The Tone Curve is one of the most powerful tools in the post processing arsenal and it’s super-easy to use. Yet it enables you to make the most of just about any image you shoot indoors or out.

Instructor Abhisek Mitra has a relatively new YouTube channel that’s gaining in popularity among photographers who appreciate his straightforward tutorials that yield big results. In this episode you’ll learn how to significantly improve photos with the Tone Curve in barely three minutes.

Mitra considers this tool virtually indispensable for achieving optimum results when editing photos for maximum impact and he explains it like this: “The Tone Curve is an amazing feature that is available in most editing applications, be it on desktop with Photoshop and Lightroom or with many popular mobile applications like Snapseed and Lightroom Mobile.”

In other words you can use the same simple techniques to process photos on the computer, a tablet, or on your phone. In basic terms,  the Tone Curve tool enables you to manipulate photos by globally adjusting the brightness and contrast of an image. Mitra further explains that this tool is divided into five “regions”—namely whites, blacks, highlights, midtones, and shadows.

As you’ll see, the easiest and most common adjustment is known as the “S-Curve” which is a great place to start. Here all you do is drag down the shadows, and then raise the midtones and highlights. Doing this usually achieves fast, precise results without messing around with the Contrast slider. Of course some images require a different approach depending upon their brightness values.

Mitra demonstrates how “there is so much more that you can actually get out of adjusting the Tone Curve.” One such example is what he refers to as a “cinematic fade” effect that’s becoming veery popular. He walks you through the simple steps in just about 30 seconds.

Another fundamental application of the Tone Curves is color grading photographs, and here again it’s a straightforward technique that Mitra clearly explains. This method involves using the Tone Curve to manipulate the red, green and blue channels. His preferred approach is making an S-Curve of each of the three channels.

Mitra goes into specific details of these and other techniques, and by the time you’re done watching you’ll want to add Tone Curve adjustments to you post-processing workflow. Mitra’s instructional YouTube channel is a great source of simple photographic techniques like the one you see here.

And be sure to watch the tutorial we posted recently from a long-time image-editing expert who demonstrates how to use a “secret” Lightroom tool if the colors in your outdoor photographs “look all crazy.”

If you’re just getting started with bird photography or want to elevate your skills, this helpful tutorial is just what you need—especially if you don’t have a park, nature preserve, or other appropriate location close to home.

This lesson from Darrell Oakden provides five tips for shooting impressive photos of our feathered friends in the comfort of your backyard or garden. After all, most of us are visited daily by variety of attractive birds no matter where we live. And the species tend to change with the seasons throughout the year.

Oakden doesn’t make his living as a full-time photographer but the beautiful images he captures belie his amateur status, as do the instructional videos he shares often on his popular YouTube channel. The first thing you should do, if you haven’t already done so is set up a couple feeders in your yard that will quickly attract interested (and hungry) subjects.

Oakden provides several tips on bird feeders, their placement, and the best type of feed to use for the birds that are most common in your area. As he explains, “One thing that’s very important is to keep your bird feeders clean to avoid the spread of disease. This chore simply requires spraying the feeders weekly with a mild detergent and then doing a thorough rinse with warm water.

Another trick is to hang a small pan under the feeder to catch falling food so it doesn’t pile up on the ground and attract squirrels, insects, rodents, and other unwelcome visitors. He also has a helpful tip for keeping bird food dry when it’s raining. You also learn how to create bird feeders and stands from fallen branches and logs.

Oakden offers a variety of  interesting techniques for capturing great photos of shy subjects—like shooting through a nearby window in your home or from a simple “blind” in the yard. One of Oakden’s favorites is a shed with a small opening for his lens. The point is that it’s often necessary to disguise yourself until birds become comfortable with you and your yard.

As the lesson proceeds you’ll pick up valuable advice on gear, composition, and appropriate camera settings. One of our favorite tips has to do with capturing interesting poses, relative to prevailing light, as birds go about eating and visiting with their friends.

This is but a taste of the advice Oakden provides, and he illustrates everything with captivating images. If this genre strikes your fancy be sure to visit Oakden’s popular YouTube channel for more practical lessons as your skills evolve.

And on a related note, don’t miss the tutorial we featured from a South African pro who demonstrates several great techniques for shooting compelling wildlife photographs under a variety of conditions.

Split Toning is a powerful post-processing technique that’s available in Lightroom and other image editing apps. This method is easy enough for users of all skill levels, and it’s a great way to transform boring photos into images with unique color.

The result of this method is an eye-catching look that is often referred to as “cinematic,” and instructor Neil Borg demonstrates the step-by-step process using a rather dull street scene captured at night. He kicks of the episode like this: “Turn your dark and boring night street photos into cinematic masterpieces in seconds!”

While watching him work his magic keep in mind that split toning can used for all sorts of images, shot throughout the day, whether they’re landscapes, nature scenes, or travel and wildlife shots. Borg explains why it’s helpful to make a few basic adjustments to the original photo before proceeding with the split-toning technique.

Borg’s goal for the sample image is to create an effect in which the red car trails in the foreground are emphasized with strong magenta tones, while the sky and elements in the background have intense blue color colors. He begins with a few basic enhancements to prepare the image for the magic that follows.

Preliminary adjustments include reducing highlights and blacks for heightened contrast, and opening shadows to retain more details in these areas. He also increases Clarity, reduces Vibrance, and modifies overall Color Temperature to balance everything out.

Borg then turns to Lightroom’s Color Mixer to further emphasize the colors he’s after, while eliminating those he doesn’t want, like green tones, oranges in the lights, and purples that detract from his intended effect.

Now it’s time for the split-toning process that transforms the image into something really special, and he walks you through the quick-and-easy process in barely a minutes Borg then concludes the eye-popping edit with a few local adjustments, careful sharpening and denoise, and a final tweak to color balance.

There’s much editing and shooting advice on Borg’s instructional YouTube channel, so don’t forget to pay a visit and dig through his videos.

And don’t miss an earlier tutorial we posted from another imaging expert who demonstrates five simple Photoshop techniques and shortcuts that he says, “every beginning photographer should know.”

In a never-ending search for the “perfect light,” many photographers ignore the beauty and simplicity of shooting in open shade. Not only does this method provide soft, even illumination, but this straightforward technique avoids the encumbrance of costly and ungainly lighting gear and accessories.

Instructor Mark Wallace summarizes today’s tutorial like this: “Discover the secret to transforming your portrait photography without breaking the bank and say goodbye to expensive equipment—all you need is the magic of open shade.” So pay close attention as he unlocks the power of this “effortless” style of portraiture.

Wallace is an experienced photographer who left the comfort of his home in the U.S. to travel the globe on a motorcycle loaded with a minimum of photo gear. Hence his preference for simplicity and available light. In this episode he demonstrates the shady technique in three locations—each resulting in captivating portraits with a unique look.

Open shade describes a situation with relatively bright illumination that delivers soft light without all the problems of bright sun or shadows falling on a subject. Wallace prefers shooting from a balcony, with the sun on the opposite side of the building, for several reasons. One benefit is that directional light from outside the balcony often bounces off the wall to brighten up the scene.

Another big advantage of this simple approach is that it imbues a scene with specular highlights that create perfect catchlights in a subject’s eyes. Of course, open shade can be found in a variety of other settings, and Wallace explains a variety of techniques for using this beautiful light to advantage.

Wallace provides an overview of his session, and then digs into a variety of game-changing techniques, like positioning the model against a light-gathering white wall. You’ll also see how to use open shade with a window to create portrait photos that are flattering to your subject.

Other effective methods include shooting into the light from a position of open shade. Along the way you’ll pick valuable advice on composition, posing, and modifying your camera angle for portraits with an uncommon look. The lesson concludes with a review of the images captured by Wallace, and he includes captions with all the pertinent gear and exposure settings used to get the shots.

Be sure to visit Wallace’s instructional YouTube channel after watching the video we’re you’ll find more helpful advice on a wide variety of photographic genres.

And don’t miss a tutorial we featured recently from another acclaimed portrait specialist with a unique niche who explains how she captures sensuous boudoir photographs with a dramatic low-key effect.