Five Techniques to Add Drama to Your Photos Using Lightroom

Post-processing is your chance to really add your personal signature to a photo, and one of the most common styles photographers like to embrace is adding drama to their images. This excellent video tutorial will show you five ways to add more drama to your photos using Lightroom.

Coming to you from Saurav Sinha, this great video discusses five ways to add more drama to your shots using Lightroom. My favorite way to do this is with a simple vignette added using the radial filter. I use the filter with a large feathering to smooth the transition and reduce exposure of the surrounding areas by a small amount, normally about a third of a stop. It's a subtle difference, but it goes a long way to drawing the viewer's eye where I want it to go.

When it comes to editing, it is always a good idea to step away for a minute or two when you are done with an edit and come back to the final image with a fresh set of eyes. This can go a long way to ensuring that you do not overdo an edit and end up with an unrealistic or garish result. Check out the video above for Sinha's full rundown. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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3 Comments

The first "technique" is use the dehaze slider. Really? I decided to push through and see what the second "technique" was...use the clarity slider. I half expected the third "technique" to be keep your eyes open when editing your photos, also, a bonus technique, breathing...its great.

Yeah, I am not sure about those tips. I kinda expected light painting or color grading tips. But I kinda gave up after seeing the tip of, use dehaze and clarity.

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