Ever wonder how I edit my images? Well todays is your LUCKY day because I am going to go over my basic process when editing.

Selena’s Basic Retouching Steps

 (I’ll go into more specific details in a later post)

1. Open In Photoshop

Well I can’t edit the raw images without an editing program!

3. Warm Up

When shooting, I tend to keep my images cooler or in other words in blue tones. But, when editing I like to add warmth. Although there is nothing wrong with keeping images cooler stylistically I like the look of warmth more.

4. Remove Blemishes

Nobody likes to see their blemishes so I go ahead a remove any that are noticeable.

5. Lighten Eyes

No more dark eyes! I like to go and lighten and sharpen the eyes in my photos to enhance their color and beauty.

6. Soften Skin

I like to soften skin to give it a nice smoothness to the face.

7. Remove Distractions

There’s nothing worse than distractions in a photo. When I edit a photo I examine it and remove any distracting aspects. These aspects range from fly away hairs, unwanted cars, trash, etc. I don’t want anything taking away from the focus of the photo.

8. Sharpen, Sharpen, Sharpen!

Not only do I sharpen the photo in its entirety, but also I individually sharpen aspects of the photo that I want to be as clear as possible. It can be from hair, landscape, shirts, etc.

9. Enhance Colors

Often in my photos I enhance the colors of the photograph by adding contrast. I also adjust the saturation in specific areas of the photo such as a beautiful grove of trees in order to enhance the beautiful surroundings.

10. Tone Image

The last thing I do is choose a filter to put on the photos. I carefully choose a filter that has a tone that will compliment the tones already in the photos. These tones can add warmth, blues, magentas, etc.

As you can see my editing process is quite extensive and this is the abbreviated version. And I don’t just pick a couple of pictures to edit like this—I go through this same process on every single one of the photos I edit and boy does it take a lot of time. But, I wouldn’t have it any other way. As an artist I always want to make my pieces as masterful as possible and I hope my clients expect just that! This is one reason why I don’t give out full resolution photos for portrait sessons. With all time and effort I put into my work, I want my photographs to look just as beautiful on my computer as they do in print, which is why I have my clients print through my lab. My artistic pieces deserve better print quality than a local Wal-Mart. However, I give out images up to 8 x 10 resolution, which my clients can do what they please with.

Here are some before and after examples.

As you can see editing can be quite a tedious task, but the beautiful results are always worth it in the end.

If you have any specific questions about retouching, don’t hesitate to ask by commenting below! I’ll try to address all your question in future posts!

Good luck retouching and have a happy Wednesday!