Photoshop offers a vast array of features, some more effective and easier to apply that others. Today’s quick tutorial from the globally popular PiXimperfect YouTube channel discusses two tools that are frequently ignored because some users dismiss them as useless or even destructive. Applied properly, however, they are very powerful and effective.

The subjects of ire are Photoshop’s underrated Smudge tool and Blur tool. According to instructor Unmesh Dinda, however, “these tools can dramatically improve your masking workflow and help you clean up rough edges, refine transitions, and create natural-looking composites with ease.

Dinda’s tutorials are built around a somewhat rare strategy: “We believe in learning the concept, rather than just learning the steps so that you can translate your imagination visually to the world. This will make you a better decision-maker because every situation is different and the definition of beauty is subjective..”

To that this end Dinda describes the backstory of the two tools in question, and then he walks you through simple steps for mastering them in a way that will add a surprising level of finesse to your Photoshop workflow. Once you understand and follow Dinda’s advice we can pretty much guarantee that you’ll no longer avoid the commonly maligned Smudge tool and Blur tool.

Dinda is known for his rapid-fire style and covering a lot of ground quickly, so we recommend being prepared to jot down a few notes as this seven-minute episode flies by in a hurry.

You may want to join the other five-million subscribers to the wildly popular PiXimperfect YouTube channel that includes instructional videos on just about any post-processing topic imaginable.

We also recommend watching the recent tutorial we featured from another insightful expert who explains why you may be sabotaging your chances of eliminating noise at high ISO settings. He then demonstrates a powerful technique for achieving “incredibly clean and sharp” photographs when bumping up sensitivity is required.

It’s one thing to get something for free, but’s it’s quite another matter if the freebie has the power to significantly transform every landscape photo that you capture. But that’s exactly what you can grab today in the form of Serge Ramelli’s AI Presets Pack that usually has a price tag of $97.

Ramelli is a French-born landscape and cityscape photographer currently working in the U.S. He’s a big favorite among Shutterbug readers who appreciate his behind-the-scenes shooting and post processing tutorials for shooters of all skill levels. You’ll appreciate him even more once you put his transformational presets to work.

Here’s the promise of today’s workflow-changing gift: “These free presets will transform your RAW files with just one click to achieve gallery-quality edits instantly.” They’re currently in use by over 3,000 photographers across the globe, and they include 27 adjustment sliders for amazing results.

Best yet, you’ll learn how these sophisticated tools work wonders at sunset, during Golden Hour and Blue Hour, and even when shooting after dark. The process for downloading the presets starts by clicking on the link in the description beneath the video. You’ll then be asked for your email address where you wan so Ramelli can send you the goods.

When Ramelli replies with the free presets, you’ll also receive an “amazing deal” if you’re interested in purchasing three additional training packages. But don’t worry, because no purchase is necessary to grab the free preset gift.

Once you’ve downloaded and installed your new presets we recommend revisiting this lesson so that you can follow along in real time with images of your own as Ramelli demonstrates the amazing results you can achieve with different types of photographs. He promises that your workflow will accelerate by leaps and bounds, as will the quality of every image you capture in the field.

Then head over to Ramelli’s popular YouTube channel where you’ll find an abundance of shooting and post-processing how-to videos.

And be sure not to miss the earlier tutorial we featured with another image-editing expert who demonstrates why you should employ the one-click power of Adobe’s Adaptive B&W Profile to kickstart the best possible edits for monochrome photographs.