Today I will be showing you how to edit a landscape or nature photo in under 30 seconds using Lightroom. If you don’t currently have Lightroom you can download a free full version 30 day trial here. Lightroom is a little harder to learn than Picmonkey but it does so much more, it’s worth the extra time it takes to learn it.
I carry my camera every where I go and this morning I decided to use a lens I would not normally use for this type of shot (50mm) but I am happy with the outcome so I may rethink using it for similar photos again. I was wanting a lighter lens for my walk and this one was perfect, It is making me rethink the lenses I have with new ways to use them. Below are the corrections I used for this photo, remember this is just my personal taste you can adjust your photo to whatever suits your taste and needs. Some of the best advice I can give you is to take your camera every where and take tons of photos, it’s not like in the old film days where it cost to develop them, if you don’t like a shot you can always hit the delete button. I take on average of 300 shots a day. I discard about 80% of those, but normally have some pretty good shots to work with. Remember to be shooting in RAW!!
Equipment
Canon 50mm 1.4 /ISO 250
Photo Edits
All corrections have been done in Lightroom and took under 30 seconds. They look like a lot but once you open the program you will realize these are very quick edits.
1. Basic: Exposure +.35, Contrast +25, Blacks -14, Clarity +32
2. HSL Saturation: Red +29, Orange +50, Yellow +33, Green +34 Luminance: Red +19, Orange +19, Yellow +19, Green +23
3. Detail: Amount 69, Detail 41
4. Camera Calibration: Landscape
You can now see a underexposed photo can be magically transformed with a little help. If you missed the earlier post on how to edit a portrait in Picmonkey you can see it here. I will be back next week to show you and edit done in Photoshop, and if you would like to download a free version of photoshop you can do so here. If you are enjoying these type of posts please let me know and I will continue adding new things to the edits for you to learn. Please tell me which program you prefer to use too, I want the edits to reflect what my readers are using most.
If you missed the first editing class in this series you can see it here: How to Edit in Picmonkey in Under 30 Seconds.
I previously had Lightroom and Photoshop, Windows version, but since switching to an iMac I haven’t used them. MIght try out the free version and see if I like it. I currently use Pixelmator and it seems to do just about everything that Photoshop did.
Thanks for the tips.
Linda I have never heard of Pixelmator, is it a free program?
Unfortunately not a free program Dawn, think it was $29.99 from the App store.
My daughter recommended it as it is one she uses with her business. It does just about everything that Photoshop does.
It is made especially for Mac computers.
Linda, I use MAC so will have to check it out. I have photoshop, and elements already so I probably don’t need it. LOL
One of my problems is that I don’t take enough pictures and don’t get enough practice. I need to work on that. I love PicMonkey because it’s so easy. If you could really explain the Curves feature and the correct way to use it I would appreciate it! Also, I don’t use the unsharp mask feature and wonder if I should be? I just sharpen and clarify. Hope it’s nice up there in MI. It’s nice here and I hope to get out this afternoon. Just might take my camera. lol. ~Ann
Ann, Thank you for the suggestions on what to explain better I will put curves on my list:) Was rainy and nasty all day, we have had rain every day for over a week now.
Dawn, thanks for these tips! I am currently using Photoscape to edit my photos, but I am thinking about switching to Lightroom, especially if you continue to give us some tips. Would you please address why we need to shoot in the RAW? I mean, I know what it is but I don’t know all the advantages. All I do know is that your photos are always awesome!
Jane, yes I will add RAW to my explanation for next times tutorial.
I came upon this post via Pinterest, this is a wonderful tip, Iām going to save it as a Preset! Thanks so much for sharing this.
Glad you liked it, I have a new one up today if you’re interested.
This can be done in Lightroom too if you like using Presets š
Yes, absolutely, thank you! = )
I love this! And I love the one about picmonkey! I love to take photos my self I always use picmonkey I never used light room or photo shop and never understand raw its all confusing to me could you post more about using raw and light room I would really appreciated it I would love to take my photos to the next level
Krista, I haven’t done a post in a while I will have to do one in lightroom soon.
I’m sort of new to photography but very interested in shooting in raw and using light room especially after reading Ann’s post on her blog. I’m concerned that I’ll never get a decent photo. Will you be sharing any more tips on the subject?
Carolyn, yes I do try and put new tutorials up every once in a while. I haven’t done one in a while I will have to get at that.