Photographing someone’s Big Day is a beautiful—and stressful—job, especially if you’re not a seasoned pro. This week, PopPhoto is serving up our best advice for capturing that special kind of joy.

A typical wedding day photoshoot can result in thousands of images. After the photographer has spent hours actively capturing the event, hours of culling and editing still loom ahead of them. In an earlier Smarter Image column, I offered an overview of apps designed to sort and edit your photos faster. For this installment, I want to look at the editing side and how AI tools can shave off some of that time.

Consider this situation: You’ve done your initial sort and now you have a series of photos of the bride. They were made in the same location, but the bride strikes different poses and the framing is slightly different from shot to shot. They could all use some editing, and because they’re all similar they’d get the same edits.

This is where automation comes in. In many apps, you can apply edits to one of the images and then copy or sync those edits to the rest. However, that typically works globally, adjusting the tone and color evenly to each full image. What if the overall photo is fine but you want to increase the exposure on just the bride to make her stand out against the backdrop? Well, then you’re back to editing each image individually.

But not necessarily. The advantage of AI-assisted processing is that the software identifies objects within a scene. When the software can pick out the bride and apply edits only to her—even if she moves within the frame—it can save a lot of time and effort.

For this task I’m looking specifically at three apps: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom Classic (the same features appear in the cloud-based Lightroom desktop app), and Skylum Luminar Neo. These apps can identify people and make selective edits on them, and batch-apply those edits to other images.

First, let’s look at the example photos I’m working with to identify what they need. Seattle-based photographer Carol Harrold of Carol Harrold Photography graciously allowed me to use a series of photos from a recent wedding shoot. These are Nikon .NEF Raw images from straight out of the camera. 

The bride is in shadow to avoid harsh highlights on a sunny day, so as a consequence I think she would benefit from additional exposure. Although she’s posing in one spot, she faces two different directions and naturally appears in slightly different positions within each shot. A single mask copied between the images wouldn’t be accurate. For the purposes of this article, I’m only focusing on the exposure on the bride, and not making other adjustments.

Adobe Photoshop

One of Photoshop’s superpowers is the Actions panel, which is where you can automate all sorts of things in the app. And for our purposes, that includes the ability to use the new Select Subject command in an automation.

In this case, I’ve opened the original Raw files, which processes them through the Adobe Camera Raw module; I kept the settings there unchanged. Knowing that I want to apply the same settings to all of the files, I’ll open the Actions panel and click the [+] button to create a new action, name it, and start recording. 

Next, I’ll choose Select > Subject, which selects the bride and adds that as a step in the action.

To adjust the exposure within the selection, I’ll create a new Curves adjustment layer. Doing so automatically makes a mask from the selection, and when I adjust the curve’s properties to lighten the bride, the effect applies only in that selection.

In the interests of keeping things simple for this example, I’ll stick to just that adjustment. In the Actions panel, I’ll click the Stop Recording button. Now I have an action that will select any subject in a photo and increase the exposure using the curve adjustment.

To apply the edits to the set of photos, I’ll choose File > Automate > Batch, and choose the recorded action to run. Since all the images are currently open in Photoshop, I’ll set the Source as Opened Files and the Destination as None, which runs the action on the files without saving them. I could just as easily point it at a folder on disk and create new edited versions.

When I click OK, the action runs and the bride is brightened in each of the images.

The results can seem pretty magical when you consider the time saved by not processing each photo individually, but as with any task involving craftsmanship, make sure to check the details. It’s great that Photoshop can detect the subject, but we’re also assuming it’s detecting subjects correctly each time. If we zoom in on one, for example, part of the bride’s shoulder was not selected, leading to a tone mismatch.

The upside is that the selection exists as a mask on the Curves layer. All I have to do is select the area using the Quick Selection tool and fill the area with white to make the adjustment appear there; I could also use the Brush tool to paint it in. So you may need to apply some touch-ups here and there. 

Lightroom Classic and Lightroom

Photographers who use Lightroom Classic and Lightroom are no doubt familiar with the ability to sync Develop settings among multiple photos—it’s a great way to apply a specific look or LUT to an entire set that could be a signature style or even just a subtle softening effect. The Lightroom apps also incorporate a Select Subject command, making it easy to mask the bride and make our adjustments.

In Lightroom Classic, with one photo edited, I can return to the Library module, select the other similar images, and click the Sync Settings button, or choose Photo > Develop Settings > Sync Settings. (To do the same in Lightroom desktop, select the edited photo in the All Photos view; choose Photo > Copy Edit Settings; select the other images you want to change; and then choose Photo > Paste Edit Settings.)

However, there’s a catch. The Select Subject needs to be reprocessed before it will be applied. In Lightroom Classic, when you click Sync Settings, the dialog that appears does not select the Masking option, and includes the message “AI-powered selections need to be recomputed on the target photo.”

That requires an additional step. After selecting the mask(s) in the dialog and clicking Synchronize, I need to open the next image in the Develop module, click the Masking button, and click the Update button in the panel. 

Doing so reapplies the mask and the settings I made in the first image. Fortunately, with the filmstrip visible at the bottom of the screen, clicking to the next image keeps the focus in the Masking panel, so I can step through each image and click Update. (The process is similar in the Edit panel in Lightroom desktop.)

As with Photoshop, you’ll need to take another look at each image to ensure the mask was applied correctly, and add or remove portions as needed.

Luminar Neo

I frequently cite Luminar’s image syncing as a great example of how machine learning can do the right thing between images. Using the Face AI and Skin AI tools, you can quickly lighten a face, enhance the eyes, remove dark circles, and apply realistic skin smoothing, and then copy those edits to other photos. From the software’s point of view, you’re not asking it to make a change to a specific area of pixels; it knows that in each photo it should first locate the face, and then apply those edits regardless of where in the frame the face appears.

I can still do that with these photos, but it doesn’t help with the exposure of the bride’s entire body. So instead, I’ll use the Relight AI tool in Luminar Neo and increase the Brightness Near value. The software identifies the bride as the foreground subject, increasing the illumination on her without affecting the background.

Returning to the Catalog view, we can see the difference in the bride’s exposure in the first photo compared to the others. 

To apply that edit to the rest, I’ll select them all, making sure the edited version is selected first (indicated by the blue selection outline), and then choose Image > Adjustments > Sync Adjustments. After a few minutes of processing, the other images are updated with the same edit. 

The results are pretty good, with some caveats. On a couple of the shots, the edges are a bit harsh, requiring a trip back to the Relight AI tool to increase the Dehalo control. I should also point out that the results you see above were from the second attempt; on the first try the app registered that it had applied the edit, but the images remained unchanged. I had to revert the photos to their original states and start over.

The latest update to Luminar Neo adds Masking AI technology, which scans the image and makes the individual areas it finds selectable as masks, such as Human, Flora, and Architecture. I thought that it would allow me to identify a more specific mask, but instead, it did the opposite when synced to the rest, applying the adjustment to what appears to be the same pixel area as the source image.

The AI Assistant

Wedding photographers often work with one or more assistants, so think of these AI-powered features as another assistant. Batch processing shots with software that can help target adjustments can help you turn around a large number of images in a short amount of time.

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Lightroom Mobile has come a long way since its start, and it now includes the vast majority of the features you expect to find in the desktop version. One feature that’s not officially supported however, is the use of custom and pre-made presets, like those from VSCO or Mastin Labs. Recently, however, a rep from Adobe shared a clever trick to get all of those presets working on the mobile version, and it’s really simple.

In order for this to work, you obviously need a Creative Cloud account so you can sync images and collections between the desktop and mobile versions of the software. Once you’re syncing, create a collection called “presets.” I named mine “!presets” so it would show up first an in alphabetical list.

Now, find an image in your library and apply the chosen preset or adjustments. Once that image is added to the “Presets” collection, it will sync up to Lightroom mobile. It makes sense to use visually distinctive photos for each preset or set of edits you want to keep on hand so it’s easy to tell which is which. You could even make a graphic with the preset name to use as the base image if you plan on keeping a ton of presets on-hand.

Once you open Lightroom Mobile, the Presets collection will have your image as well as all the edits made to it. A long press will bring up the menu, which includes a “copy settings” option. Selecting it will let you pick and choose the specific edits you want to copy over.

Now, you simply select the image to which you want to apply the preset and long press to bring up the menu again. This time you should have the option to paste the settings.

The presets may need a bit of tweaking to look right with the images that come from your smartphone camera because they can be very different from raw files you’re used to working with in desktop Lightroom, but it’s certainly a start.

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In last month’s review of Adobe Photoshop CS6, we stated that it is becoming less relevant to photographers. One big reason: Photoshop Lightroom 4’s greatly enhanced ability to transform images on its own, through a much cleanier and easier-to-navigate interface than you get in Adobe Camera Raw, which offers the same tools.

Lightroom allows selective adjustments using the Adjustment Brush tool, and, with version 4, even white balance can be brushed on. This means you can easily correct mixed lighting to make it match, or paint on different zones of white balance for creative effect.

This photograph, taken by Andrew Wood in Bamburg Castle, Northumberland, England, nicely illustrates the power of both selective adjustments and Adobe’s new Camera Raw processing engine. Wood originally produced his final version of this picture by combining three exposures to make a high-dynamic-range (HDR) image, but we were able to take it this far using selective adjustments and just one of his exposures.

Here’s how to use Lightroom 4 to work multiple zones of your image and create a final RAW conversion that really sings. No Photoshop—or layers—required.

Step 1

Before you go local with your adjustments, start global and do a basic conversion. Adjust white balance and exposure, and decide whether or not to use a built-in lens profile. This exposure is very dark, but it has the best highlight detail of the three the photographer shot for the original HDR image. Bring back as much shadow detail as possible, then use the color and luminance noise reduction tools to make the image usable.

Step 2

Click on the Adjustment Brush icon to get started. Then use the Effect pulldown menu to choose the adjustment you want to apply. More detail is needed in the window’s view, so choose Exposure. Then set up your brush: Check the box for Auto Mask to allow Lightroom to help you keep within your edges.

Step 3

Mouse over your image and use the left and right bracket keys to make your brush larger or smaller according to the area you’re working on, then paint in your effect. Moving the sliders before you paint on an adjustment can be a bit of a guessing game. So go with the default, then, after painting, readjust the Exposure slider to further decrease the exposure in the window’s view. If the location of the adjustment you painted isn’t right, erase some of it by clicking on Erase in the Brush menu and paint out the adjustment where it doesn’t belong.

Step 4

More adjustments are necessary in this image: The curtains are too bright, the paintings on the wall could use some dimming, and there are some color shifts on the ceiling that can be fixed with selective white balance adjustment. To start repairing them, click the New button to add a new adjustment point. Follow the same procedure: Use the pulldown menu to choose your effect, paint it in, and adjust the slider. To go back and edit any of the areas, click on its corresponding gray dot. Note that clicking on your adjustment point shows you a red preview of its location.

Final Step

Once you’ve added all the local adjustments you want, you may find that the final product needs further global tweaking. In this case, all the evening out of exposure has left the image a little flat. Edge up the Clarity and Vibrance sliders to make it pop.

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Lightroom helps you do lots of sorting, keywording, and sophisticated RAW processing. But you can do a lot more with it: Built into version 2.0 are tools and tricks that go beyond what you can usually do with RAW images. Learn the ropes, and you’ll find yourself clicking “Edit in Photoshop” less and less often.

Here are a few of our favorite techniques, all of which can be found within the Develop module:

The Adjustment Brush

When you want to tweak an irregular area of your image, try the Adjustment Brush. With it, you can paint in changes wherever you want them.

Tip: Most of the time, you’ll want to check the box to turn on Auto Mask – that will ensure that no matter how messy your brushstrokes, Lightroom will make its best attempt at helping you color within the edges it finds.

Step 1: Choose the Adjustment Brush tool; it’s just to the right of the Graduated Filter.

Step 2: This photo has good exposure in the puddle, but the sidewalk around it is way too bright. First, get a brush that’s the right size. The inner circle of the tool represents the brush’s primary diameter, the outer circle, the feather. Take a guess at the settings you’ll want – we’ll adjust them later. For now, just make them different enough from the original that you’ll see where you’re painting.

Step 3: Now start painting in the areas you want darker. The Auto Mask will keep the puddle from changing as you adjust the sidewalk.

Step 4: To check the mask you made, type the letter O on your keyboard. If there are spots the program got that you don’t want to affect, click on the word Erase in the Brush menu. Then paint out the areas where you won’t be needing a mask.

Step 5: If you want to add a second mask, click the word New. Then use the Effect pull down menu to chose what you want to do. To add a little more pop to the red sign, choose Saturation.

Step 6: This time, choose a smaller brush, and paint the sign to mask it. Then adjust your settings; a little boost of contrast and clarity make a big difference here. Notice how now you see two dots floating on your picture. The one with the black center is the one you’re working on. The gray one represents the one you did first. You can always click on a dot to re-edit or delete its mask. When you’re finished, just click on the word Close to hide the dots and get back to the usual Lightroom interface.

Finished Product:

The Graduated Filter

Use the Graduated Filter tool anytime you want to adjust a section of your image that’s easily divisible by a straight line. This works very well when you’ve properly exposed a landscape for the ground, but the sky’s looking a bit too bright.

Step 1: Start by getting the Graduated Filter tool by clicking on its icon in the top-right of the Develop module.

Step 2: To make this tool work, you’ll use the tool to draw the area where you want your transition. The direction of the grad filter depends on the direction you draw it. Draw it from right to left, and your adjustment will show up on the right. Draw it from left to right and the affected area will be on the left. Once you’ve drawn a selection, you can modify it by grabbing the outermost edges to expand or contract it, move the whole mask by clicking and dragging on the dot at the center of the mask, or rotate it around that center dot.

Step 3: Now make your adjustments. The area on the right side of this photo needs to be brighter to balance the light from window. Move the brightness slider to the right until you like the result. If you need to, adjust your mask for a more natural transition.

Finished Product:

Post-Crop Vignettes

For this photo, I added a graduated filter on the right to brighten the chair, but it left the bottom-right corner looking overly-blown out. It also looked unnatural compared to the light on the bottom-left corner. Adding a vignette will make the photo more natural. Scroll down until you see the Vignettes panel. Here you can do lens correction, but you can also add a vignette to an image after you fix or crop it. Just dial the Vignette amount down until you like the added darkness. You can also adjust the midpoint up if the shadows are encroaching too far into your photo.

Before:

Finished Product:

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Use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 or 4 to capture remotely and process images as you shoot. Photo: Debbie Grossman_

Tethered shooting can be a beautiful thing—having your camera connected to a computer as you photograph brings a host of benefits.

If the monitor is color-managed, you’ll be able to see a true preview of your images’ color and tone. Your photos can be copied simultaneously to the computer’s hard drive and to your memory card as you capture, so you’ll have a backup before you even finish shooting. Since your preview is on the monitor, you’ll have much more real estate for checking focus, and chimping on the larger screen lets you have a real sense of whether you’ve captured what you need.

Even better, with software such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, you can process all of your RAW files in real time, rather than after the shoot is over.

So if you plan to do something dramatic, like the RAW and black-and-white conversion shown here, you can adjust exposure, lighting, and composition using a more accurate preview of your finished product, instead of just relying on your imagination.

All it takes to shoot tethered is a camera you can connect to a computer (usually via USB cable), and compatible software. Try it first at home with a simple setup. If you want to shoot in the field, you can find accessories to help, from tripod mounts that support a laptop to screen hoods that hide the day’s brightness.

Here is a project to get you started shooting tethered in Lightroom, plus instructions for doing a preset RAW conversion as you work.

Step 1

(CLICK FOR FULL-RES)

Set up a still life with your computer (desktop or notebook) nearby, turn the camera on, and connect it to the computer. In Lightroom 3 or 4, go to File > Tethered Capture > Start Tethered Capture. Fill in your session name and destination. Choose your metadata template, add keywords to tag your images, then click OK to start shooting.

Step 2

(CLICK FOR FULL-RES)

After tethered shooting is initiated, you’ll see the tethered toolbar pop up. If your camera is awake and properly connected, its make and model will appear on the left. You’ll see your exposure and white balance settings, but you can’t change those from the toolbar. Click on the shutter button to take a picture. Your image will transfer to the computer and appear, selected, in Lightroom.

Step 3

(CLICK FOR FULL-RES)

Keep shooting until you get your exposure settings and lighting right. But don’t worry too much about your composition or setup at this point. Instead, develop an image to help you execute your final product. Click to select the last properly exposed image you shot, and switch to the Develop module. Process the image the way you’ll want your final picture to look. You can pump up vibrance, tweak your white balance, add a little vignette—everything you normally do when you work on a RAW file. To hide the tethered shooting toolbar as you work, hit Ctrl (Command) + T on your keyboard. Your tethered connection will remain active.

Step 4

(CLICK FOR FULL-RES)

Now use your current develop settings to make a Preset. Click the plus sign (circled) in the Presets panel to do so. Hit the Check All button to make sure all the adjustments you’ve made to your current image will be applied to your subsequent shoot. Name your preset, and tell Lightroom where to put it. You can create a special Tethered folder to hold your shooting presets.

Final Step

(CLICK FOR FULL-RES)

Now type E on your keyboard to go back to Loupe view in the Library, and hit Ctrl + T to bring back the tethered toolbar. Under Develop Settings, use the pulldown menu to find and select your presets. All the photos you shoot from now on will have your preset automatically applied, which should make it much easier to see how changing your lighting and composition will affect your final image.

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—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

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Adobe Lightroom allows you to save the steps you make while editing an image so you can apply them to multiple images. If you don’t want to create your own, you can still try some out by downloading a set. Check out the list compiled by Scott at Weekly Photo Tips. To import a set of presets into Adobe Lightroom see this video from Matt Kloskowski of Lightroomskillertips.com. To create your own presets in Lightroom use the Develop mode, make your adjustments to a photo and then click on the plus (+) sign in the preset window on the left of your screen. A window will pop up, name your preset and check all pertinent adjustments to prevent it overriding other adjustments from presets you might want to combine with this preset for your final image. Select a folder for the preset to go into under Folder option. When you have named the preset, folder and checked all applicable adjustments save your preset by clicking on create.

Your new preset will appear in the presets window. The beauty of Lightroom’s presets is that you can see what a photo will look like without actually making the changes permanent.
—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

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