

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

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much Tomas!

[@inakiizetavidaller3287]

Very good! Thanks so much.

[@kaiaris1244]

Great work keep it up mate

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks Kai!!

[@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!

[@inittoo]

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

[@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

[@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".

[@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.

[@tomwarrington4150]

Great tips Mark! Thanks!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks for checking it out Tommy!

[@hp58770]

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

[@AaronDeister99]

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

[@hotflashfoto]

This earned my subscription to your channel. When you're in the HSL, don't forget to use the TAT (targeted adjustment tool) so you're not trying to manually adjust one channel at a time. It moves other sliders at the same ratio as your selection. One thing that you did that I've never seen or been told about was using the shift key and double-clicking exposure to have LR adjust it to the calculated value. It probably works on other sliders as well, but this is the first time I've ever seen it.

[@RemieDGaming]

You give practical examples and very clearly explained tutorials. Thanks so much for being a great photography editing resource!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much Remie!

[@PKAmedia]

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

[@matthewjeffres4640]

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

[@NeillRobinson]

I really enjoy your videos man. Thanks!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks Neil!

[@joshuagharis9017]

Great videos man

[@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

[@BucNasty32]

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

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Many thanks - means a lot to me!

[@MrRandomatom]

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

[@InWanderment]

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

[@bikeandbreath]

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

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much for this!

[@brianjennings2185]

Very good post process video. Helps a lot.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

I'm glad you think so Brian!

[@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!

[@SciTeF]

Thanks a lot, yet again! Another good one!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

THank you!

[@gretchencole296]

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

[@TheMackhimself]

Great video!

[@heisenberg9616]

I can relate to this, now that I know when I overedit I see a lot of examples where I have under edited and the crop is my biggest issue. I always feel like I have to show everything in the photo it will make it look better but a good crop always looks better.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Yes, I think the crop might be the single best way to make the most dramatic improvement on a photograph!

[@jakerourke7765]

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

[@evandropires8965]

I'm going to re-edit all my landscape photos! :) Great tips Mark. By the way, I think you're a "natural teacher". Congrats from Brazil!

[@BrianNorthmorePhotography]

Thanks Mark, Great tips,never thought of under editing before. I. Going to add your virtual copy idea to my own workflow, and not just for contrast I think it has lots of potential!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks for checking out the video Brian!

[@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!

[@JorgeRiveroMadge1982]

Great video, Mark! I've been re-editing a bunch of my older photos lately and noticed that most of them were underexposed. I'll try the background color switch trick next time. Seems very helpful. One thing that works for me is coming back to the photo the next day.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Jorge Rivero Many thanks Jorge! Glad to hear the video was helpful!

[@graemewilson602]

great video and cool tips, thank you

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Much appreciated - thank you!

[@camera55mauromachado23]

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

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Great to hear that!

[@wendynewing8834]

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

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks for watching Wendy!

[@RiccardoPareschi]

Hi Mark, another great video, really interesting and as always inspiring. Thank you.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

thanks so much Riccardo!

[@Tunesmithnw]

Excellent video, Mark. Thanks again.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thank you!

[@Fedor_Tkachev_Music]

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

[@vasanssv]

Fantastic tips Mark!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much!