When editing landscape photos, your handling of colors and tones can define whether an image truly comes alive or falls flat. Knowing how to enhance details without overdoing it is crucial to producing compelling images.
Coming to you from William Patino, this practical video offers clear guidance on editing landscape photos by walking through adjustments on a specific image captured during a memorable sunrise with a rainbow framing a lone tree. Patino discusses common mistakes made when editing skies and explains why the automated masking tools in Lightroom and Camera Raw often aren't sufficient for capturing depth realistically. Instead of relying on broad selections that affect large areas of the image at once, he emphasizes the value of working carefully with a soft brush tool to selectively enhance or tone down specific areas of the photo. This approach maintains the natural interplay of tones and colors, preserving the viewer’s perception of depth.
One of the key tips Patino gives is handling the unique color contrasts found during golden hour, when warm highlights naturally contrast against cooler shadows and midtones. He shows you how to subtly apply color grading to emphasize this natural contrast, resulting in a more balanced, appealing image without heavy-handed adjustments. By demonstrating how to separately control hues in highlights and shadows, he gives practical advice on achieving a natural, authentic look. Another important idea Patino stresses is the benefit of taking breaks during the editing process—coming back to your edits later with fresh eyes helps identify subtleties you might miss initially.
Patino’s editing strategy revolves around enhancing depth through targeted adjustments. Rather than applying uniform contrast adjustments across the entire image, he advises adding contrast specifically to the foreground, while using lighter adjustments for midground areas. He points out that over-applying global contrast can flatten your image, losing the very depth you're aiming to enhance. His method shows how carefully controlled, selective adjustments maintain realism and depth in your final photo. Patino further illustrates this concept by adjusting brightness selectively to reinforce the visual separation between foreground and distant elements. He encourages a gradual approach, tweaking individual sections rather than large segments all at once, ensuring each element of the scene receives precise and purposeful attention. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Patino.
And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out our latest tutorial, "Photographing the World: Japan II - Discovering Hidden Gems with Elia Locardi!”
