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.

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.

How about an “advanced” shooting technique that’s easy enough for anyone to master in minutes? What makes this method so cutting edge isn’t because it requires special skills, but rather because it delivers eye-catching effects that stand out from the crowd.

The topic of this tutorial from the Better Pix YouTube channel is a unique form of motion blur that’s created by zooming during a longish exposure while slightly moving the camera. All you need to get the job done is whatever camera you own, any zoom lens in your arsenal, and the tips described in the next three minutes.

Our unnamed instructor puts it like this: “In this video you’ll learn how to create motion blur in the camera and not cheating with post-production tricks.” We recommend having your camera and lens handy as you watch, so that you can try it yourself as the simple steps are explained.

You may have tried zooming in or out while capturing a shot, but today’s approach includes a unique twist that accentuates the effect. That’s because it involves shifting the camera up-and-down, side-to-side, or in a circular motion as you zoom. The magic is accomplished while shooting handheld.

You’ll learn the best way to brace your camera as you move the camera while zooming. Our instructor covers the necessary settings and suggests this as a starting point; “I recommend a shutter speed of 1/8—1/15 second while zooming the lens during that slice of time.”

As you’ll see, this technique involves a bit of experimentation with shutter speed, ISO, and aperture depending on prevailing light levels and the specific subject at hand. In other words, there’s no right way to achieve a variety of compelling effects. Just play around with the suggested variables until you capture a photo that really strikes your fancy.

The finer points of this simple approach are best understood by watching the following video demonstration, so we won’t bother summarizing them here. We’re pretty sure that you’ll be inspired to get out there and see what you can create.

And if you’re thinking about investing in new gear, be sure to watch the recent video we featured with another knowledgeable pro who explains how to determine if the camera you own is the right choice for your style of photography—or if it’s finally time to invest in something new.

Today’s post-processing tutorial is unusual because it doesn’t involve improving the look of an image in any way; no color or exposure modifications, sharpening tricks, or any other enhancements. The quick video is important nonetheless because it demonstrates how to significantly streamline your workflow.

The eye-opening episode from the Sandra D. Imagery YouTube channel is all about Photoshop’s timesaving Guide tools which are often ignored by beginners and pros alike. We guarantee that you’ll update your Photoshop workflow according after watching the seven-minute lesson.

Sandra is an accomplished photographer and Adobe expert who prides herself on helping other creatives with easy-to-follow explainers that reveal image-editing tricks and techniques. As she says, “Photoshop Guides are imaginary lines that help guide your eye” when evaluating composition. This is an easy way to confirm that nothing in the frame is crooked or askew.

Using a horizontal guide, for example, helps you make sure that the horizon is perfectly straight when shooting landscapes. Likewise, a vertical guide enables street shooters to quickly check the alignment of streets signs, lamp posts, or side of buildings. Other common examples abound.

Before getting started it’s important that Photoshop’s Ruler is enabled and appears atop the workspace. If you don’t see the Ruler simply click on the View tab and then select View from the dropdown list of options.

Once you’re all set up, click and hold on the ruler and drag the line down to evaluate a horizonal line like a horizon. Similarly, you can quickly ascertain whether or not a vertical line is straight by clicking and dragging the vertical Ruler to the right (this one is found at the left side of the screen).

Now that you’ve identified any problems it’s super simple to align everything properly by following Sandra’s straightforward instructions. Then head over to her popular YouTube channel for more post-processing wisdom.

We also recommend watching the basic tutorial we featured recently with another image-editing expert who lays out a complete beginners guide to your camera’s powerful EV-Compensation feature that enables you to shoot photographs with perfect exposures every time.