Precision cutouts of difficult subjects can be a time-consuming challenge depending on the approach you take, and there are several methods for handling this common process. The good news is that this straightforward video reveals three foolproof secrets for simplifying the task and achieving exceptional results.

Instructor Brenden Williams is a professional retoucher whose YouTube channel and website are dedicated to helping others unlock their creativity with practical  tips for improving the image-editing workflow in Lightroom and Photoshop. Today’s episode is quite comprehensive, so we suggest being prepared to take a few notes for future reference.

Williams’ trio of techniques for refining cutouts are each tailored to different scenarios, providing you with the flexibility to choose the most appropriate approach depending on the style and complexity of the photo at hand. As he says, “mastering these tricks can dramatically speed up your workflow and instantly improve the quality of Photoshop extractions.”

Before you can benefit from these straightforward tricks it’s necessary to have a firm understanding of Channels—a selection technique when a photo includes complex edges like trees and portraits with flyaway hair. Williams provides a quick overview of the concept and then moves on to demonstrating his three cutout tricks.

The first method uses Select Subject in combination with Select and Mask, and Williams explains that “this works best on clean portraits with clear contrast from the background.” As you’ll see, it’s perfect for quick isolation and edge refinement.

Approach number two leverages the power of Color Range selections, enabling you to target and remove backgrounds based upon color similarity. This one is particularly useful when a subject is surrounded by solid or uniform tones like landscape scenes with a wall of foliage in the distance.

The lesson concludes with an easy Channels technique that involves picking the channel with the most contrast, applying Levels to boost separation, and manually refining the selection with a brush for clean cutouts of hair or translucent details. Once you’re done watching be sure to update your everyday Photoshop workflow accordingly.

We also recommend taking a look at the earlier tutorial we featured with another post-processing expert who demonstrates a four-step color-grading workflow for creating landscape and nature photographs with perfectly balanced tones.

It doesn’t matter whether you live in Nebraska, Mongolia, or like me, in the Czech Republic. These places, far from the nearest sea, would be biologically poor and dull without the beneficial influence of islands. The immense biodiversity of this planet is fundamentally dependent on their existence. Without exaggeration, it can be said that islands are the true cradle of evolution.

Sometimes our nature and landscape photos fall shot of the beauty we witnessed through the viewfinder, either because our camera settings were incorrect or we used the wrong approach during post processing. The video below from the PHLOG Photography YouTube channel addresses the latter concern with a straightforward color-grading technique that anyone can master in minutes.

Instructor Christian Mohrle is an outstanding landscape photographer and popular educator based in Southern Germany near beautiful Lake Constance. Here’s how he describes today’s comprehensive episode: “This is my four-step Lightroom color grading workflow for making realistic photos that really pop!”

First on the list are a bunch of basic adjustments to the image as a whole that significantly improve exposure and white balance. He begins in Lightroom’s Basic panel and changes the profile to Adobe Landscape which immediately boosts base saturation to reflect his goal of a more colorful result.

The next step involves modifying exposure to achieve a much more accurate balance between highlights and shadows. The necessary changes include increasing overall exposure, opening the shadows, and adjusting the blacks. He also brings down highlights and whites to retain details in the brightest areas of the clouds.

Now it’s time to improve white balance, which Mohrle says is an essential components when editing images like his example. His goal here is to push color temperature in a way that significantly warms up the strong blue tones to convey the sunrise appearance he desires. A simple shift in tint also makes a noticeable difference.

With his original shot greatly improved, Mohrle turns his attention to targeting selective colors in different areas within the frame using masking techniques that are super easy to follow. Then come a few important HSL adjustments that blend these enhancements together.

The remarkable transformation concludes by introducing a very compelling split-toning effect. The instructional PHLOG Photography YouTube channel is a great resource for everyone who shoots in the field, so be sure to take a look.

We also recommend watching last week’s tutorial from another post-processing specialist who demonstrates a straightforward Lightroom technique for transforming ho-hum daytime scenes into breathtaking sunset photographs.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so nervous rock climbing as I did this week. The reason wasn’t really the thirty meters of air below my feet as I hung on the rope, photographing climbers beneath me. The shiver running down my spine had more to do with the camera I was shooting with and the fact that I was responsible for it “with my life.” I have to admit, I breathed a big sigh of relief when I finally rappelled back to the ground with the Leica SL3 still safely in my hands. You’ll soon be able to read my full thoughts on shooting with this unusual camera. For now, let me share one photo from yesterday’s climb—and of course, the latest news from the world of photography.