My pal Neven was grousing about Adobe Lightroom, so I just wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes tutorial on how I make my photos “pop” so “poppily.” Hopefully this will convert him into a true believer!  As you can see above, the picture straight from the camera was flat and lifeless. But with my special recipe I turned it into a much more vibrant, realistic image. After importing the photo into Lightroom, just follow these simple steps: Press the “Biggify” button four times.  Drag the “Punchiness” slider all the way to the right. Set the “XXXposure” dial to “Magic Hour.” Swing the “Cockify” pendulum to “99.9% Cock’d.” Pointilize until “dryness” is ≤12. Magic. UPDATE: Merlin posted an excellent tutorial of his own, here. He uses Fireworks as well, but the overall effect is elegant and subtle.

My pal Neven was grousing about Adobe Lightroom, so I just wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes tutorial on how I make my photos “pop” so “poppily.” Hopefully this will convert him into a true believer! 

As you can see above, the picture straight from the camera was flat and lifeless. But with my special recipe I turned it into a much more vibrant, realistic image. After importing the photo into Lightroom, just follow these simple steps:

  • Press the “Biggify” button four times. 
  • Drag the “Punchiness” slider all the way to the right.
  • Set the “XXXposure” dial to “Magic Hour.”
  • Swing the “Cockify” pendulum to “99.9% Cock’d.”
  • Pointilize until “dryness” is ≤12.

Magic.

UPDATE: Merlin posted an excellent tutorial of his own, here. He uses Fireworks as well, but the overall effect is elegant and subtle.