How to Turn On a City’s Lights in Your Photos Using Lightroom

#educational #tips #tutorials #bluehour #cityscapes #editing #editingtechniques #landscapephotography #landscapes #lightroom #lightroomclassic #postproduction #sergeramelli #techniques

How to Turn On a City’s Lights in Your Photos Using Lightroom

#educational #tips #tutorials #bluehour #cityscapes #editing #editingtechniques #landscapephotography #landscapes #lightroom #lightroomclassic #postproduction #sergeramelli #techniques

How to Combine Photos with the Unreal Engine for Creative Composites

#educational #technology #3d #blender #composite #download #free #guide #howto #mac #pc #photography #sergeramelli #sergeramelliphotography #tutorial #unreal #unrealengine #youtube

Canon T2i Versus Fujifilm GFX 100s: Can You See the Difference?

Let’s compare a basic camera to one of the best cameras out there and more toward the pricey side, let’s be honest. I always heard the best camera is the one you have on you so let’s find out if that is true!

This is more of an artistic comparison than technical. I am not a number guy, I tried to get the best possible Raw file out of each camera by shooting at 100 ISO on a tripod with a two-second timer.

Below are the different shots I got that night where I tried to capture the best photo I could with the camera I was using. Let’s see if you can guess which is which:

Can you tell the difference? Well, the first three photos are taken on a Canon T2i and the last three on a Fujifilm GFX 100s. Let’s compare more closely the Canon versus the Fuji:

They were both taken with the same 2.5-second shutter, and you can tell that the Fuji has much more information due to the 102 million pixels, even more so when you zoom in at 100%:

The Fuji would be definitely better in terms of sharpness and definition for printing, but the Canon colors are really not bad and the result is pretty impressive. It still is a great quality photo, especially considering it was captured with a camera that is over a decade old. The main difference that I noticed in this example is that on the Canon the background was a little blurry, while the Fujifilm stays very sharp.

At the end of the day if you want to improve your photography skills I advise you to invest in your competence and knowledge first to learn how to get the best composition, learn when to catch the best light of day, and other techniques that lead to a great photo before you take hardware into consideration. Personally, I love the Fuji because I do big prints for galleries, but it is what you do with the camera that matters most.

I hope this gives you a new viewpoint on gear and that you will explore more creations with the camera you already have!

About the author: Serge Ramelli is a landscape and fine art photographer who has published numerous books on the subject. His fine art photography has been sold in one of the largest gallery networks in the world. Ramelli hosts a YouTube Channel where he teaches photography and editing techniques which you can subscribe to here.

#educational #equipment #apsc #canonrebel #canonrebelt2i #comparison #gfx100s #imagequality #mediumformat #sergeramelli

5 Ways to Use the Lightroom’s Brush Tool in 2021

Even though the Brush tool is not a new tool in Adobe Lightroom, you may be surprised by all the ways it can be used and all the advantages you can gain by using a brush. This is part of my daily workflow and I hope it will become part of yours!

To show you all the different ways I will be using this photo taken in Iceland.

Let’s do a basic retouch just to get a better idea of what we are working with. Adding some contrast, opening up the shadows, bringing down the highlights, and doing the white and black points.

#1. Dodge and Burn

If you click on the brush, you can double click on effect within this section and it will set all the settings of the brush to zero. You have to play around with the flow and density, they determine the energy put into your brush if that makes sense so make sure your brush is not too intense and noticeable. You can set it to a minimum of 70.

Also, the feather slider is key, because the more feather the more pleasing, gradual, and natural your brush will be, otherwise it gives a very defined brush and will look odd. Now with that brush you can paint over brighter areas or some parts of the photo you want to highlight to bring back light in your photo:

#2. Create Fog

This is a cool trick to add some fog to your sunrise shot or dramatic photos. To create the effect you need to lower clarity and dehaze as well as boost a bit of exposure. You can now paint that effect on some part of the photo, I advise you not to put it everywhere to keep it natural. If you want to erase some part of the brush you can press the option key and your brush becomes an eraser:

#3. Enhance Your Snow

Another great way to use the brush is to enhance snow. Here we already have some snow and so you can take a new brush, boost the exposure and add some clarity. To make sure that your brush is only affecting a certain area, you need to click on Range Mask > Luminance and you can be much more precise:

#4. Fix Your Graduated Filter

You can use the graduated filter in a lot of ways but I find it very practical when it comes to closing down your photo and adding some drama to your scene. However, this graduated filter can also affect other elements that you didn’t want to be affected such as the mountains in this example. I dropped a graduated filter on top of the photo and you can select the brush within the graduated filter section and use the range mask > Luminance to remove the effect of the graduated filter from your subject:

#5. Use a Very Precise Brush

Sometimes we use a brush and want to be very precise and not affect all the elements around what you're working on. To do that, let’s brighten the water but not the sand here. You can take a new brush, boost the exposure, and select auto mask. This way only the very center of your brush will affect your subject:

There you go, the top 5 uses of the Brush tool for me in Adobe Lightroom 2021! I hope you learned something new and that you will get a lot of use out of your brushes!

About the author: Serge Ramelli is a landscape and fine art photographer who has published numerous books on the subject. His fine art photography has been sold in one of the largest gallery networks in the world. Ramelli hosts a YouTube Channel where he teaches photography and editing techniques which you can subscribe to here.

#tips #tutorials #adobelightroom #brushtool #lightroom #postprocessing #sergeramelli #tool #tutorial

How to Use the Luminosity Mask in Lightroom Classic

The Luminosity Mask is a really great tool to use when it comes to retouching landscape, cityscape as well as portrait. It gives you more freedom when you use different tools in Lightroom and you will see it is awesome!

Now let me show you how it works.

I did a basic retouching on this lovely photo taken in Paris, Place Vendôme. And now we are going to use a graduated filter and lower the exposure to have a more dramatic sky. When you do that, every element is affected by that filter, meaning your buildings or subjects will also be darkened, which is not very realistic:

This is when the luminosity mask comes in handy to remedy that weird effect. Press the option key (or if you are on a PC the alt key) and go to Range Mask > Luminance now you will see by dragging the slider that it will play the role of a mask so white reveals and black conceals meaning everything that will appear in black will not be affected by your graduated filter and you will have a much more natural look:

Let me show you another example with a black and white photo from Yosemite.

I will show you the graduated filter without the luminosity mask so you can see how it is affecting the mountain and create an odd over retouched effect:

Here is the photo after with the Luminosity Mask, range at 69/100. I also added another graduated filter at the very top to add drama to the sky. This is truly a great tool to have more control over what your tools are affecting. This is the result after some retouch:

Now the last example is a completely different way to use the luminosity mask. We are going to use it to change the color of only one element. Here is a portrait I took in Italy during a fashion show. You can see the color of that dress is quite strong and only in a few clicks we will change the color entirely.

Let’s use the radial circle for this one. You can create a circle around the object you want to change the color of. Then you can use the hue to determine the color you want for your object. Once you are there you must wonder where I am going with this given that my model is now green and the dress is not the same color everywhere.

First, you need to unfeather your circle, and then it is time to use the luminosity mask. Range Mask Color this time. Using the target tool you can select the exact object and the mask will now only affect the dress! From this point, you can modify the hue and only the dress will be affected. Pretty cool effect!

So there you go: different ways to use the luminosity mask in Lightroom classic. It's a very powerful tool and is quite fun to use because you feel less limited and can create much more!

About the author: Serge Ramelli is a landscape and fine art photographer who has published numerous books on the subject. His fine art photography has been sold in one of the largest gallery networks in the world. Ramelli hosts a YouTube Channel where he teaches photography and editing techniques which you can subscribe to here.

#postprocessing #software #tutorials #learn #lightroom #lightroomclassic #luminositymask #sergeramelli #tutorial

How Does Luminar AI Compare to Lightroom Classic in 2021?

I wanted to see how Luminar AI works when compared to Lightroom in 2021, and to do so I took one image -- a photo of a lavender field in the south of France -- and processed it in both.

First, let’s start with Lightroom. I chose to do some basic development to get the exposure right using the highlights, shadows, exposure, basic white balance, white points, and black points.

On that note, I like to use the option key feature in Lightroom while using the black and white points sliders because I can see how many percents of 100% black points or white points are in my picture which is helpful when it comes to printing.

Now, with some basic Lightroom tools such as graduated filters, I added some blue back into the sky.

I think it would look more powerful as a panorama, so I cropped it to a 2×1 ratio and use the rule of thirds to create a more dynamic composition:

I then worked a bit to recreate the colors as they were by using the hue, contrast, and exposure:

So this is the Lightroom version. Now I will do basically the same steps in Lumiar, though it is obviously a little bit of a different workflow, the concept is the same.

I started with the sky enhancer and did the same panorama crop as I did in the Lightroom version:

Now It was just a matter of setting up the right exposure. Unfortunately, in Luminar you don’t have the option key feature with the black and white point which I think is missing here. So for now, I just eyeballed it and then set the white balance:

I then needed to correct the colors, which I did using the HSL panel:

Luminar AI has some pretty crazy amazing features such as sky replacement and some cool details that it allows you to add. Just to give you an example, here I added a very dramatic sky and you can even flip the sky so the sun is facing the right way:

And just for the fun of it, and to show more of the features Luminar has, I added some birds in the sky:

This software is becoming more and more similar, and I think Luminar has improved a lot recently. It's more stable than it ever has been and right now it never crashes, which used to be a major problem. Luminar has a lot of crazy features that go beyond just basic photo editing, so that's something to bear in mind. When you compare the image I edited in Lightroom to the one I edited in Luminar, you can see a big difference. I think which you choose is going to come down to personal preference. Picking between the two might be hard, so if you're like me you might use both depending on your needs.

What is important though is that I think Luminar is getting close to feature parity with Lightroom. That's good to see, as proper competition in the market is always beneficial to customers.

_About the author: Serge Ramelli is a landscape and fine art photographer who has published numerous books on the subject. His fine art photography has been sold in one of the largest gallery networks in the world. Ramelli hosts a YouTube Channel where he teaches photography and editing techniques which you can subscribe to here. _

#educational #software #editing #landscapeediting #landscapephotography #landscapes #lightroom #luminar #luminarai #sergeramelli #skylumluminar #tips

The Secret to Amazing Cityscape Photos: A Magic 15-Minute Window

After shooting cities all around the globe for the past 15 years, I managed to publish seven coffee table books featuring cities like Paris, Venice, Los Angeles, and New York. I learned the hard way when was the best time to shoot and want to save you the time and effort so you can make the best photos of cityscapes possible.

Below are my steps to capturing the best photos of cityscapes possible.

Find Your Spot and Wait For the Good Light

First, I want to show you the same place shot during the day to show you the importance of determining the best times to capture an image. In the photo below, obviously, the location doesn’t shine or stand out, and it is not especially interesting. Overall, the photo is pretty boring and the lighting does little to inject any emotion.

That said, there is nothing particularly wrong with where I am standing or my perspective. From here, I can wait for the right moment for the light to come to me.

Composition is a Big Part of It

Having good light but not good composition will still not create what could be called "fine art" photos, but they could still be ok. That said if you're aiming for some amazing, spectacular shots you need to perfect your composition as well as the light.

As far as composition goes, you want to try and have nice leading lines, a powerful or notable foreground element, a strong subject matter, and a good sky. Also, try different angles to see what will be more aesthetic and create a clearer message. You can do this step when the light isn't perfect, as composition can be figured out in any light.

Below, I tried the same location but from a different angle to see how the composition would change.

The 15-Minute Window is Key

Once you figure out your composition, it's just a matter of waiting for the right light to arrive. Be patient, as you do not want to miss the perfect moment to capture the photo as it happens quick. This period of time is called "blue hour" and it is what I aim for in almost every cityscape scene I capture.

As soon as the city lights switch on, you have about 15 minutes to get the shot. That’s the truth of it: there is just that magical moment where the sun is behind the horizontal line but the sky has still some nice texture and the buildings are shining through with light. The mixture of artificial and natural light is really what you're aiming for.

Do not Shoot Cityscapes at Night

If you miss the magic window and the sky is black -- that is to say, there are no more details in the sky -- the contrast between the city and the sky strong and you won’t get those great results we are looking for. There are exceptions to the rule of course, like shooting Times Square in New York where you have so much light even at night and you can barely see the sky anyway, but other than that I would advise you avoid trying to take cityscape photos after the sun has fully set.

As you can see, in the example scene below, the image is a lot less powerful than when we had some natural light to work with.

"Develop" Your Best Shot

As I showed earlier, once you get the shot you can "develop" your photo in Lightroom or any software that works for you and get some nice results. Starting with a photo with great composition and ideal light will give you a better jumping-off point to make a fantastic finished photo.

Here are some of my best photos taken during the blue hour:

Enjoy taking some nice photos in your city and get the 15 minutes magic window for some really nice results! You won’t regret it!

_About the author: Serge Ramelli is a landscape and fine art photographer who has published numerous books on the subject. His fine art photography has been sold in one of the largest gallery networks in the world. Ramelli hosts a YouTube Channel where he teaches photography and editing techniques which you can subscribe to here. _

#educational #tutorials #bluehour #cityscape #cityscapephotography #cityscapes #composition #evening #howto #landscapephotography #light #lighting #naturallight #night #sergeramelli #tutorial

The Secret to Amazing Cityscape Photos: A Magic 15-Minute Window

After shooting cities all around the globe for the past 15 years, I managed to publish seven coffee table books featuring cities like Paris, Venice, Los Angeles, and New York. I learned the hard way when was the best time to shoot and want to save you the time and effort so you can make the best photos of cityscapes possible.

Below are my steps to capturing the best photos of cityscapes possible.

Find Your Spot and Wait For the Good Light

First, I want to show you the same place shot during the day to show you the importance of determining the best times to capture an image. In the photo below, obviously, the location doesn’t shine or stand out, and it is not especially interesting. Overall, the photo is pretty boring and the lighting does little to inject any emotion.

That said, there is nothing particularly wrong with where I am standing or my perspective. From here, I can wait for the right moment for the light to come to me.

Composition is a Big Part of It

Having good light but not good composition will still not create what could be called "fine art" photos, but they could still be ok. That said if you're aiming for some amazing, spectacular shots you need to perfect your composition as well as the light.

As far as composition goes, you want to try and have nice leading lines, a powerful or notable foreground element, a strong subject matter, and a good sky. Also, try different angles to see what will be more aesthetic and create a clearer message. You can do this step when the light isn't perfect, as composition can be figured out in any light.

Below, I tried the same location but from a different angle to see how the composition would change.

The 15-Minute Window is Key

Once you figure out your composition, it's just a matter of waiting for the right light to arrive. Be patient, as you do not want to miss the perfect moment to capture the photo as it happens quick. This period of time is called "blue hour" and it is what I aim for in almost every cityscape scene I capture.

As soon as the city lights switch on, you have about 15 minutes to get the shot. That’s the truth of it: there is just that magical moment where the sun is behind the horizontal line but the sky has still some nice texture and the buildings are shining through with light. The mixture of artificial and natural light is really what you're aiming for.

Do not Shoot Cityscapes at Night

If you miss the magic window and the sky is black -- that is to say, there are no more details in the sky -- the contrast between the city and the sky strong and you won’t get those great results we are looking for. There are exceptions to the rule of course, like shooting Times Square in New York where you have so much light even at night and you can barely see the sky anyway, but other than that I would advise you avoid trying to take cityscape photos after the sun has fully set.

As you can see, in the example scene below, the image is a lot less powerful than when we had some natural light to work with.

"Develop" Your Best Shot

As I showed earlier, once you get the shot you can "develop" your photo in Lightroom or any software that works for you and get some nice results. Starting with a photo with great composition and ideal light will give you a better jumping-off point to make a fantastic finished photo.

Here are some of my best photos taken during the blue hour:

Enjoy taking some nice photos in your city and get the 15 minutes magic window for some really nice results! You won’t regret it!

_About the author: Serge Ramelli is a landscape and fine art photographer who has published numerous books on the subject. His fine art photography has been sold in one of the largest gallery networks in the world. Ramelli hosts a YouTube Channel where he teaches photography and editing techniques which you can subscribe to here. _

#educational #tutorials #bluehour #cityscape #cityscapephotography #cityscapes #composition #evening #howto #landscapephotography #light #lighting #naturallight #night #sergeramelli #tutorial

Five Beginner Lightroom Editing Tips to Dramatically Improve Your Photos

Want to get the best out of your photos this year? Using one photo as an example -- a photo I took in Paris with a Canon 5D Mark II to prove it can be done with a camera of nearly any age -- I will show five easy tips that will make dramatic differences in your images.

Correct the exposure for the story you want to tell

To me, one of the best ways to get great results in landscape photography is to take three exposures instead of relying on one: a normal exposure, one that is overexposed to draw out more shadow detail, and one that is underexposed to allow highlights to have better detaili. Together, the three photos can work as a sort of "super RAW" file to play with. This technique is often either referred to as HDR photography or bracketing.

Here I want to tell a simple message: a nice, simple sunset. I like the idea of having the statue as a silhouette effect in the foreground element, as I think it is really contributing to the aesthetic of the photo.

Adjust the white balance for aesthetic

Depending on the software you are using to develop your photo, you can use presets for white balance and you can start with those. However, I really advise you to manually set the white balance with the right temperature and tint so that you can recreate the feeling and emotion you had while taking the photo. To me, doing this is key to staying realistic and using the correct colors so as not to distract your viewer from your visual message.

Don’t overuse clarity and saturation

I used to commit this mistake a lot and oversaturated my photos with lots of clarity. I thought that doing so would make my photos spectacular but what ended up happening is that people noticed that I was “good at Photoshop” instead of focusing on the photo, which was my intention.

Now instead of boosting the Clarity slider, I tend to do some minus clarity on the overall photo, and maybe with a brush I will boost a little bit of clarity on some parts, but that’s it. The same goes for saturation: you need to make sure that your viewer can fully experience the colors and be as captivated as you were when you took the photo.

Adjust Hue sliders to your liking

Using hue sliders is key when you want to nail the color and really tailor your photo so that you recreate the colors that were there when you hit that shutter button. Cameras continue to get better at capturing true-to-life colors and exposure, but they are still far from matching the human eye and many times, the photo just doesn't quite have the visual impact that looking at a scene in person did. The goal is to try and get your photo to look as close to your memory of the scene as possible.

I advise you to not go over 40 on the Hue slider because it can create some weird colors, but otherwise, you can enhance some magenta or orange if you are developing a sunset shot.

Use the local tools to guide the eyes of the viewer

To me, this is the most important point. When done correctly, it makes a huge difference between an "okay" shot to a real, fine art photograph.

Use gradients to close your photo so the eyes of your viewer are drawn into your main subject. You can use a radial circle to enhance the sun itself and with a brush, you can bring back some light and details of some parts of your photo and hide some other parts of the photo.

Bonus Tip

One thing you can do is once you are happy with the retouching of your photo is that you can copy your settings and paste them onto your underexposed photo (depending on the look you are going for) and with some very basic retouching you can also get a great result, sometimes with less noise as well.

I hope those tips were useful to you and that you will be able to implement them in your retouching workflow!

_About the author: Serge Ramelli is a landscape and fine art photographer who has published numerous books on the subject. His fine art photography has been sold in one of the largest gallery networks in the world. Ramelli hosts a YouTube Channel where he teaches photography and editing techniques which you can subscribe to here. _

#educational #tips #tutorials #editingtips #landscapeediting #landscapephotography #photographytips #sergeramelli