Yeah, and it's so easy to go too far with texture and dehaze sliders for the same reason. Like what @eric_carr said about clarity, those tools can really kill the depth and mood if you crank them up trying to pull out every last star. You end up with a flat, noisy mess instead of that feeling of looking into deep space. The best night shots keep some mystery and don't try to show everything.

Why not just let them learn the hard way like jade47's friend did?

Yeah, "great flexible mix" is what I call the pile of stuff I never use.

Did you find any recipes that used ingredients you've never even heard of? My great aunt had one that called for "oleo" and I had to look it up, it was just margarine. Those little notes are the real treasure though, they turn a list into a family story.

Totally agree about the power of small details! What really gets me is when the scary thing is tied to a normal, everyday sound. Like, the monster isn't a roar, it's just the specific squeak of a floorboard in an empty house. That way the character (and the reader!) starts jumping at every normal noise.