Vignettes are a great tool for improving the impact of photos captured indoors or out. They can help guide a viewer’s eyes through an intricate scene and emphasize the primary element within the frame.

This 11-minute tutorial from Park Cameras, a leading photo retailer in the UK, demonstrates two ways to introduce this compelling effect. One approach relies upon Lightroom’s built-in tools, while the other method involves the use of masks for getting the job done to perfection.

Instructor Gareth Evans is an accomplished photographer and Adobe expert whose entertaining instructional videos include shooting techniques, product reviews, and post-processing lessons with simple hints and tips. The methods he describes today can be accomplished with just about any editing software you use.

Evans kicks off the video with this: “Vignettes can be a very nice visual element that adds a sense of style to an image,” adding that “it’s a very subjective thing, and I like to use the effect for portraiture, product photography, landscapes scenes, and other situations in which a little vignetting can make a big difference.”

Spoiler Alert: Lightroom’s built-in Vignette tool is not always the best way to create this eye-catching effect. Evans begins with an unedited photo of his wristwatch, and one of the things that bothers him is that “the shot is very bright overall, and we’re not pulled to the key element; namely, the watch itself.”

As you’ll see, a simple vignette is a great way to focus attention on the watch in the middle of the frame. The first method is the built-in Vignette slider than can be found near the bottom of Lightroom’s Effects panel. But there’s actually a preferable approach and Evans explains how easy it is to achieve.

Evans provides other examples of images that benefit from this technique, including a landscape scene with a prominent building in the background and a vibrant, casual portrait. In all three cases the images are significantly improved with minimal effort

We suggest adding this transformational technique to your Lightroom bag of tricks. Then head over to the informative Park Cameras YouTube channel where there are numerous instructional videos to explore.

We also recommend watching a recent tutorial we posted from another post-processing expert who presents a beginners guide to simple Lightroom masking techniques that will improve every photograph you shoot.

The affordable polarizing filter is a favorite accessory among experienced outdoor shooters because of the way it darkens blue skies, improves saturation, and eliminates unwanted reflections from non-metallic surfaces. All you have to do is turn the rotating ring until you see the effect you desire.

But here’s the problem: if you take things too far, especially with the filter mounted on a wide-angle lens, some really weird banding or blobs can occur in the sky of your images. In this quick tutorial from the popular PHLOG Photography YouTube channel you’ll learn two easy Lightroom tricks for banishing this common problem once and for all.

Instructor Christian Mohrle is one of Germany’s most successful landscape photographers, and he’s equally adept when sitting behind the computer. Feel free to follow along by downloading his demonstration Raw file using a link in the description beneath the video.

Mohrle’s edits always begin with a few global adjustments to the photo as a whole, before diving into the masking techniques that selectively enhance specific areas within the frame. He takes this approach today by first targeting the tones. He drops highlights all the way down to reveal more detail, increases whites while paying attention to the histogram, and slightly increases blacks to introduce a somewhat softer look.

Other preliminary modifications include changing the profile from Adobe Color to Adobe Landscape which immediately improves base saturation. The image was captured just dawn, so he plays around with White Balance to emphasize the Golden Light near the top of the frame. Mohrle also boosts Clarity, Texture, and Midtone Contrast for a sharper look.

Now it’s time to confront the pesky polarization banding and Mohrle opens Lightroom’s Masking panel to demonstrate two methods for approaching this important task. One way to remove the unsightly dark area at the top of the photo is to darken top portion of the sky to bring it in line with the offensive polarization blob. Alternatively, you can accomplish the same fix by lightening the banding itself. Both techniques are effective, but Mohrle explains why he prefers taking the first approach.

Once he addresses the main problem Mohrle employs other masks to further refine the image. The transformation concludes with thoughtful color grading, very cautious sharpening, and a bit of final cleanup. Bottom line: This is a quick-and-easy solution that’s simple enough for Lightroom users of all skill levels.

There’s much more to learn about shooting and editing landscape images on the instructional PHLOG Photography YouTube channel, so be sure to pay a visit when you have time to explore.

And don’t miss the tutorial we featured with another post-processing expert who demonstrates how he stores and backs up his photographs to keep them secure and easy to find.

We’ve all captured photos with ugly noise artifacts that spoil an otherwise great shot—a problem that often occurs when using high ISO settings or shooting in low light. But don’t be so quick to delete noisy photos because in the next five minutes you’ll learn what one expert calls a “magic” Lightroom solution.

Here today’s promise from instructor Serge Ramelli: “I’ll show you how to remove noise in photos using the best Lightroom settings for crystal-clear results—without making images look fake or over-smooth.” Ramelli is a notable French-born pro who specializes in in landscape, seascape, and cityscape imagery.

So whether you’re working with high ISO shots, low-light images, or old grainy photos, this “amazing” Lightroom trick will result in a very impressive transformation. The proof is this: Ramelli demonstrates how he edited one of his favorite shots that sold in over 120 galleries across the globe—even though the sky in the original was full of noise.

Ramelli was in Venice when he captured this beautiful view of the Grand Canal from the middle of an iconic bridge. The problem was there were so many tourists on either side of Ramelli that there was no room to set up a tripod. Thus, he resorted to shooting handheld with an exposure of .5 seconds, f/4, at ISO 1,250. His focal length was 20mm.

The goal was to eliminate noise so Ramelli could make big-and-clean print for display (and sale) in one of his galleries. He walks you through the step-by-step process that begins by adjusting exposure with simple Lightroom sliders. Ramelli opens up shadows and brings down highlights, and at this preliminary stage the image looks pretty weird.

But watch how the “photo “reveals itself” when Ramelli holds down the Option key and employs sliders to adjust the black and white points. The exposure is now perfect but zooming in on the shot reveals all the image-killing ugly noise.

Ramelli makes a few other quick enhancements before turning to his Lightroom process that banishes noise in a surprisingly effective way. Just take a glance at his before/after examples and you will definitely be convinced. Then take a trip to Ramelli’s popular YouTube channel where you’ll find over a thousand more instructional shooting and editing tutorials for upping your game.

We also recommend watching the tutorial we featured with another expert who demonstrates how Photoshop’s easy-to-use  Guides tools will significantly enhance and streamline your post-processing workflow.