https://www.bennettfilm.com/Luminance

 

This tutorial shows the different tools and techniques I use to enhance soft light in a bold yet natural looking way. Since soft light is the most commonly occurring kind of lighting, understanding more ways that it can be used effectively will help you to be more creative and unlock more possibilities. I show my approach to handling three different kinds of soft light: shade, overcast, and twilight. Through the four different image examples, you will see my entire workflow and how it differs in each image according to the quality of the light, subject matter, and overall feeling. You will also notice that I use some of the same techniques in all of them.   You will see how I subtly build contrast through a combination of different adjustments. The main techniques demonstrated are: using luminosity masks to target specific areas and increase midtone contrast, color separation, luminance, depth, and definition in the scene in a non-destructive way. I also show ways to improve color harmony, eliminate color casts, manage saturation, increase tonality, dodge and burn, mitigate distractions, and resize and sharpen for the web. Most importantly, my concise and deliberate workflow is easy to follow and implement in your own images.   PSD files are included to follow along with. You do not need to purchase any external plug-ins, apps, or programs in order to achieve the results shown in this video. You will only need Camera RAW/Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.

https://www.bennettfilm.com/DarkBrilliance

 

This tutorial video shows how I process high contrast scenes with intense lighting and deep shadows. I also review all the other exposures I took in the field of these scenes while the lighting was changing and articulate my process of trying different compositions and how I ended up selecting the exposures that I edited.  The main techniques demonstrated are: using luminosity masks to target specific areas and add midtone contrast, color separation, depth, and definition to the scene in a non-destructive way. I also show ways to simplify the color palette, enhance light, improve tonality, add drama, time blend, minimize and clone out distractions, improve visual flow, precisely correct lens distortion, and resize and sharpen for the web. Most importantly, my concise and deliberate workflow is very easy to follow and implement in your own scenes.   PSD files are included to follow along with. You do not need to purchase any external plug-ins, apps, or programs in order to achieve the results shown in this video. You will only need Camera RAW/Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.

https://www.bennettfilm.com/EssentialTheory

 

 This video focuses on the fundamental compositional principles that go into making a compelling photograph. Instead of technical aspects of photography, I explain more about the art of photography–telling a story through images and creating thought provoking photographs that move others. It consists of 7 chapters, breaking down what can specifically be done in order to create a composition that is concise and powerful. You will see detailed explanations of each principle, personal stories from the field, and many image examples where these concepts are demonstrated through both my successes and failures, so you can know how to implement them into your own photography as well as what you can avoid. You will learn how to better organize both wide and intimate scenes, understand and compose abstract scenes, create visual flow, draw attention and focus to your subjects, know what to include or exclude, pre-visualize images, and influence the viewer's eye to look exactly where you want them to.

https://www.bennettfilm.com/FlourishingLife
In this tutorial video, I cover my entire processing workflow for this image starting in Camera Raw and ending in Adobe Photoshop. You don't need to buy any panels or any extra plugins in order to follow along. I also cover some of my thought process and decisions I made while photographing this scene in the field. The main techniques covered are, but not limited to: blending multiple exposures for high dynamic range (HDR), using luminosity masks to add midtone contrast and definition, color separation tricks, removing unwanted objects, colors, and distractions, and making small, non-destructive warp adjustments to improve the flow and balance of the composition.

https://www.bennettfilm.com/CircleOfLife
In this tutorial video, I cover my entire processing workflow for this image starting in Camera Raw and ending in Adobe Photoshop. You don't need to buy any extra plugins or panels in order to follow along. I also cover some of my thought process and decisions I made while photographing this scene in the field. The main techniques covered are, but not limited to: blending multiple exposures to fix blurry leaves, removing lens flares non-destructively, controlling greens, enhancing light, cloning to improve composition, dodging, light painting, adding micro contrast, protecting highlights and shadows, easily using luminosity masks, adding orton, color separation, resizing and sharpening for the web.

https://www.bennettfilm.com/LessIsMore

 

Kitchen accessories 01In this tutorial video I show how to tastefully process intimate scenes where you don't have dramatic lighting or colorful skies to work with. You will learn how to find the perfect balance of power and subtlety in order to achieve a clean and intriguing result within a smaller scene. I cover my simple workflow of these two images from start to finish, including the decisions I made while composing and shooting these scenes in the field. The main techniques covered are, but not limited to: Using luminosity masks for shadow recovery, midtone contrast, increasing overall luminosity, enhancing light, adding definition, color separation, and color correction. I also cover dodging and burning, adding Orton, adding subtle vignettes, removing unwanted objects through cloning, and making local color and brightness adjustments. This video will help give you direction in order to shoot and process intimate scenes in the field and achieve a dramatic and powerful result without needing to include skies or multiple objects.

Eric Bennett - Tapestry Processing Tutorial
https://www.bennettfilm.com/Tapestry
This video covers the entire process of creating this image in Camera RAW and Adobe Photoshop. You don't need to buy any panels or any extra plugins in order to follow along. It's focused on overcoming challenges like shooting into the sun, processing trees and leaves against the sky, avoiding/removing lens flares, removing blue haze, processing blue skies, improving compositional balance and creating color harmonies within colorful scenes. The techniques shown in this video include dodging and burning, adding mid tone contrast, luminosity masks, color separation, adding orton, enhancing light, cloning out unwanted objects, warping, bringing soft areas back into focus, and resizing and sharpening for the web as well as for print.

Eric Bennett - Tools of the Trade V2 Tutorial
https://www.bennettfilm.com/ToolsOfTheTradeVol2
The second tutorial video of this series goes in depth on 5 more, essential post-processing techniques, in order to learn how to overcome certain challenges with composition, lighting and weather conditions that often present themselves in the field. This video shows how the following techniques were used in the creation of 11 different images: Time Blending, Enhancing Color, Removing Water Droplets, Controlled Warping, and Exposure Blending (Bracketing). Several examples are provided to demonstrate each technique so that you can gain a clear understanding of how and when you should apply them in your own workflow. This is a great video for beginner photographers looking for an introduction to post-processing, or any skilled photographers wanting to pick up a few more techniques and tricks for their arsenal.

Eric Bennett - "Flourishing Life" From Start to Finish
https://www.bennettfilm.com/FlourishingLife
In this tutorial video, I cover my entire processing workflow for this image starting in Camera Raw and ending in Adobe Photoshop. You don't need to buy any panels or any extra plugins in order to follow along. I also cover some of my thought process and decisions I made while photographing this scene in the field. The main techniques covered are, but not limited to: blending multiple exposures for high dynamic range (HDR), using luminosity masks to add midtone contrast and definition, color separation tricks, removing unwanted objects, colors, and distractions, and making small, non-destructive warp adjustments to improve the flow and balance of the composition.

https://www.bennettfilm.com/HighKey