Shutterbug readers are always enthusiastic about Julieanne Kost’s post-processing tutorials because of her vast knowledge of all things Adobe and her uncommon knack for simplifying seemingly complicated concepts and tasks. In the next four minutes she demonstrates a foolproof method for enhancing images with Lightroom’s Presence Sliders.

Today’s episode introduces a streamlined technique for harnessing the power of Lightroom’s Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze tools without any complications. As Kost says, “all three of these sliders add contrast to an image, but they do it in very different ways.” So the trick is understanding when and how to use the right tool for the job.

Kost’s demonstration photo of a polar bear looking toward the camera is nicely composed but looks a bit flat, and she begins the rehabilitation process by zooming in and giving the Texture slider a try. This tool looks for edges, and when it finds them it will either increase or decrease Contrast of these edge depending upon the direction you move the slider. In either case, the image will still retain small details.

When taking this approach, the effect is achieved along a very small radius of pixels. Kost illustrates this important fact by looking at Lightroom’s Histogram as she moves the Texture slider back and forth to boost or reduce the effect.

The Clarity slider also looks for edges in an image and will increase or decrease Contrast in the edge, but when it applies the effect it does so to a broader range of pixels than you just saw with the Texture Slider. Because the Clarity effect is spread out over a wider area it creates a softer transition. Another thing to keep in mind when this employing tool is that “it affects the midtones of an image more so than the highlight and shadow areas.”

Another point of differentiation is that Clarity also affects Luminance and Saturation much more than the Texture slider. Now when you look at her Histogram it’s clear that the adjustments are far more pronounced. This is why you want to use this particular slider with caution and avoid taking things too far.

Kost explains that Lightroom’s Dehaze technology is based upon a physical model of how light is transmitted, and “it tries to estimate light that is lost due to absorption and scattering through the atmosphere.” So moving the slider to the left will decrease the amount of Dehaze—making the image appear as though it has more atmospheric perspective.

Thus, colors will be less saturated and detail rendition will take a step back. Moving this slider to the right does the opposite as though you’re cutting through the haze. Once again, Lightroom’s versatile Histogram provides the proof of the pudding. So here’s the takeaway: all three sliders have their place and it’s simply a matter of knowing which to use when.

Kost’s instructional YouTube channel is a great source of information for Lightroom and Photoshop users, so be sure to take a look and elevate your editing skills.

We also suggest watching the tutorial we posted earlier from another post-processing expert who demonstrates how to rid photographs of “impossible-to-remove” objects when Generative Fill just makes matters worse.

So you finally tried shooting in Manual mode after listening to all the noise from so-called “purists” and surprise; the images you captured were far from impressive. What’s up with that?

According to one of favorite instructors, “It’s just not true that you have to use Manual mode and in today’s video I’m going to explain a couple ways you can use other modes on your camera to get better results.” Jalen Oban is a landscape pro whose tutorials include gear tips, shooting techniques, and controversial advice that dispels popular myths like he does in the episode below.

Oban says that “understanding the different shooting modes  on your camera can be a gamechanger for your photography.” In barely seven minutes he breaks down the difference between Manual mode, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority, explores how each option works, and how to choose an appropriate mode for the specific situation at hand.

As you’ll see, Oban insists that Semi-Automatic modes are far easier to use. He also explains why Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority can provide more creative flexibility in various situations. His suggestion is simple: “learn these before experimenting with Manual mode” and forget about all the naysayers.

Oban dismisses the fully Automatic mode for a variety of reason that boil down to this: You’re giving up too much control—especially because a camera never knows exactly what you’re trying to achieve. Then there’s Manual mode at the opposite end of the spectrum where you have total control of all three key exposure settings—Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO.

According to Oban the Semi-Automatic modes enable you to easily express your creative vision depending upon the f/stop or shutter speed you select. So why is Manual mode  considered the “Holy Grail”” Oban says, “Manual mode works great when lighting conditions remain the same, or you have ample time to mess around with settings without missing a fleeting shot.

Oban provides a few practical examples like astrophotography when Manual Mode is the way to go, but his overriding point is this: “There are many situations under which Manual mode can actually hurt you despite what the pros say,” and he walks you through what they are.

By now you probably get it that Oban is a big fan of shooting in Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority depending upon the task at hand. But there’s a very important qualification; namely, it’s essential to do so in the proper way. In the second half of this lesson Oban demonstrates exactly how to get the job done effectively and with confidence.

There’s much more for outdoor photographers to learn by visiting Oban’s instructional YouTube channel, so be sure to do that when you have time to explore,

And speaking of ineffective images, don’t miss the tutorial we featured earlier with another accomplished pro who demonstrates seven beginner post-processing mistakes that may be spoiling your photographs.

When I get the chance, I like to have fun looking for biological nonsense in movies. Like when a Harris’s Hawk sits on the shoulder of a falconer in King Arthur’s retinue, or when an American Turkey Vulture circles in the first seconds of The Bridge on the River Kwai. I was similarly amused by the voices of South American antbirds singing in the Laotian jungle in Herzog’s Rescue Dawn. So I won’t pull your leg and confess that I took the following photo of Chamois not in their original habitat, the Alps, but on Studenec Hill in northern Bohemia. They were introduced there over a hundred years ago, and as you can see, they are reproducing successfully. What about the photography world? It seems that this week, tripods are reproducing successfully as well. Let’s take a look at them and some other photography news.

Often in photography, there is what I’d call the “obvious shot.” The obvious shot can sometimes be a cliché image that tons of people have photographed before, but it doesn’t have to be. Instead, it’s really just the most straightforward view of a particular scene.