THOMAS CHU PHOTO

Photography Tutorial · 2022-03-06

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes?

Thomas Chu Photo

Post-processing effects too exaggerated, looking completely unreal;

The frame has no hierarchy, with every element packed with detail;

Obvious mismatches in focal length, lighting, etc. during post-processing compositing?

These common post-processing mistakes aren't just made by beginners — surprisingly, last year's grand prize winners in the World Landscape Photography Contest made every single one of them!

In today's photography tutorial, I'll review some award-winning works from the 2021 International Landscape Photographer of the Year and share the common post-processing mistakes found in them.

Video

▶ Watch the video tutorial on Bilibili

This is the fully illustrated companion to the video above. Thomas turned the 9-minute critique into text and paired it with keyframe screenshots — first analysing, one by one, the four images that won first place at the 2021 International Landscape Photographer of the Year, pointing out common post-processing mistakes such as contradictory light direction, an out-of-scale moon, heavy-handed dodging and flat selections; then contrasting them with Max Rive and other masters who use the same dodge-and-burn tools without looking fake; and finally distilling the principles of unified colour, vignettes and staying true to the impression of the scene. Skim it here for the framework, then go back to the video to compare the details.

Start with the overview. Captured at 0:49 in the video, this is the results page of the competition website — the 2021 International Landscape Photographer of the Year is Turkish photographer Aytek Çetin. The contest judges purely on the visual impact and beauty of landscape photographs, and the top award is decided on a portfolio of four images. This year's winner, Thomas argues, is somewhat controversial (at 0:52 in the video).

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 1

01 The Four Winning Images: Contradictory Light and Heavy Hands

The first image uses a familiar frame-within-a-frame composition: rock as the foreground frame, a side-lit, sculptural formation in the middle, a leading line into the centre and hoodoos in the distance. Thomas finds it competent but unremarkable (at 1:03 in the video).

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 2

The first problem with the second image: where is the light coming from? With the moon in the frame, the tree should be dark in the middle with light catching both edges; yet the ground is lit from the right and dark on the left, sculpted as if the moon hung directly behind the viewer — the side light on the land and the backlight of the moon contradict each other, and it looks deeply artificial (at 1:26 in the video). The second problem is scale: the composition is a moderate wide-angle, but the moon is telephoto-sized, with all its surface detail pulled out. Thomas often sees people enlarge the moon and pile on lunar detail in wide-angle scenes, and it rarely looks good — not every tree, rock, moon and patch of sky needs detail; often it is better to strengthen the land and let the sky and moon recede.

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 3

Compare Thomas's own moon photographs: he prefers not to extract lunar detail or enlarge the moon, because the land is the subject and the moon is there only as a source of light (at 2:27 in the video).

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 4

The third image is simply overworked. To give a tree more dimension, the usual move is to brighten the centre and darken the sides; but look at the light — it comes from behind and to the side, lighting the distant sunlit peak — so the tree's highlights are far too bright and the added depth reads as fake (at 2:50 in the video). Behind it, the selections used to darken the sky and separate the mountain layers are too flat, and the mountain has clearly been warped. A more sensible approach: brighten far less, and use a luminosity mask so that only the highlights on the foliage are lifted — the overall sense of light improves dramatically.

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 5

In the fourth image the side light genuinely arrives from the side, so adding a little glow, rendering the light or strengthening the relief of the peak would all agree with how we perceive the scene (at 3:57 in the video). Conversely, when sunlight has not yet reached the foreground yet the trees are heavily sculpted, it looks fake; while the peak that really is catching light could have been given more depth but was left flat and weaker for it (at 4:11 in the video).

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 6

02 Masters Use the Same Tools: Dodge and Burn Needs Hierarchy

The images that follow are worth studying. The night-sky shooters — whether chasing a comet or a meteor shower — climbed to a high vantage point and brought a sea of clouds into the frame, a strong combination; this one may be a time blend, pairing the pre-dawn cloud sea with the night sky (at 4:42 in the video).

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 7

Now look at Max Rive. If you have seen the course he hosts with Thomas, you know he too does a great deal of dodging and burning — these rocks, for instance — but always with a hierarchy: the brightest areas are the lit clouds or the water, then the trees; the rocks need only a little relief, a light touch rather than force (at 5:01 in the video).

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 8 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 9

This one is also heavily dodged and burned, but with great finesse, guided by luminosity masks rather than a hard brush. The mountains behind are all outlined, yet nothing looks fake — because it agrees with the shape and direction of the light as we feel it: the outermost sunlit rocks get strong contrast, the rest are only nudged, their detail traced, instead of every rock being pushed as hard as the lit faces (at 5:44 in the video). The masters and the flawed entries use the same post-processing methods; the results differ enormously.

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 10

03 Unified Colour and Vignettes: Post Must Match the Impression in the Field

These frames are a lesson in colour: each keeps to a unified palette, either monochromatic or analogous. Photographers abroad love forest scenes, but they shoot them in rain, snow or fog — without mist a forest turns into a mess, so foggy weather is essential (at 6:29 in the video). Forest grading likewise tends toward a single or analogous palette — yellow-green, pure green, teal, blue — and the results are always easy on the eye (at 7:31 in the video).

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 11

This one has an obvious vignette — the edges are deliberately darkened, far beyond any real-world contrast — yet it feels right, because the light source sits in the centre and a bright middle with dark edges is the natural inference. Darkening the surround of a backlit image is fine; do the same to a front-lit photograph and it looks fake and uncomfortable (at 6:57 in the video). Post-processing must hold on to the impression and feeling of the scene, never drifting into distortion.

The pebbles are instructive too: find a pile, photograph its structure and sheen, then brighten the centre and darken the surrounding stones so it reads like a stage spotlight. A random heap of pebbles by a river can yield something special (at 7:44 in the video).

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 12

04 More Highlights from the Top 101

Many more entries from the Top 101 follow; Thomas leaves them without commentary for quiet appreciation (at 8:06 in the video) — dead trees mirrored on still water beneath a cloud, forests in fog, frosted winter woods, dunes and coastlines. The styles vary, but they share a unified palette, a clear hierarchy, and post-processing that never strays from the first impression of the scene.

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 13 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 14
1. Light must be self-consistent: side-lit ground rules out a moon hanging behind the viewer, foregrounds the sun has not reached should not be sculpted, and only peaks that actually catch light deserve emphasis; 2. Never drop a telephoto-sized moon into a wide-angle frame, and stop chasing detail everywhere — strengthening the land while quieting the sky and moon usually works better; 3. Everyone dodges and burns; the difference is hierarchy and finesse — the brightest values go to lit clouds and water, trees next, rocks barely touched, with luminosity masks lifting only the highlights and no hard brushes; 4. Keep colour unified (mono or analogous), shoot forests in fog, vignette only backlit scenes, and even pebbles can take a "spotlight" — every move in post must match the impression from the field without distorting it.

HD video:

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV16q4y147pK/

Some Award-Winning Works

Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 15 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 16 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 17 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 18 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 19 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 20 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 21 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 22 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 23 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 24 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 25 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 26 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 27 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 28 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 29 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 30 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 31 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 32 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 33 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 34 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 35 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 36 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 37 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 38 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 39 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 40 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 41 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 42 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 43 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 44 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 45 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 46 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 47 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 48 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 49 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 50 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 51 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 52 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 53 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 54 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 55 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 56 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 57 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 58 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 59 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 60 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 61 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 62 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 63 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 64 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 65 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 66 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 67 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 68 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 69 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 70 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 71 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 72 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 73 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 74 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 75 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 76 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 77 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 78 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 79 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 80 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 81 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 82 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 83 Grand Prize Landscape Works Became Negative Examples! Have You Made These Post-Processing Mistakes? · Fig. 84

Do you have any thoughts on the finalists and award-winning works?

Feel free to discuss in the comments section~

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