hi there! happy friday friends!
in my circle of photography friends, one of the things i get the most compliments on is my photo processing. which is so nice…really my photography friends are so kind. plus it’s also one of the most frequent questions i get here on my blog ~ how i achieve the look of my photos.
well so the other day, when i was drying my hair, i had this great idea that a couple of times a month i would share with you how i edit a photo from start to finish in lightroom. which is where i do the majority of all my post-processing. and i can’t tell you how much this has streamlined my whole workflow.
you can see my whole lightroom workflow from import to export here:
but before i share with you the video, i would like to share with you my personal philosophy about photo editing and post-processing in general.
- to start with, photo editing is completely optional. it’s a personal preference. and there is no right or wrong way to do it.
- in my personal opinion, no amount of post-processing can turn a shitty photo into an unshitty photo. that being said, there are times when, in tricky lighting situations, post-processing can make all the difference. but for the most part, i try my best to take well composed, well exposed photographs.
- which leads me to my next point…post-processing is for me, a creative outlet. a fun way to play with my photos. playing around with different effects can change the whole feel of a photo. and usually the whole intention in my editing choices is to convey a mood or emotion.
- a very big part of my post-processing journey has been about finding my own, personal style. and i could write a whole blog post about finding style i think. but really, i think it boils down to taking bits and pieces – looks that you like – and putting them together in your own, unique way.
ok, with all of that being said, here is the photo i am editing today. this is SOOC. not a bad shot at all, but i think i can add a little polish and personality to it.
here is the edited version of the photo.
granted there isn’t a whole lot of difference. but that’s fine with me today…i wanted something bright and happy.
so i hope this is helpful…that it sort of demystifies some of the lightroom sliders. like i said in the video, if you have any questions or need more information, feel free to contact me or leave a reply to the blog post and i’ll try to help.
and with that i’m going to sign off and get on with my day. hope you have a bright and happy weekend my friends.
love, kelly
Ida P. Krause says
Very pretty tulips. – I need to check out Lightroom someday.
kelly says
thanks! it’s really quite simple to learn!
Cathy H. says
I do love the soft and dreamy feeling of the edited image. I don’t have lightroom or photoshop for editing. I do a little in Picasa. Someday, I may try one of the editing programs, but I’m afraid I’d just be more tied to this computer! 🙂 Enjoy your weekend!
kelly says
haha. I understand Cathy…but honestly LR makes this part of photography faster. and I swear this isn’t a paid advertisement. lol 😉
Margie says
Kelly, Thanks so much for the excellent video. I use Photoshop CS6 and was able to duplicate your process. Thanks again for the great tips. Margie
kelly says
oh that’s great Margie! so glad you found this to be helpful!! 🙂
Dotti says
OMG, Kelly! You sound an awful lot like our friend Kim Klassen! Some of the phrases are straight out of her lexicon. But you did a wonderful job! I tend to keep my editing simple, like you I have a set of steps I follow but much simpler than yours. But I’m inspired to try these ideas. And … I’m going to email you right now with a suggestion!
xo