Converging verticals, skewed horizontal lines, distorted buildings, tilted horizons, and other such “wonky angles” will quickly spoil an otherwise nice shot. This basic Lightroom tutorial explains why these distractions occur and demonstrates a simple Lightroom technique for straightening everything out.

Instructor Scott Davenport is a very skilled outdoor photographer whose portfolio is full of inspiring landscape and seascape images. He also a post-processing expert who posts weekly tutorials that enable novices to improve their skills, like this Lightroom episode dedicated to correcting photos with unnatural angles and lines.

The solution to these common problems is a basic understanding of when and how to employ Lightroom’s Transform tools to get the job done. This task is easy to accomplish and takes less than five minutes to explain.

Weird perspectives often occur when you’re forced to shoot from an odd angle, or when it’s necessary to tilt the camera up or down (or side to side) to fit everything within the frame. You’ll see why Lightroom’s automatic Upright tool works, when it’s effective, and why is sometimes falls short.

Then Davenport demonstrates how to employ the Guided mode of Lightroom’s powerful Transform tool that give you all the necessary control for rehabilitating any photo and quickly achieving professional looking results.

Davenport’s sample image of California’s Carmel Mission illustrates what happened when he didn’t make the shot with his camera flat to the horizon—instead tilting it upward when photographing the iconic building. As a result, there are unwanted converging verticals in the shape of the prominent window and the security bars bolted to the wall.

You’ll see what happens when Davenport uses the two aforementioned tools to make the fix, and which technique is most effective for addressing this particular challenge. As you’ll see, the Auto mode works surprisingly well, but the perspective is still a bit off.

Lightroom’s Guided mode, on the other hand, clearly delivers a superior image. So pay close attention as Davenport demonstrates the straightforward steps. Then head over to his instructional YouTube channel for more shooting and post-processing techniques.

And don’t miss the tutorial we featured recently with another accomplished outdoor photographer who reveals five pro tips for capturing breathtaking sunset and sunrise photographs that jump off the screen.

Let’s face it: Some scenes are far more compelling when captured in b&w, or when you convert a color image to monochrome during post processing. Today we’re going to welcome beginners to the elegant world of b&w photography with some great advice from instructor Mike Rogala.

Rogala is a long-time pro who got his start back in the heyday of 35mm cameras, and he insists that “digital imaging is far less stressful than film photography,” and the tips he provides in this tutorial are a prime example of how today’s modern cameras and image-editing software simplify the task of creating eye-popping photos.

The b&w techniques he demonstrates in this seven-minute episode are extremely valuable whether you’re an experienced photographer or just learning the ropes. The video begins with a promise: “These tips will help you capture stunning monochrome images,” and Rogala takes a two-pronged approach, by first explaining how to get the job done in the camera. He then demonstrates a simple editing process for converting color photos to b&w.

While the conversion process is straightforward and enables you to make impressive monochrome versions of color photos you shot in the past, Rogala’s first recommendation is to decide if you’re after b&w or in color imagery BEFORE you begin shooting. His reasoning is simple: “This choice shapes how you see and frame a subject, allowing you to focus on elements like contrast and texture in b&w, or vibrant hues in color.”  

He then explains how to use the basic concepts of color theory when making this all-important decision. That’s because some scenes have strong color elements that tell a story or evoke emotion. With b&w imagery, on the other hand, the story is told through interesting shapes in a scene, often defined by highlights and shadows.

Rogala explains how prevailing light influences specific camera settings, composition, and shooting techniques for capturing the best possible b&w photos. The ideal situation for attention-grabbing monochrome imagery is contrasty lighting that imbues a scene with pronounced highlights and shadows—factors that often don’t translate well when shooing in color.

You’ll also learn a few tricks for adding depth and drama to every b&w photo you shoot. This powerful lesson concludes with a simple step-by-step process for converting color photographs to monochrome with just about any full-featured software you use.

Be forewarned that b&w photography can be very addicting, and once you get started you may be far less inclined to shoot color images like you’ve done in the past. A visit to Rogala’s instructional YouTube channel is well worth your time.

And speaking of doing things differently, don’t miss another tutorial we featured recently, explaining how to capture amazing photographs when shooting Jpegs, and when you’ll want to use the Raw format (or both).

All Photoshop users want to edit their images for the best results possible, and most of us have a secondary goal; namely, getting the job done as quickly as possible so we can get back out in the field with a camera doing what we love most.

This tutorial from instructor Brendan Williams explains how to accelerate the process by employing three simple settings that speed up Photoshop imports. Williams is a professional shooter and photo retoucher whose tutorials are designed to “level up your editing in Lightroom and Photoshop.”

Today’s episode reveals three key Preference settings that will greatly improve your workflow, and they take barely two minutes to explain. The idea is to make a trio of changes that accelerate and improve the task of dragging and dropping images into Photoshop.

According to Williams, “these settings let you skip the transforming, resizing, and confirmation steps that are typically needed when you drag and drop. By using these methods you can drastically save time with every Photoshop project to come.”

Williams begins by importing four images into a project using the conventional drag-and-drop approach. The problem is this: “If I have a canvas that’s smaller than the image dimensions the photos are so more larger.” This means that for each of the files it’s necessary to zoom out, grab the Move tool, and manually rescale the photos.

Then it’s necessary to zoom back in on a photo, confirm the previous changes, and repeat this process for each of the other images. Williams’ point is that the foregoing steps are an unnecessary waste of time because there’s a much better way to get the job done

Williams starts over by enabling the recommended settings that will “allow you to skip the transform so that all of your images will fit on your canvas and allow you to scale the images without losing quality.” Another benefit of this approach is that you won’t have to confirm the placement of every single shot.

You’ll see where to find these key Photoshop settings and how to make the necessary changes whether you use a Mac or PC. There’s no need for us to summarize how all this works, because Williams quickly demonstrates the tricks.

Once you’re done watching, head over to Williams’ instructional YouTube channel where there are many more Photoshop and Lightroom techniques to be discovered.

On a related note, don’t miss an earlier tutorial we featured with another post-processing expert who demonstrates how to unlock the power of Lightroom Profiles for faster and more compelling edits.

We can’t always pick the time of day when we’re shooting in the field, and that sometimes means making the most of harsh midday light. This can be a serious problem for all sorts of photography, and it’s particularly challenging when making environmental portraits. Distracting shadows, squinting models, and abundant contrast all contribute to this challenging task.

Instructor Nathan Elson is a highly acclaimed portrait specialist who typically works in the studio where he takes advantage of sophisticated (and expensive) professional lighting gear, so today’s episode is somewhat of a departure. He heads out in the field armed with nothing more than his camera and lens, and a compact scrim that emits a pleasant diffuse lighting effect similar to that of a cumbersome softbox.

Just wait until you see the stunning images he captures under “terrible” light. Elson arrived on location to confront sweltering temperatures, and to make matters worse he took a tumble, destroyed the ND filter on his lens, and “jacked up” his arm. Nonetheless, he continued with the session and created this very helpful tutorial to demonstrate how to capture excellent portraits when the light isn’t right.

Along the way you’ll pick up valuable advice on camera settings, composition, and the best ways to pose a subject in complicated light. He first captures beautiful images without the one accessory he brought along, and then employs the simple scrim to make them even more compelling.

Elson experiments with a few different locations within North Dakota’s Badlands. His first spot combined the desert feel of the Badlands juxtaposed against a bit of lush greenery. Shooting with nothing but natural light he demonstrates how to position a subject relative to the sun and achieve attractive hair light on the model.

Then he employs the scrim to “bring out more dynamic range, detail and, and a polished look to the shot,” while still preserving a realistic appearance. For this technique you’ll need to bring along a friend to hold the scrim in the position Elson suggests. He also describes how he employs the popular Reblum software to “create super, natural looking retouches in seconds.”

Elson then move on to other nearby locations that present different challenges, and he walks you through a step-by-step procedure for solving each of the problems to capture flattering portraits during midday. You’ll be able to do the same by following his straightforward advice.

If you’re interested in learning more about portraiture, indoors or out, do yourself a favor and check out Elson’s instructional YouTube channel.

And don’t miss a tutorial we featured recently with another accomplished pro who demonstrates a simple post-processing technique for creating all sorts of outdoor photographs with perfect color.