Why You Should Stop Using Sliders for Editing Landscape Photos

The majority of us start editing our photos by working with the sliders in Lightroom or our editing program of choice; after all, they are right there when you begin to edit. However, that might not always be the best way to work. This fantastic video discusses why you should perhaps forgo the sliders more often and embrace a different approach to editing your photos instead. 

Coming to you from Mark Denney, this insightful video discusses why sliders may not be the best way to approach editing your photos. Essentially, the idea boils down to global versus local edits. The extreme dynamic range of many landscape photos means that different areas demand quite different editing approaches, and using the global approach of sliders can often lack the sort of precision you need. On the other hand, by using things like radial and graduated filters, you can create more targeted adjustments and better shape the light in the scene to draw attention to your subject and create balance. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Denney. 

And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out "Photographing The World 1: Landscape Photography and Post-Processing with Elia Locardi." 

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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13 Comments

Don't use sliders and then proceeds with sliders...

Maybe you should look further than the title. He talks about local adjustments vs global "sliders" adjustments. But hey, I found your "tutorials" much more "useful" (notice sarcasm, in case you tried read that solely by the title too).

I think you need to change the title. This isn't about sliders. It's about masks, or filters as they're confusingly called here. Filters are presets - which he's not discussing.

Don't do this and don't do that... And then he's fiddeling 100% with sliders.

"The majority of us start editing our photos by working with the sliders" really means, "I (the author) did this." Not everyone did things the way you and your buddies did.

I found this very helpful. Didn’t know you could brush in the radial filter and didn’t know that vignette technique either. Also I forgot how to do the range thingy in the graduated filter as I don’t use it very often. Thanks very much.

I don’t know why so many rude comments. As a beginner I found this really interesting and beneficial if for nothing is, for opening my eyes to all possibilities.

The comments aren't so much rude, but from genuinely puzzled people.

It's great that, as a beginner, you've had your eyes opened. But for those who commented, we did so because we were expecting an informative article about how to avoid using sliders. What we got instead was an article on how to use masks for local adjustments. That's a completely different kettle of fish from the one the title tantalizingly dangled before us.

People cannot read past the title. This guy has put so much effort in explaining beginners, by using simple wording and methods.

But those that think about themselves as being "advanced" users cannot accept anybody to learn.

Notice that the tutorial posts from those people are either non existing or unimpressive, so they may need to insult others to feel better?

What?

Hm, why do not use them together? LR provides different tools and their usage depends on subject and author's POV.

I'm an advanced user and I learned something. Thanks for the video. And for those that can only focus on the title of the video, maybe you need to go into something else. Sad to think that some of the new generation of photographers are such picky little twits.

I'm a picky, pedantic little twit of an old generation photographer, Accurate titling is important. In this article, the title bears no reflection of the content.

When I pick up a book entitled '1001 sexy things to do with latex', I want to see the 1001 sexy things I can do with latex. I don't wish to learn about the 19th century growth of rubber plantation industry in Malaya.