Editing a flat landscape photo to look engaging often feels tricky, especially when the lighting isn't ideal. Lightroom offers powerful tools to address this challenge, making dull scenes vibrant and engaging with careful masking techniques.
Coming to you from Gareth Evans with Park Cameras, this practical video walks through improving a photo primarily using Lightroom's masking tools. Evans begins by applying subtle global edits—bringing down highlights, adding slight contrast, clarity, and a touch of warmth. Then, the real work begins with multiple targeted masks. By starting with linear gradients, Evans carefully darkens overly bright foreground elements, subtly directing the eye upward towards the farmhouse, the intended focal point. The video highlights how layering gradients can create visual depth, emphasizing certain elements while gently minimizing distractions. These initial steps alone significantly enhance the sense of depth and focus in the image.
Continuing, Evans strategically uses color range masks to refine specific tones in the sky, selecting blues to enhance drama and clouds to boost contrast. Another comprehensive sky mask amplifies clarity and dehaze, lifting overall atmospheric impact. A particularly insightful step involves isolating the lower sky using combined subtraction masks—carefully darkening just the right areas to heighten drama. Evans clearly demonstrates the importance of thoughtful masking, showing how targeted adjustments influence viewer perception without overpowering the natural feel of the scene. The result is a much richer, more visually captivating photograph.
Beyond these mask adjustments, Evans adds a radial gradient over the farmhouse, gently brightening the main subject to subtly draw attention. Another radial gradient inversely darkens the surrounding image edges, forming a soft, natural vignette effect. These adjustments collectively emphasize how critical precise masking is in transforming a photo from mundane to compelling. It's less about heavy-handed edits and more about carefully guiding the viewer's eye where you want it to go.
Evans then revisits the overall photo, fine-tuning tone curves to add controlled contrast and exploring selective color adjustments. He demonstrates how small shifts in hue, saturation, and luminance can meaningfully affect visual balance. He briefly touches on potential further adjustments, suggesting brushing in darker areas to enhance depth. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Evans.
