Photo Editing was Hard Until I Learned This!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

🔥QUICK QUESTION: Did you find this episode helpful?

[@JohnDoranski]

Yes. What I am finding is that with LR subscription desktop (and mobile), I still need LRC for the presets I can create for the brushes. I am doing a series of moon rise (November 2024 Beaver Moon). I make the initial adjustments in LR. Then I use LRC for the masks and the presets associated with masks. Then I use PS to remove the electric wires. The back to LR for final adjustments and storage in the cloud. Every little bit you teach us helps me tremendously. Thanks.

[@Sterlinghawk_G]

@@MarkDenneyPhoto Absolutely, It just takes me sitting at the PC and doing the work but also learning all the new Adobe apps for this. Thank you Mark (Tracie)

[@1powelrainbow2]

One of the best episodes actually. I've always been avoiding my Lightroom CC for this intimidating stuff but you gave me a new hope to achieve my goals with it

[@BudBetz]

Yep, sure did! Got a few recents to look at again now!

[@jamesfarabaugh6669]

Heck yeah. Trying to get out of the lazy global adjustments habit. I need to start seeing the image as a composite rather than a single flat scene.

[@gregwarson3483]

Using a linear gradient to lower exposure of the foreground and then adding a radial gradient to emphasize the sunlight in that area is masterful. Great tip!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks Greg!

[@wooddogg8]

​@@MarkDenneyPhoto I'm with Greg on this one, that was brilliant. Seems obvious now looking back, but I never would have Thought of that on my own!. Thanks Mark, I love learning, and I have some re-editing to do.

[@douglashohulin5087]

This video has really touched a nerve because that (blanketing the whole photo) is what I've been doing. I have been trying masks a bit more, but this has really helped. I understand the comment about photography vs. editing, but the reason we took that photo is because of what we saw in front of us. Editing is how we can better show the viewer what it was that compelled us to capture that scene.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Great to hear it was helpful!

[@simonpayne7994]

Mark demonstrates very convincingly what a great difference a little light in the right places can make.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks Simon!

[@flixbert]

The best thing about this technique is that it doesn’t just apply in landscape photographs. You can use this exact method for portraits, to even skin out and make it look much more flattering without using the healing brush. Or bring out the eyes by adding contrast. Or give hair much more volume and drama by giving highlights more glow. The possibilities are endless. However I don’t quite like how the masking panel is layered out in Lightroom. Far too much clicks to add a new mask in my opinion. But it works wonders!

[@dougheizenrader2280]

Mark, your final image is certainly more impactful than the first. My brain, however, is having a hard time determining the location of the light source. It seems to be all over the place. The beautiful splash of light in the foreground seems to come from the left of the image. In the hills above, the right side of the hill is more illuminated, suggesting the light is from the right. And the church seems to be lit from over my shoulder (front lighting). Maybe it’s just me, but I find the lack of continuity distracting.

[@frijitz001]

Splotchy. Discombobulated.

[@LeonKolenda]

If you were to put both edited images in front of a group of viewers who are not Photographers (which is the majority), I guarantee you they would pick the one with the added light editing. As I have learned over the years, who are you creating the image for, what is the intended market (if any), and how will the image be viewed?

[@jurgenchristoffel1699]

That's what disturbed me a bit too. Mark's general idea is sound but deciding on the place of the light source would help a lot. Just not adding the light on the trees on the right side would reduce the distraction a fair amount IMO.

[@ikirikchi]

Very true.

[@Yellow-CrownedNightheron-ee9pz]

Agree. I use the same techniques, but try to respect the natural flow of light in scenes and use darker areas (shadow) to compliment and give drama to naturally lighter areas. For me at least, I like a little mystery in the shadows.😂

[@poppamichael2197]

Great tutorial, Mark, demonstrating the power of masked adjustments in making dramatic and compelling images. However, I think you should add the point, made by other commentators below, that the source of light should always be considered when making these adjustments. I don’t think an image must be exactly as nature created it - when are at the scene we have two eyes and all of our other senses to fully appreciate it - but we should recognize that when we make certain changes for photographic impact, we may be altering reality. Case in point: to improve the image, we can brighten the church and saturate the colors a bit to bring out the red trim, but if we do it too much some viewers will be instinctively unsettled because the sun normally wouldn’t reach into the valley. How far we should go with that adjustment is an element of our photographic artistry.

[@MatthewUseda]

I recently discovered LAB color and it's a game changer. A color space specifically made for the human eye. Its the true game changer! Especially for skies!

[@janetcahill4891]

I love your videos they are always helpful !

[@sandb1867]

This is pretty much what we used to do in the darkroom. Just be careful to not go too far as it's starting to look unnatural (impossible lighting situation).

[@MuhammadRizwan-dz7pv]

I want to know how you people did it in dark room with film camera

[@sandb1867]

@@MuhammadRizwan-dz7pv During the printing stage (black and white): dodging, burning, masking, contrast filtration, enlarger selection, and paper selection.

[@MuhammadRizwan-dz7pv]

@sandb1867 looks interesting

[@rickarmstrong9793]

As I watch more of these videos and learn the finer points, and with the advances of photo editing software, I have to wonder how far away we are from not having to worry about light when we capture the image. Imagine shooting at high noon and making it look like it was golden hour.

[@sesomediagroup]

FINALLY this masking thing clicks. I ignored masking for years because I got taught LR and PS too early (i.e. years ago as a beginning photographer who was still trying to learn how to work his camera dials and expose “properly”), and not well. So I avoided this until, ironically, I started shooting RAW on an iPhone and using the Camera+ app to polish those images. But those apps, while good, do *global edits across the entire image. Then I realized I needed to be able to edit sections of an image more granularly relative to the full image. This is how I returned to exploring LR/PS masks again this year. Your explanation of using masks as a way to make granular area edits within an image is just SO clear. And your explanation of using masks to manage viewer eye focus and attention is effing brilliant. Thank you so much.

[@sounderdavis5446]

A key concept of good composition is not only drawing the eye to the subject but also afterwards directing the eye to take in more of the image, with the photographer/editor in control of where the eye goes. Here Mark builds an implied C hook to the left of the church and between the two ridges, to an area I don't even see until he applied his edits. Now that's where my eye can't resist going. Brilliant!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thank you!

[@christophernutley3246]

Hi Mark, thank you for another really excellent video. I have learnt so much about processing my landscape photos from your videos, especially using masks. Keep up the great work.

[@ArtHeld]

what a great walkthrough! This is really helpful, especially the details on not just raising exposure but using whites and lights and dehaze.

[@MuhammadRizwan-dz7pv]

This masking technique made my pictures classy. Thank you

[@usahotnews2874]

hello sir! i don't have questions but I just want to say thank you for so simple and straightforward tutorial 👍🏼

[@paulshipp23]

Photo editing was hard until I discovered Mark Denney's amazing tutorial videos! Thank you Mark, you have helped me immensely get up to speed with Lightroom in recent months. After years of avoiding the issue I'm getting better results than ever before/that i'm happy with a lot of it thanks to you.

[@basvoer-qp7qw]

Thanks for the vid. Very helpful. I noticed you did not increase contrast in brighter areas. I tend to do that.

[@henryrogers5500]

Awesome! Just brilliant!! Been retouching photos for decades and never knew this technique. Can’t thank you enough!

[@blackcubemusic]

Thanks Mark, great tutorial! It is just like painting, I remember from art school. Every photographer should study paintings

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad it was helpful!

[@RichardBO9]

Mark, this is great content. You have done videos in the past using masks which great helped my editing. Recently I have gotten all fancy and started adjusting some of the masks with the curve tool. I so appreciate your calm and simply approach. Your content has greatly help my own editing skills. Thanks!

[@pnrmd1951]

Mark. Your video delivered an "a-ha" epiphany for me as well. I have used masks extensively in my editing but never quite thought of them in such a way as to really emphasize what my vision really is. You outlined a 'process' for visually articulating your final product as you work through the image. Something really clicked for me and I can't wait to try it today. Thanks.

[@JackieDElia]

Excellent tutorial, Mark. Understanding why you’ve used the masks you did showcased your creative process. 💯

[@flixbert]

Also I would like to add contrast in the mix. People’s eyes naturally go to the point with the most contrast. Eg a black ball on a white surface. That’s as very powerful tool but rather for composition than editing.

[@allehman5095]

Mark, Another great Mark Denney tutorial video. Since I've started watching your videos, my editing skills have really improved and how I analyze edits is so much different today. Thanks again.

[@writehandman2833]

Super helpful. I can't wait to try this on a few images where I've had issues. I loved how you were able to maintain the dramatic look to the clouds too!

[@RodHicks-v1n]

In combination with your colour management video - what a difference. Thank you

[@alexvanschaik4753]

Very nicely done and hugely helpful. Thank you Mark!!

[@mikebartow9415]

Thanks Mark! It’s interesting that the process starts out with a little “reverse photo processing” and then an item rebuild, rather fascinating.

[@DarylDeHart]

Yes very helpful. Your editing videos have taught me more than anyone on the internet. Please keep up the good work, I am a big fan

[@rezwan12]

This was a great video. You explained it really well actually. Thank you!

[@alexk4023]

This helps me a lot Mark! And also like the good explanation, basically what I'm used to

[@mattp2494]

You are my go to for my photo editing, I'm learning after every one of your videos 🫡

[@jeepjksahara]

Another great video, I already understood and applied some of these principles in my post editing but it’s always great to view you’re workflow

[@loukors]

I love all your videos. All so helpful

[@ernestsmall6175]

@MarkDenneyPhoto , this was a great video! Straight forward and simple to understand. I'm going to revisit some of my photos to see what differences are made when using your techniques. Would you consider doing videos where you review and offer suggestions to viewer images? Thanks again!

[@hylkeheidstra2274]

Editing i think is all about lightning the parts that you want to light to grab the "attention" of the human eye that looks at it... Nice one Mark, as always great content!

[@rayasiala9375]

You’re an amazing instructor! I really have been enjoying using Lightroom classic. I think I enjoy it a lot more watching you do the things that you do with radial gradients and I cannot wait to try them on my ownphotographs. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

THanks so much!

[@richardhurst3368]

Very informative, the use of light & shadow can bring out what you've seen when you have taken the photo, I also have been lightening aspects of the photo which improve the overall shot but take away depth. Thanks for your video.

[@Sterlinghawk_G]

Me too , I have been putting it on the backend burner.

[@tsegaymoges8099]

Great. Thanks, I learned from your methods.

[@talhashah]

Great video, but the problem is that sometimes I have too many photos and I don't have time and focus to sit down and manually adjust all of them like this by applying multiple masks, so I fall back to "Good Enough" approach of editing, similar to your first edit with overall exposure increase. A good video on culling and editing large chunks of photos will be a lot of help, which is what I thought this video was going to be based on the title.

[@francisgarofalo3434]

What a revelation. Thanks Mark

[@ronpardue]

Great technique. I photograph in high contrast situations and this is a big help.

[@jonnyroids1482]

Another great video mark. I struggle with editing, your tips are really helpful. Keep up the good work. I need to start practicing to get good at it. Have a lovely weekend.

[@knightclan4]

Beginner photographer here Just got a Canon 5d ii Looking forward to learning the skills so I can decorate my walls Thanks for sharing New sub

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks a million!

[@jimbruton9482]

Very good topic and tip. Seems like the composition would have benefitted with shooting bracketed exposures, then blend in LR.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thank Jim!

[@prsearls]

A beautiful scene; these techiques really emphasizes it's beauty. I've been going through my LR catalog and reworking my favorite images with these techniques. I am pleased and impressed by how much they are improved. Thanks!

[@PixPete]

Tremendous editing tutorial!! Thank you Mark!

[@scooter5193]

Absolutely- I really enjoy watching your tutorials. You are an excellent presenter.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much!

[@gregmonforton4103]

Areas that are brighter vs darker. Areas that are more saturated vs. less saturated. Areas that are in focus vs out of focus. 3 ways to draw attention where you want. Tools for de-emphasis are as important as the tools for emphasis! Cropping is of course the most aggressive way to de-emphasize, haha.

[@chrishall6364]

Thanks very much Mark, your approach very much mirrors the way I’m trying to edit my images these days. I also used to pull down the highlights, boost the shadows and add clarity in just about every image I processed. I think it’s the advent of the new masking tools in Lightroom that has allowed me to change.

[@bobmcdonald4834]

Superb Mark. One of your very best.👏

[@MrJason8957]

I was wondering why you like the radial mask so much and you explained that. Thanks.

[@vanmeter-photography]

I enjoyed this video very much. Keep up the good work.

[@dougiezen]

This single video helped me finally to understand masks and bring a 3 dementionality to my photographs reducing the exposure firs was genius thanks a million

[@warrengh5647]

Excellent and will sign off now to try this method on my own dull images. Thanks Mark.

[@Kmo1970]

💡🙏 Nice short video to the point 👍

[@klburt73]

Fantastic! Thanks for these helpful tips, Mark. One of the more helpful tutorials I've seen lately!

[@MrTodd76123]

hugely impactful 15 minutes of learning

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

👍

[@Stelios-Photography]

Very helpful reminder of the power of selective masking to emphasis a two dimensional photo into a three dimensional final photo ... Thanks!

[@silvavaughan-jones7121]

Excellent tutorial

[@kenstav1]

I have found that modern cameras are at such a level that I have become a lazy photographer. The camera consistently delivers such high quality and high volumes of pictures (within reason). So over time I have found myself spending more and more time learning and improving my post editing skills. With these new skill I have found a significant increase in the engagement of viewers of my pictures. The Dehaze slider has become my default go to.

[@stevechilvers1322]

VERT HELPFUL. Keep up the good work.

[@indotechologygyan]

Helpful Video ... good one sir ❤🎉

[@StephenEhrlichPhotos]

Thanks. This is a very helpful and a very educational tutorial. Thanks!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thank you!

[@malchouse1640]

Great lightbulb moment for me. Thanks Mark

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad to hear it!

[@operator1018]

Wow Mark ! Just the whole scene is heavenly.

[@andredupuis7018]

Great and very helpful

[@guysingleton3908]

Great video, makes a big difference to the final results

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thank ya!

[@tjsinva]

Nice treatment of a classic location. Carry on. 👍🥂

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thank ya!

[@venkatraju_vegesna]

perfect demonstration 👍

[@bobcarroll1195]

Most helpful!

[@terrymcnamara9555]

Yet another great video Mark. Cheers

[@johnharris6083]

Great tutorial Mark. I learn a great deal from these start to finish edit videos. Yes, very helpful. Thanks.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@ravimathew4123]

Looks simple information but that's what turns an image into a beautiful photograph. Thank you.🙏

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@ravimathew4123]

@@MarkDenneyPhoto Best wishes, God bless you.

[@peterwassmuth4014]

Awesome! Thank you for Sharing! 💯✴

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks for watching!

[@marydean9900]

Very helpful, thanks Mark!

[@kcnicely]

Great video. I think you coined a new phrase "complexify the light".

[@lynnnorthrup8914]

Thank you! This was a great tip that was very helpful. 😀👍

[@normansleep4491]

Another great tutorial Mark

[@davidchan9272]

Thanks Mark. Can you also go over how you would edit that background mountain in conjunction with the sky as well? I find it quite challenging to mask and edit distant large mountain backgrounds. Thanks in advance.

[@kristinl.raught3776]

Genius! The dehazing 👍

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad ya enjoyed it!

[@garyburleson1010]

I found this episode very helpful

[@boostedmaniac]

Great tutorial. You demonstrate good points. Thanks for sharing.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ian7379]

I found the mountains in the first image better than the edited image ... I think they needed a bit of boost.

[@nimbuskhannk627]

Excellent tutorial. Just a couple of note for another take on this. You say to not overdo the masks but I would recommend to actually overdo them in order to see the exaggerated versions of what we're trying to achieve and then use the amount slider to pull the mask back to the the more proper, balanced intensity. Also a quick do over of the basic settings after applying all the masks goes a long way to make the image "pop".

[@wilbur63wb]

I basically gave up photography because I could never understand editing. Probably because I hated editing. I wanted photography to be my hobby... Not photo editing. 😔

[@gpdoyon]

I had a very similar experience. I approached my problem in a different way. I loved taking pictures but almost never liked them after the fact. I was intimidated by ok photo editing and it put me off in photos entirely. I made a serious attempt to get better, not great, with photo editing. Guess what? I enjoyed photography again! My personal takeaway...I usually have to tweak my photos after the fact. And, I've discovered that editing is every bit as fun and creative as taking the picture now that I am semi competent. Try an easy photo editing package called Luminar Neo. The software has lots of AI tools that make it very easy to get a good result without lots of stress.

[@EElgar1857]

I think editing is more fun than taking photos, partly because there's no need to lug the crap around!

[@wilbur63wb]

​@@gpdoyonThanks for the encouragement! Funny that you recommend Luminar Neo as that is the editor I currently have! My problem is that I don't deal well with frustration. When I get too frustrated, I walk away. Although, that doesn't explain why, at the age of 61, I still play golf!😂 Maybe I'll do a deep dive into this Luminar Neo once and for all! Again, thanks for the nudge!

[@gpdoyon]

@ What a coincidence! I’ll be 61 in two months. There are lots of great KZbin content creators, such as Anthony Turnham, that take it slow. You’re most welcome for the encouragement! I know that you will succeed.

[@rustyschackleford5800]

Focus more on taking the picture than editing. It is very difficult for anyone, just keep trying. Learn to see the world like a camera, and you'll know when to take the shot. Photography predates editing, so consider film. But if you get the exposure right on digital, you don't need to do much, if anything, to the raw file, and you'll get better results nonetheless.

[@cesar66]

Excelente video clase, muchas gracias.

[@johntaylor4707]

Really nice landscape, well done.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks John!

[@RVNmedic]

Loved it!

[@GlennFamilyChannel]

I love this. I hate editing but this I can do.

[@LeonKolenda]

Mark, I think I would have added a bit more contrast to the mountains and removed a little Haze to bring out more detail, but not overexposed. I also believe that when you have a complex image like yours, a viewer's eye will be drawn to the light, but they will then start to explore the rest of the image due to its complexity. I don't use LRoom; I use PShop with advanced Dodge & Burn techniques. My goal is to create as much 3D effect without looking unnatural. Good tutorial!

[@giovannifiorentini8295]

Great video Mark. I've been learning masks lately. More specifically, I've been playing with luminosity masks. Amazing stuff.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks!

[@Scotphotoamateur]

Brilliant example. Thanks; inspired.

[@RodHicks-v1n]

Fantastic video Mark

[@ramblingG]

Great video, thanx❗️

[@TeddyCavachon]

Contrast attracts the eye and the challenge in any landscape is preventing the lighter contrast of the sky from pulling the eye to it too quickly. That’s the strategy underlying what became a conventional wisdom best practice - aka rule - to balance and temper that natural perceptual response but limiting the amount of of sky with 1/2 seeming too much, 1/4 seeming too little and 1/3 seeming ‘just right’ for balance on an AVERAGE tone foreground, i.e. foliage lit by sunny cross light. When the foreground is shaded it skews the contrast balance equation. One solution is lower the % of sky filling the frame or darkening it by burning and dodging and lightening the foreground, or; take and blend two exposures because the root cause of the problem is a camera sensor which cant’ record the high EV range of the scene like the B&W film / print reproduction system St. Ansel taught me to used back in 1971. When Adams switched to Panchromatic film in the 1930 he realized he could ‘editorialize’ on what Mother Nature put in front of his lens by slapping a RED filter on it to darken skies while making red rocks seem brighter, or GREEN and ORANGE to give summer and fall foliage a surreal sense of lightness, in the process elevating what had been tradecraft to artistic expression. Adams also realized the human eye adapted to ‘expose to the right - see detail in the highlights - at the expense of losing perception of it in the shadows but that could be overcome - technically not artistically - by adjusting negative develop time based on scene EV range he measured with a primitive spot meter and I did with a Honeywell-Pentax 1° which cost as much as the Nikon F camera I was using but worth every penny because it allow me to easily match any range scene to print like Adams did. I started shooting digitally and posting the photos on the Internet on web pages in 1994 with an Apple Quicktake 100 and a web sever I ran. When Photoshop added layers and masking I started doing DIY HDR: 1) Expose to the right for Highlights, 2) slow shutter three stops to expose to left for Shadows. In Photoshop open both files then copy / paste exposure 2 on top of exposure 1 adding a black filled mask. I then SELECTIVELY opened mask on the shadow layer, more around the intended focal point than edges to create a tone / detail vignette which creates on the ‘small canvas’ what our brain to with any broad canvas - get ‘tunnel vision’ on what we think is most important, with the eyes still seeing it but the brain filtering it. Our brains do that because green sensing ROD cells cover the periphery of the retina with nearly all the higher RGB cones in the center 2° of the FOV - twice the width of thumb held at arms length 👍. The RODS are 3000x (30 EV ) more sensitive to light than the CONES. Things in our peripheral vision ‘catch’ the eye causing the brain to shift center of eyes and CONES there then the brain ignores what the RODS are detecting. That’s why when composing scene I learned to crop from the focal point outwards to realize when contrasting distractions enter the frame, eliminating the need to tone them down or clone them out in post processing because I didn’t notice them when shooting and getting ‘tunnel vision’ on the face or other focal point. That’s the underlying perceptual cause and effect for why what is demonstrated in this video works as it does to pull attention to where it is desired in the frame.

[@Mightymoose02]

Very useful and great tutorial!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thank you!