Videos And Articles
A Better Way to Add a Vignette to Black and White Photos
A vignette can help guide the viewer toward your subject, but lowering exposure around the edges of a black and white photo can quickly bury important shadow detail.
In this quick tutorial, I’ll show you a more controlled approach using a radial gradient and the Whites or Highlights slider. You’ll still get that visual nudge toward the subject without making already-dark areas disappear.
Embrace Constraints and Find the Photograph That Is There
What do you do when the weather is dull, the surf is uninteresting, and a dead battery takes away one of the tools you normally rely on?
You can spend the outing wishing conditions were different—or let those constraints narrow your choices and point you toward another photograph. In this video, I share how I adapted during a recent seascape outing and why limitations can sometimes give your photography clearer direction.
When Lightroom Distraction Removal Is Too Aggressive
Lightroom may correctly find every person in a photograph and still make a mess when it tries to remove them. That’s what happened with this image from Machu Picchu—the AI rebuilt so much of the scene that walkways and structures no longer made sense.
The better approach was to keep the removals that worked, then break the difficult areas into smaller, more targeted pieces. The AI still does the heavy lifting, but you give it a more manageable problem to solve.
How to Fade an Adjustment with Intersect in ON1 Photo RAW
What if your mask selects the right subject, but you don’t want the adjustment applied evenly across all of it?
In this tutorial, I combine an AI mask with a gradient using Intersect mode in ON1 Photo RAW. The result keeps the adjustment confined to the mountains while letting its strength fade naturally across the scene.
ON1 Masking Panel Explained (And Why You Rarely Need It)
The ON1 Masking Panel generates more questions than almost any other feature in Photo RAW. Here's the funny thing: most photographers don't actually need to use it.
The Final 5%: Make Black & White Details Pop With Intersect Masks
Most edits are finished long before they're truly complete. In this video, I'll show you a simple masking technique I use to bring out important details in black and white photos—the final 5% that helps guide the viewer's eye and strengthen the image.
Using Harsh Light to Shape the View in an Alley Scene
Harsh light doesn’t have to ruin a photo—it can shape it. In this quick edit, I show how a simple radial mask turns a Denver alley into a strong, guided composition.
Soften Water To Make Your Subject Stand Out
When water isn't the subject, it may be competing for attention. Here's a simple masking technique that softens and darkens water so your real subject becomes the star of the photograph.
Flat Light? Create Directional Light in Lightroom
Flat light doesn’t have to ruin a good composition. In this new Lightroom tutorial, I show how I use masking to shape directional light, guide the eye, and create more drama from a dull scene.
The Lightroom HDR Trick That Improves SDR Editing
Lightroom’s HDR mode has a hidden benefit even if you never edit HDR photos. In this quick tutorial, I’ll show you how Visualize HDR can help you find and target your brightest highlights for stronger SDR edits.
Masking Gets Easier When You Think in Segments
Masking gets a lot easier when you stop thinking about tools and start thinking about your photo in segments. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how breaking an image into objects, tones, and colors can help you build better masks faster.
Winter Chill Look for Landscape Photos in ON1 Effects
A subtle color shift can completely change the mood of a landscape photo. In this new ON1 Effects tutorial, I build a cool-toned Winter Chill look that better matches the cold, misty feeling of the scene.