I do know that you do your focus stacking manually without using the Photoshop built in method, and I would love to see a more detailed video of exactly how you handle focus stacking. I do have problems with my focus stacking and would love to see exactly what you look for when taking the photos through your workflow to the finished product. Or you could just tell me to go away… whichever works?
Which aperture are you using? I tried for a period f/5.6 because it was the sharpest aperture but it was difficult to get good fokus stacked images. I changed to f/11 and the problem was gone
Love you, your work, and how you can convey knowledge without it feeling boring or stuffy. Great to see this kind of channel from you, I'm sure it will help many and hopefully drive people to buy your courses.
I would love to see some videos on going for Lightroom to using Luminar Neo and how to learn how to do edits for landscapes. Loved this video and I am now a follower.
I think this is every bit as much about photography as shooting and editing, and it is indeed a workflow, but I’d love to see how you manage your files. From offloading them to your computer to file management to archiving, everyone has their own preferred methods but I would suspect you have a pretty solid regimen. Love this new channel mate.
Thanks for this. Can you please do videos on your file management systems - uploading, including to Luminar Neo and your management of the images after you have processed them would be really helpful?
Editing skills are almost harder to get to grips with than camera skills certainly for the less IT trained novice photographer. Luminar Neo simplifies the editing as opposed to Lightroom/Photoshop (I think - as a Luminar user with no Lightroom/Photoshop skills). Some editing tips for Luminar might go down well. You’re a great teacher Gavin 👏👏😀
Hi Gavin. I am with you in that you can get the most pleasing results (and have much more control) by creating a stack of exposures and then blending with various masks and brushes. I have used various HDR tools (Lightroom, ON1 PhotoRAW HDR tool, and some dedicated HDR tools) and they all seem to yield quite flat results and the amount of work required together them looking good, you may as well just manually stack and mask and tweak the layers to get the best result. I am by no means a pro but I picked up a lot from you and others (Grumpy, Heaton, Nick Page, etc,) and a good bit of experimentation on my own but it is always an on going learning process as each scene is unique.
Excellent video (as well as your exposure blend video). I would like to see a tutorial on the acquisition and post processing of panoramas that were acquired through focus stacking and exposure blending.
Do more on layers in Luminar. Adjustment layers, opening multiple at once, etc. I am trying to figure out if Luminar could replace Adobe in the my workflow.
thanks for this tutorial,I have not tried to block out the sun like this but I'm going to now.The sun flares can be a pain in the ...! Thanks, keep this channel going .
Simple and effective! Thank you for a great video. A luminar exposure blending course for landscapes would be very helpful. These days I am only using HDR for real estate photography and it works great especially when using the presets I made for it. I would love to buy your new course if it was Luminar, since I got rid of Adobe.
Love it. Great explanation and easy to follow instructions. Don't tell Nick Page, but this channel is fast becoming my go-to for editing tips and techniques. 😊
Hi Gavin, love your videos. Don't remember where I saw it but id my old memory servers me right you use Excire. Could you do something on a streamlined process. I recently purchased Excire and thought I had it figured out but would assume that there is a better way to use. Thanks and keep the videos coming.
Congrats on the new channel Gavin! I just ordered your exposure blending course. One tutorial topic that I would love to see would be how you handle situations where you have to both focus stack and exposure blend. First, how do you shoot it and then how do you combine all those shots in post. Cheers!
Great video Gavin. My current need is how to deal with masking trees against skies. I have a few images where I've exposed for the brighter sky and foreground (trees/branches) are now under-exposed and I need to bring them out. Masking accurately is proving to be a pain in the hoop
No matter what technique you use the issue is always going to be movement. Any wind and you'll have alignment issues. The key with those shots is to brighten up the shadows in the darker exposure as much as you can. For that, you'll need lots of dynamic range in your camera. If there's no movement, it won't be an issue but you'd have to be very lucky with zero wind.
Excellent presentation, Gavin. I look forward to future videos from your studio (though I do miss Amanda). I utilize Luminar Neo very much in my editing. I found your hand trick and layering very helpful.
very interesting video Gavin, really appreciate you sharing your photographic skills from start to finished amazing image, I have been showing interest in neon Luminar, it certainly looks not so complicated photo shop, again many thanks for shearing.
Hi Gavin, love your videos (and the comments from your wife in the background about everything being HER idea). Keep it up. I would be interested in your MO with 14 en 16 mm lenses and how to keep distortions within a certain level. See you soon.
Maybe an episode on tips on location scouting for us non-pros? I regularly use a combination of Google earth, street view, photopills, Google searches, etc. when planning a trip to a new location. Is there more I'm missing? Some secret tidbits you might be willing to share? (I mean who doesn't share their "tidbits" online these days.) 😂 But in all seriousness, that could be an interesting topic for an episode.
Great video video Gavin, I would request focus stay, and how would do your techniques in the most common software used, ie LightRoom and photoshop. Personally I do have much cash to spend on acquiring different software packages, and the time to learn them.
I liked this video a lot. Learned some things about Luminar Neo that I didn't know. Throwing in that technique for blocking a lens flare is great. I'll have to remember that. More stuff like this. The length was perfect. I wouldn't mind longer videos, if the circumstances call for it.
Love the tutorials! Another one I'd like to see would be your file management process. Maybe not the most exciting but important and a potential hurdle for newbies. I struggled with this especially back when I was using Luminar 4, honestly part of the reason I switched to Lightroom. Granted I was using multiple computers (Macbook for travel and PC for edits at home).
Very nice, I don't have Luminar but some of the concepts definitely translate to Lightroom or even Photoshop. If you need content, I'd love to see a fully manual way to focus stack in Ps. I have an image that I think will be manifiqua if only I could get it to work. I'm considering buying one of those software packages that do it for you, but I'd rather give a manual version a chance. My image has a barbed wire fence and Photoshop just doesn't see it. And I just can't figure out how to paint areas back in. It seems to delete pixels rather than mask them out. Anyway... yeah, that's my suggestion. Thanks!
How do you combat atmospheric haze or haze from smoke with mountain landscapes? The same goes for blue casts on a grouping of trees. That would make a good video. Thanks!
Very interesting channel! As good as your other fototripper channel. I am looking for software to use with Capture One Pro for focus photostacking. Can I use Luminar Neo to do that ? Thank you !
I would like you to show your focus points, especially when you only take one image and the photo is tack sharp. Also show the focus points when you focus stack.
I only make actions for repeated functions like 'Align Images' or dropping my logo into an image. Things like dodging and burning are unique to each image.
Nice one! Personally I'd like to see more about editing! There's tons out there on getting the perfect shot, but not a whole lot of good content on editing or attempting to achieve specific looks in comparison.
A sunsational (sorry for the pun) educational vid. Thanks bro. Maybe develop a very entry level series for the various tools you use in the studio. They could lay a foundation for your existing or newly created more intermediate or masterclass level courses you make available for sale 🙌
Good after Sir, I still only take phone photos and use Lightroom mobile for my editing but Would love to switch to an actual camera someday, that's why I enjoy your shows and they also help with phone-photography. I'm just curious if you know how to add a water mark on the photos using Lightroom mobile? I use a S23 Ultra and Ive had some of my pictures being taken before, I have looked it up on RUclips and what they instruct to do isn't working. if I could possibly email you the water mark I am trying to put on my mobile photos I would really appreciate the help Sir.
I notice that Luminar's HDR tool creates a TIF file. Lightroom creates a DNG file that should allow for more editing flexibility. What do you think? I rarely do exposure blending myself but I enjoy your process. I guess I don't seek out high dynamic range images as much as you do.
More editing flexibility than your original raw file? I don't use LR. The only time I ever need to make DNG files is to make lo-rez RAW files for my courses.
Here’s what might be dry topic, but I’d find some value in how to manage the multiple files for something like a bracketed, focused stacked pano, you know, those sets of 15-20-25 different shots for a single image…. I often come back and feeling quite overwhelmed on where to start and how to process and manage the files… my library of files looks like a college students dorm room after a weekend of drinking… 🤦♂️
Unfortunately the two bottom sun rays that project out to the bottom of the image are cut back. I think with some creative editing you could bring them back into the image, that's if you want them in the image. I do like the look of the foreground rock with the sun flare removed from the right side of the image. Maybe it's just me but you surely didn't pick the easiest image to edit. That being said great video and although I use Adobe it's also interesting see this edited in Luminar Neo 👍👍
This is the kind of thing I need to get into and focus stacking but I'm wanting to use software that's not on subscription unlike Photoshop, I'm looking to the future and retirement several years away yet but I'd like to keep the costs down because I'll not have so much money to play with. P.S. I received a nice little unicorn cutout which came carefully wrapped in a book called Stories within Stories by Gavin Hardcastle (whoever he is) a Trezmendous book from what I've seen, I'm taking it with me to Cornwall in two weeks for something to read in the evenings. Many thanks, Kevin from Doncaster.
I think LR has a half-decent HDR tool but I can't stand the one in Photoshop. Either way, the best option is to manually blend exposures in either Photoshop or Luminar Neo. That's why I made a course all about it ;)
@@fototripperstudio I am considering purchasing Luminar Neo now - they have a nice sale going on. I’m also looking at purchasing your course. I’ll probably do that before Luminar Neo. Thanks again and love your vids. Hello to Amanda!
HDR technically still exists. Your camera does it every time you click the shutter. But I know what you mean -- the process of merging multiple exposures together to create one balance exposure, and perhaps that method is dying, but the concept that HDR in general is going away is far from the truth as we have cameras now that can capture 13-15 stops of light, which would be considered "high dynamic range".
Exposure Blending Simplified: www.fototripper.com/store/exposure-blending-simplified-hd-video-tutorials/
Thanks for the neo tutorial. Please more skylum tutorials!
I do know that you do your focus stacking manually without using the Photoshop built in method, and I would love to see a more detailed video of exactly how you handle focus stacking. I do have problems with my focus stacking and would love to see exactly what you look for when taking the photos through your workflow to the finished product. Or you could just tell me to go away… whichever works?
Which aperture are you using?
I tried for a period f/5.6 because it was the sharpest aperture but it was difficult to get good fokus stacked images.
I changed to f/11 and the problem was gone
Love you, your work, and how you can convey knowledge without it feeling boring or stuffy. Great to see this kind of channel from you, I'm sure it will help many and hopefully drive people to buy your courses.
I don't even have Luminar Neo yet and I'll still watch your videos. I always learn so much.
I would love to see some videos on going for Lightroom to using Luminar Neo and how to learn how to do edits for landscapes. Loved this video and I am now a follower.
Very interesting and helpful. More Luminar Neo tutorials please. Hopefully Amanda will be co-starring.
I think this is every bit as much about photography as shooting and editing, and it is indeed a workflow, but I’d love to see how you manage your files. From offloading them to your computer to file management to archiving, everyone has their own preferred methods but I would suspect you have a pretty solid regimen.
Love this new channel mate.
That’s a please from me too! File management is the “don’t look behind the curtain” of digital image development.
Thanks for this. Can you please do videos on your file management systems - uploading, including to Luminar Neo and your management of the images after you have processed them would be really helpful?
Editing skills are almost harder to get to grips with than camera skills certainly for the less IT trained novice photographer. Luminar Neo simplifies the editing as opposed to Lightroom/Photoshop (I think - as a Luminar user with no Lightroom/Photoshop skills). Some editing tips for Luminar might go down well.
You’re a great teacher Gavin 👏👏😀
Thanks Doug
My very thoughts to as a Luminar Neo user.
Hi Gavin. I am with you in that you can get the most pleasing results (and have much more control) by creating a stack of exposures and then blending with various masks and brushes. I have used various HDR tools (Lightroom, ON1 PhotoRAW HDR tool, and some dedicated HDR tools) and they all seem to yield quite flat results and the amount of work required together them looking good, you may as well just manually stack and mask and tweak the layers to get the best result.
I am by no means a pro but I picked up a lot from you and others (Grumpy, Heaton, Nick Page, etc,) and a good bit of experimentation on my own but it is always an on going learning process as each scene is unique.
Excellent video (as well as your exposure blend video). I would like to see a tutorial on the acquisition and post processing of panoramas that were acquired through focus stacking and exposure blending.
Would love to see a luminar exposure blending course
Thanks. I am new to Luminar NEO so this is helpful.
I’m convinced. No more auto-bracketing for me and I’m open to the hand mask thing too.
Do more on layers in Luminar. Adjustment layers, opening multiple at once, etc. I am trying to figure out if Luminar could replace Adobe in the my workflow.
Fototripper studios like this are super helpful
Thank goodness for the algorithm bringing here. I didn’t know this channel existed
thanks for this tutorial,I have not tried to block out the sun like this but I'm going to now.The sun flares can be a pain in the ...! Thanks, keep this channel going .
Simple and effective! Thank you for a great video. A luminar exposure blending course for landscapes would be very helpful. These days I am only using HDR for real estate photography and it works great especially when using the presets I made for it. I would love to buy your new course if it was Luminar, since I got rid of Adobe.
Love it. Great explanation and easy to follow instructions. Don't tell Nick Page, but this channel is fast becoming my go-to for editing tips and techniques. 😊
Love the blurred hasselblad lens :D So what is it then... do tell!
I wonder if the blurred lens can even take sharp pictures.
Thank you! As a Luminar Neo user I am very interested in more videos of processing with Neo.
Focus stacking waterfalls with long exposure silky water would interest me.
Fun little video!
Thank you! Exactly what the doctor ordered.
Shooting a panorama and what makes a good panorama when out in the field.
Please, complete workflow from composition, shooting, creating masterpiece 😊
That would be a loooong video.
Always gooood a long video.
I'd appreciate a tutorial on planning landscape or astrophotography trips.
I would enjoy a combination of camera technique and then editing to achieve the final image. Enjoy your videos. Thank you
Hi Gavin, love your videos. Don't remember where I saw it but id my old memory servers me right you use Excire. Could you do something on a streamlined process. I recently purchased Excire and thought I had it figured out but would assume that there is a better way to use. Thanks and keep the videos coming.
Congrats on the new channel Gavin! I just ordered your exposure blending course. One tutorial topic that I would love to see would be how you handle situations where you have to both focus stack and exposure blend. First, how do you shoot it and then how do you combine all those shots in post. Cheers!
Yes, I’m very much for that kind of video👍
Thanks, Roger. From all the requests I've received I'm defo gonna do an advanced focus stacking course.
@@fototripperstudio Wonderful. Thanks!
Great video Gavin. My current need is how to deal with masking trees against skies. I have a few images where I've exposed for the brighter sky and foreground (trees/branches) are now under-exposed and I need to bring them out. Masking accurately is proving to be a pain in the hoop
No matter what technique you use the issue is always going to be movement. Any wind and you'll have alignment issues. The key with those shots is to brighten up the shadows in the darker exposure as much as you can. For that, you'll need lots of dynamic range in your camera. If there's no movement, it won't be an issue but you'd have to be very lucky with zero wind.
Excellent presentation, Gavin. I look forward to future videos from your studio (though I do miss Amanda). I utilize Luminar Neo very much in my editing. I found your hand trick and layering very helpful.
Really enjoy this new channel. Keep them coming. 👌🏼
very interesting video Gavin, really appreciate you sharing your photographic skills from start to finished amazing image, I have been showing interest in neon Luminar, it certainly looks not so complicated photo shop, again many thanks for shearing.
Hi Gavin, love your videos (and the comments from your wife in the background about everything being HER idea). Keep it up. I would be interested in your MO with 14 en 16 mm lenses and how to keep distortions within a certain level. See you soon.
with a 14mm I embrace the distortion. It's only usually a problem with flat horizon lines and reflections.
Perhaps a focus bracketing tutorial please?
Maybe an episode on tips on location scouting for us non-pros? I regularly use a combination of Google earth, street view, photopills, Google searches, etc. when planning a trip to a new location. Is there more I'm missing? Some secret tidbits you might be willing to share? (I mean who doesn't share their "tidbits" online these days.) 😂 But in all seriousness, that could be an interesting topic for an episode.
No man, you're already doing way more planning than I do...except maybe checking tides.
@fototripperstudio oh..... well I guess then just say hi to the cat for me. 😹
Great video video Gavin, I would request focus stay, and how would do your techniques in the most common software used, ie LightRoom and photoshop. Personally I do have much cash to spend on acquiring different software packages, and the time to learn them.
This is awesome sauce
I liked this video a lot. Learned some things about Luminar Neo that I didn't know. Throwing in that technique for blocking a lens flare is great. I'll have to remember that.
More stuff like this. The length was perfect. I wouldn't mind longer videos, if the circumstances call for it.
I personally like the editing side of things. Maybe try and do as much as you can without needing a bunch of other software. Keep up the great vids !!
Love the tutorials! Another one I'd like to see would be your file management process. Maybe not the most exciting but important and a potential hurdle for newbies. I struggled with this especially back when I was using Luminar 4, honestly part of the reason I switched to Lightroom. Granted I was using multiple computers (Macbook for travel and PC for edits at home).
Can we do some focus stacking videos please :)
Very nice, I don't have Luminar but some of the concepts definitely translate to Lightroom or even Photoshop. If you need content, I'd love to see a fully manual way to focus stack in Ps. I have an image that I think will be manifiqua if only I could get it to work. I'm considering buying one of those software packages that do it for you, but I'd rather give a manual version a chance. My image has a barbed wire fence and Photoshop just doesn't see it. And I just can't figure out how to paint areas back in. It seems to delete pixels rather than mask them out. Anyway... yeah, that's my suggestion. Thanks!
How do you combat atmospheric haze or haze from smoke with mountain landscapes? The same goes for blue casts on a grouping of trees. That would make a good video. Thanks!
Great tutorial
Beautifully done. Many thanks.
I’d like to see you photograph and edit the aurora😃🙌
Me too
Thanks for this!
Great video. And love that you did it in Luminar Neo.
Yes, we need more professional photographers who show how to use Luminar Neo in professional ways. Stick it to da man!
Very interesting channel! As good as your other fototripper channel. I am looking for software to use with Capture One Pro for focus photostacking. Can I use Luminar Neo to do that ? Thank you !
Take a look at Affinity Photo. I really like it and it does everything I want after Capture One develops the raw file.
Thank you for the information! I will look at it !
I would like you to show your focus points, especially when you only take one image and the photo is tack sharp. Also show the focus points when you focus stack.
Very cool stuff.
What I really need a tutorial on is how to get the superbly quaffed hair doo you sport...
Just paint it on.
Hi Gavin, in Photoshop do you make your own Actions eg Doge & Burn Action, this may be really helpful
I only make actions for repeated functions like 'Align Images' or dropping my logo into an image. Things like dodging and burning are unique to each image.
Nice one! Personally I'd like to see more about editing! There's tons out there on getting the perfect shot, but not a whole lot of good content on editing or attempting to achieve specific looks in comparison.
up sizing and printing
great video, id really like to see a starter guide for photoshop, for complete beginners:)
I already made one www.fototripper.com/store/photoshop-for-morons-hd-video-tutorials/
A sunsational (sorry for the pun) educational vid. Thanks bro.
Maybe develop a very entry level series for the various tools you use in the studio. They could lay a foundation for your existing or newly created more intermediate or masterclass level courses you make available for sale 🙌
Good after Sir, I still only take phone photos and use Lightroom mobile for my editing but Would love to switch to an actual camera someday, that's why I enjoy your shows and they also help with phone-photography. I'm just curious if you know how to add a water mark on the photos using Lightroom mobile? I use a S23 Ultra and Ive had some of my pictures being taken before, I have looked it up on RUclips and what they instruct to do isn't working. if I could possibly email you the water mark I am trying to put on my mobile photos I would really appreciate the help Sir.
Very helpful video and I like the new channel. It’s all rainbows and unicorns… nice subliminal message, brought to you courtesy of the mic clip.
Or is it sub-subliminal?
@@fototripperstudio it's just sub-subscribe I guess
why have i never thought about using my hand to block out lens flairs ... dman thats a game changer.
I notice that Luminar's HDR tool creates a TIF file. Lightroom creates a DNG file that should allow for more editing flexibility. What do you think?
I rarely do exposure blending myself but I enjoy your process. I guess I don't seek out high dynamic range images as much as you do.
More editing flexibility than your original raw file? I don't use LR. The only time I ever need to make DNG files is to make lo-rez RAW files for my courses.
@@fototripperstudio no. It's slightly compressed; so not as much flexibility as a RAW file, but more than a TIF.
Here’s what might be dry topic, but I’d find some value in how to manage the multiple files for something like a bracketed, focused stacked pano, you know, those sets of 15-20-25 different shots for a single image…. I often come back and feeling quite overwhelmed on where to start and how to process and manage the files… my library of files looks like a college students dorm room after a weekend of drinking… 🤦♂️
hahahah
Great video
maybe do some photo critique with images from your viewers and explain what you would do differently
Good idea
Tremendous Gavin 👍🏽
Unfortunately the two bottom sun rays that project out to the bottom of the image are cut back. I think with some creative editing you could bring them back into the image, that's if you want them in the image. I do like the look of the foreground rock with the sun flare removed from the right side of the image. Maybe it's just me but you surely didn't pick the easiest image to edit. That being said great video and although I use Adobe it's also interesting see this edited in Luminar Neo 👍👍
Yeah Luminar has come a long way in the last couple of years.
❤❤❤❤❤
This is the kind of thing I need to get into and focus stacking but I'm wanting to use software that's not on subscription unlike Photoshop, I'm looking to the future and retirement several years away yet but I'd like to keep the costs down because I'll not have so much money to play with. P.S. I received a nice little unicorn cutout which came carefully wrapped in a book called Stories within Stories by Gavin Hardcastle (whoever he is) a Trezmendous book from what I've seen, I'm taking it with me to Cornwall in two weeks for something to read in the evenings. Many thanks, Kevin from Doncaster.
Thanks for the support Kev :)
Have a look at affinity Photo for post processing.
No subscription fees, just a 1 off payment currently around £60.
David from Huddersfield
Is the new coarse showing this blending on Photoshop or Neo?
It's all Photoshop.
For those of us who don’t have Luminar Neo and use Lightroom and Photoshop are we out of options?
I think LR has a half-decent HDR tool but I can't stand the one in Photoshop. Either way, the best option is to manually blend exposures in either Photoshop or Luminar Neo. That's why I made a course all about it ;)
@@fototripperstudio I am considering purchasing Luminar Neo now - they have a nice sale going on. I’m also looking at purchasing your course. I’ll probably do that before Luminar Neo. Thanks again and love your vids. Hello to Amanda!
Certainly more post processing. Thanks.
To me good HDR or exposure merge is when you cannot tell it is a composite image.
Why don't you do a couple videos on the most common questions you get during workshops or 1 on 1s?
Those questions cannot be asked on this platform. I'd get cancelled!
HDR technically still exists. Your camera does it every time you click the shutter. But I know what you mean -- the process of merging multiple exposures together to create one balance exposure, and perhaps that method is dying, but the concept that HDR in general is going away is far from the truth as we have cameras now that can capture 13-15 stops of light, which would be considered "high dynamic range".
Bummer. I was hoping the course was with Luminar Neo.
It was but I messed up the chapter links. Fixed now.
And the conspiracy theorists are wondering about the fuzzed out lens. 🤣