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How to Edit Wildlife Photos in 4 Lighting Scenarios | DxO PhotoLab 9 Tutorial

Chiara Talia - Wildlife Photography

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Use code CHIARA for 15% off: https://www.dxo.com/dxo-photolab/

Are you editing every wildlife photo the same way, no matter what light you shot in? That's one of the biggest editing mistakes I see by wildlife photographers — and it's why your photos might still look flat, dull, or boring even after editing.
In this detail editing video tutorial, I show you how to edit 4 real wildlife photos taken in 4 completely different lighting conditions - golden hour, harsh midday sun, low light, and flat overcast - and show you exactly how and why my editing decisions change for each one. I use DxO PhotoLab 9 for the edits, but the principles apply to any editing software.
You'll learn how to read your lighting scenario, adjust exposure and contrast for each type of light, use HSL color adjustments to enhance (not fight) what the light gives you, and apply local adjustments and AI masking to make your subject stand out. We'll explore both natural and more creative edits.

This video is sponsored by DxO.

📸 TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
01:57 DxO PhotoLab 9 Overview
02:47 Photo 1: Golden Hour - fog, backlight, soft colors
07:44 Photo 2: Harsh Light - white bird, highlight recovery, color choices
15:06 Photo 3: Low Light - moody creative edit with local adjustments
18:43 Photo 4: Overcast - flat light, adding contrast, colors and depth
23:43 My thoughts on DxO PhotoLab 9

📚 RELATED VIDEOS:
👉 Do THIS Before You Edit ANY Wildlife Photo: What PROS do before editing that beginners...
👉 DxO PureRAW 6 Review for Wildlife Photography: DxO PureRAW 6 on real wildlife photos - wo...

📷 ABOUT ME:
I'm Chiara, a wildlife photographer and educator who helps photographers take impactful photos through an anti-gear, anti-perfectionism approach. I went from struggling to find time while working full-time to becoming a professional wildlife photographer—and I share everything I learn along the way.

📸 GEAR I ACTUALLY USE AND RECOMMEND
CAMERA: Canon R5 https://amzn.to/46tp3DV
LENS (tele): Canon RF 100-500mm https://amzn.to/4akFDYM
LENS (wide): Canon RF 24-105 mm https://amzn.to/4ayMKvB
MIC: DJI Mic Mini https://amzn.to/4rTnMOx
CARDS: CFExpress SanDisk Cards https://amzn.to/4qDoAWG
BINOCULARS: Celestron Nature DX 8x42 https://amzn.to/469gQ7x
SSD: https://amzn.to/3PlmPjV
SSD Pouch: https://amzn.to/3PlmPjV

🔗 CONNECT WITH ME:
Instagram: Instagram: chiaratalia_birds
Newsletter: https://www.chiaratalia.com/newslette...

#birdphotography #wildlifephotography #birdphotographytips #wildlifephotographer #birdphotographytutorial

16 Comments

@Ioann24 6 months ago

Chiara you hit the nail on the head - uniformity is the ultimate dilemma of modern digital aesthetics. We’ve become trapped in a visual fast food culture, where a shot's identity is traded for grid consistency. A well-ordered feed might be aesthetically pleasing, but it often dilutes the essence of the photograph itself. By forcing moments into pre-set templates, we restrict a photographer’s creative expression. Authentic editing should elevate a photo’s distinct atmosphere, rather than forcing it to fit a conveyor-belt standard.

@NK-vs3tv 6 months ago

I especially liked the editing of the overcast photo. It's easy to "give up" on these photos, but this was very inspiring. Thank you for the video. :-)

@Aussie_Birdman 3 months ago

Chiara thank you 🙏. Exceptional video tutorial on an amazing piece of software while also highlighting your unique perspectives on light, colour and creativity. Loved it and super helpful.

@AdrianW.Photography 6 months ago

Very helpful. Especially seeing how you tackle different lighting situations. You demonstrated how powerful PL 9 is.

@vikashsrivastva7041 6 months ago (edited)

Love your workflow videos ❤❤

@migueleng7634 6 months ago

Thanks for the demo. Time to update my dxo license :)

@DavidThumim99099 6 months ago

I'm almost sold on dxo at this point. Seems like a really good software!

@jeffolson4731 6 months ago

I have been using Photolab for a several years now and have been very happy with it. I created my own workspace so I have the tools I use in the order I use them. All I have to do is start at the top and work my way down. The other tools are still available if I need them. I also created a few presets. Since I do wildlife I have the preset automatically mask the animal and create an inverted mask for everything else. The default boosts the animal a little and tones down everything else. Is this perfect, no but it is a starting point. I really enjoy how easy it is to edit one photo and copy those adjustments to everything else. Most photos taking around the same time can get the same/similar adjustments.

To me the lens corrections and denoise in Photolab are great.

Very good examples and nice to see your workflow. Don't ever let anyone tell you how your image should look. I might not have done added the micro contrast like you did in the pond scene but I love the results you got. It is your image and art.

@keithreid4032 3 months ago

Thanks so much for a fanstic video. I have just bought Lab 9 so trying to get used to it as has been working with LR ans PS for 30 years.

@taranumf9 4 months ago

❤

@chiaratalia_wild Creator 6 months ago

Sooo what is the type of light you prefer shooting in? 🤩

@aurupunk 3 months ago

Very helpful video, thank you very much. Have you tried Nik Collection and did you find it useful? And just a small tip for future videos: if possible, please use a sturdy object for your laptop because constantly moving and jumping head makes little nauseous 😊

@ludwigvanbildhoven 1 month ago

Please about editing in PL 10

@MrAndyuk63 6 months ago

This is really interesting Chiara. I've been considering switching to Photolabs for a while now. The main sticking point for me is keywording (especially hierarchical keywords) which LRC does brilliantly. For example, I can add the full taxonomic tree for a species with one click - although, now that the keyword sync between LRC and LR mobile is broken, and Adobe are not in the slightest bit interested in fixing it, LR is losing some of it's advantage there.

Are there any other things you've found that might be problematic in moving from LRC to DXO?

Thanks
Andy

@Mr09260 6 months ago

Thank you Chiara . I am a Wild Life Photographer in South Africa and Iam getting out of Adobe Subscription in Oct this year and Looking at DXO PL 9 .. It looks even I can make the Change at 75 !! Lol

@charlesforbin8526 6 months ago

As a wildlife shooter and dxo user, this was very helpful. If I didn't miss it, you did not touch the tone curve tool - any specific reason for that?

I've seen other photographers use it (in LR) to great effect, but I never got the hang of it.