Here's a simple way to improve your landscape photos using Lightroom.
Coming to you from Christian Möhrle - The Phlog Photography, this practical video guides you through the process of making a mountain scene look more dramatic and vibrant. First, adjust for distortion caused by wide angle lenses. This distortion makes objects near the edges appear larger and those in the center appear smaller. By using the vertical and horizontal sliders in the transform panel, you can correct this and make your mountains look more impressive. However, you might notice gaps at the bottom of your image after this adjustment. Instead of cropping, fill these gaps later in Photoshop.
Another key tip is working on the basic adjustments and masking. Begin by changing the profile to Adobe Landscape to enhance contrast and color. Then, adjust the white balance to introduce a warm, golden hour feel to your scene. Increasing the temperature and tweaking the exposure settings can bring out more detail in the sky and landscape. Using the texture, clarity, and dehaze sliders will sharpen your image and reduce any haze, making your photo clearer and more defined.
To further enhance your image, use masking techniques to adjust specific areas. For example, a color range mask can help you darken the bright blue parts of the sky, adding contrast between the bright clouds and the dark sky. A radial gradient can introduce a light source effect, making the light appear as if it's coming from one side of the image. This not only adds realism but also depth and interest to your photo.
The importance of enhancing specific colors cannot be overstated. In the color mixer, adjust the hues, saturation, and luminance to make the greens, yellows, and oranges in your image more vibrant. Split toning can further enhance this effect, adding warm tones to the highlights and midtones, thereby reinforcing the golden hour feel.
That's just the beginning, so check out the video above for the full rundown from Möhrle.
