Post-Production

Big updates of iOS always bring the promise of new and exciting features, there are few updates photographers have been clamoring for more than the ability to directly import photos into apps, and it looks like the wait is over. Lightroom on the iPad Pro is pretty impressive.

Since starting my career as a photographer, one of the more challenging things I found was producing relatively accurate and pleasing looking colors. For a long time, I've been using the ColorChecker Passport from X-Rite because it consistently helped me to produce better-looking colors.  

Browsing a dusty used book store on the north side of Chicago in 2008, a familiar name caught my eye: Aldous Huxley. The Huxley book I saw there, published in 1942, had an intriguing title: The Art of Seeing. 

I know this article is sponsored, and some of you may pull back a little because of that. I don't blame you; I mean, I'd personally have reservations too, but I genuinely mean every bit of praise I give to Luminar 3. This software is seriously awesome, and in this article, I'm going to explain why.  

Do you want some new or different ideas on how to use your lighting when shooting a scene, a portrait, or both? Do you have multiple strobes or lighting but haven’t really put them to the test outside with a client? This set of lighting tips from B&H Photo Video and JB Sallee may be right up your alley. 

Over the past few days, you may have noticed an influx of 3D photos in your Facebook feed. That's because this feature was previously limited to dual-camera iPhone devices, but on April 16, Oculus introduced new features allow users to create 3D photos and upload them into their feed from a computer. Here's how you can create your own. 

How do you spot a good retoucher from a novice? It's in the skin. Sure, that’s an oversimplification, but one thing that separates the best from the lesser is how they treat skin. 

Carrie Beene has long been one of the top retouchers known for her amazing work on ads for cosmetics and hair product companies. We recently sat down with Carrie to learn more about how she started and what advice she has for aspiring retouchers. 

Changing the overall color tones in your image can be very powerful. You can drastically change the emotions or the vision of the shot by simply color grading the image. If you are not exactly sure on how to create your own gradient maps, this might be the perfect tool for you.  

Macro photography can be useful to many disciplines, but mastering the craft can require some heavy duty gear, and some in-depth knowledge. However, one mistake I see a lot of macro photographers make is also the easiest to fix. 

With today's modern sensors and powerful editing software, it's easier than ever to push files to extremes. But of course, just because you can push a file that far, it doesn't mean that you should. This thoughtful video talks about a better, subtler way to edit files.  

Capture One is multi-faceted image processing and asset management software. As a raw processor, it is considered the gold standard, supporting over 500+ cameras, and with it comes a uniquely powerful toolset for developing, color grading, and tethering. But that is just the tip of the technological iceberg that is Capture One.

Mastin Labs released their popular Kodak Everyday Pack for Capture One 11 and later on Windows and macOS. Check out the latest emulsion emulation after the jump.

Have you ever thought what post-processing is involved behind the car images you see in the ads? An interview with founder and CEO of "Curve Digital" Nick Limb lifts up the curtain behind their workflow.

A few weeks ago, I beat Lee Morris in our Puerto Rico Landscape Challenge. With that victory, many of our readers said my edit in Photoshop was simply too over the top. Today, I try to re-edit my photo to see if I can create something a bit more realistic. 

The team behind Pixelmator Pro have just announced the launch of their software on the App Store having made the software available for iPad. It promises non-destructive adjustments, AI-powered enhancements, a number of presets, and full raw support. 

We've all heard of saving less than perfect images by turning them black and white, but when should you really do it? Here's how I decide. 

Creating a tight, accurate selection is the most challenging part of changing the color of an object in an image in Photoshop. You don't want to leave any pixels bleeding outside the edge of your selection making it obvious that a color was changed. So why bother making a selection at all when you can use this handy trick from Colin Smith at PhotoshopCAFE? 

We create tons of free content on a weekly basis for our YouTube channel, but until now, we have exclusively sold our "professional" photography tutorials on the Fstoppers store. But today, thanks to a few sponsors, we've created a free 45-minute tutorial on product photography.  

It didn't seem like very long ago that I reviewed Luminar 3, and while I liked the editing features, I dislikes the fact that if you weren't using Luminar's "Lightroom lite" catalog feature you were stuck with it and couldn't turn it off. 

Are you looking for an AI-powered editing tool that seamlessly integrates in your current workflow? Check out the latest Skylum Software product Luminar Flex, a plugin that integrates with major third-party editing tools. 

Here in the northern hemisphere, night photographers are starting to come out of their winter slumber and getting ready for the summer night photography season. If you’re looking for some quick tips on shooting star trails on your next over night photography excursion, today is your lucky day. 

When using LUTs, one of the biggest problems is that many apps won't let you preview what they do before applying it. This makes the LUT choice and application slow and very unpractical. That was until Lutify came out with a solution! 

Have you ever wanted to make a documentary film, but didn't know where to start? In this video, find out four simples ways you can improve your documentary films and take your work to the next level.  

Using dodge and burn to retouch skin is one of the best ways to achieve more realistic looking results. However, like any tool, its purpose can be misunderstood or it can be misused with negative consequences. Here are five mistakes to avoid. 

Learn how to use Photoshop to create a shallow depth of field or alter the existing depth of field in just about any image. 

Skin retouching is an art form in itself, and there are thousands of different ways to retouch skin in Photoshop. Skin retouching is such an essential part of creating the final image in the beauty and fashion industry that there is a whole industry of artists who only specialize in skin retouching.

Thomas Heaton is a travel and landscape photographer based in Northeast England. The photographer took to his YouTube channel with an audience of over 300,000 subscribers to share a tutorial on how to improve your landscape photography using Lightroom.  

If you've often been shooting in what seems like dramatic light only to get back to your computer and realize that the images are kind of so so, then you're not alone. However, in certain situations, what seems like a dull and unimpressive image might just need a little tweaking to take it to another level.

"I'm a natural light photographer. I don't shoot with artificial lights. I don't like the look of strobe-lit portraits." That's fine, but why are your post-processed images look so unnatural?

Learn how one photographer edits his wildlife photographs in Lightroom. 

You’ve probably seen footage that creates an impossible blend of fast-flowing traffic or streaming clouds combined with someone walking slow motion and there’s some funky editing that goes into making it happen. Time-lapse photographer and filmmaker Matthew Vandeputte has put together a short tutorial on how you can create the same effect. 

Capture One Pro 12 was released at the end of 2018, and since then, it has made my workflow drastically more efficient. Let me share some of my tips to help you supercharge your workflow with this latest version. 

You can get cool results when photographing water or cloudy skies with long exposures. For that you often need a filter that reduces the amount of light that enters the lens: a neutral density filter. But what if you don’t have such a filter? In that case there is another way to retrieve almost the same results.

When shooting raw photos, many of us have come to expect we can ignore a few settings on our cameras because some of them only apply to recorded JPEGs. As it turns out, however, raw shooters do need to beware of Sony's Picture Profile settings. 

If you've read my past articles on Fstoppers, you know that I love editing shortcuts. These quick tricks save you time and frustration, making your business more productive and profitable.

A few days ago, camera industry guru Tony Northrup published a video arguing that in the age of digital photography, ISO is effectively meaningless and that it’s no different from dragging the exposure slider in Lightroom. Photographer Dave McKeegan has offered a response and argues that Northrup’s logic is completely wrong. 

When processing your precious photos in Lightroom, Photoshop, or any other photo processing software, you make sure the exposure is spot on, the colors are perfect, and the contrast is pleasing. For that reason you may have a calibrated monitor, and the optimum light situation in your room. But did you think about the background shade of your photo processing software?

Golden hour or overcast skies usually offer the best conditions for capturing models while avoiding harsh shadows, but sometimes time and weather are against us and that’s when Lightroom can come to our rescue. Photographer Julia Trotti gives a quick lesson on how to balance your highlights and shadows. 

Today, Luminar 3 has been updated to version 3.02, and the company, after glitches in version 3, is moving toward being a solid Adobe Lightroom competitor. 

As with any creative medium, there are blips of unfortunate comedy. Photography has had more than its fair share, and let's be honest, many of us have tried them. So what are the worst fads of all time? 

Your client’s terminally-ill grandfather is the only one not smiling in the shots of the entire family. Do you liquify his facial features to make it look like he might be smiling? Do you transform a flat gray sky in your latest landscape to a dramatic sunny one? Where do you draw the line? 

Photographers are constantly searching for ways to improve their imagery, and in this short video, landscape photographer James Popsys puts together five great tips (four plus a bonus tip) to help you think about your workflow and motivation, and how to avoid certain pitfalls. 

Datacolor is one of the obvious go-tos when it comes to monitor calibration. Today, the company released its latest calibration tool. While it's more accurate, the most exciting development with the SpyderX is how fast it is. 

If you’re a film aficionado, you’re probably used to trying to make the process of converting your negatives into print-ready digital files as painless as possible. One photographer has ditched his scanner in favor of an incredibly simple setup using his Fujifilm X-T3 and a rather unique Lightroom plugin. 

With more and more jobs at risk from the progression of automation and AI in society's workplaces, how does the photography industry fare? 

Anyone with long hair is generally seen around town with hair ties worn as a bracelet. I keep many in my studio even to hold back wardrobe pieces that are not form fitting. While the best option is always to remember to have your client remove them before you start shooting, there is always that small chance you forget and it isn't seen until a few frames into the session. 

Landscape photographers spend a lot of time outdoors at strange hours of the day to capture a few shots at sunrise and sunset. But have you considered exploring astrophotography to broaden your shoot options to include breathless starry nights? 

Images shot after sunset, using natural light, can be among the trickiest to post-process properly. This guide provides a walkthrough of my post-processing steps for a recent night shot, and introduces a number of techniques I find essential for optimal night photos.