Exposure Blending in Photoshop

[@danigyovai]

The most valuable 21 minutes of my past 2 years of learning landscape photo editing. Thanks Nick!

[@bastow21]

Hey Nick, ia m watching all your tutorials for some inspiration and motivation. Incredible stuff....Thx so much

[@tokyoinpics9346]

Like another person here, I had great trouble with this technique. I tried it and failed, and tried again and failed again. Today I sat down and hit play, stop, rewind, play again over and over. I got a relatively nice result on my first try today. Had no idea what I was doing wrong on my previous attempts, but today I'm stoked. Now I look at this video and think it is so simple!! Hahaha!! I am seriously over the moon!

[@gr8_22-15]

Still one of your very best informative videos ever. So much gold in this vid.

[@MegaDwilkinson]

really like how you explain this Nick - a little too quick for me on the more advanced/complex stuff - but the dual processing had never occurred to me, and I had never seen that before. I can see the great value in that - thanks very much for this

[@adventurewhitasiam]

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who used the Silver Efex II programs. In my memory, I use these programs from time to time since 2010.

[@WhiteCrowFarm]

Just starting to get into this method of blending exposures. Always a pleasure learning from you, and it seems like whenever I'm at a point of expanding, or exploring something new in the world of photography, your right there with a tutorial! Thanks for sharing!!

[@jacksongodbold9297]

I'm was so guilty of just editing the picture as a whole, bring up the shadows, drop the highlights. This completely changed how I edit my photos, nice video.

[@chrisbakerphotography4017]

Thanks Nick, a really helpful tutorial. Just when you think you are doing great, you learn something new. PS I would pump up the “de-esser’ on the sound file.

[@BrianPex]

Another thing that's very cool is showing how HDR IS A GOOD thing when used to create a great starting point. I think far too many look at HDR as a means to get a great final image. The PANO method is super useful.

[@NZScenery_co_nz]

Thank you Nick!!!.. I've been banging my head for months trying to learn this stuff and your video has finally made it sink in lol!.. Thank you ma man! 👌👍

[@jcwangphotography]

Excellent video. Really enjoy your sharing on how to do the right things in images editing.

[@nickadamson6053]

Man above, this is exactly the instruction I was looking for. Thank you thank you thank you for offering this content. If your free is this good, I can only imagine what your paid tutorials must offer!

[@keithpinn152]

Hey Nick; Another amazing video. I am trying to up my game when it comes to post-processing and your teaching style and explanation of the limitations of LR has been tremendously helpful to me. Keep safe & keep creating.....Cheers, Keith (Canada)

[@alevans1168]

Thanks for this Nick, I have started using photoshop a lot more thanks to your videos, I was to intimidated for a long time and stuck to lightroom. Will be revisiting some of my older shots especially as don't know when will be taking new ones with the current situation.

[@BrianPex]

"Luminosity Masks are really good at creating masks based on LUMINOSITY..." That was funny with the face you made acknowledging the redundancy of the statement. But man! I wish I had seen this type thing when first starting out with Lum masks. Very well explained and, again, to the point. Nothing is more frustrating than hearing a video about what the guy ate for lunch that day while shooting! We just wanna see the technique! YOU do a great job with that!

[@MatsAndersson]

Totally agree with you. The "as usual, i begin by opening up the shadows and pulling down the highlights" mantra used by some folks is awful.

[@meredithimages5067]

Thanks Nick. Love your content - learning so much from you. Cheers!

[@MrSTAdventures]

Another fantastic tutorial, I have learned so much just by watching two of your videos. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge Nick :)

[@brucewayne2984]

Gosh, I’ve seen so many KZbin videos on how to do this and I still can’t do it. It’s so frustrating! Maybe someday...

[@tokyoinpics9346]

You posted here 2 years ago Bruce. I was the same. Tried and tried and tried and kept failing. Had not idea what I was doing wrong. It was so frustrated. But today!! I tried it again and did it! How about you?

[@daydreamer1246]

Me too. The learning curve is high. It is very frustrating to learn and master the blending method. I tried and gave up quickly. Lol

[@tokyoinpics9346]

@@daydreamer1246 You could try Luminar 4? I actually bought it very recently and think it is fantastic.

[@daydreamer1246]

@@tokyoinpics9346 Oh really, can you share me the link for reference please? Thanks in advance.

[@tokyoinpics9346]

@@daydreamer1246 skylum.com/luminar or you could just google it :)

[@adventuresofjandk]

Awesome video Nick. Best on KZbin

[@Chris-NZ]

Thanks Nick, I have been trying to get my head around this for a while and struggling with many of the other masking tutorials which often assume too much or skip over useful short cuts. Cheers Chris

[@pavlabartonova3640]

Very nice video, well explained Nick. You have a very good artistic eye.

[@photogill8010]

Great tutorial Nick, so much useful information to work with. Wish I had seen this BEFORE spending a small fortune on a set of ND graduated filters!

[@brentwatkins3220]

Thanks for this video. I'm guilty of using only the HDR tools and I struggle with the very issues you point out about that. I've watched quite a few videos about exposure blending but, for some reason it hasn't really sunk in until this point. I'm pretty dang excited to go out and give this a whirl. I just wish it wasn't the season of mud and gray. I'll find something to point a camera at this weekend. Thanks!

[@Bassiavet]

Hello great video! I would like to see a tutorial where you shoot sun-star and the process of hiding the sun with your hand in the field then merging things in Photoshop, I could not find it anywhere else, thank you!

[@shupingyin8082]

Great vid. Love your teaching would like to know what computer you use and the branch of your mouse the pen tracking just look so easy

[@DRJConst]

Nick great video! I am looking foreword to your final comparison of the luminosity tools

[@shaunstewart4167]

Love the Pano from Iceland Nick and that dual processing technique is really helpful! Cheers

[@sbl2051]

Thank you, I found this dual processing presentation to be extremely helpful.

[@mattkennebeck3816]

Thanks for the info. Love that you used Thor's Well. Such a difficult place to photograph well (at least for me at the time I was there). You might have just saved my own shoot here.

[@mdkhamster]

so easy, but so cool 😄👍🏻 thanks for the tipps!

[@holly4221]

Oops! I used my highlight/shadow sliders before moving over to Photoshop. That’s what I’ve learned to do when editing bracketed shots in Lightroom. Won’t do that next time!

[@youngmers]

Awesome nick loved the video I am defiantly one of those people that just lazy edit in Lightroom I really need to start using (understanding) Raya pro-instamask.its been my goal this year to start making my images look more natural think ill check out your Skype session

[@VickyElmo]

Thank you Nick!! Do you have any tip to avoid the "halo" in the mountains while blending the foreground to the sky?

[@dave.abernathey]

Nick, what is the computer stylus pad that you use for editing? I tried to Google but I cannot find one like yours. Thanks brosef

[@Tichanh]

I love this video. Thanks Nick

[@DavidJones-iq8hp]

dID YOU EVER DO A VIDEO ON THE DIFFERENT LUMINOSITY PROGRAMS? THANKS

[@JB4_Creative]

What graphics tablet are you using, and why?

[@ahmadalali5103]

thanks for the information

[@DiviPhotos]

Great video

[@solidbluration]

Awesome Video Nick!

[@verdonrocksphotography3510]

nice video with valuable informations, thank you

[@brettpatching]

Bastard! Just when I thought I was starting to get the hang of post processing, you post this video, and now I see that I'm just a beginner 🙂 Thanks for such an informative video. I really learned a lot.

[@leonlefebvre6705]

I am blending a scene where in one image the mountains in focus but sky is blown out white and the other is a silhouette of the mountain with a pink sunset.I cant seem to blend the two. The one that had the sky in the image caused more of the pines to stick out. Is there any way I can fix this image? ive got multiple shots at multiple exposures but cant seem to fix it

[@karlthefirst8690]

Hey Nick, I’ve recently started using a Wacom tablet (was exclusively using iPad Pro/Apple Pencil prior to that) and I love it EXCEPT that I can’t control the sliders in LR or PS. Every slider is so sensitive that I have to switch back & forth with the mouse all the time, very inconvenient obviously. How do you manage it? Am I missing a trick? Anyone who’d like to help, it’s much appreciated!

[@jpl5007]

Good basic info, but Adobe's HDR merge feature has improved considerably, and I don't think you are giving it fair consideration. Nowadays, most of the better artists manual blend for exactly the reasons you mention, but those reasons are less valid with the past few years' upgrades. It would be a fair comparison if you didn't boost the shadows all of the way up when you are tone mapping the HDR. You aren't doing that in the manual blend so why do it in the HDR? No one in their right mind would do this. A touch sure, 100% don't think so. If you compared a manual blend to an HDR and tried to actually match the tonality you would see that they are actually very very similar. You can easily stay in LR or CR to do this as well using the grads and brushes just as you are with your manual exposures, only needing to use lum masks or other selections when absolutely necessary. So many ways to get to the same place, but no need to make things harder than they need to be.

[@RealHankShill]

Also, when you merge in Lightroom, you still have a RAW file, a very good RAW file. Once you leave camera raw and enter photoshop, no longer do you have a raw file.

[@stuartschaffner9744]

This is in reply to Logan Cressler. In all practical senses, you still have camera raw in Photoshop. Photoshop also has a camera raw filter, so all of the basic Lightroom operations are available as well. The important thing is to make certain your Photoshop channels are in 16 bit or higher resolution. Photoshop has been around since the Triassic, so people often used to use 8-bit channels. These days most laptops are more than fast enough to handle 16 bits.

[@rolandrick]

Stuart Schaffner Even if you use 16 bit and ProPhoto RGB, you have no longer a raw file in Ps unless you click [Open as Object], in Lr it is in the right click menu, if you work with Bridge and Camera Raw (what is the same Developer Engine as Lr), you must press Shift key and Open button changes into Open Object button. Changing a normal opened image later in Photoshop into a smart Object and applying the Camera Raw Filter is NOT the same and does not bring back raw file

[@wildwoodanimalhospitalport2262]

Could you tell me what pen and drawing tablet you recommend?

[@dsfarag]

Thanks Nick

[@escapiststupor]

does it work when the exposure aren't exactly taken at the same spot? With minor shift I mean, is PS able to detect the edges and somehow blend them together?

[@MrTaylorbrown100]

I think i'm doing something wrong. *thinking face* I'm using photoshop elements 18, when i use the brush it just creates black or white lines, it doesn't allow the background image to bleed through. I created a blank mask on my top photo but it still doesn't create the bleed through, if that's what its called.

[@rolandrick]

Nick, if you’re doing tuts like this, do you merge footage from external camera and screen record in post or do you have an external camera like a high quality webcam or so and your screen recording software can merge footage of screen and cam in real time? What do you use for recording screen content? I want to do also such tuts in German and I am seeking for a method reducing post production time to the minimum...

[@CedricCicada]

How do you control what gets selected when you choose the RGB channel? In the tutorial, you just click on the channel and like magic, something gets selected. What is controlling the selection? Where are you selecting the luminosity?

[@rolandrick]

4:24 is exactly the point 👍

[@Dyeheartxfire]

Dude you're the shit. How havent I heard of you before. Keep it up very motivational and educational channel.

[@osamabinobama4954]

I read your comment as "dude you're shit" lmao

[@TrancosoDavi]

Tks a lot for that

[@joecervantes4250]

Nick, what DAW are you using and what are your audio settings?

[@clementstevens]

what setup are you using for your youtubing. mic, software?

[@steveh1273]

when you clipped the levels to the sky of the darker image, exactly how are you doing that? Are you clicking on the sky of the darker image? I cannot tell because you use the tablet and it is hard to follow.

[@NickPage]

for some reason my cursor went away during that part. I held down Alt or Option on a mac and clicked on the line between the two layers

[@SLO_Foto]

It would be more helpful to me, and likely others, if you would describe the actions in menu term of menu command terms instead of the keyboard shortcuts you take.

[@rolandrickphotography]

I am searching for a tutorial doing this totally without any third party products, Photoshop only or even better: Affinity Photo or Gimp only... Someone can help?

[@treeguyjoe]

What is the pen pad you're using? Thanks for doing your videos I'm learning a lot.

[@NickPage]

I use the Wacom intuos medium pro

[@adamchen279]

Love this. Thanks

[@Spoobie123]

Hi nick. Question on the panorama. Instead of merging the bracketed shots with hdr functionality in lr before creating the panorama.... would it net better results by creating 3 different panoramas and doing exposure blending as layers in ps? Or is it 6 one way and half a dozen another?

[@NickPage]

The problem is it will seldom stitch a panorama the same way twice and you run into issues with things not lining up

[@Spoobie123]

Nick Page thanks for the reply sir

[@dmonaghan99]

Great tutorial, thanks. Quick question. A little off topic but in the flower foreground photo (the 2nd pic I think), the sun burst from the bright sky shot encroached on the foreground. When editing the photo would you just clone stamp them out? Thanks again

[@NickPage]

I would get rid of the flare, but leave the sun star.. I like the effect normally, although in this shot the clouds had blocked the sun by the time I got my darker frames.. which kinda spoiled the shot

[@DavidKarlsson]

Couldn't you just not bring the shadows up that much if you want the foreground to be dark but still bring down the highlights a bit, to get a result that isn't as flat as the results you were getting in Camera raw?

[@Michael_Beazley]

Nice

[@SenseiKreese]

You can do it in HDR, just not with only global adjustments.

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

Or you could use Grad ND filter(s)... When you say it takes no time at all to do this digitally I'm thinking 'Really' Still some useful advice & tips here, so thank you.

[@NickPage]

The downside to using graduated filters is that often times you’re creating either dark or bright halos where the horizon is not perfectly flat. In this image for example mount Kirkjufell would turn unnaturally dark

[@davidshred86]

Nice tutorial. just a question. instead of dual process in LR n PS can't you just use two grad filters in LR and process the picture that way? 😊

[@davidroberts5535]

David Janglöv You could do that but the transition zone will generally always be linear with the LR grad filters unless you use the erase tool. If you have an irregular transition zone then the LR grad filterss are harder to jse. Also, working with layers and masks in PS gives so much more control.I

[@joeblow9931]

when I try this I get some really nasty fringing between the darkened sky and the brightened foreground

[@ChrisSteele-Photo]

Any word on the fate of your 5D Mark IV?

[@silverdoggg]

what happened to his mark IV?

[@1ricky4dias7]

Fell in the sand

[@jakubkrta1903]

Just use luminosity mask straight in lightroom no? 😄😊

[@NickPage]

No, range masking can’t hold a candle to real luminosity masks

[@mhc2b]

My opinion on LR/ACR - I WOULD (and DO) drop the highlights down to 100, and the shadows up to 100, which you showed on your first image (Thor's Well). However, your implication was that this makes the image too flat. And you would be correct at this point. But...you're NOT finished yet. Your next step after this should be to increase the white & black points (right below the highlight/shadow sliders) until they are right up to the histogram edges. Or as close as you think looks good. Notice the gap on each side of your histogram here. This is why it looks so flat. You can even adjust the black point further (clipping it a bit) for more drama. Now you have maximum detail PLUS as much contrast or drama as you want. Just my methodology. Still enjoying all your videos.

[@NickPage]

Your method certainly maintains contrast.. but the contrast is global, and spreads the detail and interest across the entire frame. Then you would have to go back in and dodge and burn to add dimension back into the scene. by being selective about what shadows you open, and what highlights you bring back, you can maintain the natural dimension of the shot and direct the eye with detail. Its different philosophy and neither is "right" because its all just Art anyway

[@mhc2b]

My only point is that dropping the highlights & increasing the shadows (both initially) yields the most detail available in the file. Yes, it is global. But you can certainly utilize an adjustment brush afterwards for local editing. But in the end, it's still a "to each his own..."

[@mrsusan893]

Michael Cothran I think the drop highlights 100 and raising the shadows is what 99% of lightroom users do to their images. It's a good starting point but it can be very limited as to what is possible in order to achieving a beautifully edited image. I think luminosity masks and exposure blending is the next step to take for photographers who want their images to the next level.

[@BrianPex]

Are you sticking to a mainly Lightroom workflow? I only ask because the "Adjustment Brush" approach can work but it pales versus anything you can do in PS with incredible accuracy...

[@ansaditya]

+Nick Page hey Nick ..that's probably right .. but a serious limitation with this method is to shoot only still subjects as we are blending multiple shots .. the highlight-shadow method may not be as effective but can handle any scene thrown at it ... and together with some local adjustments we can achieve somewhat similar results to blending ..especially with modern day dynamic range beasts like d810's ..

[@Justadude1904]

😴😴😴

[@bobogate1]

too much egocentric

[@NickPage]

how so?

[@funnymayan]

stfu blabla...hes a nice guy who teach people good stuff and share his knowledge...not sitting behind a monitor and blaming people for no reason like you !

[@jonsummers9302]

Back off the mike. I can hear your beard .

[@jasonmcadam8096]

Jon Summers don’t be lame

[@arturvidal9697]

Great work