Cinema has perhaps the most thoughtful post-processing workflow of any visual medium, and so there is a lot that can be learned from it. In this video, learn how to make your photographs look more cinematic using just Adobe Lightroom.
I didn't ever imagine that a cinematic look to photographs would be polarizing, but it often appears to be in our comment section. Many don't understand the allure — which is difficult to argue with — and some point out that saying "cinematic" could mean anything. Although I appreciate the second criticism, I'm not sure I agree. When we say an image looks cinematic, it might not be specific on paper, but we all know what that means, don't we?
In truth, a cinematic image will require more than just a certain type of post-processing. The image must have some mystery to it, tell a story, or have a familiar composition. Once it has any of these elements, a cinematic feel can be brought out by mimicking the visuals we see in cinema. This is primarily achieved with color which is unsurprising given that color grading in film productions is an entire career in itself. Then, there is the replicating of other characteristics such as contrast, vignetting, and techniques like crushing the blacks.
In this video, Eren Sarigul walks you through his process of editing images to look cinematic, working on some fantastic photographs and creating some even better results.
