Landscape Retouching: Practical Demonstration

In this photography class, Karl demonstrates how to retouch a landscape image using Camera RAW and Photoshop.

He shows you how to use Camera RAW to get the best out of each image, using colour adjustment tools and adjustment brushes, and how to combine these in Photoshop. You’ll also learn how to recover shadow and highlight detail before working with the images in Photoshop.

Karl then shows you how to combine layers in Photoshop and how to use layer masks to reveal the best parts of multiple layers.

Download the work-along files:

In this class:

  • Photoshop tutorial: How to edit landscape images
  • Landscape retouching tips
  • Using Camera RAW and Photoshop together
  • How to recover highlight and shadow detail in Camera RAW
  • Colour correction in Camera RAW
  • Using layers and layer masks
  • Using rulers and guides in Photoshop

For more advanced retouching techniques for landscape images, visit our Advanced section.

If you have any questions, please post them in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. No idea how you’ve got at start of the video, the two images on top of each other, left side. You should explain that. It’s ”Photoshop for beginners”, but you miss to explain important steps. Normally you should not have open image at start of the video, but record al what you do, from zero. Explanations from A to Z. This is what you do not do enough. This section should be called ‘Photoshop for advanced plus”. Think like a real beginner, and explain and present like a pro.

  2. Your education tutorials are without a doubt the best I have viewed. However, I am disappointed that the versions you are using are outdated. Camera raw in your videos is 8.7.1 and I’m using 15.1., same with PS & LR. I know it’s impossible to update your videos, because if you tried that’s all you would be doing. I looked ahead and have noticed that as you roll out newer content, the versions are newer as well.
    Dave

    1. Thank you Dave, yes we try to keep our more recent post production tutorials up to date and add to them if Adobe add any worthwhile new features.

  3. Hi Karl!
    First of all, thank you so much for amazing content and systematic approach in presenting the topics. My whole life I’ve been intimidated by Photoshop, and finally I feel I’m onto something… I followed your tutorials and was able to get some pretty awesome results. There were a few instances where I struggled a bit and it has something to do with how the software evolved since the tutorials were filmed. I noticed, you were on Camera Raw 8.7.1 and my version, I believe, is 14. I struggled to find a local adjustment brush tool and how to use it in this lesson, in one of the earlier lessons “edge refine” feature which is in “select and mask” workspace. Some of the software difference made it hard to follow. I did have to do some research and finally figured it out. 2022 version has amazing features like creating different kinds of masks, selecting sky or subject. Do you have any video where you discuss the differences between old and new versions of PS and Camera Raw? I, as a complete newbie, would really benefit from such information.

    1. Hi, Thank you very much for your comments, we also have classes that are covering the much more recent versions.

  4. Hi Karl,

    I want to purchase an editing tool, I am considering Adobe Creative Cloud (PS & LR) or Luminar AR and I would appreciate your opinion on both of them if you have one. Is one better than another for product photography?

    Thanks,

    Juliana

    1. Hi Juliana, I use PS extensively and all of our post production training on this site is geared towards PS and LR. I’m afraid I’ve not used Luminar so I can’t really comment on it. Kind regards Karl.

  5. Hey Karl, Just curious have you colour calibrated the TV screen that you’ve got on the table??

  6. I appreciated this training video Karl, so thank you. One minor point was the ability to open up both images in the Camera Raw view and to have both images showing on the left side bar under “Filmstrip.” It appeared that you located the files in File Explorer, double clicked them with the result that they both appeared in the “Filmstrip.” I had problems with this and contacted Adobe and found that for Photoshop Classic you have to open up Photoshop first then click on “File” and “Open” located and highlight the two images the click on Open. Going the File Explorer route gave only one image. Going through Photoshop gave multiple images.
    Cheers from a Brit in California. Peter

  7. Thanks for this video. I found the adjustment brush tool in CR very useful. Regarding this, the mask I am going to create with this tool, Can’t I adjust curves and tonalities?

    Thank you
    Luigi

    1. Hi Luigi, yes you can do similar with curves and a mask in photoshop, that’s basically burn and dodge which is covered extensively in our post production courses.

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