The failure to attain precise focus is a sure way to ruin an otherwise great photo, but fortunately there are post-processing methods to sharpen blurry images IF you use the right tools. Taking the wrong approach, however, will only make things worse.

We promise that  you’ll never look at sharpening the same way again after watching this eye-opening tutorial from acclaimed landscape photographer Mark Denney—especially after experimenting with the process on your own images.

Sharpening soft photos is one of the most important image-editing tasks, and there are varying opinions about the best way to proceed. Denney quickly cuts through the grease and introduces the 14-minute episode like this: “I’ll share with you a technique that’s seldom discussed, but it produces the best results in my humble opinion.”

Denney uses Lightroom to demonstrate his “foolproof” method, while noting that it’s equally effective with any software you use. The conventional approach is to open Lightroom’s Details panel and crank up the Sharpening slider, and then hold down the Option key while dragging the Masking slider over so that everything in white is where the sharpening is applied.

This may be a “decent” technique, but Denney explains why it falls short. He says that with this  method “you’re sharpening the entire scene, and that isn’t how the human eye interacts with a photograph.” His explanation goes like this: “When we see an image our eye naturally goes toward the brightest area of that scene or the area that’s the most detailed and enhanced.”

In other words, if everything within the frame is equally sharp, “the eye just wanders around” and that’s counterproductive for creating a compelling visual flow and telling a story with a photograph.

By now you’ve probably guessed that Denny’s technique involves selectively targeting and sharpening a specific element (or elements) in an image, while letting the rest of the shot recede. By employing this localized approach you’ll repair blur only where it’s distracting, thereby accentuating the key subject of a shot.

This method requires a bit more work, but it’s the only way to go if optimum results are your goal. There’s much more to see and learn on Denney’s instructional YouTube channel, so be sure to check it out.

We also recommend watching a tutorial we featured with another accomplished pro who demonstrates how the creative use of shutter speed settings enable you to up your game and capture landscape photographs with a unique look.

Are you one of those photographers who always shoots Jpegs because you think editing Raw files is beyond your skills? If so you’re not alone, even though there are significant image-quality benefits to shooting in Raw.

This beginners Lightroom post-processing guide will change your mind by demonstrating how easy it is to edit Raw files for light, color, and detail. The comprehensive lesson runs about 15 minutes so we suggest taking a few notes, but by the time the video concludes you’ll no longer be a beginner.

Instructor Pablo Garcia was trained as an engineer, but these days he says, “photography is my creative outlet.” He posts tutorials in both English and  Spanish  that are designed to help inexperienced photographers improve their shooting and post-processing skills. Unlike other lessons for novices, however, Pablo typically takes a deeper dive into powerful techniques that are very easy to achieve.

He kicks off today’s video like this: “If we capture our photos in Raw format we have a lot of latitude in Lightroom or other editing tools to create a complete image with the WOW factor.” He demonstrates a straightforward workflow from beginning to end by transforming a boring photo into a superb attention-grabbing image. Then you’ll be well equipped to do the same.

Pablo says he chose enhancements to light, color, and detail for this primer because these simple adjustments are easy to make and will greatly improve just about any image captured in the field—like with his sample photograph of a Stellar’s jay perched on a tree in the mountains just outside Albuquerque, NM.

The goal for this Raw edit is simple: bringing this beautiful bird to life and making it stand out from the background, with a few Raw edits that anyone can accomplish. Pablo’s subject is rather small in the original photograph, even though it was captured at the long end of a 100-500mm telephoto zoom—equivalent to 800mm on his crop-sensor camera. Thus, he begins with a bit of cropping to make the bird more prominent by eliminating part of the surrounding scene.

Then Pablo up his sleeves and walks you through the fun part of the video, which is make the Stellar’s jay jump off the screen. The method he uses and the difference between the before/after images will inspire you try shooting and editing Raw files in the future.

Pablo’s instructional YouTube channel is a great place to learn how to simplify seemingly complicated tasks, so be sure to take a close look when you have time.

And don’t miss another game-changing tutorial we posted earlier, describing three Photoshop settings that another expert says “you should definitely disable now” for a faster and more efficient workflow.

Earlier this month we featured a quick boudoir photography tutorial for beginners from Patrick’s Boudoir Photography Secrets, demonstrating a simple way to capture sensuous photos with basic gear and ambient light. Today Patrick is back again with a similar window-lighting technique—this time with a sitting floor pose that is very flattering for models of all body types.

Patrick is a Vienna-based pro who specializes in capturing natural light portraits that tell a story with thoughtful composition, great image structure, and other compelling elements. His boudoir tutorials are designed for those new to the genre, requiring nothing but a camera and lens, and a bright window to illuminate the scene.

Another benefit if you’re just getting started is that you don’t need an experienced model. In fact, Patrick’s posing tips are designed for “models” who are new to the game like a spouse, friend, or significant other. The floor pose you’ll see today is very comfortable and easy for you to explain.

Patrick begins with this: “In less than three minutes we’ll show you how to perfectly highlight your model’s chest and belly with an incredibly sensual pose on the floor that suits almost any body type and delivers gorgeous results.” Part of the trick is understanding how slight adjustments in body posture can greatly enhanced femininity, and Patrick covers that too.

There’s a lot going on in this video beyond posing, and you’ll learn how to create stunning highlights and shadows with nothing more than light streaming through a window. Patrick also has great ideas on composition, camera gear and settings, and how to quickly edit your photographs to achieve the high-contrast b&w effect he creates as you watch.

And don’t forget: You can double your newfound knowledge in another two minutes by watching Patrick’s earlier boudoir tutorial that’s mentioned above. Then head over to his popular YouTube channel where there are more simple episodes to be found.

We occasionally provide expert advice on configuring the Photoshop workflow so that it meets your specific needs, and this typically involves revealing hidden features or activating settings that are disabled by default. The tutorial below from the Dansky instructional YouTube channel takes the opposite approach; namely, suggestions for turning off certain settings that one pro says will just slow you down.

Instructor Daniel White is an image-expert whose videos are both informative and fun because they typically include a bit of sarcasm. He introduces today’s episode like this: “To make the Photoshop experience a lot simpler and more streamlined there are a bunch of settings to turn on, and some you definitely need to disable. This lesson is devoted to the latter.

White first turns his attention to settings recently added by Adobe that are active by default, and he explains why he recommends turning off the Show Transform Controls option. Keep in mind that all of his tips are subjective, but you’ll see why he finds this particular setting so distracting. He also provides a simple keyboard shortcut for toggling it on and off.

There are two other settings in the same dropdown panel that White says are equally useless and distracting, and these are called Show Layer Bounds on Hover, and Show Hover Bounds from Layers. By nixing all three aforementioned settings you’ve already begin cleaning up the mess.

White moves on to “a bunch of settings in Preferences that you need to change,” beginning within the General list of options. You’ll see why he disables the Use Legacy Free Transform setting. Another timesaving tips is turning off “Auto Show the Home Screen, and the awkwardly labeled Use the Legacy New Document Dialog options for reasons he explains.

At this point you’re less than halfway through White’s list, but this one-time task is both easy and well worth your effort. So take a few notes, sit down at the computer, and make some or all of the changes White recommends for accelerating Photoshop and improving the results you achieve.

On a similar note, don’t miss the tutorial we featured earlier from another post-processing expert who demonstrates how to take advantage of a game-changing Lightroom technique that most experienced users can’t live without.