There are numerous ways to edit b&w images depending upon the look you’re trying to create. Sometimes the goal is a soft, moody effect, while other times you want a photo to jump off the page. The tutorial below is geared toward the latter, explaining how to use two “hidden” Photoshop filters for achieving eye-popping results.

Instructor Unmesh Dinda is an internationally acclaimed image-editing expert with 4.5 million subscribers to his instructional YouTube channel. The episode below demonstrates a quick technique for creating dramatic b&w imagery using two unfamiliar Photoshop filters.

Dinda says, “These methods provide ultimate control over light and contrast, and we’ll learn how to customize them.” He takes a deep dive into how the techniques work, and he discusses timesaving Photoshop Actions for one-click results.

By the time you’re done watching this 18-minute lesson you’ll understand how to add natural grain, recover lost shadow detail, and make eyes sparkle in portrait photos. Dinda notes that these techniques are particularly intriguing “because they take all the confusion away and give you very dramatic results.”

When Dinda says this method is super simple he means it. To get started all you have to do is create a gradient map from black to white, and BOOM—instant drama. If the result is too contrasty for your liking, simply change the method from Perceptual to Classic.

Dinda also demonstrates how easy it is to turn this one-step edit into a one-click Photoshop Action, and he has a few other tips for refining the image even further if need be. He also describes a simple “calculation method” and explains how it works.

You’ll also learn a quick step-by-step method for adding a bit of grain to make your image appear as though it was shot on film. Dinda also wants to open up the shadows in this particular portrait of a male model, and he demonstrates a straightforward way to do that.

The final step in this impressive transformation is making the subject’s eyes come to life. After taking a look at Dinda’s before/after images you’ll want to add this technique to your Photoshop bag of tricks. 

Dinda’s immensely popular YouTube channel includes lessons on just about any image-editing task you can imagine, so pay a visit now and frequently in the future. We also suggest you check out another tutorial we posted recently, explaining the important concept of Color Temperature and how it affects your photos.

Lightroom masks are very effective for quickly fixing photos that are improperly exposed, like when some areas in the scene are too dark or too bright, or perhaps even both when shooting in mixed light.

Unfortunately, this technique is often overlooked because of the misconception that it’s overly complicated and difficult to employ. As you’ll see in the quick video below, nothing could be further from the truth.

While the tutorial deals with a portrait image shot outdoors, this powerful technique works wonders for all types of photos from nature and wildlife shots to landscapes captured under difficult lighting conditions.

Anita Sadowska is a pro based in Bali, Indonesia who specializes in fashion, boudoir, and other forms of portraiture. In barely five minutes you’ll watch her transform what looks like a throwaway shot into an impressively balanced image.

Sadowska captured the late-day photo using a bit of fill flash on her model. Her setting was a bit too strong, resulting in an overly dark background devoid of detail, and an overexposed model.

The first step is opening the Masking panel and choosing Select Subject from among the options (for other photos you can select the sky or the background). Once the model is selected you can refine the subject mask by selecting the entire person, face skin, body skin, eyes, eyebrows and even the teeth.

For this particular image Sadowska selects the entire model and gets to work. She then lowers exposure “quite drastically” to almost match it to the dark background. Sounds crazy? As Sadowska says, keep watch and “trust the process.”

Now at least the image looks fairly balanced, and, as you’ll see, the remaining adjustments are just as straightforward and easy to accomplish. All you need to do to be convinced after Sadowska completes the edit, is compare her before/after images and view the dramatic transformation.

Sadowska’s popular YouTube channel is full of great advice on all forms of portraiture, so be sure to take a look.

And for another simple Lightroom explainer. check out our earlier tutorial discussing the basics of color grading.

Color temperature is a very important photographic concept that can be difficult to understand—depending upon who is doing the explaining. Booray Perry is an instructor who specializes in quick tutorials that simplify so-called “complicated” considerations, and that’s exactly what he does in the quick video below.

In simple terms, color temperature involves a numerical way to describe the warmth or coolness of light that affects all colors in the spectrum. It can make a significant difference in the look of all types of photos and can be adjusted in the camera or during the editing process.

In this six-minute episode Perry demystifies the process so you can give photos a variety of different the moods, simply by adjusting color temperature to suite the task. This is the first of a two-part series—with the next installment explaining White Balance settings and how they interact with today’s topic.

The notion of color temperature was broached many years ago by William Thomson, who Perry humorously refers to as “Lord Kelvin” or “K-Diddy.” Thomson wasn’t specifically concerned with photography when he came up with the idea of defining the color of light by burning carbon—observing how carbon turned from red to white hot, and then to blue as the heating process progressed.

Thomsen then quantified the varying colors of burning carbon in terms of degrees Kelvin, a measurement that’s still used today. So candlelight has a value of 2000 Kelvin, while according to this measurement scheme daylight is described as 5,500 Kelvin.

In terms of what you see through the viewfinder and how color temperature affects your photos, Perry says it’s important to understand that “the human mind tends to make most forms of light appear white to us.” And that has serious ramifications for the White Balance settings you choose if you want to capture images that accurately capture a scene (or change the look to make it appear warmer or cooler).

One example would be if you photograph a landscape under cool tones of dawn, but want it to look like a Golden Hour shot (or vice versa). After watching the video you’ll understand how color temperature works, and be well prepared for the next episode that adds White Balance settings into the mix so you’ll know exactly what to do.

The next time you’re flummoxed by an important photographic term, pay a visit to Perry’s YouTube channel where you’re likely to find a simple explanation.

And be sure to check out another of his tutorial we posted in the past, explaining how to use EV-Compensation for nailing exposure in the camera.