When Color Range Masks Are Better for Nature Photo Edits Than HSL Sliders (VIDEO)

Photographers usually flip to Lightroom’s HSL sliders as step one in modifying panorama and nature pictures. However what do you do when this method falls quick? As you may see within the tutorial under, there’s usually a greater answer that is very simple to perform.

Outdoor photographer Scott Davenport often posts taking pictures and modifying tutorials which can be fashionable amongst Shutterbug readers who recognize his calm, reassuring strategy. On this episode he explains why Lightroom’s Color Range Masks usually outperform HSL sliders when processing sure sorts of pictures.

HSL changes do present some management over separating colours, however Color Range masks could be a much better alternative when HSL sliders have an effect on extra colours than you need. Or as Davenport places it, “To ensure no affect outdoors of solely the hues you need to affect, you’ll want to attain for a Color Range masks.”

The lesson begins with an outline of how each instruments work, and Davenport discusses when one technique works higher the opposite relying upon particular attributes of the picture at hand. His demonstration picture is a superb instance, with this because the overarching takeaway: “Someday HSL enhancements have an excessive amount of affect,” particularly if a pure wanting picture with exact colours is what you are after.

Davenport’s purpose with this specific edit is to reinforce inexperienced tones within the foreground, and the widespread strategy can be to slip the yellow HSL slider to the proper. Doing that does enhance the greens, but it surely additionally causes an undesirable coloration shift to the yellow flowers among the many grass. In essence, the issue is that the HSL strategy is a international adjustment, which will affect the opposite essential tones throughout the body.

Color Range masks, however, work their magic selectively by focusing on solely the areas within the picture that must be adjusted—whereas leaving all different tones untouched. Davenport drops the Color Picker within the grass, and all inexperienced tone within the picture (from foreground to background are instantly chosen.

As you may see, it is simple to refine the masks, for a larger or lesser impact. On this case Davenport backs it off barely so the yellow flowers are unaffected. At this level he demonstrates just a few easy steps to finish the transformation.

After watching the video, we propose you check out Davenport’s instructional YouTube channel, the place there’s far more to be taught.

And do not miss the associated tutorial we posted earlier from one other image-editing knowledgeable, explaining obtain pictures with pleasing natural-looking colours utilizing Lightroom’s White Stability instruments.