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How To Do Landscape Photography Using Smartphone

When you’re traveling, it’s always a good idea to travel light. The fewer things you’re carrying, the easier it is for you to move around. However, when you’re a photographer, it can be quite challenging since DSLR cameras are quite heavy and bulky.

A smartphone can be all you need for your next landscape photography adventures. You just need to know how to find the best exposure along with other tips and you should be able to produce really great images.

In this guide, you’ll learn about the 15 best smartphone landscape photography tips for your next nature travel!

Tips for Landscape Photography Using Smartphone

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Ready to get started?

Make sure to take note of the following tips. They’ll help you get the best landscape photos using just your smartphone.

1. Finding the Best Exposure

Sometimes when you shoot during the sun’s peak time, the exposure levels may be too much. You must do more than tap, focus, and shoot to have the best landscape images. iPhone users need to slide up or down the screen to adjust exposure levels. On an android phone camera phone like Samsung, find a light bulb at the bottom part and slide left to right to change the exposure.

2. Use the Rule of Thirds

The next thing to do is to compose your shot. It would be better if you put a horizon line on your screen. Try searching on your settings app or directly within the camera app to add grid lines.

It would be best if you focused on your subject to make the rule of thirds. For instance, you want to take a flower with a landscape scene in the background. Often, we want to put the flower or the object at the center. However, in the rule of thirds, it will be more pleasing when the things are in the left-most or right-most quadrants of the grid lines.

Reading from left to right is ideal for putting your subject on the left vertical line. By doing this, your eye will be given a flow, which also conveys movement and direction.

3. Ensure a Straight Horizon

Aside from using the grid line feature for the rule of thirds, you can also use it to make sure to get the horizon straight.

As a landscape photographer, do this one right so you will save time in straightening up your smartphone images in the post-production.

4. Check Camera Settings

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Your phone can undoubtedly take a great landscape photo in its automatic settings, but let’s push things a little further.

Change into the “pro” mode on your phone if it allows you to adjust settings manually. If it doesn’t, you can modify settings like ISO, shutter speed, and white balance using an app like Moment, Lightroom, or MuseCam.

In landscapes, altering the white balance is often crucial. Being able to tone down some of the highlights from a bright sky or bring up the shadows in the foreground is essential. You also need to know how to alter your white balance after you have taken the shot.

It will give you much more flexibility in your editing (particularly on occasions when you want to warm up the tones in a beautiful sunset, for example).

5. Shoot Too Early or Too Late

The time of the day is a significant factor in landscape photography. No, it is EVERYTHING! I suggest you check the night before what time the sunrise and sunset will be. Then, set your alarm to capture the sunlight slowly rising. Also, ensure you are in a gorgeous location on top of a mountain, near bodies of water, or by the beach.

On the other hand, you can also stay out late. You will witness shades of yellow and orange when you wait for the golden hour. Note that midday is not a good time to shoot in raw format due to the shadows created by the overhead light.

6. Use the Autofocus or Auto Exposure Lock Feat

New smartphone cameras have the capability to autofocus subjects with every move of the lens same goes for the exposure. You can do manual control by tapping on the object you want to focus on, and the rest of the background will blur.

Long press the screen to lock in the amount of exposure and focus of your preference. This feature works well for iPhone mobile photography.

7. Try Wide and Zoom Lenses

You can also buy different interchangeable lenses available online or in tech shops to enhance your camera phone. Wide lenses enable you to widen and double the field of view. Meanwhile, telephoto lenses allow you to have a digital zoom without making the landscape photos pixelated.

Do not be afraid to experiment with your wide and zoom lenses in taking photos. Give it a try, especially since some smartphone cameras do not have a wide camera mode.

8. Post Edit Landscape Photos

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The debate about whether to shoot in raw and leave it as is or use editing apps has gone on for years. Some people would want to maintain the landscape photos they took without processing them afterward. However, did you know that you can enhance the scene’s colors when you post-edit the pictures?

There are free and low-cost editing apps available to install, like Snapseed and VSCO, with decent presets for landscape photography. VSCO is best used for minor adjustments like brightness, contrast, and sharpness. It will also let you adjust the filter intensity. You can opt for paid editing apps to enjoy more editing features.

Lightroom and Photoshop can help you remove distracting elements. You can use these editing tools using your phone and computer.

Therefore, you’ll need to load your images onto your computer anytime you need to make adjustments that demand more processing power, such as removing rocks, adding a dramatic sky, or making other changes.

9. Get Low

Since most mobile phones have wide-angle lenses, going close to the topic can make it much more intriguing. Your foreground will appear longer and more fascinating in your photos if you get down low. They will notice features that previously would not have stood out, like shrubs, flowers, and rock faces.

You may give your image a lovely balance by having the foreground and background meet in the bottom third. Mobile phones frequently include a thirds overlay that will help you do this more evenly while also assisting you in maintaining the alignment of the images.

The pictures don’t look all that attractive from above. However, the images seem more unique and intimate when you look at them directly down on your knees. It’s comparable to bending to take a child’s picture.

10. Use a Tripod or a Stabilizer

Did you know that a DSLR camera has a more prominent camera shake than a smartphone one?

On the market, most mobile phones offer built-in image stabilization. However, if your phone has a high-megapixel sensor, it tends to be very sensitive to motion blur. And it can give your sharp photos. However, this won’t eliminate motion blur if you utilize long exposures, time lapses, or other features.

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Invest in a good tripod or stabilizer. The ones for smartphones do not cost a fortune. Make sure they are also handy and not bulky for your light travels.

11. Try Timelapse

This type of shot is quite simple, thanks to built-in smartphone stabilization and computational photography, which eliminates all the arithmetic and post-production work. With the help of time-lapse photography, you may view the passage of time in precise seconds. You can observe patterns and waves in the sky in even a minute-long clip that are too sluggish to be visible with the bare eyes.

A tripod or phone stabilizer will be essential for creating excellent time-lapses. Set it up, pick the recording speed, then allow the phone to record for however long it is necessary.

Tips for using timelapse for your smartphone landscape photography:

5x Speed – capturing people and their emotions

10x Speed – when the photographer is on the move, like walking, running, on car rides, and even on planes.

30x Speed – works well when using a tripod to record motion in a city or other setting. Excellent for recording weather for 10 to 30 minutes. A 15-second video is produced after 7.5 minutes of recording.

120x Speed – for dramatic weather changes and fluctuating light conditions. Imagine converting a downpour into a beautiful evening. Thirty minutes of the recording are needed to create a 15-second video at this Speed,

12. Feature a Strong Foreground

Spend a few minutes looking around for something you can include in your shot to help the area come to life when you’re shooting your photograph at the top of the hill. In your scenes, look for foreground interest. In landscape photography, you can use things like tree stumps, moss-covered boulders, and even some gorgeous wildflowers to draw attention to a location.

13. Flip Your Phone to Get Close to the Water

This trick will leave you completely astounded. You need to come up close to the surface to see reflections in puddles. When you look down at them, all you will see is the sky, not the scene that is taking place in front of you. But if you don’t want to immerse the bottom half of your phone in water, the way we hold our phones naturally makes finding the puddles challenging.

So, to get around this, simply flip your phone over and start taking pictures! I also employ this technique when photographing tiny flowers, fungi, or other difficult-to-approach subjects.

14. Play with Distance in Smartphone Photography

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Note: If your subject is a wild animal, disregard this advice. It would be best if you kept animals at a safe distance. If your background is dull, dimly lit, or very distracting, approach near and allow your subject takes up most of the screen.

Try to back up to a medium distance for dynamic action photos. Be in a position just far enough to fit your subject’s entire height in the frame.

Try backing up even more and using a person, animal, or item in the middle distance to produce a sense of enormous scale to highlight a beautiful background.

15. Try Burst in Moving Objects

When you have a moving objects like animals or vehicles in your smartphone photography, try using burst mode to capture them. It will give you a varied range of photo options.

Using the burst mode will reduce your chance of the camera shaking because you only need to touch the shutter when you start and stop taking pictures. As a result, you’ll be able to quickly shoot a series of photos that you may evaluate afterward to select the best and most precise ones.

Know Your Smart Camera Phone

For all these tips to work, you need to know your phone. Smartphones have different camera settings and features. Most of the time, quality precedes price.

Although most cameras on the market have built-in stabilization, this won’t be sufficient to prevent motion blur when capturing long exposure photos, such as time-lapses and other similar photographs. Perhaps the best investment you can make to steady your smartphone and save time is to purchase a small, affordable phone stand or tripod.

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Using smartphone cameras in landscape photography is a very convenient way of taking photos. However, if you plan to do this often, make sure to have enough phone memory or storage for your editing apps and pictures.

Also, remember that the key to getting great photos lies in your camera sensor size. The quality of your images will improve as the sensor size increases. It would also be nice if your camera phone had a great night mode feature, even in dark scenes and low-light places.

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21/04/2025
How to Photograph Intimate Landscapes Like A Pro

As a landscape photographer, you often find yourself drawn to the expansive views and deep sceneries you create. However, even tiny subjects may have a significant influence. Photographs of intimate landscapes may provide stunning pictures alone or enhance the enormous views that draw viewers to your images.

To photograph intimate landscapes, you must incorporate design elements such as lines, textures, patterns, colors, and forms into the frame. Keep an eye out for details that convey a narrative about a subject or provide viewers with background info about it. The type of elements you need to capture while shooting an intimate landscape are present in these “small details.”

Read on to learn tips and a tutorial helpful in navigating an environment with intimate landscape photography.

What Makes an Incredible Intimate Landscape?

This branch of nature photography is deserving of some appreciation. Intimate landscape photos seduce us with delicacy and peaceful invitation, in contrast to the grand landscape, which dazzles us with vivid hues and stunning near-far perspectives. It tempts us to delve deeper into the event captured in the picture.

Making incredible intimate landscapes is all about the little things. Think of landscape photographs as falling into three subgenres: the expansive view, the extreme close-up, or the intimate landscape photography.

It takes more than merely filling the frame with things to create the intimate compositions of a landscape, even while textures, lines, forms, and patterns are essential elements. It recounts a section of the narrative.

Consider what “smaller details” are in every site that provides context for the area. When you have your entire scene, compose it using a visually appealing layout. The mix of pebbles, kelp, and a bird feather at the beach tells a complete story. You may get a sense of the setting from any small scenes.

Choices of Equipment

Many often bring just one lens, for the goal is to capture the subtleties of a larger landscape. To make sure you have everything you need when photographing intimate landscapes, check the list below:

Extra Lenses

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Because you only have one lens, you must focus on selecting a worthwhile subject and creating a better image. By changing lenses, you are losing time on the scene for searching, discovering, and taking pictures.

Without the weight of extra gear, you can move more quickly, trek further, and locate things that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. When you are constantly changing lenses, it might be challenging to focus on that.

Mid-Range Zoom Lens

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A mid-range zoom lens is best for capturing an intimate landscape. Wide-angle lenses are often beloved by landscape photographers.

Still, when it comes to a small, intimate scene, wide-angle lenses tend to contain too much backdrop and too many distinct subjects, which detract from all the details that are the primary focus. Although it’s not a strict rule, a mid-range zoom with a fast shutter speed typically works best.

Tripod

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A tripod is yet another crucial gear to capture the intimate details of your intimate landscape. A tripod helps you slow down, even in conditions where you have enough light to work with, and may not require a slow shutter speed.

You may find the distinctive nuances that make a scene unique by spending time and getting to know the area; they are the ideal scene for your intimate landscape.

Compositional Methods

Just because we aren’t taking pictures of grand vistas doesn’t imply we should neglect good compositional techniques. When practicing intimate landscape photography, the same compositional strategies still hold. We may approach this subgenre in many different ways.

Lines

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Lines are one of the best methods to guide your viewer around a small scene. Using lines from photographing nature is more than just large-scale landscapes.

Even when photographing intimate landscapes, leading lines are an excellent method to show the viewer the image’s main subject.

Repetition

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This strategy allows you to display a larger scene that, at first look, is just a repeat of the same thing. But the beauty of this strategy is that, upon closer examination, the spectator may revel in the variations you often see in nature.

Depiction or Portrayal

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Do you recall attempting to identify shapes in the passing clouds when you were little? The strategy is the same.

Here, finding natural components that mimic something altogether different is the aim. This strategy’s appeal lies in its ability to capture your and the viewer’s imagination.

Separation or Isolation

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Isolation is often found in varied textures and light rather than epic fog when capturing more abstract landscapes. The sudden change in texture in a photo is what provides the whole narrative.

Contrast or Duality

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When capturing more abstract features in the environment, similar to balancing in expansive views, you may examine various components using the this vs. that approach. The notion is practical when two incompatible natural components coexist peacefully in a constrained space.

Simple examples are dark background vs. bright contrast or complementary colors. Or it might be more intricate, as in the resulting photographs showing the distinction between explicit and reflected water waves.

The Framing

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In many facets of photography, but notably in the grand landscape, the idea of framing is helpful. With framing, you make the main subject the center of some vignette form by using a small portion of the surrounding area.

The framing approach requires the photographer to locate anything in the surroundings that pulls the viewer to a particular photo section. It is much like how a frame enhances a photograph or painting by bringing the observer into the center.

The Colors

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All landscape photographers should learn about and become comfortable with the color wheel. When it comes to complementary and similar hues, this is particularly true.

Similar hues create harmony because they are close to one another on the color wheel, while complimentary hues are on opposing sides. You must learn how colors interact with one another.

8 Simple Tips For Better Intimate Landscape Photography

Here are some photography tips to assist you in navigating the intimate landscape photography world.

1. Start Small

One advantage of finding intimate landscapes is that you don’t need to visit parks like Glacier National Park or Zion National Park. You may find it everywhere, in your backyards, surrounding parks, besides the stream, metropolitan museum, or the neighboring forests.

Any time of day, if you take your camera on a stroll, you will come across some intimate landscapes. You will discover that close-up landscapes often lend themselves to various styles.

2. Get Closer and Personal

A telephoto lens is a great lens to use when focusing on small scenes in the most intriguing area. Compress and eliminate distracting elements from the scene using a telephoto zoom lens or fixed lens to frame it closely.

You may use a mid-range lens instead of a telephoto lens if you don’t have one, and then “zoom with your feet” to get closer to your subject.

Consider utilizing your 24-70 mm lens to capture a scene with a mountain and grand vista. Step a few steps forward and start exploring for interesting compositions, or zoom in to the most significant focal lengths on your lens. Your eye will learn to see in smaller details as a result.

3. Eliminate Distractions

Asking oneself, “Is this a significant component of the photo?” is a valuable habit to get into while taking intimate landscape photos. A little shift in perspective may make disturbing components in more intimate compositions disappear.

The sky is one component that often draws attention away from the subject of your shot. Work to remove the sky from your composition as much as you can.

It will distract your viewer from the focal focus of your photograph since it is often the brightest part of your frame. When we eliminate context from our landscape photographs, we allow our viewers to see with their imaginations.

4. Start Wide, Go Narrow

You may take your wide-angle lens out of the bag as you approach that expansive, gorgeous scene. Start focusing on the more compelling compositions that fit within the bigger picture.

Using a wide-angle lens to capture a picture and then using the magnify button on the camera’s rear to browse through the image to look for any small scene. More interesting compositions inside the frame will help you find more intimate photos.

Before you even take the camera out of the bag, you may use a card to frame smaller scenes. A frame card is a little mat board with an opening proportionate to your sensor.

5. Recognize Patterns, Different Textures, Shapes, and Lines

The two dimensions of an image are its limitations. Therefore, there are a few extra tools that you may use to add shallow depth and movement to your composition.

The artist may create an appealing photo using various techniques, including texture, lines, colors, tonal value, and forms.

When you train your eye to recognize the fundamental elements of composition, you will start to see them everywhere — in the texture of grasses, the contrast of colors on the surface of the water, the shapes and lines of sticks, and the forms of rocks.

Make your composition using the colors in nature photography. Develop your two-dimensional vision.

6. Use The Scene With Multiple Shots

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Consider employing intimate landscapes to communicate a more sweeping tale about the setting where you are photographing.

For example, looking inside an abandoned place, you will see several discarded objects that reveal the place had been abandoned and was in a state of disrepair. Combined with other images, it supports a fuller narrative than a snapshot of the place alone.

7. Illustrate The Focal Point

You may see a suitable focal point as the anchor in landscape composition, such as an eye-catching boulder near a canyon’s entrance. Once you’ve captured that composition, experiment using the focal point as a separate composition.

For example in street photography, the grass is a lovely subject, and the water mirrors the sky, providing a little more subtle interest to the photo.

8. Notice Details in Abstract Compositions

Abstract painting has numerous options in this type of landscape. Intimate landscapes can’t depend on spectacular sunrises to draw in viewers. Therefore, composition is crucial in creating an intimate experience.

Consider alternatives to the “rule of thirds,” often used in photographing nature’s smaller scenes. Pay particular attention to how the composition’s lines and forms direct the viewer’s eye and how they may arouse feelings.

For instance, horizontal lines evoke tranquility since everything parallel to the Earth is at rest. Vertical lines provide the impression of strength, size, and force. Diagonal lines produce movement and energy. Furthermore, symmetry suggests stability.

Don’t forget to Have Fun!

It is very refreshing and memorable to see and capture intimate, grand landscapes. Remember to discover humorous images while searching for serious and artistic ones!

Conclusion

A challenging yet worthwhile photographic strategy is intimate landscape photography. Your photos tend to be more original, artistic, and emotional since you are capturing intimate moments.

With this, you may connect with your audience more significantly and profoundly than ever.

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20/04/2025
How Do You Reduce Haze in Landscape Photography?

Haze can be a photographer’s ally, but it is a trouble to endure most of the time. Misty mornings allow us to create fascinating and subtly beautiful images. But how can we ensure that visuals are radiant with charmed captures rather than dissipate into a photo setback?

To reduce the haze in landscape photography, add a polarizer to the scene to reduce the scattered light. After taking the picture, you may use a combination of the Dehaze, Clarity, and Contrast changes in the photo editor (particularly Lightroom) to reduce the haze effect and improve the clarity of the picture. You can also use Auto Tone in Photoshop.

Read on to learn how to clean up haze from your photos and reduce unwanted haze as you take the shot.

What Causes Landscape Haze?

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Haze results when dust, smoke, water, or other airborne pollutants scatter light as it travels through the atmosphere. As humidity rises, these particles often enlarge, further reducing visibility. Haze may soften a view and lessen the sharpness of landscape components.

Photographing in the haze is significantly different from photographing in clear weather. With proper knowledge, these climatic events might make your photographs more exciting.

How to Reduce Unwanted Haze in the Field As You Take The Shot

After setting up your photo arrangement, you notice some haze. How do you eliminate it?

Bring the Correct Gear

You can bring a UV filter, skylight filters, a tripod, and wet-weather gear for the least chance of getting ominous hazy shots (including a lens cloth).

A wide-angle lens may be helpful when using an SLR camera, or you might carry a long lens to emphasize the photo’s depth. Using a tripod allows you to experiment with exposure settings, and an open mind is vital when photographing haze.

Choose the Best Time to Avoid Haze

Due to the day’s high temperatures, atmospheric haze is more frequent in the afternoon and evening. The quantity of haze rises due to the warmer air expanding to accommodate more particles. The daytime increase in winds also stirs up more haze and other particles into the air, adding to the haze effect.

Often, haze is the least prevalent in the morning since the air is cool, less humid, and moist. There is also naturally less haze when the sun is directly above since the light passes through the atmosphere the least.

Reduce the Haze Through A Polarizing Filter

Atmospheric haze is essentially light dispersed by moisture and airborne particles. A polarizing filter will eliminate this undesired haze before taking the picture. A polarizing filter will also improve the clarity and sharpness of the scene’s objects by reducing the amount of dispersed light entering the lens.

Remove the Atmospheric Haze

Atmospheric haze is often to blame for nature photos that are murky, dusty, and have the dreaded blue color. A UV filter or skylight filter will eliminate any air haze in your photograph.

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Your lens may be shielded from dirt, grime, and scratches by a high-quality UV filter without compromising the color, contrast, or exposure of your pictures. A UV filter or skylight filter decreases the likelihood of a blue cast, which will also improve the clarity and accuracy of your photos.

Modify Your Angle

The sun may lessen haze by adjusting the camera’s angle concerning the light source. Unfortunately, it is only sometimes possible to dramatically alter the camera’s orientation.

You could think about shifting the light’s axis, however. If you return to the same spot later in the day, the sun will be positioned differently concerning the camera.

Play Around with Exposure

With a long exposure, you may capture the illusion of movement in a slow-moving mist and create a clear contrast adjustment between blurred and static elements in your shot.

Even the most seasoned photographers may learn a lot by photographing hazy and foggy landscapes, so make sure you spend the time experimenting with exposure settings.

Balance is Important

Because hazy situations often lack color, it is crucial to pay attention to the color balance and lower the likelihood of getting boring, vanilla photos. Ensure your white balance is in order to balance the cold tones of early morning. You may also want to think about shooting in RAW to have additional post-processing possibilities.

Pro tip: To portray your people as black shadows, make sure that you expose depending on the haze, not the subject. Exposing the haze gives this transient phenomenon additional complexity and texture.

How to Remove Haze in a Landscape Image?

We provided some ideas on reducing haze in the photo in the first part of this article, which you may utilize when shooting on location. However, how can you lessen its effects post-processing?

Many methods will work to remove haze from a photograph, and a more effective strategy is to combine many modifications to get the desired effects.

Use Dehaze To Remove Haze

The Basic panel in Lightroom has the Dehaze slider. Dehaze may be used to decrease haze across the whole picture. However, this modification may also result in saturated colors and a darkened picture. Therefore, use cautiously and in conjunction with increasing exposure and lowering colour saturation.

You may also use Dehaze with the Masks above the Basic panel. Using a mask, you may choose which parts of the picture the Dehaze effect is applicable.

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For tiny areas, use the paintbrush tool. The Grad Filter might be helpful if the sun comes from one side since it allows you to choose vast areas of your picture.

Clear out the Haze with Clarity

You may boost the mid-tone intensity with the Clarity slide. Choose the Natural or Classic settings first since they are the most effective when you want to keep highlighting detail.

Make a white-balance adjustment or an Auto Levels adjustment before utilizing the Clarity tool, ideally by using the individual Red, Green, and Blue Channel modes.

It is doubtful that the Structure slider will improve much, although it depends on how bad the haze is. Images with greater detail and slight haze may show enhancements. Move the Clarity and Structure sliders to the left gradually, staying at low values if you want to add haze creatively.

Set the Blacks and the Whites Apart

You may wish to change the black and white levels after adjusting the mid-tones using the Clarity slider. The benefit of this strategy is that you may alter each of them separately to get the desired outcome.

Any dark tones in the photograph can be washed away by the haze. But because the black levels may be affected by the Dehaze and Contrast sliders, it is a good idea to recheck them after each change.

Make the Tonal Curve Adjustments

Just below the Basic Panel is where you will find the Tone Curve Panel. In a setup, the haze often appears when the left side of the curve’s solid line is higher than the dotted line. Click on one of the dots on the left side of the curve and drag it closer to the dotted line to lessen the haze effect.

The Tonal Curve provides access to precise tone alterations throughout the whole image. You may choose one of the preset tone options and fine-tune any tonal values. While you may adjust certain tones, the changes may affect the whole picture.

White Balance Correction

Haze may make your White Balance do bizarre things, depending on where you are and what time of day it is. Haze, for instance, may artificially warm the image and filter out blue tones. As an alternative, your shot can have blue color casts.

You have great versatility when you take your pictures in RAW. A photograph in RAW format may always have its White Balance changed without degrading the image’s quality.

The NeutralHazer Approach

Paid software is available to reduce haze for individuals who want to do it entirely under their control. NeutralHazer is a plugin for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements that determines the air thickness in each pixel, allowing the user to define the boundaries between the foreground and background.

NeutralHazer is a unique tool since it allows users to choose the covered background and foreground sections, the strength of the impact on each of them, and the transition between the two areas.

Add Contrast

You may restore contrast to your image by using the Contrast slider. Be careful that changing the contrast will influence all tones, including black, mid-tones, and whites. You could utilize the Clarity slider if you don’t want to affect the blacks and whites.

It is also a fantastic place to experiment using the Unsharp Mask technique and adjustment in Adobe Camera Raw. For this “haze removal” approach, you do a Local Contrast Enhancement utilizing Radius rather than the more extreme value shift in a typical Unsharp Mask procedure called Amount.

Haze is Not Always A Bad Thing

Haze may significantly affect your image and limit your ability to see what is in front of you. Even while this can at first look terrible, it can be a positive thing! Haze may provide a dynamic layer of mood and atmosphere to your photographs, altering how viewers may interpret them.

Haze may be used successfully in a landscape photo to enhance the composition and the message you convey about the scene.

For instance, haze may create a cluttered backdrop, create separation from subjects, capture images like the sun’s color and enhance a picture’s atmosphere and warmth. Consider inventive methods to include the haze in the composition so that it tells a powerful tale

Conclusion

Use a polarizer to remove scattered light for a crisper picture if you wish to lessen it, or shoot in RAW and apply various modifications while editing the picture. Consider using the lighting and including the haze as a design element for a fantastic job.

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19/04/2025
How to Resize Images Without Losing Quality in Photoshop
You may have been told you need to compress and resize image files for websites, social media, and other uses. Why? Oversized images can slow down your site, mess with SEO, and even affect sales. But shrinking an image the wrong way? That can leave you with a blurry, pixelated mess.

Luckily, resizing images without losing quality is easy once you know how. This guide walks you through how to resize an image in Photoshop without losing quality and all the other best methods—starting with what to consider before you begin.

Preparing for image resizing

Before you resize an image, consider the following:
- Aspect ratio: Make sure the image keeps its proportions so it doesn’t look stretched. Common ratios include 1:1 (square) for profile pics, 16:9 for banners, and 3:2 for product shots.
- Required dimensions: Every platform has its own size recommendations—Instagram Stories need 1080x1920px, while blog images usually fall between 1200px and 1600px wide.
- Resolution: Web images should be 72 DPI for fast loading, while print needs at least 300 DPI for high-quality results.
- Use case: Think about where the photo will be used. This helps avoid distortion and keeps your visuals looking sharp. Websites and online stores need smaller file sizes for speed, while social media platforms have specific size guidelines to keep images looking their best.
It’s also a good idea to make sure you start with a high-quality image. No amount of editing or resizing can make a poor-quality photo look great.

How to reduce image size in Photoshop: shortcut

If you want a quick and easy way to resize images in Photoshop, follow these steps:

If you’re already using Photoshop, open your image by going to File > Open from the menu at the top of the application window. If you have just opened Photoshop, you can still open the image directly from the opening screen. You can also use the shortcut CTRL + O (COMMAND + O on a Mac) to open an image at any time.

Navigate through your documents until you find your image, and open it. Then, go to Image > Image Size in the top menu. You can quickly access the Image Size window by typing CTRL + ALT + I (COMMAND + ALT + I on a Mac).

In the Image Size dialog box, enter the new dimensions you want to resize your image to. Make sure the chain link icon (to keep proportions) is enabled.

If you are sizing an image for your ecommerce website, you will want the dimensions to be as small as possible without losing quality. A good rule of thumb? Keep images around 1000px wide (2000px wide if they are to fill the screen from side to side). You can keep an eye on the final file size with the “Image Size:” text at the top of the dialog box. In general, try to keep ecommerce images under 200K to ensure fast load times.

Next to Resampling, choose a method that works best for the type of image you are working with:
- Bicubic Sharper (reduction) is best for reducing the size while still showing a lot of detail
- Bicubic (smooth gradients) will produce the best images for showcasing flawless skin by smoothing edges
- Nearest Neighbor produces very harsh edges and emphasizes artifacts. Only use this if you want a grainy, pixelated look.
All other resampling options are for enlarging images, not reducing them. If you’re not sure which resampling to choose, stick with “Automatic.”

Click OK, then save your resized image (File > Export > Export As…).

For more control over file size and compression, Photoshop’s Export As… tool is a great option—covered in the next section.

How to reduce image size in Photoshop: Export As…

The Export tool in Photoshop is one of the best ways to shrink image file sizes without sacrificing too much quality. Whether you’re optimizing a product image, a thumbnail, or a homepage banner, it can balance image clarity with fast loading speeds.

Using the Export function in Photoshop is often comparable to the compression you’ll get from other tools, without the extra steps (or extra cost) of needing to access additional software.

Before using the Export function, set your ideal image aspect ratio in the top, left hand corner after selecting the Crop tool.

Once your image is cropped (if needed), resize and compress it using the Export function.

Go to: File > Export > Export As…. You can also use the Export As… keyboard shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + ALT + W (ALT + SHIFT + COMMAND + W on a Mac)

This opens the Export As… window, where you can fine-tune file size and quality.

Photoshop image resizing settings

Here are some of the image resize file size and other settings you can choose from:
- Preview section: See what your image will look like after export. Clicking on 2-Up allows you to see different options side-by-side
- File format: On the right-hand side of the screen, you can choose what file type your exported image will be. JPEG is best for compression while keeping quality. PNG is great for transparency but results in larger files. If you have a simple vector-style graphic with no transparency, PNG-8 will give you a great-looking file at a fraction of the size of a PNG-24 (see below). If your graphic is animated, save as an animated GIF.
- Quality (for JPEG): When the JPEG file format is selected, you can use the slider to move between low quality and high quality. A compression level around 5 or 6 is usually adequate.
- Quality (for PNG): When PNG is selected, you have the choice to choose “Transparency” and “Smaller File (8-bit)” If you want a high quality, transparent image (known as a PNG-24), check Transparency and leave Smaller File unchecked. However, if you need to compress an image heavily and transparency isn’t that important, choose Smaller File. This will allow you to export your file as a lower-quality, smaller-sized PNG-8.
- Image size: The dimensions of your image. If you know the exact dimensions you need, you can enter them here. Or, if you want to reduce the size by a percentage, you can use the Percent scaler as well.
- Resample: This is how Photoshop “rebuilds” parts of the image’s data that are altered during compression. Any time you enlarge or reduce an image’s size, you’re going to affect the original proportion that the image had in relation to pixels per inch and dimensions. Bicubic creates smoother gradients, but does not allow for the most compression. Explore other options such as Nearest Neighbor (most basic and worst preservation of detail), Bilinear (usually better for upsampling), Bicubic Smoother (designed for upsampling) or Bicubic Sharper (better for downsampling/preserves detail).
- File size: On the lefthand side of the Export As… window, you can see the file size of the optimized image.
There’s no one-size-fits-all option here. When reducing an image in Photoshop, each image generally takes an individualized amount of tweaking to find the best image quality with the best compression.

Web tools to edit images and reduce file size
- Bulk Web Resizer: This site allows you to upload a batch of images and then resize according to your desired dimensions. You can also adjust the image quality to your needs (choose 100 if you want to preserve the original quality), as well as sharpen images.
- Canva: Canva’s free photo editor allows you to crop and resize images on its site. Additional free editing tools include flipping and rotating images, adjusting the color, and adding filters.
- ImageOptim: ImageOptim can be used in your web browser or via a Mac application. To shrink files, ImageOptim gets rid of EXIF metadata, such as GPS position and the camera’s serial number — however, you can choose to keep specified metadata intact (which is essential to optimizing your product photos for SEO). There’s also a Lossy minification option, which ImageOptim says will result in the smallest file size possible, while preserving image quality. ImageOptim has pricing plans, starting at $9/month for 1,000 image optimizations.
- Kraken: Kraken has a web application and a developer API that can handle bulk image optimization and resizing. The simple web interface is free, and you can drag and drop photos or upload by entering the image URL. There are also different pricing options depending on how many images you work with and how frequently you need to reduce their size. Pricing is based on the total number of GB.
- Pixlr: Resize and also edit photos as needed. The image-editing site also has a free vector-editing tool, as well as free fonts and graphics you can use.
- pngquant: This tool will compress .png files to reduce the file size.
- TinyJPG/TinyPNG: This site allows you to reduce the file size of your images. There are no editing features; instead, TinyJPG/TinyPNG focuses on compressing files to ultimately reduce the file size, stripping unnecessary data from your image.
AI resizing and compression tools
- Let’s Enhance: great for resizing photos for print and digital use.
- Squoosh: web-based, Google-backed compressor with advanced controls.
- Upscale.media: AI-powered upscaler for improving resolution.
Plugins that reduce image size within your CMS

There are tons of plugins on the market that make the image resizing process easier and more automated, all from within your CMS. Here are just a few:

WordPress

Shopify

Tips for resizing ecommerce photos

For ecommerce product photography, maintaining high quality while optimizing file size is key. Here are some best practices:
- Recommended dimensions: Most platforms work well with 1000×1000 px for product images. If zoom functionality is needed, go for 2000×2000 px or higher.
- Aspect ratio: Stick to 1:1 (square) for product photos and 16:9 or 4:3 for banners and hero images.
- Compression: Keep file sizes under 200 KB for fast loading. JPEGs with a “High” setting in Save for Web are a good choice.
- Background: Use a clean white or transparent background to keep the focus on the product.
- Resampling: Use Bicubic Sharper for downsizing to preserve details.
Tips for resizing headshots

Headshots should look sharp and professional across platforms without being too large. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Recommended dimensions: For LinkedIn, company websites, or professional use, 400×400 px works well. For print or high-res needs, go for 1200×1200 px or more.
- Aspect ratio: Stick with 1:1 (square) for profile pictures or 4:5 / 2:3 for portraits.
- File type: Use JPEG for web (compressed but sharp) and PNG for transparent backgrounds.
- Compression: Aim for a file size under 100 KB for web use to prevent slow loading.
- Resampling: Use Bicubic Sharper when reducing size to keep facial features crisp.
Outsource your image resizing needs

Resizing images properly takes time, especially if you’re working with a large volume of product photos, headshots, or marketing assets. Instead of spending hours tweaking dimensions and compression settings, consider outsourcing to a professional image-editing service.

At Path, we specialize in high-quality image resizing, background removal, drop shadow, and more—all done by expert editors with precision and speed. Whether you need bulk resizing for an ecommerce store or perfectly optimized headshots, you’re in good hands with Path.

Need bulk image resizing done right? Try Path free—fast, flawless, and optimized for web.

Image resizing and compression FAQs

Does resizing affect SEO?

Yes, large images slow websites, hurting rankings.

What’s the ideal file size for web images?

The ideal file size for web images is under 100KB for optimal performance.
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18/04/2025
How To Protect Camera In Bad Weather: 16 Pro Tips
The weather can be unpredictable, even in the most temperate of climates. Rainy days can make for a great photo shoot opportunity, but if you’re unprepared and don’t have the right gear, it could also mean some costly repairs for your camera.

Protect your camera from bad weather by investing in high-quality rain protection gear, covers, rain sleeves, waterproof backpacks, and UV filters.

Whether you’re shooting in the rain, snow, or extreme heat, there are steps you can take to ensure that your camera stays safe and functional:

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16 Tips for Weatherproofing Your Camera

1. Invest in a Camera Rain Cover

A camera rain cover is the first line of defense against rainy conditions, and it’s a must-have for any serious outdoor photographer.

upaa

It is a simple and effective way to protect your camera from the elements. It fits over your camera and lens, creating a barrier between the camera and the rain.

A good rain cover will protect your camera from rain, snow and sand—and can also be used to shield it from the sun’s UV rays. Rain covers attach to your camera using hook-and-loop fasteners (a type of adhesive), allowing you to easily remove or reposition the cover as needed.

2. Use a UV Filter

For those who don’t know, UV filters are basically clear pieces of glass that fit in front of your camera lens to protect it from scratches and damage. So why would you want one?

Well, they’ll help keep dust out of your camera and prevent moisture from getting inside. Aside from that, they help reduce the amount of UV light that enters the lens, which can cause lens flare and other problems. A UV filter also provides an extra layer of protection for your lens.

They’re also easy to clean when they do get dirty while you’re working outside with your camera! These filters come in all shapes and sizes – we recommend purchasing one with just a bit wider diameter than the front element on your lens so that it can easily slide into place without having to worry about vignetting (light falloff).

3. Change your Lens Cap for a Tulip Hood

To protect your camera from the elements, you can use a tulip hood. A tulip hood is an alternative to using a lens cap that will save you time and money. The benefits of using a tulip hood are:
- It’s easy to attach and remove from your camera.
- There is no need to remove it every time you want to take pictures.
- It protects both sides of the lens at once—the front and back sides of the lens are equally protected by this cover!
4. Use a Rain Sleeve on your Camera

You can also use a rain sleeve as an additional protection for your camera gear. A rain sleeve is a protective cover for your camera that helps keep it dry and protected from the elements, including dirt, dust and water.

Rainsleeves come in several sizes: some are designed for specific models like DSLRs or mirrorless cameras; others are universal and will fit any size device.

If you’ve got multiple lenses that need protection but don’t want to buy multiple covers, consider buying an ultralight backpack instead of individual bags—many backpacks have built-in lens cases that can be opened with one hand while shooting!

A good quality rain sleeve will have an adjustable strap to attach it securely around your DSLR or mirrorless camera body. It should also be made from high-quality material with waterproof zippers so that it doesn’t let any water in when you open the case up after using it in inclement weather conditions like heavy rain, light rain or snowfall.

If you don’t want to buy one of these sleeves for every time you go out shooting photos outdoors during bad weather conditions then consider investing in a lightweight plastic bag instead (or even just zip lock bags).

This way you can keep them as spares when photographing outdoors so that if something does happen with your gear while taking photos outside during rainy days then there’s always an extra layer protecting their expensive equipment!

5. Keep your Camera Away from Direct Water Contact

photofocus

The last thing you want is for your camera to get wet, so make sure you take precautions before heading out on your next adventure. If there’s even a chance of rain, keep your camera gear safe in a waterproof camera housing, bag or case for better protection. You must always be ready with weather-sealed cameras.

And if it’s too late and the weather has already turned against you, try taking the battery out and bringing just that part inside.

If a storm happens while you’re out in nature, quickly seek shelter under some trees or rocks until it passes—but don’t risk getting lost by trying to find shelter outside! If all else fails, consider changing plans altogether and rescheduling them for another time when it won’t be raining as hard (or at all).

6. Carry Dry Bags with you

Keep your camera inside a dry, protective bag. Dry bags are waterproof and can protect your camera from the elements.

A camera bag with a weather-resistant exterior can help protect your camera gear safe from the rain and other elements. It’s also a good idea to store your camera in a dry place when it’s not in use for better protection.

They come in all shapes and sizes, so you can choose one that fits your needs. Make sure the zippers are strong enough to keep all the water out and make sure there’s a way for air to escape if it does get inside (don’t buy a dry bag with just a single valve).

You can also use them to keep any other electronics you’re carrying dry. You can typically fit your photo gear, waterproof camera housing, a phone, wallet, passport, etc. in one of these small bags and just throw it into your bag or backpack.

7. Shoot in RAW format

Shooting in RAW format is one of the best ways to protect your camera from bad weather. Unlike JPEG files, which are compressed and have their colors reduced, RAW files are not processed by your camera settings until you open them on your computer.

This means that they contain all of the information captured by the camera’s sensor—uncompressed, high-resolution images with more detail than JPEGs can ever hope for.

8. Buy a Waterproof Backpack to Protect your Gear

You may want to invest in a good waterproof backpack to keep your camera dry. Even if you are confident that your camera and lenses can stand up against wet conditions and the elements, it’s always better to get added protection and to be safe than sorry.

dpreview

Look for one that has been designed specifically with photographers in mind. It should feature an internal memory card slot, multiple accessory pockets and dividers for organizing equipment. It also needs to have padded straps to comfortably keep your camera inside during long hikes or treks through the city streets.

The additional cost is worth it to protect your cameras and gear and keep them safe from the rain, cold, and other extreme conditions.

9. Keep an Extra Camera Battery Handy

The weather is not going to care if you are shooting a wedding or just trying to get that perfect shot of the sunset. You need to be prepared, as your camera’s battery life will be affected by all sorts of things, including temperature and humidity.

As with human batteries (iPhones), the amount of charge left in your camera’s battery will decrease over time. If you use your camera often, then you should consider replacing the original battery with an extra one.

10. Protect your Camera from Heat and Humidity

If you store your camera for long periods of time, make sure it is dry and cool. Do not leave your camera in a car or on any surface that might get hot from sunlight or indoor heating.

For extra protection, keep the lens cap on when not in use to prevent dust accumulation on the surface of the lens. If you’re going to be putting your cameras away for a while, consider storing it in a temperature-controlled environment (such as an air-conditioned room) or climate-controlled storage facility.

11. Carry a Microfiber Cloth

A microfiber cloth can be used to wipe away any excess moisture or dirt that gets on your camera. It’s a good idea to keep one in your camera bag at all times.

12. Avoid Changing Lenses in Bad Weather

If you need to change lenses, try to do it in a covered area to protect your camera from the elements. If you must change lenses in the rain, turn your camera off and cover the body and lens with a rain cover or umbrella to minimize the amount of moisture that gets inside.

13. Use a Lens Hood

A lens hood is a piece of plastic or metal that attaches to the front of your lens. It helps to shield the lens from heavy rain, snow, and other elements. It also helps to reduce lens flare and improve image quality.

14. Avoid Shooting in Extreme Heat

If you’re shooting in very hot conditions, try to keep your camera in a cool, shaded area as much as possible. Avoid leaving it in a hot car or direct sunlight for extended periods of time, as this can cause damage to the camera and its batteries.

15. Use a Dry Box or Silica Gel Packets

drycabinets

If you’re traveling to a humid location, consider using a dry box or silica gel packets to protect your camera and lenses from moisture. A dry box is a small, airtight container that absorbs moisture, while silica gel packets absorb moisture and help to keep your gear dry.

16. Use a Tripod in Windy Conditions

If you’re shooting in windy conditions, a tripod can help to keep your camera steady and prevent it from being blown over. It’s also a good idea to use a cable release or self-timer to minimize camera shake

Takeaway

The takeaway from this article is that you need to be aware of the weather conditions and keep your camera safe when you are outdoors. You should also take precautions before heading outside.

If it looks like it will rain or snow, keep your camera weather sealed, stay indoors, and wait for the storm to pass. Be sure to wipe off any moisture on your camera if it gets wet in the rain or snow, and make sure you keep it dry when indoors so that moisture doesn’t build up inside of it and damage its internal parts.

The most important thing is to not let yourself get frustrated or discouraged when things don’t go as planned. Remember that there will always be beautiful days for photography.

It’s impossible to keep the bad weather completely out of the picture. Tips, we shared can help you protect your camera from bad weather, and ensure that it stays in good working order, and takes better photos for years to come. Happy shooting!
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18/04/2025