Want a deeper blue in your sky?

Here’s a little tip for you those of you who would like to get a deep rich sky in your photos, without having to push the saturation slider.

First of all, if you have a DSLR camera and you don’t have decent editing software, do yourself a favor and get some. You have invested a handsome sum in camera equipment, so don’t short change yourself on software. Although iPhoto will do the trick, something like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom or Apple’s Aperture will serve you much better. These days the cost is minimal.

My tip is a Lightroom tip, since that is the software I use. You can download a free 30-day trial from Adobe to see if you like it before you purchase. It’s an intuitive program with loads of tutorials available all over the web. A DVD or downloadable version of Lightroom is also on sale now for $108 ($9 cheaper) on Amazon as I write this post.

Gideon BEFORE

Gideon AFTER

In the Develop module of Lightroom, click on the Color panel (on the same Tab as HSL and B&W), just below the Tone Curve panel. There you will find three sliders to choose from Hue, Saturation, and Luminance. If it’s the sky in your photo that’s looking a bit washed out, click the Blue swatch at the top then grab the luminance slider and start bringing it down until you see your sky darken and attain a richer tone. You will have to decide when enough is enough. I prefer to make minor adjustments in most cases. In the photo above my luminance slider was at zero in the first shot, and down to -61 in the second example.  All I wanted to do was make the blue sky cut through the haze a bit, without increasing the saturation or changing the hue. The same could be done with any color in your scene.

There are many ways to achieve effects once you begin to learn the editing program you’re using. This is one I have picked up along the way that many of my photo friends using Lightroom have found useful. Hope you do too.

(if you are looking for more editing tips and tricks Ken’s EasyDSLR Gold Course has an Image Editing Module covering free online editing software, Photoshop and Bonus Lightroom Tutorial – click here for the 40% Sale on EasyDSLR membership for this week )