Beginners Guide: Focal Length Blending Landscape Photos (VIDEO)
One difference between a good landscape image and a great one is the depth and dimension conveyed throughout the frame, and this is particularly true with thoughtfully composed photos that include a compelling foreground element, an interesting midrange, and an eye-grabbing background.
Unfortunately, it’s often difficult to compose in the camera and achieve the the perspective you have in mind. Unless, that is, you watch this beginners guide to focal length blending in Photoshop. This may sound like a complex task, but in the next 12 minutes you’ll learn why and how to get the job done with ease.
Instructor Gary McIntyre is an accomplished pro who shares weekly tutorials on gear, shooting techniques, and the post-processing methods he recommends. He uses two shot of the same scene to illustrate the topic at hand—one made with a 16mm lens and the other shot at 28mm. The first has the composition he wants but the lighthouse recedes into the distance, while the second accentuates this key subject but a portion of the scene is cropped out.
Gary explains today’s goal like this: “We want to marry the two images to give my main character (the light house) a more prominent role in the entire scene.” As you’ll see, the blending process was made easier because the light didn’t change between his first shot and the second he captured a few moments later.
After pulling up both images in Capture One (the technique also works in Lightroom), Gary right-clicks and selects Open with Photoshop 2025. He then aligns the shot by using the horizon as a reference—using the arrow keys for a precision match.
Gary then walks you through his step-by-step process for enhancing the images and merging them into one final photo with the exact look he desires. We think you’ll be convinced after comparing his before after examples.
There’s many more shooting and editing videos on Gary’s popular YouTube channel, so be sure to check it out and explore what’s available. Most of his lessons are designed to simplify seemingly complicated tasks like the one you just learned.
We also recommend watching the recent tutorial we featured with another pro’s tips for enhancing landscape photographs by adjusting Mid-Tone Contrast to make them POP off the screen.
