QUICK EDITS AND MONO CONVERSION

For anyone new to image editing, a seven-day project is a great way of learning the ropes. Here is Liz’s basic routine in Affinity Photo, as applied to most of her images

1 Basic tweaks and mono conversion

First, I maximise the tonal range of the image by adjusting the exposure and the black point, ensuring that neither side of the histogram is clipped 1 . As I shoot my photos in colour, a black-and-white conversion using the Tones tab 2 is the next step, before turning to the colour sliders to tease out some tone and texture. To add more definition to my images, and enhance the lines and shapes in them, I increase the contrast and clarity as necessary. 3

2 Adjust the shadows and highlights, then crop

Next, I adjust the shadows and highlights 4 to really make the bright tones pop, while removing any unwanted elements or distractions – such as the base of the photographic light in the light pearls image. Then I crop the image 5 to ensure there are straight lines where required, while paying particular attention to thirds and diagonals. For each of the adjustments I make, I tend to push the sliders to the limits, then pull them back to achieve the desired effect.