All of my top go-to tips!
Pretty soon I’ll be uploading YouTube tutorials on shooting, editing, social media, and a ton of other useful things, but in the meantime I’ll break down some of my favorite editing tips (and cheat-sheets) here! I hope you find them useful.
1. RAW vs. JPEG
Who loves making shortcuts?! *raises hand faster than you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious* When it comes to editing, your life will be soooooo much easier if you are shooting RAW files instead of JPEGs (.NEF file on Nikon cameras). This is a HUGE timesaver when it comes to editing. Because these files are so much larger than jpegs, you will have more information stored in each image. What exactly does that mean? Are any of your highlights blown out to pure white? Any of your shadows look like black ink blobs? Fear not! You are able to salvage those areas if you have shot them in RAW. You can bring down those highlights, brighten those shadows, and do any other quick fixes that you might not be able to do with a jpeg. This keeps your entire image looking natural and cohesive. Let’s face it… no one like spending 2+ hours on Photoshop adding in a fake sky because the real one looks like you pasted a cotton ball on it.
2. Create your own presets
We’ve all fallen into the free preset trap when it comes to Lightroom. Again, we love shortcuts. Now, while there’s nothing wrong with downloading a plethora of presets, you may find that they never look quite right. There might be something missing that you can’t put your finger on. You spend just as much time trying to fix the look on each image that you might as well have edited them one-by-one from the start. Instead of trying to make these “shortcuts” work, designate a few hours one Saturday to develop your own presets. It may take some serious time and concentration in the moment, but it’ll be worth it in the long run. Your photos will look like yours and you can paste them onto more of your images without having to adjust the settings as often or in-depth. If you really, really, really don’t have the time or the patience to do this I’d suggest investing in a preset pack that one of your favorite photographers has developed. Yeah, they can be a little pricey, but your time is worth it.
3. Dodge and burn
Super old-school film terms. Basically, these tools help you lighten and darken certain areas of your image without applying the settings to the entire thing. This is extremely useful for portraiture. I usually lighten the parts that are already catching light (parts of hair, cheekbones, bridge of nose, eyes, teeth, etc.) and darken parts that are already in shadow (jawline, under the cheekbones, brows and lashes, etc.). WARNING: It’s very easy to get carried away with dodge/burn. You don’t want your model looking like a plastic alien, so keep your opacities between 4%-13%. I always make sure to come back to my image a few hours later with a fresh pair of eyes to verify that everything still looks natural before exporting. Taking the time to do these little adjustments will make all the difference in keeping your look professional.
4. Flattening out highlights
One thing I can’t stand is a photo with too much contrast! Yuck. It’s not a pleasant place for your eyes to rest. However, I love deep shadows and moody colors. How do I combat bright whites in opposition? Squash them! In Lightroom, it’s very easy to bring down your highlights by dragging the highlights adjustment slider. Better yet, try using the curves tool! I know it may look intimidating at first if you’ve never used it, but I promise it’ll soon be your best friend. Check out some youtube tutorials if you haven’t quite mastered the curves tool. (It’s also super useful for softening all of your dark areas!)
5. Keep colors consistent
My presets generally keep my colors consistent, but sometimes additional tweaking is required. I like choosing an image from my portfolio and setting it as my reference image in Lightroom, that way I have something to compare all of my edits to. Instead of using the temperature slider or white balance adjuster to modify my colors, I go in and adjust each color individually. Greens, yellows, and oranges are my big-time focuses regarding hue. I ALWAYS make sure my greens are on the warmer side, and my photos have a touch of gold from my yellows and oranges. It may take some time, but eventually you’ll develop a “look” you love when it comes to color. As long as you have a reference to what you are working on, keeping your colors consistent will be a piece of cake!