If you’re a regular visitor to the Shutterbug website you know that there are a variety of methods for color grading landscape images—some more effective than others. This tutorial from the popular PHLOG Photography YouTube channel demonstrate a very powerful technique that’s easy to accomplish and delivers spectacular results.

German pro Christian Mohrle says this method great contributes to his stunning imagery. In this 12-minute episode you’ll learn why and how he employs Lightroom’s White Balance tools to achieve perfect colors in his photos.  Keep watching if you’re a Photoshop user because the method you’ll learn works equally well with this software too.

Before clicking the “play” button it’s a good idea to download Mohrle’s Raw file with the link beneath the video so that you can follow along and make the adjustments yourself as they’re explained. He’s working with an HDR image and you’ll see how that affects the process.

The value of this particular technique, according to Mohrle, is that it enables you to create a specific mood by modifying the warmth or coolness of a shot. He always begins with a few basic global enhancements to improve the original photo as much as possible, so that the selective adjustments that follow are easier to accomplish.

Mohrle’s goal for this drab lakeside photo is to give it a very vibrant sunset effect, and he begins by changing the profile from Adobe Color to Adobe landscape which immediately boosts base saturation. He explains that starting with a balanced exposure is extremely important for optimum White Balance adjustments. Mohrle makes few quick adjustments to get the light right in the blown-out sky and the crushed shadows in the trees on the horizon.

He then refines composition with a simple crop and then turn to the meat of this lesson; namely the White Balance adjustments that are necessary for creating the sunset look he desires. When that task is complete Mohrle improves the image further with a bit of masking—walking you through every step in the process.

Mohrle concludes the impressive transformation with straightforward tweaks to color and a bit of careful sharpening. You can use this powerful edit to enhance just about any photograph that you shoot in the great outdoors. Be sure to visit Mohrle’s robust YouTube channel for more powerful lessons like this one.

And don’t miss the tutorial we posted recently from another post-processing expert who demonstrates a “hidden” Photoshop hack for spectacular edits of landscape photographs in five simple steps.

It’s unavoidable that over time your camera’s sensor will get dusty, as will the inside of some lenses—especially zooms. The result can be unsightly blemishes on every photograph you shoot. This quick tutorial from freelance photographer James Feaver demonstrates a unique and effective solution for cleaning up your shots in Lightroom.

This video is installment #84 in Feaver’s Two-minute Tutorial series of quick post-processing tips that deliver big results for both beginners and experienced users alike. In this episode  he demonstrates an interesting approach for eliminating distracting artifacts by using Lightroom’s Visual Spot tool to first scan a photo, and then remove any dust and debris with the Healing Brush tool.

We suggest opening one of your “dirty” photos that need to repaired and make the changes yourself as Feaver demonstrates the simple step-by-step procedure. He captured the sample image on a windy day in Sardinia when he made the mistake of leaving the sensor unprotected for too long when switching lenses. Hence, the camera became contaminated by blowing dirt and his photo is full of dust.

He begins by selecting Lightroom’s Visualize Spots option and explains how to use a simple slider to determine the location of the spots in the image. Then he moves on to the Bush tool and places a small dot over each of the offending dust spots in the shot. The time required for this simple process depends upon how many distractions need to be removed.

Fever says you may need to repeat the process if you zoom in on the image and notice any spots you missed, and he explains the benefits of his method like this: “Scanning an image with the Visualize Spot Tool really helps you notice small hard-to-identify spots that may be lurking in the background.”

The point is this: unlike the conventional approach of just eyeballing a photo to find dust spots and doing your best to remove them with Lightroom’s Healing brush tool, this technique provides far more control. And adding the initial step of using Lightroom’s Visualize Spots tool will barely slow you down.

You can find many more helpful lessons on Feaver’s popular YouTube channel, including past and future episodes of his Two-Minute Tutorials series.

We also suggest watching the lesson we posted recently in which another post-processing expert demonstrates how to avoid five common image-editing mistakes when editing photographs in Lightroom.

Full support for true HDR photography leads the list of multiple new features and improvements that now enhance Zoner Photo Studio X.

Unlike pseudo-HDR that uses tone-mapping or exposure bracketing to emulate an HDR effect, the 2024 Zoner Photo Studio X update leverages the expanded capabilities of modern monitors to display a greater dynamic range of light and deliver maximum brightness, detail and image gradation. It’s an altogether different — and better —technology.

Among the other powerful new features, Zoner Photo Studio X now effectively obliterates chromatic aberration, facilitates 3D LUT handling, offers new keyboard shortcuts and includes improved video processing tools. And the upgrade is 100% free.

Enjoy True HDR
With the spring 2024 update, Zoner Photo Studio X is now the most comprehensive photo editor for true HDR photography. Starting today, with ZPS X users can use the full dynamic range of modern monitors that support HDR content. Note that most photographers already have an abundant source of HDR data in their libraries of Raw files.

ZPS X allows users to save both regular (Standard Dynamic Range) and HDR data in a single image for full backward compatibility with common monitors and browsers. And, users control which version (SDR or HDR) viewers see. Zonerama, Zoner’s free-to-all image sharing and storage platform, has supported true HDR since June of 2023.

Images can be saved in various formats (e.g., JPEG, AVIF, JPEG XL). JPEG allows the use of gain maps, so users without HDR monitors will correctly see HDR edits. AVIF and JPEG XL file formats are HDR-only.

For a clear and concise explanation of true HDR, check out this short (4 min, 40 sec) video.

Ready to Jump in?
Zoner Photo Studio X for Windows 10 and 11 has been downloaded more than 10-million times and has earned prestigious awards for Best Photo Editing Software from the world-renowned TIPA and EISA associations. You can test drive all of the new features in Zoner Photo Studio X by downloading the full-powered, Free 7-Day Trial Version, (even if you’ve already tried the software before).

Goodbye Dreaded Purple Fringe
Chromatic Aberration, known to some as DPF, most often appears as purple or violet fringe along the contrasty, backlit edges of elements in an image. The most common cause is the inability of a lens to precisely focus all wavelengths of light to a single point. It can also be caused by reflections that intrude between the rear element of a lens and certain imaging sensors.

No matter what causes chromatic aberration in your images, Zoner Photo Studio X makes it go away.

Output 3D LUT for Final Color Tuning
Based on user requests, Zoner has added an effect 3D LUT at the end of the editing process. Their output is no longer affected by further editing, so they are useful for final color tweaking.

A 3D LUT is a Look Up Table that contains a comprehensive map of colors in a particular image. Users can adjust color values, map one color onto another, and other operations to tweak hue and saturation.

New Keyboard Shortcuts
Accelerate workflow and repetitive tasks via the new keyboard shortcuts that have been added to Zoner Photo Studio X. Users can assign new shortcuts on a per-module basis and control how shortcuts behave.

Rejected Photos
The Rejected Rating allows users to delete multiple images simultaneously, again speeding up workflow.

Video Processing Enhancements
ZPS X includes advanced transition effects plus color-coded markers with captions for more extensive editing and improved keyframe handling.

More Lenses & Cameras Supported
Support has been added for lenses and new cameras including the Canon EOS R100 and R10, Nikon Z8, Sony α9 III and α6700, Fujifilm X-S20 and X-H2, Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 II and DC-S1H, OM-1 Mark II, OM-5 and more.

There’s More
Zoner Photo Studio X now includes the ability to create custom editing styles with new Develop Module effects. The Glow effect brightens highlights, making images more dramatic and emphasizing lens flare. The  Halation effect adds a retro look to images by creating a soft  glow around objects. Additionally, ZPS X now delivers finer 3D Grain.

Pro Features — but NOT for  Pros Only!
Zoner Photo Studio X is not just for professionals and advanced hobbyists. It’s for all of us.

If you use almost any digital camera or high-quality smartphone and you’re getting some great shots and/or videos, Zoner Photo Studio X is your ticket to better imaging. ZPS X is a set of reliable photo editing tools you can put to work quickly and intuitively, and get results immediately. Zoner Photo Studio X makes every photo better. And it’s very affordable — cheaper than a monthly latte, and the buzz lingers way longer.

Pricing & Free Stuff
Priced at just $5.99 per month (or $59 for 12 months), Zoner Photo Studio X is one of the best money-saving, genuine bargains available to photographers. Included at no cost (in fact, available even if you haven’t tried Zoner Photo Studio X yet) the Learn Tab on the Zoner website offers a robust assortment of how-to tutorials, videos and inspiring stories. ZPS X supports Windows 10 and 11.

Zoner also maintains Zonerama, the free-to-all online platform that provides users unlimited space to upload photos and videos where they’re securely stored and shared. Even if you are not a ZPS X user you can open an account on Zonerama. Tip: Zonerama is the perfect place to privately share spring graduation, summer vacation and other personal photos with family and friends in a secure, password-protected environment.

Who is Zoner Exactly?
With over 10,000,000 downloads from their website, Zoner is the real deal. Founded back in 1993 out of love for photography, the Zoner Photo Studio series is used by millions of photographers around the world – 100,000 in the US alone – from the ranks of absolute beginners to seasoned professionals. Zoner Inc’s corporate headquarters are located in the Czech Republic and the USA, with additional corporate offices located in North America, Central Europe, and Japan.

∞  Shutterbug Staff