Unleashed Edit: Bijou's Moody Edit

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The light, composition and pose of Bijou in this semi-candid portrait was just begging for a dramatic and moody edit.

But with this backlit image so cool and flat, it really needed some work to correct the white balance and bring back some contrast to the background and the subject.

Lightroom’s new masking tools made this process much easier, allowing precise selections and edits that could be applied selectively to the image. A few tricks in Photoshop helped to complete the edit, before a little more local tweaking after the crop in Lightroom.

Instructor: Charlotte Reeves

Video length: 34 minutes

Software: Lightroom and Photoshop

Skill level: Advanced

What you'll learn

Lightroom

Why it’s important to keep the real-life colour of the dog in mind when editing
When to use the Tone Curve adjustments
How you can improve the quality of your images by addressing this common issue with prime lenses
Applying multiple masks to an image to create drama and emotion with light and dark
A handy technique for identifying hard-to-pick colour casts
Techniques for making the subject stand out as the star of the show

Photoshop

A weird but super effective technique for getting rid of stubborn red colour casts in the shadows
How attention to detail really makes a difference in the finished image
Correcting body shape by using Liquify

Lightroom

Why it’s best practice to keep your images at the full resolution until the end of your edit
Why you should let the dog’s position and pose guide your cropping decisions
How to paint with light to direct attention to your subject and help tell the story

Unleashed Edit: Bijou's Moody Edit

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34 minute professionally-produced editing tutorial video
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Your Instructor

Charlotte Reeves

Charlotte is an award-winning Australian pet photographer based in Brisbane. Addicted to creating lightbulb moments for students, Charlotte has been teaching pet photographers since 2013. She relishes simplifying tricky concepts, and helping people achieve their goals by making the learning fun, practical, and positive.

Meet Charlotte