This is another of our “fix-it-don’t trash-it” post-processing tutorials than can quickly turn an unimpressive outdoor photograph into a spell-binding image that really grabs attention. In the video below you’ll learn how to introduce natural-looking light to photos that don’t quite make the grade.

Instructor Nicholas Warner is a globe-trotting landscape and travel photographer whose popular YouTube channel has almost 7K subscribers who appreciate his insight on a wide variety of Lightroom and Photoshop techniques that are appropriate for beginners and experienced users alike.

He kicks off today’s eye-opening episode like this: “The simple trick of changing the color of your dodge layer makes a massive difference when creating believable light in a photo. You’ll learn how to brush realistic direct light into your photographs.” And it all happens in barely eight minutes.

The demonstration image was captured in the Mohave Desert during one of Warner’s tours, and he  begins by explaining his mindset for getting the shot prepared in Lightroom with simple masks before opening Photoshop to strategically apply a creative lighting effect.

As you’ll see, he uses a mask entering the frame from the right, another inverted mask in the middle that creates a “pseudo vignette,” a third for darkening the cactus in the foreground, another to selectively cool down color temperature, and three others for purposes he explains.

Overall, these masks are intended to “direct a viewer’s eye through the frame and harmonize the various colors.” With all the prep work completed Warner opens Photoshop and demonstrates his transformational process for giving Mother Nature a big boost, and he’s careful to note that this method doesn’t involve dodging, but rather creating direct light exactly where it’s needed.

Once you’re done watching head over to Warner’s YouTube channel for more Lightroom and Photoshop tips and techniques.

And don’t miss the tutorial we featured with another image-editing specialist who demonstrates how to achieve amazing results when using Photoshop’s new AI-powered upscaling tool to enlarge photographs by up to 400% while recovering lost details and improving sharpness.

Today’s six-minute tutorial from VerticDesigns demonstrates Photoshop’s amazing new AI Generative Upscaler that quickly transforms enlarged photos from pixelated to perfect like never before. It’s a must-watch video whether you’re a beginner or a more experienced user.

Our unnamed British instructor’s YouTube channel has over 27 million views, and he introduces today’s episode like this: “I’ll walk you through exactly how it works, provide real-time results, and compare before/after examples. It uses AI enhancements to fix, sharpen, and improve any lost details when upscaling as much as 400%.

There are a couple key considerations, the first of which is that the absolute minimum size of the image has to be at least 128×128 pixels. And the maximum enlargement is 4096×4096 pixels. It’s also important to note that this game-changing tool is currently in the Beta version of Photoshop, and you’ll learn the simple steps for installing it.

Once you’re all set up, the first step before you upscale is expanding the original shot using the Crop tool in combination with a keyboard shortcut until you reach the recommended dimensions. Then set fill to Generative Expand and click the Generate button, and Photoshop automatically fills in the empty gaps.

You’ll learn how to make any necessary refinements as the lesson proceeds, and it’s all so simple that we won’t intrude by summarizing the technique further. Just pay attention to the clear illustrations and simple adjustments and then add this transformative technique to your everyday Photoshop workflow. Perfect enlargements will be yours forever more.

There’s a variety of shooting and editing how-to videos available on the VerticDesigns YouTube channel, so be sure to take a close look when you have time to explore.

We also recommend watching the earlier tutorial we featured with  another British post-processing expert who demonstrates a unique Lightroom technique for creating photographs with perfect white balance without image-killing color casts.