[Photography] 10 Things You Can Photograph in Your Home

The post 10 Things You Can Photograph in Your Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

There’s nothing I love more than grabbing a camera and setting off on the weekend to find a new place to photograph. But what happens if you’re confined to the house for an extended period and can’t get out? Fear not, there are still hundreds of things you can photograph in your home.

I have listed ten ideas for things to photograph below. I spent no more than 15 minutes photographing each item or idea. In some cases, it was closer to five minutes. For most images, I used either my Fujifilm XF 35mm f1.4 R lens or my Fujifilm XF 60mm f2.4 R Macro lens.

1. Family

The good news is that if you live with family or friends, you will always have subjects for your photography. The only trick is being a bit selective. Don’t take photos of them all the time and wear out your welcome!

For the image below, I sat my son on the trampoline with the afternoon sun lighting up the netting behind him. I took a series of shots with him looking into the camera. However, this one I like the best, with him looking away. I must admit, I did have to bribe him to pose for me, but it was worth a bowl of ice cream.

When did you last take photos of your family at home?

2. Pets

Another ready-made subject for you at home is your family pet. There can be both pros and cons for photographing animals. An advantage is that they can’t complain about being photographed like family or friends. A disadvantage is that they don’t want to sit still very often!

I tend to take images of our dalmatian Marshall when he’s doing something funny, yet rarely do I take a portrait. I love this photo of him; I took it as he was having a rest on the sofa.

There’s nowhere to hide from the camera, pooch!

3. Jewelry

If you have a macro lens, or a lens capable of getting close to small objects, why not photograph your jewelry? This could include items given to you by your loved ones or family heirlooms passed down from your relatives.

I chose to photograph my Nixon Star Wars watch. There are lots of cool details on the watch that I forgot about, including the second hand is a light saber!

If you have a lot more patience than me, you could take a series of images and focus stack them in an image editing program to create an image sharp across the frame.

My Star Wars watch

4. Figurines

When my Grandma visited London in 1983, she brought me back lots of little gifts, including these three metal soldiers. They’ve sat on my bookshelf next to my travel guide books for years. When I was looking for things you can photograph in your home, they commanded my attention immediately.

I photographed the metal soldiers in my front doorway on a table, with a booklet about London in the background. You can make out the double-decker bus in the background, which gives the image an added British feel.

Try experimenting with any small figures you have at home: lego people, dolls, small toys. Imagine what it’s like to be that tiny.

Attention! Three old metal figurines I had on my bookshelf.

5. Vintage cameras

Many photographers have vintage cameras in their house, either because they still shoot film with them or because they make fantastic decorations. When it comes to things you can photograph in your home, vintage cameras are my favorite!

I have so many cameras dotted around my home office it was difficult to choose just one to photograph. However, in the end, I went with my classic 1960s Japanese half-frame film camera, the Olympus Pen FT.

The Pen FT is a beautifully designed camera, even down to the lens cap, which I lay on the table next to the camera.

If you don’t have any vintage cameras in your home, you could always photograph your favorite lens or another vintage item in your house.

Precision Japanese engineering – the Olympus Pen FT.

6. Flowers

I wandered outside to my much-neglected garden and found some flowers we hadn’t managed to kill off yet. Gardening is not my superpower, that’s for sure!

I shot this image handheld, with the stamen in focus, and most of the background is a wonderful blur. As with the jewelry shots, you could set up a tripod and take a series of images to focus stack.

If you don’t have a garden, any kind of plant or flower – real or artificial – will do. If you have some cacti or succulents, you could even combine this idea with the figurines idea. Try posing some lego figures in your cactus garden!

7. Coffee

One advantage of being cooped up in the house is that I can make a coffee anytime I like. However, this can be a danger – I need to keep track of how many I’m having!

I took a series of images of coffee and milk frothing. This one of espresso coming out of my home coffee machine into a metal jug is my favorite.

Coffee pouring into a metal jug

8. Food

Hopefully during your stay at home, you have access to some nice food, or maybe you are still able to order some amazing takeaway from nearby restaurants.

Set up an area where you can shoot a flat lay of your meal. Try to make it as colorful and cool-looking as possible, with lots of different colors and props.

With time on your hands, why not prepare a gourmet meal and do a flat lay photo?

9. Sweet treats

Unless you’ve gone full minimalist, you’ll probably find things in your house and wonder where they came from. I have no idea why we had these brightly-colored candy canes in a vase in our kitchen, but I decided to photograph them nonetheless.

I put a white sheet over the table and photographed them with natural light streaming in the front doorway. Look for any brightly-colored candy or sweets in your house. I also took some shots of colorful easter eggs in a basket.

10. Home photoshoot

Another idea for something you can photograph in your home is a styled photoshoot. Christmas in July, teddy bears’ picnic, fashion shoots: the only limit is your imagination.

Pick a theme and run with it. Turn a corner of your house into your studio and go wild!

Conclusion

Being confined to the house can be challenging for many people. Rest assured, though, there are literally hundreds of things you can photograph in your home.

The first port of call for many will be family and pets, but there are also lots of other opportunities. You can also photograph personal items with sentimental value, such as jewelry, to vintage items that usually sit on the shelf, like toy soldiers, or vintage cameras. Bright colored items such as pencils and sweets make good subjects, as do flowers and plants.

Getting more creative with photographic opportunities at home is one way to fill time, work on your photography, and discover a new perspective. Are you up for the challenge?

What items do you like to photograph in your home? Tell us in the comments below.

The post 10 Things You Can Photograph in Your Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

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[Photography] How to Create a Budget Tabletop Photography Setup for Shooting Food and Products

The post How to Create a Budget Tabletop Photography Setup for Shooting Food and Products appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

It can feel like photography is a money vortex and unless you have an unlimited amount, many types and styles of photography may seem out of reach. We’re here to tell you that you can create your own tabletop photography setup on a budget and still create some amazing food and product photography.

The white paper in this setup is used to help bounce light back ono the products as the window (the main light source) is at camera left.

All you need is a trip to your local dollar store and craft store, and you’ll have a set up ready to go that won’t break the bank. It will also let you create the images your clients will love.

What is a tabletop photography setup?

A tabletop photography setup is generally used to photograph products and food for commercial or marketing services.

1/20 sec; f/3.2; ISO 1600 using a 50mm lens. The product is the coffee mug and to get this shot I used a table I already had, a bright window to camera right, and notebooks to give it more height.

In recent years, tabletop photography setups have moved away from the Lightbox and toward more authentic setups thanks to social media.

The basic tabletop photography setup is a table, backgrounds, tabletop backgrounds, and nice light source that you can use to light your products and food.

What you need for a basic setup

A tabletop photography setup doesn’t have to be complex or involve a lot of materials. You can have a simple setup that offers you a variety of backgrounds, looks, and setups all in the same spot, at the same table.

There is a big window to camera left and here we can see the basic setup with kraft paper and white paper taped to the wall.

You’ll need:

• a table or any stable surface to place items onto of
• a few backgrounds like a white paper, kraft paper, black paper, foam boards, different types of fabric and textures
• depending on your products/food you’ll need some stands, dishes, and plates, or other styling items
• tape
• a large window for window light
• clips or clamps to hold things down
• a tripod for max aperture and depth of field to avoid camera shake.

1/10 sec; f/14; ISO 400 using a 50mm lens.

This basic setup will help you to create your tabletop photography setup without the need to be in a big space or rent a studio. It will also keep costs down.

Get creative with backgrounds

While a table, solid plain wall and a good light source are the basic set up, it can often get boring. As you get more clients, you’ll want to have different setups to help you get more interesting photos.

These were just a few of the backgrounds and items we had for styling. We didn’t use all of them but get creative with what you already have in your home.

A quick trip to the dollar store can help keep costs down. You can get items that can give your tabletop the right look and style for the product that you’re photographing.

1/15 sec; f/11; ISO 400 using a 50mm lens. You can see the window in the reflection of the watch.

Here is a behind the scenes shot of the watch. Using a lace dress for the background made for a moodier photo.

Choose different patterns for backgrounds, like this shower curtain I used to give the tabletop photography setup more of a marble texture and style. The watch stands out against the colors and pattern and creates a more interesting effect.

1/10 sec; f/14; ISO 400 using a 50mm lens. I took photo using a shower curtain and big sliding glass doors as the main light source. Both watch photos were taken minutes apart at the same table and distance from the window.

Different placemats work really well as backgrounds and tabletops for food photography as well as product photography. Letting you change the tabletop photography setup without having to directly paint or change your table.

Here we used a placemat and bowl from the dollar store and a kitchen towel already owned.

Posterboard can be really useful in creating a faux cyclorama wall for products giving the illusion of a seamless background. Taping fabric to the wall also works to help keep the backgrounds in place and creates seamless backgrounds.

Placemats of various textures and prints can also be perfect for food photography and work in many different settings for products as well.

1/20 sec; f/8; ISO 400

Kitchen towels can also serve as props for your food styling as well as backgrounds.

Find the light

The biggest concern is getting enough light and that is what a big window is for.

1/200 sec; f/2.2; ISO 200. For this image, I used an external flash (580EXII) pointed at the ceiling for added light. If you have a flash, you can use it off-camera to create images with more pop.

If you don’t get lots of light in your home, go outside! Take your tabletop setup out onto your patio or yard. Find some good indirect shaded light to work in.

1/20 sec; f/5.6; ISO 400. Using a plastic dollar store plate and the wood textured placemat as a background, this photo has a different feel. We even get a little reflection on the plate. The light source is a big window at camera left.

The idea is to create an evenly-lit tabletop setup so that you’re able to set your camera to the correct settings and get the look you want.

Having enough light to work with, lets you take away light with flags or create shadows with different items. You’re also able to get different exposures to your products or food.

Both of these images are shot at different times of the day with the window at opposite sides of the camera. The photo on the left has the window to camera-right, and was shot later in the day with twinkling Christmas lights behind. The photo on the right was shot with the window at camera-left during the morning.

Different times of day can give different types of lighting for your tabletop photography setup too. Take advantage of the lighting changes and experiment to see what light is best for the items you’re photographing.

This photo was created a bit darker on purpose to create a more cozy effect and to capture the twinkle lights. Taken in the same location as the bowl photo above with the window to camera left. Settings are 1/20 sec; f/6.3; ISO 400.

Using available ambient light can really help keep costs down while doing tabletop photography and can offer lots of different types of lighting.

Don’t limit yourself to a table

With a lifestyle component, you can take your tabletop photography setup on the go. Take your backgrounds, fabrics, and styling items to different locations to get different types of photographs.

Taken outside under a covered area with bright sunlight behind the camera. I used a found bark branch to style the product. Settings are 1/400 sec; f/3.5; ISO 400.

You can photograph in a park, trail, cafe, or in front of an interesting wall in your neighborhood.

Taken on my sofa with settings as 1/500 sec; f1.8; ISO 400. The window is at camera-right.

Using your creative eye, you can photograph food and product photography just about anywhere that will save you money, while also giving you amazing results.

In conclusion

I created this on location at the restaurant where the food was photographed. It used ambient light ,which was a combination of window light and overhead daylight lamps. I adjusted the white balance to suit. f/160 sec; f2.0; ISO 400.

As you can see, creating a tabletop photography setup doesn’t have to mean spending loads on lighting, space, styling equipment or backgrounds. With a trip to your local dollar store and craft store, you can create stunning product and food photography for a fraction of the price.

Aluminum foil and other kitchen supplies can work great to create a background that is interesting and fun. Settings are 1/20 sec; f/5.6; ISO 400 with window to camera left.

Your clients will love their photos and you will have a setup that you can use anywhere!

Do you have any other tips for creating a tabletop photography setup? Share with us in the comments section.

The post How to Create a Budget Tabletop Photography Setup for Shooting Food and Products appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

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[Photography] Loupedeck Launches Loupedeck Profile Creator for Creative Professionals

The post Loupedeck Launches Loupedeck Profile Creator for Creative Professionals appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

The Loupedeck Creative Tool is designed to do one thing:

Make your software workflow easier and faster than ever before.

The Loupedeck CT is a console-type tool, one that allows you to program different actions into its many buttons and dials. While it can technically be used to enhance any application, you’ll be especially impressed by its integration with photo editing software.

For instance, when working in Photoshop, you can use the Loupedeck CT wheel to zoom in and out of images, one button to activate the lasso tool, and another button to create a mask. You can use a small dial to change brush size, a button to select the color picker tool, and yet another button to select the brush.

With the Loupedeck CT in hand, editing speed will advance to a whole new level, as you fluidly edit one image after another by tapping buttons, adjusting dials, and spinning the main wheel. No longer do you have to hunt for keyboard shortcuts or waste time searching for menu options.

Instead, the Loupedeck CT will get the job done.

But Loupedeck has taken their Creative Tool a step further.

As of last week, you can now use the Loupedeck Profile Creator to generate Custom Profiles for different software applications.

Loupedeck explains in their press release:

The new Loupedeck Profile Creator will enable users…to program custom actions and adjustments using shortcuts, keys, delays, macros, text, links, run application, and mouse movements.

Even better, the Profile Creator is easy to use and can be grasped by an absolute beginner.

In other words, you can create Loupedeck “presets” for different editing applications. You might create one Custom Profile for Lightroom and another for Photoshop.

That way, as soon as you open up your editing program, you know exactly what to do, and you can customize the Loupedeck CT to fit your particular workflow.

Now, while casual photo editors might not find the Loupedeck CT appealing, this tool is ideal for anyone who does frequent editing. It’ll allow you to streamline your photography workflow so that you can cut down on editing time and focus on doing what you love:

Taking pictures.

You can purchase the Loupedeck Creative Tool for $549 USD.

The post Loupedeck Launches Loupedeck Profile Creator for Creative Professionals appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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[Photography] Finding Photography Inspiration in Ordinary Places

The post Finding Photography Inspiration in Ordinary Places appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Photography is filled with highs and lows. One week you might find yourself overflowing with ideas and see photographic opportunities all around you. The next week, you’re stuck in a vast wasteland where nothing seems to be worthy of your camera. Finding photography inspiration isn’t something that requires exotic travel destinations or even fancy camera gear. Often you can uncover extraordinary picture opportunities in the most ordinary of places.

Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/1.8, 1/2000 second, ISO 400. This mockingbird was sitting in a bush near my office.

Inspiration is a tricky thing. While it can come when you least expect it, I have found that you often have to work for it.

If you’re expecting a brilliant photo opportunity to show up on your doorstep, it probably won’t happen. But if you purposely go out in search of photo opportunities, inspiration is usually close behind.

A quote widely attributed to Thomas Edison says that “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.“

The same applies to photography.

Go on a photo walk. Slowly.

This might sound a bit cliché, but the hustle and hurry of everyday life can be a hindrance to photography. If you’re so busy going to and from work, school, the store, and back, it probably seems like you have no time to take pictures.

When a spare fifteen minutes does come your way, the idea of getting out your camera to take pictures can seem more exhausting than inspiring.

Nikon D750, 50mm, f/8, 1/125 second, ISO 900. Saw this snail on the sidewalk while going from my car to my office. I used a +4 close-up filter which I got online in a four-pack for $30.

A local photo walk can be just the ticket to newfound photography ideas and inspiration. It doesn’t have to be expensive, fancy, or exotic. Instead of spending lots of time and money on a bipedal picture-taking excursion, try just going out your front door and walking down the block. But here’s the trick: go slowly.

The pace of my photo walks has changed over time from a steady gait to almost a crawl. Not literally of course, but you have to tell yourself that your goal isn’t to cover a lot of ground or get your steps in for the day. It’s to look for picture opportunities, often where you never thought you would find them.

Everyday locations like the mailbox, the gas station, the park down the road, or even your own kitchen become fertile ground for inspiration to take root if you keep your eyes open and go slowly.

Nikon D7100, f/2.8, 200mm, 1/1500 second, ISO 100. This was literally in my own back yard.

Your daily locations might not seem exotic to you because you see these things every day. A visitor would see familiar objects with fresh eyes, and the trick to taking this approach is to try to emulate that perspective. Just because you see everyday objects as ordinary and unworthy of photographs, doesn’t mean they can’t lead to flashes of inspiration.

The next time you feel stuck in a photographic rut, take a short, slow walk around a familiar setting and try to see it with a fresh set of eyes. You might be surprised at how things can transform from familiar to phenomenal.

And, even everyday objects can be used for finding photography inspiration.

Fuji X100f, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/30 second, ISO 400. This is just a washing machine still spinning after I opened the lid. I was inspired when I saw it whirling, and I really like the photo I was able to get.

Photograph like you just don’t care

One thing that prevents a lot of people from taking more photos is the thought that they might look silly doing it. I’m as guilty of this as anyone, and most times when I am out with my camera, I feel completely awkward and self-conscious. I feel like the whole world is staring at me, pointing and laughing at the weirdo with a camera taking pictures of sticks and leaves and flowers!

In truth, that is almost certainly not the case.

In all likelihood, most people don’t really care about someone minding his or her own business who just happens to be carrying a camera.

When was the last time you stopped and stared indignantly at a passer-by harmlessly taking pictures? If those types of people don’t bother you, then you probably aren’t bothering anyone when you’re the photographer.

Fuji X100f, 23mm, f/16, 1/30 second, ISO 200. This cyclist probably didn’t even notice I was sitting next to the sidewalk.

This kind of advice is easier said than done, but if finding photography inspiration is your goal, then you have to stop worrying about what people think.

Some of my favorite pictures I’ve ever taken were in ordinary places like parks or downtown areas filled with people. And, not once has anyone ever told me I was bothering them.

Make sure you’re not being rude, obnoxious, or intrusive when taking pictures. If you’re just being a nice person and not bothering anyone, you can be almost entirely certain that no one will think twice about your presence. If they do, they probably think you’re some kind of fancy artist who clearly knows a lot about photography!

Nikon D200, 50mm, f/1.8, 1/50 second, ISO 400. I felt incredibly awkward and self-conscious taking pictures in a library. I wasn’t harming anyone, and I ended up with a few photos I really liked. It turned into a fun and inspirational experience!

Don’t try to take good photos

This took me a long time to learn, but it’s a lesson that has repeatedly made a big difference for me.

Years ago when I started getting more involved with photography, I thought only great photos were worth taking. I constantly passed up photo opportunities because I didn’t think the results would be worth the effort, and wouldn’t lead to any sort of photography inspiration.

What I learned was that inspiration takes the exact opposite approach! The images I thought were boring, mundane, or just flat-out bad taught me how to improve my photography by leaps and bounds. By examining my bad photos, I was able to understand why they were bad. They helped me learn how to take good photos as a result.

Nikon D200, 50mm, f/2.8, 1/1000 second, ISO 200. This is one of the most boring photos I can recall taking. It’s just not very good. But it taught me a lot about what does make a photo good.

There’s an old saying, Don’t let a perfect plan be the enemy of a good plan. It applies in a variety of situations, particularly photography.

If you’re waiting for inspiration to strike because you are seeking the perfect image, you might be waiting a very very long time. Try the opposite approach instead: take lots of pictures that aren’t great, and see what they can teach you along the way.

Another thing to consider is the sheer enjoyment of the art.

Stop thinking of your images in terms of objective quantification. Learn to value process over product! It’s the repeated practice of process that leads to superior products.

Take pictures because you enjoy it, not because you think the end result is good or bad. Enjoy the journey, take pictures just because you like it, and let that be your source of inspiration.

Nikon D200, 50mm, f/1.8, 1/125 second, ISO 200. I shot this photo years ago just for fun, and I still think about it when I go up and down stairs in tall buildings.

Take a social media hiatus

While social media sites like Instagram can be a boon to photographers, they can also be a curse.

Finding photography inspiration online can seem like a no-brainer: just follow some accounts with brilliant photos and you’ll surely get ideas for your own!

In reality, what often ends up happening is we compare our own photos to others and conclude that we just don’t measure up. All the other pictures look so amazing, so detailed, so colorful, and so full of life! Yours, by contrast, seem dull and lifeless. Worse, your pictures (even ones that you thought were awesome) only got a handful of likes, hearts, or thumbs-up. Meanwhile, someone else’s shot of breakfast cereal got a thousand. It’s just not fair!

Fuji X100f, 23mm, f/16, 30 seconds, ISO 200. I worked hard to get this shot, and it only got 21 likes on Instagram. If I measured my value as a photographer by social media standards, no way would I ever keep going.

Social media can be inspiring, but just as often it can be downright demoralizing.

The solution?

Get rid of social media!

Don’t delete all your accounts, but turn off notifications for photo-sharing sites and move those apps to the neglected depths of your phone screen. Log off social media sites on your computer, and stop measuring your worth by likes and upvotes.

This has consistently been one of the most effective ways of finding photography inspiration for me. Temporarily shutting out social media, removes any temptation to take photos for online accolades and attention. I start to take pictures that are interesting, challenging, or fun. Then I soon find inspiration flooding back.

Nikon D200, 50mm, f/1.8, 1/2500 second, ISO 200. I shot this long before I was sharing photos on social media. It’s nice to return to those halcyon days sometimes.

Conclusion

Finding photography inspiration isn’t always easy, but it can be simpler than you think. It doesn’t have to involve a lot of time, money, travel, or fancy camera gear either.

Inspiration can come in ordinary ways from ordinary places, and lead to some outstanding results.

What about you? What are your favorite ways to get inspired as a photographer? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The post Finding Photography Inspiration in Ordinary Places appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

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[Photography] The Canon EOS R5 Will Be a 5D Series Mirrorless Camera

The post The Canon EOS R5 Will Be a 5D Series Mirrorless Camera appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

The Canon EOS R5 has been making waves in recent months, ever since Canon officially confirmed several of its features, including 20 frames-per-second shooting speed, true 8K video, and in-body image stabilization.

However, despite such tidbits, we were in the dark about a number of EOS R5 characteristics, including its price, its resolution, and its position in the Canon mirrorless lineup.

Until today.

While Canon has yet to tell us the R5’s price and megapixel count, we have something that could be just as valuable:

That the EOS R5 is a “5-series” camera. In other words, the R5 is designed for the same users as the Canon 5D Mark IV, Canon’s professional/semi-professional body with all-around capabilities.

This comes straight from Canon’s Product Marketing Specialist, David Parry, whose thoughts on the EOS R5 were published in an interview with TechRadar.

When asked about the EOS R5 design, Parry explained that “because this is a 5-series, more people at that kind of level will expect functions similar to what you get on a 5D.”

Parry went on to say that the EOS R5 is “aimed at [the 5D] level of the market,” though it “isn’t a replacement for the 5D Mark IV or anything like that. But this is a mirrorless 5-series, it’s aimed at that segment of the market.”

What does this mean?

For one, the price tag on the EOS R5 is likely to be in the low $3000 USD range (comparable to that of the 5D Mark IV at the time of release). Though it’s possible that the edition of some advanced features, such as IBIS and 8K video, will push the price up to the $3500-3800 mark.

You can also expect a similar level of weather sealing to the 5D Mark IV, a camera that’s quite tough, and a resolution of at least 30 MP (but probably significantly higher).

And the EOS R5 should be an all-around professional body, good for landscape photographers, wildlife photographers, portrait photographers, product photographers, and more.

In terms of resolution, assuming the 5D Mark IV offers an aspect ratio similar to that of UHD or Cinema 4K, the EOS R5 must feature 33 MP or more. The 45 MP rumor that recently circulated seems plausible and would be a significant bump up from both the EOS R’s and 5D Mark IV’s 30 MP sensors.

One last thing to bear in mind:

While the EOS R5 was expected to ship this summer, supply chain problems due to the novel coronavirus may delay this launch. At worst, you can expect the EOS R5 before the year is out.

Now over to you:

Would you take the EOS R5 over the 5D Mark IV? What are your thoughts about the camera that the EOS R5 is shaping up to be? Let me know in the comments!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

The post The Canon EOS R5 Will Be a 5D Series Mirrorless Camera appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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[Photography] How to Use the Luminar 4 Pro Tools Panel

The post How to Use the Luminar 4 Pro Tools Panel appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Christian Hoiberg.

Luminar 4 is an intuitive photo editor that’s used by both complete beginners and advanced photographers. Their popular Artificial Intelligence tools such as the AI Sky Replacement and AI Enhance have been talked about a lot, but I want us to take a closer look at the Luminar 4 Pro Tools category.

Don’t be fooled, though. Despite being named ‘Pro Tools’ and containing more advanced tools, most of them are still easy to use. There aren’t any AI tools in this category, so you will need to do a little more manual work.

The Professional Tools category is the final tools category marked with the ‘Pro’ icon. Click it to expand the Professional panel and reveal 7 tools.

Let’s take a closer look at the tools in Luminar 4 Pro Tools panel:

The Advanced Contrast Tool

This is a tool that I recommend you learn and take advantage of. In fact, it’s one of my most used tools in Luminar.

Contrast is important in photography, but it can be difficult to apply it correctly. Globally applying contrast can lead to shadows becoming too dark and highlights becoming too bright.

The ‘Smart Contrast’ tool (found in the Essentials Tools), does a good job avoiding this by taking the histogram into the equation. But you’ll often want better control over where contrast is introduced.

That’s where the Advanced Contrast Tool comes in handy. It allows you to manually adjust the amount of contrast introduced to specific zones in the photo.

I find that the Highlights and Midtones sliders work best for landscape images. Midtones contrast is something I regularly work on in my images and this is an easy method to do so.

Remember that each image might react differently to these adjustments, so make sure to experiment a little with the sliders before to find what suits a particular image the best.

The Adjustable Gradient Tool

The next tool in the Luminar 4 Pro Tools panel is the Adjustable Gradient Tool.

This tool is useful when you want to make a quick adjustment to the top or bottom part of an image. It’s also a useful tool for those who prefer an easy solution, but it lacks the possibility to create multiple gradients in different orientations (for this you need to create different gradients on individual layers).

In other words, this is a good tool for more default adjustments if you just need to darken the sky or desaturate the foreground.

Top/Bottom defines which area of the image gets affected by the adjustments. You can use both at the same time – applying individual adjustment settings to areas above the gradient and below.

The smoothness of the transition between the two adjustments depends on the distance between the top and bottom line in the gradient.

The Dodge & Burn Tool

Dodging & Burning has been around since the beginning of photography. The fact that it’s still used in the digital darkroom is a testament to its effectiveness and a great reason why you could implement it into your post-processing workflow.

Click Start Painting to reveal the Dodge & Burn tool tab above your image. This is where you choose to Lighten (Dodge), Darken (Burn) or Erase the effect. You can also adjust the brush size and intensity.

You can switch between the Lighten and Darken brush at any time. If you want to brighten places in the image, simply click the Lighten button and adjust the brush size and strength.

You can now brush along the areas you want to brighten. Should you accidentally brush somewhere you weren’t supposed to, you can use the Erase option to remove it.

When you’re finished with dodging and burning, click the Done button. You can use the Overall Amount slider to adjust the global intensity of the adjustment. Reduce the amount to lower the opacity of the adjustment.

Before Dodge & Burn

After Dodge & Burn

The Color Enhancer Tool

Several tools impact the colors in your photos, but none of them are quite as advanced as the Color Enhancer Tool. Here you get several options that give you precise control over both the global and local colors.

You can target Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights individually by selecting them from the Range Selector buttons. Note that the sliders below are linked to the individual tonal region, allowing you to make adjustments to each of them.

Use the sliders to adjust the balance of the Cyan-Red, Magenta-Green and Yellow-Blue colors. You can use these to, for example, correct the colors in your image or to give a creative look to it.

The Photo Filter Tool

Another tool in the Luminar 4 Pro Tools panel is the Photo Filter. You can use this filter to add extra warmth or cool down an image by simulating a color filter placed in front of a camera.

You can apply it in order to make a sunset sky ‘pop,’ or to give your image an artistic look; it all depends on how you choose to use it.

The Split Toning Tool

The final tool found in the Luminar 4 Pro Tools Category is the powerful Split Toning Tool. It can be used to either introduce color toning to Black & White images or to add a color cast to the shadows and highlights individually.

Amount controls the overall intensity of the applied color toning.

Highlights Hue lets you adjust the colors found in the bright areas of your image.

Highlights Saturation increases the intensity of the colors in the bright areas.

Shadows Hue lets you adjust the colors found in the darker areas of your image.

Shadows Saturation increases the intensity of the colors in the darker areas.

Balance shifts the balance between highlights and shadows and how they’re affected.

Before Split Toning

After Split Toning

Conclusion

The Luminar 4 Pro Tools category contains a bunch of powerful tools that can help take your post-processing to the next level. There’s no need to be intimidated because of its name. However, I do recommend spending some time playing and experimenting with the tools.

Several of the tools can quickly become a bit ‘too much’ and need to be applied with some caution. However, when used right, these are the tools that can help your images stand out from the crowd.

Are you using Luminar 4 and would like to learn how you can create professional-looking images with it? Then make sure to have a look at my popular eBook ‘A Photographer’s Guide to Luminar 4′. Here you’ll learn everything you need about mastering this popular photo-editor.

If you have any questions or comments, pop them into the comments section.

The post How to Use the Luminar 4 Pro Tools Panel appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Christian Hoiberg.

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