Step By Step Guide To Creating Stunning Before And After Photo Edits In Photoshop

Step By Step Guide To Creating Stunning Before And After Photo Edits In Photoshop – Whether you like it or not, images need to be post-processed. I won’t even get into the fact that it has always been this way since analog film cameras were in their heyday. Back then there was just another way to do it. The bottom line, however, is that post-production is a non-exclusive, fundamental part of the creative process that you need to address if you want your images to stand out.

In this article, we will focus on post-processing in landscape photography, which generally has a very distinct workflow. As a bonus, at the end of the article I will show you how I generally post-process my photos, taking one of them from the beginning and editing it all the way to the end, so you can see how to do it yourself, step by step.

Step By Step Guide To Creating Stunning Before And After Photo Edits In Photoshop

When we talk about post-production of an image, we refer to everything that happens (to the image) after the shooting phase.

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It’s a fact that many people, photographers and non-photographers alike, actually refer to the words “post editing” as some kind of frivolous incantation that only computer geeks and “fake photographers” (is that a thing?) use. Meanwhile, “real photographers” get the shot right in the field, without the help of editing software.

Let’s take a look at an example of the “real” meaning of finishing. Let’s say you didn’t get the horizon right in the field. It may have been because you shot in a hurry or from an uncomfortable position. A simple click (literally, it’s a click) in Adobe Lightroom will help you straighten the image, which you can then continue to crop a bit if there are unwanted objects around the edges.

Would you call this witchcraft? Would you consider that image “fake” just because it’s corrected and cropped? I don’t think so, do you?

I think it’s very important that you understand that post-production is a natural process that follows after you’ve shot a RAW image in the field; it is not something optional, you can choose to do or not. The reason for this is that a RAW file simply captures all the data in the scene, without any special adjustments. You can read more about RAW vs JPEG files here. If you want to increase your level of photography, you need to sit behind the computer and work with your photos.

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In this article, I’m going to spend some time debunking all the myths and legends out there about post production, because your photos will only benefit if you learn how to do it right.

One thing must be said though: there is an invisible line where post production becomes digital manipulation and photography becomes digital art. It is not possible to write down the criteria to “judge” what is one and what is the other, as each case should be assessed separately.

Try making a cake and skip the part where you have to bake it in the oven. The cake may be good, but who knows if it’s not baked? If you leave it raw, I’m pretty sure it won’t taste good.

Leaving a RAW file unprocessed is like wanting to bake a cake but forgetting to put it in the oven. Photo by: ‘Leonardo Papèra’.

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Also try boiling the spaghetti and skip the part where you add the sauce. The pasta can be a hundred times better with the right sauce, but you never know if you don’t use one. Instead, it becomes bland and unfinished.

Let me apologize if the only two examples I’ve used are about food, but you know I’m Italian and we’re always thinking about food! I think you’ve pretty much got what I’m trying to say here. The RAW files you shoot on are the spaghetti, and post-production is the sauce.

As I already mentioned in the introduction, post-production is a fundamental part of the creative process. Personally, I’d say it’s at least a good 40% of what makes the final image great.

Technically, the RAW file that comes out of our cameras does NOT show the real scene; let me be crystal clear on this, there is no way you will be able to frame the real scene as it is at that exact moment. You can get very close, but you don’t hit reality.

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Let me explain why. If you decide to shoot in RAW format, the output will be a raw image with no contrasts and almost no colors compared to what you see with your own eyes at that moment. This is because the RAW image needs post-production to come to life. All information is in the file, just extract it with editing software.

If you instead decide to use the JPEG format instead of RAW, you can’t be proud of yourself because “you don’t do any post-production on your images”. Technically, you won’t do any post-processing yourself because your camera will do all the work for you.

If you weren’t aware, JPEG files are automatically edited by the processor on the camera with some very standard and basic parameters such as “contrast” or “saturation”. The only time JPEGs are useful is when you’re on assignment and you can’t waste time editing your images, or you need to send them to your agency right away; in all other cases, shooting in RAW is always preferred.

So let me sum this up: You can decide to edit the photos you take yourself or let the camera do all the work for you and determine the final result. In the first case, you have full control over the adjustments you want to make to your image. In the latter, you can do almost nothing but change a few sliders in the camera’s menu.

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Do I really need to tell you which solution is best? There you go, that’s the answer to the question in this chapter.

Let’s go a little further into the world of post-production in landscape photography. In this chapter we will take a look at the main branches of post production when it comes to landscapes: single exposures and multiple exposures.

It goes without saying that single exposures are generally much easier to work with as you can only focus on image adjustments like color and contrast. With multiple exposures, handle image stacking, bracketing, masking and precise selection.

For the sake of this article, I use Adobe Camera RAW to edit the RAW files. I will then use Adobe Photoshop for final adjustments and selective editing of specific parts of the image.

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Let’s start with the simpler one: single exposures. I will use the following image to guide you through the adjustments that I usually make in 90% of my images. This process helps you achieve better results in post-production.

In the screenshot below, you can see the RAW file before I touched anything, which will give you an idea of ​​the starting point. The first step is to start with basic adjustments in Adobe Camera RAW (or Lightroom if you prefer).

The first thing you should always look at is the temperature and color tone. In this case, I was shooting with a Nikon D750, which generally has a strong magenta dominance, but this time the automatic white balance was wrong. It was already the blue hour, with lots of bluish hues in the shadowy areas of the frame and a strong magenta color on the peaks and sky. The camera read pretty much everything as reddish.

To solve a problem like this, just adjust the temperature. I moved the temperature slider slightly towards cooler tones and the Tint slider towards magenta. In the screenshot below, you can see how this simple adjustment has already improved the image, with tones more suitable for that time of day. I also flattened the image a bit more by raising blacks/shadows and lowering highlights. This technique will give you more flexibility when working with contrasts later in Photoshop.

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The next step in Adobe Camera RAW is to add some clarity to improve micro contrasts and give a sharper overall look to the image. For volume, never go above +20 or you can get a grainy and unpleasant look.

The last step is to switch to the Lens Corrections section (between the icons just below the EXIF ​​data) and check the two buttons “Remove Chromatic Aberration” and “Enable Profile Corrections” just like you see in the screenshot below. It will automatically remove chromatic aberration (if there is any) and will correct the lens “problems” (distortion, for example).

It is now time to “pass the ball” to the mighty Adobe Photoshop. I know many photographers are intimidated by the amount of functionality this software contains. The truth is, though, we just need a bunch of them to make our photos pop a little more.

One of the main concepts you should understand when working with Photoshop is how “layers” work. Imagine your basic image as a white sheet. Each layer you create will be a new sheet where you will do things that will

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