Creating a Dramatic Landscape with Lightroom and Photoshop

Learn how to create striking black-and-white versions of your landscape photos with Lightroom and Photoshop.

See how to combine Lightroom and Photoshop to create a dramatic black-and-white landscape photo. Photographer and long-time teacher Chris Orwig starts in Lightroom with a raw, full-color image, and uses the B&W panel and basic controls to convert it to black and white. The second half of the course takes place in Photoshop, where Chris uses its more sophisticated toolset to remove distractions, enhance contrast, and play up the natural elements in the background and foreground of the landscape.

Introduction

• Welcome
• Using the exercise files

1. Beginning with Lightroom

• Customizing the interface
• Converting to black and white using the Black & White panel
• Improving the image with the Basic controls
• Creating a virtual copy and improving the details
• Opening the photograph in Photoshop

2. Finishing with Photoshop

• Removing distracting elements with the Clone Stamp and the Healing Brush
• Using an advanced channel mask and curves to improve the sky
• Enhancing the sky with Camera Raw
• Enhancing the foreground and mountains with Camera Raw
• Painting in brightness on the sky with masks and curves
• Using masking and curves to paint in brightness and darkness

Conclusion

• Project review and next steps