The failure to attain precise focus is a sure way to ruin an otherwise great photo, but fortunately there are post-processing methods to sharpen blurry images IF you use the right tools. Taking the wrong approach, however, will only make things worse.

We promise that  you’ll never look at sharpening the same way again after watching this eye-opening tutorial from acclaimed landscape photographer Mark Denney—especially after experimenting with the process on your own images.

Sharpening soft photos is one of the most important image-editing tasks, and there are varying opinions about the best way to proceed. Denney quickly cuts through the grease and introduces the 14-minute episode like this: “I’ll share with you a technique that’s seldom discussed, but it produces the best results in my humble opinion.”

Denney uses Lightroom to demonstrate his “foolproof” method, while noting that it’s equally effective with any software you use. The conventional approach is to open Lightroom’s Details panel and crank up the Sharpening slider, and then hold down the Option key while dragging the Masking slider over so that everything in white is where the sharpening is applied.

This may be a “decent” technique, but Denney explains why it falls short. He says that with this  method “you’re sharpening the entire scene, and that isn’t how the human eye interacts with a photograph.” His explanation goes like this: “When we see an image our eye naturally goes toward the brightest area of that scene or the area that’s the most detailed and enhanced.”

In other words, if everything within the frame is equally sharp, “the eye just wanders around” and that’s counterproductive for creating a compelling visual flow and telling a story with a photograph.

By now you’ve probably guessed that Denny’s technique involves selectively targeting and sharpening a specific element (or elements) in an image, while letting the rest of the shot recede. By employing this localized approach you’ll repair blur only where it’s distracting, thereby accentuating the key subject of a shot.

This method requires a bit more work, but it’s the only way to go if optimum results are your goal. There’s much more to see and learn on Denney’s instructional YouTube channel, so be sure to check it out.

We also recommend watching a tutorial we featured with another accomplished pro who demonstrates how the creative use of shutter speed settings enable you to up your game and capture landscape photographs with a unique look.

Are you one of those photographers who always shoots Jpegs because you think editing Raw files is beyond your skills? If so you’re not alone, even though there are significant image-quality benefits to shooting in Raw.

This beginners Lightroom post-processing guide will change your mind by demonstrating how easy it is to edit Raw files for light, color, and detail. The comprehensive lesson runs about 15 minutes so we suggest taking a few notes, but by the time the video concludes you’ll no longer be a beginner.

Instructor Pablo Garcia was trained as an engineer, but these days he says, “photography is my creative outlet.” He posts tutorials in both English and  Spanish  that are designed to help inexperienced photographers improve their shooting and post-processing skills. Unlike other lessons for novices, however, Pablo typically takes a deeper dive into powerful techniques that are very easy to achieve.

He kicks off today’s video like this: “If we capture our photos in Raw format we have a lot of latitude in Lightroom or other editing tools to create a complete image with the WOW factor.” He demonstrates a straightforward workflow from beginning to end by transforming a boring photo into a superb attention-grabbing image. Then you’ll be well equipped to do the same.

Pablo says he chose enhancements to light, color, and detail for this primer because these simple adjustments are easy to make and will greatly improve just about any image captured in the field—like with his sample photograph of a Stellar’s jay perched on a tree in the mountains just outside Albuquerque, NM.

The goal for this Raw edit is simple: bringing this beautiful bird to life and making it stand out from the background, with a few Raw edits that anyone can accomplish. Pablo’s subject is rather small in the original photograph, even though it was captured at the long end of a 100-500mm telephoto zoom—equivalent to 800mm on his crop-sensor camera. Thus, he begins with a bit of cropping to make the bird more prominent by eliminating part of the surrounding scene.

Then Pablo up his sleeves and walks you through the fun part of the video, which is make the Stellar’s jay jump off the screen. The method he uses and the difference between the before/after images will inspire you try shooting and editing Raw files in the future.

Pablo’s instructional YouTube channel is a great place to learn how to simplify seemingly complicated tasks, so be sure to take a close look when you have time.

And don’t miss another game-changing tutorial we posted earlier, describing three Photoshop settings that another expert says “you should definitely disable now” for a faster and more efficient workflow.