New Editing Techniques that are Enhancing our Underwater Photography [VIDEO]

By Jean Rydberg

AI is everywhere right now and it’s already made its way into our daily workflow in underwater imaging. Let’s talk about a few of our favorite features that have made a huge difference in how we handle our photos and video.

AI Sharpening with Topaz AI

Recently I came back to the boat after a dive in Grand Cayman with some amazing photos that happened to all be slightly out of focus due to a miscommunication between me and my camera. Thankfully I was diving with our Ambassador Gary Burns. He’s become a bit of a Topaz AI guru and he was actually able to save these photos that would have otherwise been immediately deleted. In addition to sharpening, the Topaz AI suite provides tools for enhancing resolution and reducing noise within an image.

Turn trash to treasure with Topaz AI. See more of Topaz AI's incredible results.  

Sky Replacement in Photoshop

The second way we’re using AI in underwater photography is changing the way we think about shooting split shots- where the dome is half-in and half-out of the water. These shots often have a crazy dynamic range and it’s not uncommon for your capture to end up much too dark on the bottom and much too bright on the top. And that’s where Adobe Photoshop’s Sky Replacement technology comes in. This tool automatically finds the horizon line in your photo and drops in a new sky at the press of a button. Use one of Adobe’s stock images or create your own library of interesting skies and sunsets.

Use Sky Replacement in Photoshop to bring a blown out sky in a split-shot back to life. 

Expanding the Canvas with Generative Fill

I do a lot of our graphics and web layout, and sometimes there’s a shot that I need to expand to fit the space better or give me room to add text. For that, I’m using the AI-powered Canvas Expansion with Generative Fill in Photoshop. It can give you some pretty funny suggestions, but proves useful for simple expansion of background water or distant coral reefs. Ambassador Kristina Sherk is a Photoshop expert and I recommend heading over to her SharkPixel channel where she has some great content on how to use this feature.

Outcropping with Generative Fill is a powerful tool. Kristina Sherk shows you how to use it to your advantage.   

Additional Viewing

First Results // Topaz Photo AI Enhancement of Underwater Images

Top 5 New Features in Adobe Lightroom with Kristina Sherk

Recovering Split Shots with AI Generation

How to Change a Background in Adobe Express [VIDEO]

Split Shot Editing // Balancing Exposure Underwater and Above in the Lightroom [VIDEO]

How to Use the Exciting New Adobe® Photoshop Tools with Kristina Sherk

Underwater Photo Editing: Trash to Treasure Using Lightroom [VIDEO]

Jean Rydberg is the President & CEO of Ikelite. She has lived her whole life in landlocked Indianapolis, Indiana, but is no stranger to the water as a daughter of Ikelite’s founder Ike Brigham. She has traveled around the world shooting and testing gear and enjoys new challenges in both photography and diving. Jean loves to learn about the creative ways photographers achieve their visions. More than anything she wants to show aspiring underwater photographers that excellence is attainable with any system. When she's not working she's spending time with her husband and two daughters.