When you are out on safari, nature doesn’t always hand you easy lighting. High contrast, dark shadows, and soft morning rim-light can make a single frame tricky to expose correctly—especially when your subject is moving fast!

In the latest episode of our interactive series Follow My Edit, Pangolin Photo Host Janine Krayer takes us to the Okavango Delta to edit a single frame of an adorable hyena puppy walking past a still-water puddle.

Whether you shoot with Lightroom, ACR, or another editing suite, you can download the exact same RAW file Janine uses and edit alongside her step by step!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Rather than giving away all of Janine’s secret settings, here are a few key highlights you’ll master in this quick tutorial:

• Single-Frame HDR Balancing: Discover how to pull rich detail out of deep shadows without creating unwanted digital noise on your subject.

• Preserving Soft Pastel Tones: Learn why leaving certain global sliders untouched is the secret to keeping your background creamy, soft, and buttery.

• Targeted Detail Masking: Uncover the exact masking technique that sharpens only the crucial edges of the animal while leaving the smooth background alone.

• Rescuing Slightly Soft Focus: See how to selectively apply AI sharpening to the eyes and snout without making the rest of the body look “crunchy” or fake.