Using layers in Lightroom has improved a lot in the past year. In Photoshop it’s a lot the same and in Capture One nothing ever changes. But there are layers and that’s good for you.
There are 3 levels of edits and the secret layer makes them all easier.
They will make you edit faster but if you use them the way layers should be used, they will also help you ensure to don’t edit your photo wrong. That combo gives you the secret layer.
No longer second-guess your edits.
The secret layer consists of two parts really. #1 is perspective for your edit. #2 is quickly adjusting it and applying a more informed perspective to your edit instantly. Al the basic level this works with individual presets like Silver or more complex masks like Elegance creates for you.
Sometimes I shadow painting details manually. Or maybe I’m using fast tools like Lumist, Blackroom Black and White, or Signature Emulsion. Well-built actions like this create your layers stack so the secret layer is instantly ready.
Digital edits are easy to overcook when you start adding layers. But layers are also the secret to getting more dimensional and creative edits. Here I used GoldChrome and simply dialed it back in this level 1 edit.
How far should you edit?
We’ll look at 3 levels of editing in the video and using those as a guide is really useful because you can decide how far to go in each segment of your project. I only go to level 3 on my best images, which can vary.
In the portrait example in today’s video, I took it all the way to an illustrative look, but it would also be a lighter effect or just some simple atmospheric actions like Alchemist.
The secret layer varies in each app.
But the concept is the same. Some apps like Lightroom are more advanced. They reward you directly for supplying things as a preset as I show with masks. So you want to use that method if you create your own presets.
Photoshop is very powerful and uses a more ould school-layer approach.
Capture One doe the same though with a little less power because of the lack of stacking. That said you can still build edits on those layers and then control them to use the secret layer.
I hope you find this as exciting as me and put it to work right away. Leave your questions or tips in the comments.
In last week’s video, I showcased the new curve features in Lightroom. You can watch that here. But this time we go a bit deeper te see how to make thsoe tools faster. I also show you the latest 4.6 update of Elegance Lightroom Masks.
I’ll show you how to use those curves in Lightroom Mask Presets
You don’t edit better by doing everything manually.
That’s pure myth from people trying to sound important.
I’ll show you in today’s video how that works and what’s new in 4.6, Because in 2023 if you don’t use presets for this stuff Lightroom effectively punishes you with fewer features. You ge more and faster by making presets or using advanced presets like Elegance..
Ektar 100-like from Filmist and just did the background mask using the update 1.6 preste from elegance.
So Don’t start from zero. It’s pointless!
The reason for that is that whether we’re talking about advanced development presets like Silver or Street’ist, or masking of skin and details, Lightroom like Photoshop before it is built is fast.
So Adobe is creating features as I show you with the preset adjustment sliders that let you work much faster and get an exact result if you DO NOT manually start from zero with the sliders.
The right process in Lightroom
Sort your best images so you are not distracted by the duds. Start with your base photo. Edit it with your presets for your look be it film or black and white etc. Use ethe amount slide to dial it in. Copy as needed to another photo.
Take your best work that you want to mask and use the same procvess using Speed Lightroom Masks and the amount sliders. Then copy that to other photos as needed.
CineMist mask preset is a new one mask softening for when you don’t want a lot. Portra 400 from Filmist.
Results speak louder than words.
Put this to work and watch tegh qaulity of your edits, the time you save and the constsiantly of each body of work improve overnight. I’ve been teachiong Lightroom since V1 and these features from the past 2 years are really taking it to another level.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Gavin Seim
Easy Sunlight is a simpler version of the Harch Sun tool in elegance, but the amount sliders lets you quickly control how far it shoudl go. I used Portra 160 for the main process.
Lightroom Curves are super powerful and often confusing to new users. But this year’s updates have made them better and easier than ever to use in both manual edits and as presets.
How to use the new Lightroom Curves and why they are so great.
Curves in any photo editing app are always powerful. You’ve seen me use them in Lightroom, Capture One, and extensively in my PS action packs like Lumist and Blackroom. But in today’s video, I’ll show you the 3 latest Lightroom curve features and why they will make your edits better.
If you’ve not seen my video about how to make an F-Curve watch it here. Get My Elegance presets here to have your curves pre built into layers with a click.
With curves, you have nuanced control. Now in layers.
It’s simple to use some examples as I show you here or in my presets and you’ll see how that light touch makes a massive difference.
All 3 of the new Lightroom Curves features I show today are useful. But the biggest is how we can use the curves directly in Ai masks and layers. Even the color curves.
Using the latest curve feature I can add a film preset like Agfa RSK from Filmist, then simple control tone and fallout with an F-Curve, the new saturation sliders, and the new preset save features.
This means as a layer level as I show in the video you can instantly refine a background or subject like you never could before. And you can even build that into a preset as I do in my Elegance Speed Masks pack.
You see how I’ll often roll down the highlights a bit ( the right side of the curve) and then mix the shadows until it feels right. You can mix this will all other sliders, and if you use curves in a preset as I showed you in the video you can get a great curve and keep coming back.
Why do I use Lightroom curves more than Levels?
Curves offer more granular control. Sometimes a point curve like I showed here seems more complex. But once you understand that you are just nudging things around from shadows to highlights, you can quickly resolve problems like harch specular highlights or shadows falling too deep.
A little shadow lift or highlight drop can go a long way. Use my F curve examples as a starter and ten just have fun. Soon you’ll be a master of Lightroom Curves
The new ability to add these curves in layers I actually huge, in this case letting us fad the background as I showed you in the video.
“Go to the bathroom,” My mentor told me – After 15 years, I saw it. These free online photography courses are game-changing.
Shadow Hackers LIVE
With Gavin Seim. Wed July 6th | 11AM CST (UTC-6)
07
Days
:
22
Hours
:
18
Minutes
:
38
Seconds
Sign up$69 Free
A whole new paradigm to learn.
I really enjoyed the presentation today. A lot to think about. A whole new paradigm to learn.
Daniel Carlin
This free online photography course is LIVE and teaches you the critical things every photo course ignores.
I’ve taught classroom and online photography courses for 15 years But none compare to Shadow Hackers. This is my free online photography course that will ignite your photography in one day.
I’m Gavin Seim. I’ve been a photographer for over 20 years. You may be thinking. “Ugh, another crappy online photo webinar about things I already know!” — It’s not I guarantee you.
You’re about to see everything in your photos!
And nothing will be the same once you do. I’ve been building the Shadow hacking method for a decade and no one else is teaching what I’m about to show you. In one hour I’m going to challenge everything you know.
Have you ever taken a great photo but not know why it worked so well? Or took a shot and expected a great photo, only to be disappointed? I’ll show you why.
I’m Gavin Seim, a Master photographer, YouTuber, and host of the Pro Photography Podcast.
It was the early 2000s when digital blew up. I realized that to survive in photography, I had to stand out. I traveled. I paid for classes. I studied with the top photographers. I wanted to become a Master of Photography and when I finally did in 2017, I realized that was just the start.
Photo schools and conferences won’t teach you this stuff…
This may sound dramatic, but it was a dramatic change for me! You may be where I was 15 years ago. You may be newer, or advanced. But you’re here because you want to be BETTER! It took me so many years of advanced photography study to discover what I’m showing you in these free online photography courses.
A glimpse of what I’m going to teach you!
Cameras don’t tell you the “right exposure”. Here’s how you do it!
The secret to dramatic photos is NOT actually light and this is why!
Easily combine art and science to instantly improve your photography!
The actually free online photography course will transform your photography fast.
The reason is that most photo teachers don’t know this. These secrets are not common and have been lost over the years since digital.
Have you ever felt like you’re missing a link to something important, but you’re so close so you keep looking? Finding the information was not as easy in those days and it’s surprisingly hard even with the internet.
When I started grasping bits of this I was blown away. I called my friend who was a long-time rep for a major camera brand and said… why did no one tell me this It felt so strange because I would never see light and shadow the same again.
That was the year I started documenting and trying to make it simple. The next year I started filming the award-winning Exposed workshops. But the process was not complete. Over a decade later, I made this free online photography course to make it easier to start out.
Shadow Hackers free online photography courses for those who want to step ahead of the pack.
I remember discovering something early one early on, standing in the window of my studio. I asked my friend
“Why did no one tell me this about photography?”
He laughed and said… “They don’t teach that stuff anymore!
I needed to understand the secrets of the masters that they never complied into one course. When I finally discovered these I knew I had to make free online photography courses to share it. Techniques to get great photos every day, not just when things go well. No tool or software makes you a great photographer. Knowing this does!
I started shooting large-format films. I was understanding tones, the truth about light meters, and finally the truth about SHADOW. It changed everything and pushed me to become a PPA Master Photographer and create my HotOne award-winning Exposed workshop. But it was not enough.
Now it’s 2022 and photographers are still not being taught this. We’re going to change that together. I’ve compressed this into a LIVE workshop that makes the 3 secrets of shadow hacking simple and challenges everything you know. And once you know. You will spread it.
I came back to my mentor, the legendary Whitmore, and said.
“This changes everything. I don’t know if I can see normally again”
Ken laughed because to him it was normal. The man that had given me only the film holders for a 4×5 camera then told me to go sit in the bathroom. He didn’t think about it like this because it was normal.
A LIVE online photography course, not another marketing replay!
When I started with film in the ’90s. There was no redo button. If you listen. This will change your photography faster than you ever thought possible. I’m going to show you, for free.
This is a real LIVE class, not an automated webinar. There will never be another just like it. The class will be 70-80 minutes and there no replay. So set your calendar and don’t miss this opportunity.
Sign up above and I can’t wait to see you there. Gavin Seim
This week I finally finished a big updater for my FIlmist presets and Capture One style.
Filmist 1.9 just got a bit update with big improvements to Portra 160 Push, Pro 400H, Velvia, darkroom-inspired mod presets, and more. I’ll show you everything in the video. If you already own Filmist, login here for the free update of Filmist Complete.
Intense edits that are clearly digital in nature can be amazing. But what I have learned over the years is that most of us over-edit, A LOT! Understanding the balance that film brings makes you edit everything better.
Even my more digital-focused editing kits like Natural HDR are shaped by the idea of being Natural. That’s because I was there when HDR arrived in the world, I saw digital become the dominant force, and I watched the transition happen. This is something we talked about on the recent Pro Photography Podcast.
Big Velvia 50 refinements bring out that classic red hue in a beautiful way.Portra 160 Push gives that snap and a true-to-life red shift that actually makes Portra 160 feel perfect,.
What if I don’t like Film?
Making film presets that work is very time confusing and detailed. Most people think they don’t like film looks because they have never really used them. Once you see that film was actually the well round bade baseline of everything we do in digital. It gives you perspective.
Even if I’m editing with Street’ist or something bold like Gold-Chrome, the film looks to create a trustworthy reference point. I think it really helps people have confidence in Lightroom and Capture One editing and make their work more emotionally focused instead id… Look how much I edited this.
Let me know what you think in the comments and enjoy Filmist 1,9.
Gavin Seim
Nuances improved in the LUTS Lightroom Presets and Capture One style. Even in Portraits Velvia 50 retains a more natural balance just like in the darkroom if exposed well.Classics like the AgfaFled RSX preset gives you more versatility. I use this look a lot in video edits also.
