A photograph does not finish taking in the camera. The final step is the development, or what many call (or call) editing. As much as there are purists of the photo is done in the camera , we agree only to a certain extent. One thing is to reveal a photograph and another is to manipulate. It is not the same to cut from here, put there, erase this and add that, than adjust the exposure, contrast or straighten a crooked horizon. No, it's not the same.
STEPS TO REVEAL YOUR PHOTOS
- Look at the picture
- Analyze histogram
- Lens corrections
- Transform
- Trim
- Adjust white balance
- Adjust exposure and contrast
- Black and white
- High lights and shadows
- Clarity and focus
- Noise reduction
REVEAL OR EDIT?
Before continuing, let's make the differences clear and see what each concept is. Although the post-processing includes everything we do after taking an image (from downloading it to sending it for printing or publishing it digitally), we can basically differentiate the edition from the development. The edition (although this term is used practically for everything) is what we do when it comes to modifying an image, such as when manipulating or retouching an image, and that is what Photoshop knows so well. From basic things to those miracles we see, the effects so impressive that they can be achieved even with a single click through the actions of Photoshop. The development, strictly, is to make the basic adjustments that the camera could make directly when taking a JPEG. In the past, with analog photography they did this in the laboratory. Or do you think they came out so well already from the camera? Not at all. What happens is that we did not know. We took the photos to print and they gave us all the work done. Now in the digital age this part is up to us. And believe me, it's not as difficult as you might be thinking. As you will see, here is a mix between development and editing, as I consider that there are some basic adjustments that do not alter a photograph itself but that should be done even if they are not properly developed, such as clipping, lens correction or straightening lines . Now let's see step by step. Once the difference between revealing and editing has been introduced, let's see one by one the steps you should take for basic development and leave your perfect photos.1. LOOK AT YOUR PICTURE
It seems very obvious, but it is not so much. Spend some time (whatever you deem appropriate) to observe your image and reflect on what you expect from it. What did you want to convey when you clicked and if you got it? Surely you stayed very close to it, but you see that the message can be improved. The important thing is to be clear about what type of photo you want (more dramatic, brighter, darker, warm, cold ...). There is no better recipe than another, but a message and the way to transmit it, and that message can only be decided by the author. With this I also want to make it clear that there are no inflexible rules of how to edit a photograph. Each and every moment edits the photograph in a different way. This is the picture I have taken as an example to illustrate this article. Choosing one with lines is no accident .2. ANALYZE THE HISTOGRAM
Reading the histogram will give you a very important clue as to where the image is and where you should take it. If you have done your homework well, this should be controlled, but it is not always possible. In this case, for example, we can see that it is somewhat overexposed.3. LENS CORRECTIONS
Once we have analyzed the photo and see what we want or need to do with it, we take action. The first is to eliminate the optical aberrations created by the objective, if necessary. Yes, this part would not be purely revealed but I have already warned you that it was a mixture with what I considered most important. These optical aberrations translate into concave or convex lines, both vertical and horizontal. Surely now you understand better why I have chosen this image . You can also find chromatic aberrations that manifest themselves through irregularities of color. They usually appear in the contours, when there is a strong contrast between one area and another. Both can be corrected from Lens Corrections.4. TRANSFORM
Since I have not been satisfied with how the distortions have been corrected, this is because I did not take the picture correctly, I proceed to Transform.5. TRIM
Once you transform the photograph it is very likely that you will have to crop it because white corners and / or edges will appear. It is also possible that, even if you have not made lens corrections or transformed anything, you decide to crop your photo for whatever reason. Mind you, watch out for excessive cuts. That the more you cut the more quality you will lose.6. WHITE BALANCE
We are going deeper into the most proper part of the development. When taking a picture, if you have not devoted enough attention, you have probably captured the color of the light. Sometimes it has a color that fits with what you want to convey. Others not so much. If it is the first time you hear about white balance or have heard it but it has sounded like turning the page, today it does not happen that you reconcile with the term. Alexa discovers in this article all its secrets. Let's continue with the edition. To adjust the white balance, if you did not control it when taking the photo you can do it in several ways. Having photographed in RAW always makes the task easier. You can click where the arrow indicates and choose a preconfigured mode. In this case, since it was cloudy we chose this option. It brings a touch a little warmer but not too much, just enough to convey those brown colors of autumn that was in all its splendor at the time of taking the photo. I insist that there is no basic rule here, I may like this shade a little warmer and you would have preferred it to be somewhat cooler. About tastes ... Moreover, I may be able to edit it again some time later. The second option is regular with the Temperature (cold or warm) and Tint (magenta or greenish) cursors . Move them left and right until you give the shade you want. Finally, you can also help yourself with the eyedropper and put it on a neutral gray area. Everything is to try and choose the method that you find most how and effective.7. EXPOSURE AND CONTRAST
Corrected white balance, the next interface setting is Exposure. This allows you to give more or less light to the whole picture. Some people prefer to directly adjust this parameter and then the contrast or wait for the next two steps because many times with that it is already corrected. In this case the image is somewhat overexposed, as we can see in the histogram, and we would correct it by sliding the Exposure cursor to the left. However, if I correct the High lights also with the cursor to the left, I like the result more, because it only corrects the overexposed area of the sky.8. BLACKS AND WHITES
As we have said, there are those who prefer to reverse this step and the previous one, since by adjusting the black and white we are already touching the contrast. It is not a fixed rule, so find your favorite way to work the development. I recognize that here I am a bit anarchic and I do it based on the photo. The good thing is that you can go back and forth and readjust all that is necessary. Reason why I box the Highlights, Shadows, Blacks and Whites with Exhibition and Contrast. Readjust these controls until you have the desired effect. We try to stretch the histogram so that the image appears pure blacks and pure whites. In this way we will have a more vivid image.9. HIGH LIGHTS AND SHADOWS
Once the whites and blacks are adjusted, we move to the intermediate tones, Highlights and Shadows. In the example image we have already set High lights. With the Shadows setting you can lighten or darken the shadow areas while the rest of the image would stay the same. Let's see how the photo goes. As you can see, information from the sky has been recovered and has a warmer point (personal preference).10. CLARITY AND FOCUS
With Clarity we highlight the textures of the image. What it does is add contrast to the midtones. Be careful because if you spend you add noise to the picture. You also have here the option to improve Saturation or Intensity. The best thing to give more color to your photo is that you use the Intensity adjustment because it does not affect the entire photo, only the dull tones and is more subtle and natural. Further down, in the Detail section , you will find the Focus setting . This is another one that you must handle carefully so as not to increase the noise too much. If you look at the right image, you can see how the photo would look by raising the focus to the maximum. If you click on the image it will get bigger. The good news is that in the Mask option you can reduce that noise that has just been generated. If you slide to the right, you can see how the grain caused by the Focus disappears , although the ideal is not to exceed 50 when adjusting the focus, however much we can resort to the Mask.11. NOISE REDUCTION
If we have just reduced the noise by the focus, we will now reduce the one we brought from home, or rather, from the scene. For this we adjust in Detail -> Noise Reduction -> Luminance , sliding this one to the right again. So you can see how it looks after eliminating the noise I leave you an enlarged detail.IN BLACK AND WHITE
When editing a photo in grayscale you can follow these steps through the Black and white option in the Basic section or, better yet, follow the Alexa instructions in this article to reveal black and white in lightroom. And since we are, I leave a video of Mario talking about the benefits of Lightroom, in addition, you can find a nod to one of his favorite series, guess what? I hope you found this article useful. If so, do not forget to share it on your favorite social network. Surely someone thanks you (and me too). Thank you and see you soon.
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