Post-Processing: A Primer on Workflow

Capturing the image is only half the journey. The magic often continues well after the shutter has been released, in the form of post-processing. Historically this has been done in the darkroom with film, but these days it's usually with editing software.

This art of refining and enhancing images, through software like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Capture One, offers photographers the opportunity to breathe life into their visuals, ensuring they align more closely with their original vision.

Whether you're correcting minor imperfections, adjusting exposure, or creatively transforming the mood of a photo, mastering the basics of post-processing can significantly elevate the quality and impact of your work. Here I’ll discuss some of the basics and the workflow I use when editing my photos.

Step 0: The Purpose of Your Photo

I like to call it step 0 because this is generally something that occurs well before clicking the shutter and should be carried through the whole editing process. Without purpose, a photo is just an image. You want your photos to be engaging and tell a story to your viewers. For this reason, you may want to consider a few different factors before editing your photos. Because I work with hundreds of images, during the selection phase, I often write these points down on a low-resolution copy of the images. This helps me keep focus on what’s important in the image when it comes time to edit the photo.

What is the Story?

The story is arguably the most important aspect of a photo. The way you tell that story is how you took the photo combined with the way you edit it in post-processing software. Identify the main subject. This will give you an anchor point for when you edit your photo and help you with focus while editing.

Anticipating Viewer's Perspective

A powerful photo often allows viewers to immerse themselves in the scene. Consider what elements in your photo will draw their attention and interest. Editing can help accentuate these points or reduce distractions that might divert their gaze from the main subject.

Where will your Photo be Viewed?

Think about where your audience will view your photo. Will it be printed where they are free to come up close? Or will it be viewed online where resolution is less of an issue? This will limit how much you can crop and recompose your image.

Emotional Impact

What emotion or narrative do you wish to convey through your photograph? Maybe it's the serenity of a quiet morning in a village or the bustling energy of a city market. Identifying this essence will guide you in choosing the right tones, contrasts, and focal points during editing to emphasize the mood you want to evoke.

If I find a photo that has a lot of potential, I would often analyse it and mark a separate copy with notes on each of the above points. Circling key elements, drawing leading lines and writing notes on the overall vision of the image helps give direction to my editing. It can be very easy to get lost in editing and trialing different settings for days, but once you give yourself this direction, you'll have a great final product that's been edited efficiently. 

Step I:

Laying the Foundations

Before diving into the intricacies of photo editing, it's imperative to establish a solid baseline for your image. Think of this phase as setting the stage for the more detailed adjustments that'll follow. These foundational edits aim to create a balanced representation of your shot, remedying any minor deviations that might've been caused by the camera or external conditions.

Remove Artifact

It's not uncommon to find sensor spots (sharp black spots) or lens grit (soft black spots) on your image. For this step, I often boost the clarity and sharpness to the maximum and play around with exposure to help identify these spots. Use the healing tool to remove them. Once you're done, reset the exposure, sharpness, and clarity.

Straighten and Crop

Every image can benefit from a keen compositional eye. Begin by ensuring your horizon lines are straight, especially in landscape shots. Crop out any extraneous elements that might detract from your main subject. This step is about refining your frame to match your vision.

Exposure Adjustment

Even the best cameras can sometimes misinterpret the light in a scene. Adjust the overall exposure to get the right balance between the highlights and shadows, making sure your main subject is appropriately illuminated. If you're struggling to do this by eye, use your histogram for guidance. Ensure that the blacks and whites aren’t clipped on each side of the histogram to preserve detail.

Contrast Enhancement

By tweaking the contrast, you bring definition to the various elements in your photo. Ensure there's a discernible range between the darkest blacks and the brightest whites, adding depth and dimension to the image. I generally prefer to adjust this with the tone curve for greater control but you can also use the contrast slider.

White Balance

Every source of light has a colour temperature, and sometimes, the camera might not capture it accurately. Adjust the white balance to render colours most naturally. This might mean cooling down an overly yellow image or warming up one that feels too blue. Remember this step is only about making the image as close to how you saw it. We can colour grade and adjust the temperature later. 

With these foundational edits in place, your image is primed for the creative and detailed adjustments that will make it stand out. Remember, the goal of this phase is to present the clearest, most authentic version of your shot, setting a strong stage for the magic that follows.

Step II:

Creative Adjustments and Refinement

Once you've established a strong foundational base for your image, it's time to move into the realm of creative adjustments. This is where your artistic vision comes into play, allowing you to shape the mood, tone, and story of the photo. While the foundational edits focused on technical corrections, this phase is about adding emotion and depth. Bear in mind that each of these is a whole topic on its own but I will go over them briefly here. 

Tonal Curve Adjustments

Dive deeper than basic contrast with the tonal curve. This tool lets you adjust the luminosity of different tonal ranges, be it shadows, midtones, or highlights. By manipulating the curve, you can create moodier atmospheres, emphasise certain light ranges, or bring out subtle details. I tend to use an S-curve to bring the shadows down and increase the highlights. Where these points are will vary depending on your image, your personal style and which elements are important to you.

Colour-Grading

Go beyond white balance and adjust the specific colours present in your image. Adjust the hues, saturation, and luminance of individual colours. Want to make a sunset pop? Increase the saturation of oranges and reds. Aiming for a moody blue hour shot? Play with the blues and purples. Check out our colour-grading article for more details on how to approach this.

Selective Adjustments

Using tools like graduated filters, radial filters, or adjustment brushes, target specific parts of your image for localized edits. This can be to draw attention to a subject, darken a sky, or add a vignette. Such selective adjustments offer a level of precision that can make certain elements of your photo stand out.

Texture and Clarity

These tools can add depth and detail to your image. While texture enhances finer details, clarity emphasises larger details, giving your image a more defined look. Use them sparingly as overuse can make your image look worse. You might want to use it in landscape shots to highlight elements like rock formations or reduce clarity and texture in regions where you don’t want much attention.

Effects and Styles

Explore the addition of grain, split toning, or even applying preset styles to your image. While these should be used with care to avoid making the image look over-processed, they can provide a unique touch, particularly if you're going for a vintage look or a specific mood.

During this phase, remember to frequently toggle between the edited and original versions of your image. This ensures you maintain a sense of perspective, avoiding over-editing while still realizing your artistic vision. Your goal is to enhance the story and emotion of the image without straying too far from its authenticity.

Step III: Finishing Touches and Final Review

Having laid down a solid foundation and incorporated creative adjustments, you're now approaching the final phase of your editing journey. This step is all about refining, polishing, and preparing your image for its intended platform or audience.

Noise Reduction

Shooting in low light or at high ISOs can introduce noise into your photographs. While some noise can add character, excessive noise can be distracting. Use noise reduction tools to smooth out the grain while being careful not to lose essential details. Masking this effect can reduce noise in certain regions of the image for greater control

Reassess Spot Healing

Even with meticulous planning and spot healing during your foundational phase, unwanted elements can creep into your shots during the editing phase. This is a good time to ensure that there are no visible blemishes, spots, or marks that can potentially make photos look unprofessional.

Final Color and Exposure Check

With all your edits in place, review the overall colour balance and exposure one last time. Ensure that the image looks cohesive and that there aren't any areas that are overly dark or blown out.

Conclusion

Remember, editing is as much an art as it is a skill. While these steps provide a framework, it's essential to trust your eyes and instincts. Over time, and with practice, you'll develop your unique editing style, giving your photos a signature look and feel. If you’re interested in some results of this workflow, click on the Instagram link below.