If you want your photos to have that painterly, moody feel, editing is key. It’s possible to achieve stunning results with just a few thoughtful adjustments, even when nature doesn’t provide ideal conditions.
Coming to you from Nigel Danson, this helpful video covers simple yet impactful editing techniques in Lightroom that you can use to enhance your landscape photography. Danson begins by discussing how to choose the right profile for your images. His default is the camera standard profile, but you can experiment with different ones like Landscape or Neutral to see how they affect color tones. From there, he walks through adjustments to white balance, tone, and exposure to achieve a painterly look. For instance, by manipulating the blacks, he creates a softer image without true blacks, a key element in painterly photography.
Danson also shows how tweaking colors is essential in achieving the right mood for woodland scenes. He emphasizes that while fog often enhances the painterly effect, it’s possible to get a similar look by adjusting colors and tones. For example, he manipulates the greens and yellows in the image to create a more natural and less lab-produced look. He explains how to adjust the hue and luminance of specific colors to create more separation, especially in autumn photos, where reds and yellows need to be distinct. These changes are subtle but powerful in giving your photos depth and character.
The use of masks is another critical aspect Danson covers in this video. He demonstrates the power of using radial filters and luminance masks to brighten specific parts of the image while keeping others soft and diffused. This is a useful technique for creating the kind of glow that often characterizes painterly woodland photos. Danson also explains how intersecting masks can help you fine-tune adjustments to specific areas, allowing for even greater control over the final look.
For those looking to take their images further, Danson briefly mentions an alternative technique similar to the Orton Effect, which softens the image and adds a dreamy quality. This approach, while not as effective as the Photoshop version, can still be achieved in Lightroom with some creative adjustments. It’s another layer of customization that helps make your photos stand out. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Danson.
