You are currently viewing A Quick Dramatic Photo Edit Using Darkroom, Lightroom and Photoshop

A Quick Dramatic Photo Edit Using Darkroom, Lightroom and Photoshop

I took this photo earlier today on the way home from a friend’s house. It was rainy and dreary, and I didn’t even get out of the car to get this shot because I didn’t want to get wet and cold.

Yes, I’m a wimp.

I knew when I took the photo that I had something there. The initial photo was no good, of course, but there was drama in that old house and some good color in the foreground below.

So I took it home and mucked around in three different programs.

First up was Darkroom, an app I talked about in one of my previous posts that I enjoy. I did some minor adjustments to get it ready for the next step.

These were my quick adjustments I did as soon as I got home from my short ride. One of the reasons why I like Darkroom is that it has instant access to my Apple synced library, so the RAW file I had taken on the road was right there and ready for me.

Now I had to add the drama, so I went into Photoshop for a quick sky replacement from a Nebraska storm I photographed five or six years ago here:

When I was satisfied with this, I cloned out the power line and saved my file.

Next, I brought up Lightroom classic and applied some more settings and local adjustments to brighten up the house and foreground.

As a final step I applied one of my favorite presets (this one is Dreaming in Film One – a preset you can get for free by checking out my Lightroom Presets and Overlays over at my community site).

And… that’s it! Check out my comparison below. In total it took me no more than 10 minutes, and I’m super happy with the dramatic results.

Have questions? Just reach out!