Landscape Photo Editing: Beginner Guide For Better Images
This article is all about providing a guide for beginners to get started with landscape photo editing.
When I first started taking photos, I thought editing wasn’t necessary.
I was going to learn how to take photos that would be finished straight out of camera, ready to share with the world.
It didn’t take me long to discover that every photo you see is edited in some way.
Whether it’s taken on your phone, or camera in Jpeg it has been edited.
I quickly learned that editing your photos did not necessarily mean making them look like they belonged on another planet. It didn’t mean they had to have neon rainbows or grass that looked like it was radioactive.
But, where to start?
It can quickly become overwhelming with all the editing techniques and tools available.
Every location and every photo is different, so surely every edit is going to be different?
Yes, but the workflow, or order, that things ‘need’ to be done are essentially the same for every photo.
That’s why I’ve written this article. To help get you started on your editing journey.
Knowing where to start and what to do next will have you well on your way to enhancing your images in no time.
So let’s jump in!
Before we get started, I wanted to share my FREE Landscape Photography Toolkit with you.It’s packed with practical tips and checklists to help you capture beautiful scenes with more confidence, starting NOW!
Always Shoot In RAW
Before you even get to editing, make sure you are shooting in RAW, and not JPEG.
Unlike JPEG, RAW files capture all the data from your camera’s sensor, which provides you with greater flexibility when editing your photos.
When you shoot in RAW, you’ll have more control over aspects like exposure, white balance, and contrast, allowing you to enhance your landscape photos to a level that simply isn’t possible with a JPEG.
A RAW image is likely to be unimpressive when you first open it in your editing program – but as long as the exposure is within the histogram, you’re good to go.
RAW files are naturally ‘flat’, or lacking ‘pop’, and will need some adjusting no matter how ‘well’ you took the shot. It just means that as your photography improves, the less ‘editing’ your images need to bring out their potential.
While RAW images will always require some adjustments, they can be edited in so many creative ways.
Get Into The Flow (Workflow)
I first learned the importance of having a workflow through a series of videos called ‘The Easy Way’.
These unfortunately are no longer available but what I’m sharing here is the workflow I learned and still use with all my landscape images.
Lightroom Basics For Editing Landscape Photos
In this section, we’ll discuss some basic Lightroom tips and workflow to start your editing process.
I do most of my basic editing with Adobe Lightroom so will be using that for this article. But most editing programs have the same tools so you will easily be able to follow along if you use another editing program.
Yes, every image is different, but here are the basic steps I take when editing landscape photos:
Lens Corrections
First up is to do Lens Corrections.
Tick both ‘Enable Profile Corrections’ and ‘Remove Chromatic Aberration’.
- Lens Corrections – corrects any distortions from your lens type, particularly wide-angle lenses
- Correct Chromatic Aberration – this is something that can occur on edges of objects on your image. It can look like a purple or green ‘fringe’. One click gets rid of this easily
Lightroom can detect the lens you used to make your shot, and it’ll apply lens corrections to remove any distortion, vignetting, and chromatic aberrations.
I have this set up as an import preset. This way it’s automatically done on every photo that I import into Lightroom and I never have to think about it.
Straighten The Horizon
Many people advise to crop your image straight away, but this is something I’ve learned to leave until almost last.
Cropping is a very creative compositional tool, and once you crop you lose all the adjustments you make to your image from this point. So, just straighten it for now and leave your cropping until near the end.
Next is to get your exposure, lighting and toning where you want them.
Histogram
First up, make sure you have your histogram visible in Lightroom.
The histogram is something you need to keep an eye on throughout your editing process to ensure you aren’t ‘clipping’ either the blacks or whites.
To see whether this is occuring, hit ‘J’ on the keyboard to turn these warnings on. Areas that are shaded bright red will indicate clipped whites, while bright blue will indicate clipped blacks.
‘Clipping’ means that either your whites or blacks are ‘blown out’ and have no details in them. Generally you don’t want this, but small amounts can be ok depending on your taste.
A common example of this is a portion of the sun peeking over the horizon. The sun is naturally very bright so having any detail here is virtually impossible.
Another example of this would be in a darker environment at night or deep in the forest.
The rest of the adjustments in this section are all done in the Basics Panel of the Lightroom Develop Module.
Auto
Start with hitting the Auto button to give you an idea of what Lightroom thinks your image should look like if correctly exposed and toned.
This often gives you a good result, however I do find it over-exposes most images, so this will come down to your taste.
If you like the result, you can simply skip the rest of this section, but if not, let’s look at the rest of the basic sliders in the Basics Panel.
TIP: Don’t be afraid of auto – it’s a great way to learn ideas for how to start editing your photos. Even if you don’t like the exact result, it shows you what sliders were adjusted and can get you going if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Highlights and Shadows
This is where you can adjust the brighter and darker areas in your images. These sliders are a great way to bring back some details to those areas in your photos.
Move the Highlights slider to the left to remove any highlight clipping. This will really help to bring details and colour out in your sky.
Move the Shadows slider to the right to remove any shadow clipping. This will help to bring out details in the darker areas of your image.
Make sure you keep an eye on your histogram as you do this.
These are similar to the highlights and shadows. Adjusting these can help remove areas that are either entirely white or entirely black.
Here you want to ensure that the range reaches just the edges of the histogram without clipping. If you have the indicators on (‘J’ on your keyboard to turn on and off), you can easily monitor this.
TIP: Hold down the Option/Alt key while using the slider and it will show you when you start to clip either the blacks or whites.
Exposure
Adjust this to alter the overall brightness or darkness of your images.
You may or may not need this once you’ve adjusted your highlights, shadows, whites and blacks. That’s why I leave it until now in my workflow to go back to this.
Your eye will tell you whether it’s too dark or bright, but if in doubt check the histogram. As with any part of the editing process, it’s completely up to your taste.
Contrast
This is another way to adjust the levels of whites and blacks in your image. It can make your whites ‘whiter’, and your blacks ‘blacker’. Don’t overdo it though.
I very rarely adjust this slider after making the above adjustments, but it can help give your image an extra ‘pop’. Be very careful with this slider though as it can quickly ‘overcook’ your images.
This is definitely an adjustment where less is usually better.
Tip: with all the sliders in the Basics panel, simply hold down the shift key and double-click on the name of the slider to let Lightroom set it for you.
White Balance
This is used to adjust the overall colours of your image to match the light source you were photographing at the time.
It’s a setting that you can change while shooting, but I tend to use auto when shooting and then adjust as part of my editing.
Try each of the presets in the drop down menu and see if there’s one that suits you. Daylight is generally cooler, while cloudy and shade can bring out those warm golden hour colours.
There are quite a lot of options when choosing your white balance, but don’t get too caught up in getting a perfect white balance. Ultimately it’s up to your personal preference and setting the mood that you’re looking for in your image.
Anthony has a great in-depth video on white balance for you to delve further:
Vibrance and Saturation
Adding saturation and vibrancy can enhance the colours in your photo, making them more vivid and eye-catching.
Vibrance tends to affect those colours that aren’t already over-saturated, whereas saturation will boost every colour. Be careful with these sliders, and definitely start with vibrance.
Be careful, however, not to overdo it, as too much saturation can result in artificial and unnatural-looking images.
And that’s it. You are done with your basics of editing landscape photos.
You may be wondering about cropping your image. That’s a very important step, and I leave that until almost last for a reason, so be sure to keep reading for that!
Depending on what your style is, and what you want to achieve, this may be all you wish to do for your editing.
These initial steps can make an incredible difference, but if there is more you’d like to achieve, then you may want to head on over to Photoshop.
Photoshop Essentials
If there are some issues such as distractions to be removed, I will then move over to Photoshop for some more advanced adjustments.
This is where you get creative and add your vision to the image. The above steps have mostly ‘corrected’ your image, and that may be all you wish to achieve.
This section is all about truly bringing your image to life, and creating what you envision.
Photoshop can be daunting, but it really does open up a whole new world.
The following techniques are the ones that I would recommend researching and getting started with:
- Removing elements – This can be as simple as removing dust spots on your sensor, powerlines, footprints, and any distractions.
- Brightness and Contrast – Increasing or decreasing these to particular areas will place either more or less emphasis where used, to help add drama and direct the viewers’ eyes where you want them to look. Very powerful tools indeed!
- Colour adjustments – be careful not to go overboard here.
Creativity Plus – Far too many options here but think: Sky Replacements, Composite Images – the sky really is no limit – pun intended!
Selective Editing Tools
So far everything we’ve covered are considered ‘Global’ adjustments.
This simply means that they affect the whole image.
But often you only want to apply adjustments to specific areas in your image and that’s where selective editing comes in.
These tools allow you to make adjustments to specific areas in your image, enhancing the overall look without affecting the entire scene.
You can do selective editing in both Lightroom and Photoshop – as with many software applications, there are several ways to achieve the same results.
I recommend you start with researching the following and go from there:
- Lightroom’s Masking Tools – these have had a major upgrade over the last year or two and are incredibly powerful. The same tools are also available in the Camera Raw Module of Photoshop:
- Selection Tools: Become acquainted with tools like the Marquee, Lasso, and Magic Wand. These will help you select specific areas of your image for targeted edits, such as exposure or colour adjustments.
- Layering: Learn to work with layers and layer masks, essential elements for non-destructive editing. This will allow you to make changes to your image without permanently altering the original photo.
- Adjustment Layers: Use adjustment layers like Curves, Levels, and Hue/Saturation to fine-tune the appearance of your image. These adjustments can be added as separate layers, allowing you to easily experiment with different edits and revert to previous versions if needed.
Check out this video by Piximperfect for a basic introduction to Photoshop:
Just remember that less is often more when it comes to editing landscape photography.
Subtlety is key, and a few thoughtful adjustments can make a world of difference in your final image. Trust your instincts and ensure your edits enhance your photo without overpowering the natural beauty of the scene.
Let It Marinate
Sometimes, it’s better to take a step back from your editing process and let your landscape photos “marinate” for a while.
Giving yourself some time away from the screen can help you approach the post-processing with a fresh perspective.
During this break, you might find that you’re more critical of any mistakes or aspects of the image that need improvement. As you dive back into the editing process, remember to be patient. It can take time to achieve the perfect balance of colours, light, and composition for your work.
By giving yourself time to pause and reflect, you can better evaluate your progress and make more informed decisions during the post-processing stage.
So, let your photos marinate, revisit your work with a fresh set of eyes, and see your images come to life.
Final Touches
After applying the necessary adjustments to your landscape photo, it’s time to apply the final touches and prepare your masterpiece for export.
In this section, we’ll cover cropping, removing distractions, sharpening, and saving your final image.
Crop
The crop tool is essential for improving the composition of your photo and enhancing the landscape’s focus. To maintain a pleasing aspect ratio, use the Rule of Thirds grid, and try not to crop too tightly so that you preserve the grandeur of the scene.
Remove Any Distractions
Examine your photo carefully and look for any unwanted elements like dust spots, branches, or trash on the ground. Use tools like Photoshop’s removal tool to remove any distractions and keep your viewer’s focus on the landscape.
Sharpen
Sharpening your image can help enhance the details and give the photo a polished look. Be careful not to over-sharpen, as excessive sharpening can introduce unwanted noise. It’s crucial to pay attention to areas where details need to be more crisp, such as a rock formation’s texture or tree leaves. Also note it is not necessary on every image.
Save And Export
After completing the final touches, save your edited landscape photo in the appropriate format for your intended use. Generally, save it in a high-quality JPEG or TIFF format for sharing online or printing.
Keep your original RAW file to revisit and edit your photo in the future if you want to try new editing techniques or styles.
Software For Editing Landscape Photos
It goes without saying that there are a multitude of options when it comes to choosing which software to use for editing your landscape photos.
In this section I’ll outline the software programs that I regularly use, even though I definitely don’t use all of these programs with every photo.
Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
When starting with editing landscape photos, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop are excellent options.
Lightroom is great for archiving and processing raw files, while Photoshop provides more advanced adjustments.
There is no doubt that Adobe Lightroom is the most popular photo editor among photographers, whether they are beginners or advanced.
Because there are so many easy-to-use tools, it’s easy to understand why.
Lightroom is more than just a photo editor. It’s also a great organiser for your images. It keeps them all in one place and has so many options to rank, prioritise and sort your images.
Usually purchased together with Lightroom as a package is Photoshop. It is by far the most well-known editor and it has features and functions that are just hard to beat.
It can be difficult to learn which is why some beginners tend to be intimidated by it. I would encourage you to try some of the ideas in this article before giving up. You’ve really got nothing to lose except a bit of time.
If that’s you, then this next program might be just what you’re looking for.
B – Luminar Neo
Luminar Neo is a fantastic software choice for editing landscape photos, particularly for beginners who want to keep it simple.
That is not to say it isn’t for advanced photo editors as well, but the interface is quite user-friendly and intuitive for beginners.
Luminar Neo offers a number of AI-powered functions including sky replacement, automatic power line removal and my favourite tool of all, AI Enhance. I often use this if I just want to do a quick edit to give an image some ‘pop’ and quickly share on social media.
The AI crop tool is also good to try out, so it’s definitely worth taking a look at.
It does rely heavily on presets and filters. These I find often give a good starting point, but usually need some tweaking so they’re not so ‘over-cooked’.
And that’s it, my guide for beginners to get started with landscape photo editing ~ I hope you found it helpful.
Remember that the more you practise (and let yourself play), the more you will progress and don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
There’s always that magic ‘reset’ button in Lightroom – I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve used that over the years.
Finally, never stop experimenting – good luck and happy editing!
