My Editing Process and Favorite Tools

Hi friends!I’ve gotten SO many questions about what presets and editing tools I use, so I’m compiling them all for you here!First and foremost, let me say that one of the FIRST lessons I learned as a professional photographer is that you DON’T want to rely on editing when you don’t have to.  Get the best possible shot IN CAMERA.  Whether that means moving the piece of trash out of the grass in the foreground or fixing a client’s frizz mid-session, it’s going to save you so much time and effort AND make for better photos in the long run.The main programs I use are Adobe Lightroom Classic and Photoshop (I get both for $10.81 a month with my Adobe Creative subscription).  I describe my process in detail below, but generally speaking I use Lightroom for big edits to the whole picture like exposure, contrast, color, etc.  I use Photoshop to make tiny edits whether that means fixing a flyaway hair or brightening up shadows in someone’s eyes.I apply Snapshots & My Thoughts preset to EVERY photo on import – it’s my favorite.  I’ve downloaded others, but somehow Ailee’s just give me a bright, colorful look every time.  Of course, that’s not to say I don’t edit from there, but it’s a great starting point for my photography style.  My second most-used preset is the Color – Natural one, which is great for brightening up outdoor pictures.If you want the nitty gritty, here is my detailed editing process:

• Import photos from SD card into Lightroom and apply Snapshots & My Thoughts preset.
• Cull photos in Library by flagging the ones I will edit. On an average 30-minute photoshoot, I take anywhere from 200-500 pictures!  I’m definitely not editing all of them because eyes will be closed, not everyone will look at the camera, etc.
• From there, I filter to only show flagged photos, shift into Develop mode, and batch edit. So I’ll take the first photo, apply basic edits to my liking (usually bring up exposure, up shadows, down whites, down blacks), then copy those settings over to all of the subsequent pictures in that same pose or lighting environment.
• At this time, I’ll also “unflag” photos that I don’t actually want to edit. Usually this happens because there are 3 or 4 pictures that look exactly the same.
• Once I apply basic edits in batches, I go back through the entire shoot again with more detailed editing of each shot. This usually means adjusting colors, sometimes bringing in light at the top with the gradient exposure tool to mimic the sun, and any lens corrections that need to be made.
• Then I go back through AGAIN to edit in Photoshop. Each photo that requires a minor correction gets individually imported, fixed, then saved back into Lightroom.  I unflag the original, so only the edited photo is left for my export.  Some of the things I’ve fixed in Photoshop include flyaway hair, uneven skin tone, shadows around eyes, small cuts and bumps, and distracting background elements.
• When every photo is complete, I export them all to my desktop with unique names, then upload them to Pixieset for my clients to view!

It is QUITE a process, but it’s almost therapeutic to me now.  I love seeing the transformation from the original shots to the edited versions.  It literally warms my heart to edit and think about all the ways client’s will use the photos in their homes or as gifts!  Ha I find that I’m often planning triptychs and gallery walls in my head as I’m editing… and I’m always looking for that big photo that goes over the fireplace!I am obsessed with practicing and always trying to learn new skills, so if you have any tricky picture situations that need editing help, let me know!  OR if you have an awesome Lightroom or Photoshop trick PLEASE drop in it my latest Instagram post.  I’d love to learn from you too!