Quick Lightning Editing

Quick Lightning Editing

©JP Parmley

The edits that I perform on lightning pictures are very quick and can have a dramatic effect on the overall mood of the final output.  I mentioned in my previous post, you should shoot these in a RAW format.  It is going to provide us with a greater level of flexibility.

First, when I open the RAW file in Photoshop, the Camera RAW application allows you to process the RAW file.  The before image below was shot with an auto white balance.  If you look at the affects of changing the white balance, you can make a dramatic difference.  Here are the samples from AWB, Tungsten, and Fluorescent.  You can see the differences really change the look.

Once you have white balance set and the image in Photoshop, here are the remaining steps I perform. 

Noise Reduction:  Long exposures can introduce larger amounts of noise into the darker areas of the picture.  Using the filter options, select <Noise>, <Reduce Noise>.  Because you do not have a subject, like a person, I will use a high level of noise reduction.

Dodge:  Next you can use the Dodge function (looks like a magnifying glass).  Select the range up top to Highlights, exposure to 10% and make the brush size about the width of the lightning bolts.  Use the Dodge brush over areas of the bolt to brighten it.  You can also use it in the clouds to bring out some of the dramatic effects.

Spot Healing: If you have any rain drops that were on the window that ended up in the picture. use the Spot Healing or Clone tool to remove them.

Happy Editing.

JP