TAKE YOUR IMAGES FURTHER

Introduce even more creative edge to your images with these professional editing techniques

The post-processing stage is where many digital photographers choose to apply the greatest proportion of creative techniques. There are still numerous effects that cannot be easily applied in software, in which considerable care must still be taken in the field to ensure a usable starting point for later editing. However, Photoshop, Lightroom and all of the associated satellite applications offer an exhaustive range of tools for crafting unique effects, for photographs that offer more than a mere record of a subject or location. The best strategy for successful post-production is to think of the shooting and editing stages as part of a single process. This helps to maintain greater continuity of style and intent throughout the entire photographic workflow, thereby lowering the chance of over-processing and reducing image quality as a result. It also prevents opposing approaches at each step, which can result in the out-of-camera image being less than ideal for the editing process envisioned. A coherent image production plan helps to define a target ‘look’ that best suits the scene or subject, allowing you to experiment with confidence. It is important to consider all image characteristics together, encompassing exposure, colour, sharpness, frame aspect and so on, in order to identify which has potential for adding impact. Learn to use what is already present in the image before you consider adding artificial elements – such as lighting or texture, as detailed on these pages – and be mindful of how these might interact with native detail.