For Lightroom Classic and Adobe Camera Raw · Mac and Windows
Rethink Landscape Toolkit
A 7-step Lightroom workflow for landscape photography.
Modular presets, a complete video course, and a desktop app that installs and teaches everything.
One-time purchase · All future Landscape Toolkit updates included · 30-day money-back guarantee
Lightroom doesn't tell you where to go
Lightroom was built for everyone: portraits, sports, weddings. Hundreds of controls, no opinion about which ones matter for a landscape, no order to follow.
So most of us process by wandering. Move sliders until it looks better, without quite knowing why it worked, or how to repeat it on the next image.
Rethink replaces the wandering with a process: seven steps, in an order that exists for real reasons.
A Professional Process from Start to Finish.
The 7-Step Rethink Landscape Workflow
1
Core Prep
Gets your file to a solid foundation, in the order Adobe recommends so your AI masks and generative removals aren't regenerated later and lost forever.
- Sequence the AI tools: HDR merge, Denoise, and generative remove at the right stage
- Reveal hidden dust spots and remove them, plus lens corrections
- Set white balance precisely using a temporary hyper-saturated view
- Check your composition: blur and monochrome the image to judge shapes before you commit to a crop
2
Style Launch
A starting point matched to your image's dynamic range, at the contrast level you choose for your style, including linear profile launches.
- Choose a starting point matched to your image's dynamic range: Low, Medium, High, or Extreme
- Each starting style uses an Adobe Color Profile matched to that type of scene
- Pick standard, AI-powered adaptive, or HDR versions built for high-dynamic-range displays
3
Tonal Adjustments
Tone comes before color because every tonal change shifts your colors.
- Add contrast exactly where you want it: highlights, mid-tones, or shadows
- Dodge and burn with tools that target only the highlights or only the shadows
- Sculpt the sky: enhance clouds, darken the horizon, or add contrast without touching the land
- Check print clipping to find areas too bright or dark to hold detail
4
Color Adjustments
Refine your color once the tones are settled, so the work sticks.
- Blur the image to see how colors interact as shapes before you adjust them
- Fix neon greens, rescue detail in bright flowers, and deepen fall color
- Revive muted tones or rein in oversaturation with targeted masks
- Warm the highlights, grade color, or apply light and color together with Color Dodge
5
Detail
Sharpening and noise handled where each image needs it. Details aren't optional; that's why they come before effects.
- Reduce noise only where it appears, like smooth skies and deep shadows
- Add mid-tone clarity and microcontrast to bring out fine textures
- Paint clarity onto highlights to emphasize areas touched by light
- Choose Artifact-Free or High Detail sharpening, with extra sharpening for your subjects
6
Effects
Optional final refinements: atmosphere, glow, mood.
- Paint light in or out with the Add Light and Remove Light brushes
- Add fog, sunbeams, atmospheric perspective, or glows like Luminous, Twilight, and Desert Glow
- Apply the Orton effect, a soft Painterly style, or the Silvery moonlight look
- Build low-key or high-key images, or push the sky for more drama
7
Selections
Specialized masks for the images that need more than the built-in targeting.
- Create luminosity masks for Lights, Darks, and Mid-tones in one click
- Select sky and land with better feathering than Lightroom's default AI Sky tool
- Target by depth: Foreground, Mid-ground, or Background
- Apply one-click AI masks for Water, Vegetation, Mountains, and Natural Ground
Print templates and export presets wait at the end, so the workflow runs start to finish with nothing missing.
Years of decisions, saved as presets
I spent years working out the cleanest way to build tools like the Orton effect, and the best way to darken highlights without wrecking the color underneath. Those settings are saved inside each tool. You start from a refined answer instead of rebuilding it on every image.
The tools know where to work
Most presets change your whole image whether it needs it or not. Rethink's tools are targeted. Many carry masks built in: an adjustment that works only on the lights, or only on the darks, using luminance range masks so it lands exactly where it belongs. And many of the tools are brushes, so you paint an effect in precisely where the image needs it and nowhere else.
Each section of the workflow is also ordered the way you should actually work: global first, local last. In the tonal section, you start with adjustments that shape the whole image, move to targeted selections like the sky, and finish with brushes for the spots only you can see need work. The order guides you between the seven steps and inside each one.
The toolkit comes with its own app
When you buy, you download the Rethink app for Mac or Windows. It installs the presets, holds the entire course, and keeps everything current. You never touch a zip file, and there is no separate course site to log into.
One-click install
Click Install and the app places every preset exactly where Lightroom Classic and Camera Raw expect them. When I release an update, the app shows you what changed and installs it the same way. The presets you've marked as favorites in Lightroom stay favorited through every update, and the app backs them up first regardless.
The course, built to be used three ways
The full course lives inside the app: 100 lessons across 14 modules, most five or six minutes long, each covering a single tool or decision.
There are three ways in.
- Quick start. Editing your own photographs the same day.
- The lesson library. Organized by need. Fighting neon greens? Search, watch the one lesson, get back to your image.
- Start-to-finish edits. Watch me work a photograph from raw file to final, explaining every decision as I make it.
The lessons open up the settings inside each tool, so you're learning how to process, with the presets as your working examples.
Resume anywhere · Timestamped notes · Offline downloads · Syncs between your computers
Ask me about any lesson
Every lesson has an ask box. Your question comes to me with the exact moment you were watching, so I can see what you're seeing. When an answer would help everyone, I publish it under the lesson.
My raw files, in your catalog
The course includes the raw files I edit on screen, so you can work through every lesson on the same photographs. The app downloads them and imports them into your Lightroom catalog with one click.
Linear profiles, built for your cameras
During setup, the app builds a linear profile for each camera in your catalog. Adobe's default profiles bake color and contrast decisions into your file; a linear profile starts with none of those decisions made. But you will never see a flat image: the starting styles apply the adjustments for you, and every one stays editable.
Yours, on your terms
This is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Sign in once per computer with a 6-digit code and you stay signed in. The presets and any lessons you've downloaded keep working even when the internet doesn't.
Reveal the Bones of Your Composition
Strong composition is everything. A unique evaluation preset simplifies your image into tone and form, removing color and detail so you can clearly see the skeleton of your scene.
Sculpt with Light and Shadow
Take control with precision. Advanced dodge and burn tools let you brighten highlights, deepen shadows, or adjust contrast in mid-tones. This allows you to paint focus and depth exactly where you want it. In the toolkit these brushes are named Lighten and Darken so the direction is obvious.
The Signature Orton Glow
Add a dreamy glow with intention. My Orton effect targets highlights, creating a natural, soft bloom without compromising shadow detail. No muddy results.
One raw file, many directions
My Story: Why I Created Rethink
For years, I taught photography workshops and saw the same problem again and again: talented photographers getting lost in the complexity of Lightroom and Photoshop. They were following conventional rules and tutorials, but their final images lacked a personal spark. They felt stuck.
Rethink wasn't born from a desire to sell presets. It was born from my own need to build a logical, repeatable system for myself: a system that put creativity and intuition back at the center of the process, instead of just technical steps.
My goal is to do more than just give you tools; it's to share that entire methodology. This is the system that helps you break free from those same conventions and finally develop a workflow that feels like you. It's about turning the editing process from a technical chore into an act of creative expression.
Start free. Upgrade when you're ready.
Rethink Essentials is not a teaser. It's a working version of the system: the full 7-step workflow with a core tool at every step, 34 free lessons that teach it, and no email required to download. You can finish real photographs with it.
The Landscape Toolkit is the same system at full depth. Here's what that means in practice.
| Capability | Rethink Essentials · Free | Rethink Landscape Toolkit · $297 |
|---|---|---|
| The 7-step workflow | The complete workflow, with a core tool at every step | The same workflow, at full depth in every step |
| Starting your edit | Three starting styles | Starting styles matched to your image's dynamic range, at the contrast level you choose for your style, plus adaptive AI, HDR, and linear profile versions |
| Light and shadow | Contrast, midtone contrast, and the Lighten and Darken brushes | Full sky control and brushes targeted to every tonal range |
| Color | Vibrance and over-saturation control | Targeted tools for dull greens, fall color, blue snow and water, plus saturation masks and color grading |
| Detail | Artifact-free sharpening and clarity in the lights | The full sharpening and noise toolset, applied only where each image needs it |
| Atmosphere | The Orton effect | All 29 effects: fog, sunbeams, glows, painterly, low key, high key, and more |
| Custom masks | Lights, Darks, and Midtones | All 22 selections, including feathered sky, horizon, depth, water, mountains, and subject |
| Preparing to print | Not included | The full Print Prep section, so prints stop coming back dark |
| The course | 34 free lessons, with the whole course visible | All 100 lessons |
| Export presets | All 11 included | All 11 included |
| The Rethink app | Included | Included |
The last two rows are the same on purpose. The Rethink app is free for everyone, and so are the export presets. What you're paying for is the depth of the toolkit and the course that teaches you to use it.
What's included
The Rethink Landscape Toolkit · $297 · one-time purchase
- All 150 tools across the 7-step workflow, including 29 effects and 22 selections
- The complete course: 100 lessons in 14 modules, about 10 hours of video, inside the Rethink app
- The Rethink app for Mac and Windows: one-click install, offline lessons, timestamped notes, and sync between your computers
- My raw files from the course, imported into your Lightroom catalog with one click
- Linear profiles built for your own cameras
- Print templates and all 11 export presets, so the workflow runs all the way through to the finished print or file
- Tools for backups, cleanup, and Lightroom performance
- All future updates to the Rethink Landscape Toolkit included. When Rethink 2.0 shipped, every course owner received it at no cost.
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Rethink Essentials and the Landscape Toolkit?
Essentials is free, and it's complete enough to finish real photographs. You get the full 7-step workflow with a core tool at every step, plus 34 free lessons that teach it. The Landscape Toolkit is the same system at full depth: all 150 tools, all 100 lessons, and coverage for the problems Essentials can't reach, like high dynamic range scenes, stubborn color, sky control, atmosphere, and preparing to print. My honest advice: start with Essentials. If you keep bumping into its edges, you'll know exactly why you're upgrading.
Are these one-click presets?
No. Each preset does one job, and you stack and adjust them to build your own interpretation of the image. That's the point of the system. If that sounds like more to learn than a normal preset pack, it is, and the quick start lessons get you editing your own photographs the same day.
Do I need to be an experienced Lightroom user?
A basic familiarity helps, but the course assumes nothing beyond that. Most lessons run five or six minutes and cover a single tool or decision, so you learn each piece as you need it rather than all at once.
What software do I need?
The latest version of Lightroom Classic gives you the best experience and full access to the AI masking tools. The toolkit also works in Adobe Camera Raw. For cloud Lightroom and mobile, the Rethink app exports your collection in the format Lightroom's import expects. On older Lightroom versions most tools work, but the newest AI features won't be available. One small note for Windows users: the preset icons display a little differently than in the course videos, which are recorded on a Mac. The Rethink app handles this automatically and everything works the same.
What are the hardware requirements?
The Toolkit runs inside Lightroom Classic, Lightroom (CC), or Adobe Camera Raw. If your computer meets Adobe’s minimum specs, it will run, but since the Toolkit uses masking heavily, faster hardware makes a big difference.
What’s the minimum hardware I need?
- RAM: 8 GB (absolute minimum)
- CPU: Quad-core, 2 GHz or faster
- GPU: 2 GB VRAM, supports DirectX 12 / Metal
- Storage:SSD strongly recommended, 20 GB free space
What hardware do you recommend for smooth performance?
- RAM: 16–32 GB (32 GB if you use lots of masks or very high-MP files)
- CPU: 6–8 cores with high clock speed (Intel i7/i9, AMD Ryzen 7/9, Apple M-series chips)
- GPU: Mid-range or better with 4–8 GB VRAM (NVIDIA RTX 3060+, AMD RX 6600+, Apple Silicon integrated GPUs perform well)
- Storage: Fast internal NVMe SSD for catalog, previews, and cache; external SSD fine for photo storage
How do I watch the course?
Inside the Rethink app. There's no separate course site and no second login. Lessons remember where you stopped, you can take timestamped notes, and you can download whole modules to watch offline.
Will I get updates?
Yes. All future updates to the Rethink Landscape Toolkit are included, and the app installs them for you. When Rethink 2.0 shipped, every course owner received it at no cost.
Is this a subscription?
No. One purchase, yours for good.
What happens after I buy?
Your order confirmation email includes the download link for the Rethink app for Mac and Windows. Install it, sign in with the email you bought with, and the app installs the presets and opens the course. Most people are editing within a few minutes.
Can I install it on more than one computer?
Yes, on your personal computers. The Rethink app signs in with a 6-digit code, keeps your notes and progress in sync between machines, and lets you manage your signed-in computers yourself.
Do I need internet access?
The presets work entirely offline once installed. Lightroom's AI-powered masks need a connection because Adobe processes them in the cloud, and you'll need one to download the toolkit and any lessons you want offline. After that, a network outage never locks you out of your own tools or course.
Can I customize the presets?
Yes, and the intended way is simple: apply a preset, then adjust it right in Lightroom. Nothing is locked. Change the sliders, refine the mask, push the effect further or pull it back. One thing to know: don't save your changes over the preset itself, because the next update will restore my version. Tweak freely after applying, and if you build a variation you love, save it as your own preset under your own name. The app never touches presets you've made yourself.
How does this compare to Photoshop luminosity masks?
Lightroom’s masking isn’t quite as surgical as Photoshop’s channel-based luminosity masks, but the Rethink system’s built-in masks are highly refined. They give you precise tonal control for most editing situations without leaving Lightroom.
Can I use Rethink Landscape for black and white photography?
Yes. While the toolkit is designed with color landscapes in mind, many of the tonal, detail, and masking tools work beautifully for black and white editing. We also have a dedicated Rethink Monochrome product in development for those who specialize in black and white landscapes.
Does it work for portraits, wildlife, or other genres?
The system was designed for landscapes, but the tonal, detail, and masking tools can be applied to many subjects. For example, the dodge and burn tools, clarity adjustments, and color refinements can work well for portraits, architecture, and other styles.
What kind of support is included?
The contact form inside the Rethink app attaches your setup details automatically, so you never have to describe your configuration. Answers come from me. Every lesson also has its own ask box, and I publish the answers that help everyone.
Do you offer a refund?
Yes, a 30-day money-back guarantee. And you don't have to start there: install Essentials free, take your time with it, and buy the Toolkit when you're confident it's right for you. If it turns out it isn't, you get a full refund, no questions.
Coming Soon to the Rethink Series
Rethink Monochrome
Master black & white landscape photography.
Develop a deeper understanding of tone, texture, and composition to create stunning monochrome images.
Rethink Nightscape
Photograph the beauty of the night sky.
Master the unique challenges of night photography. Learn to control noise, enhance detail, and create breathtaking images of the cosmos.