Streamlining Your Workflow | Charlotte Photography Editing and Retouching

I don’t know about you, but when I started out in digital photography, I was so overwhelmed with editing software.  I began my passion for photography on a film camera and even had experience processing and developing my own film and photos by hand.  Now that everything is digital, the options seems endless when it comes to manipulating your photos.  I’ve spent countless hours watching YouTube videos and reading tutorials on Photoshop.  I could spend up to 6 hours behind my computer editing a family session.  6 hours!  And now, I’m down to editing a family session of about 50 photos in an hour or less!  Folks, I’m here to share with you what I’ve learned when it comes to streamlining your workflow and editing.

1. SHOOT IN MANUAL:

It’s a biggie.  I mean, the BIGGEST.  Whether you’re shooting in RAW or JPG, this applies to everyone.  The best and most effect way to avoid spending hours behind your computer later is getting it right in-camera.  When you have control over exposure and white balance (Kelvin) especially, editing becomes a breeze when you have a series of photos that were shot with the exact same settings.  This brings me to my second point…

2. BATCH EDITING:

After you begin shooting in manual, you’ll notice a lot more consistency with your sessions.  More specifically, you’ll see entire series of photos that look exactly the same as far as exposure and white balance go.  It allows you to make changes to one photo and then apply those exact changes to the rest in the series.  This is called Batch Editing, and it will become your best friend.  Lightroom, especially is known for it’s simplicity and ease for batch editing.  Lightroom has become my number one editing tool.  Photoshop, for me, has fallen by the wayside when it comes to simple editing (lighting, white balance, color, and minor skin enhancements).  Yes, it can do all of those things and more.

3. STAY CONSISTENT:

This may seem like a no-brainer.  But more specifically, I mean staying consistent with your entire workflow.  Be consistent with your exposure when shooting in manual.  Be consistent with how you transfer photos to your computer, organize them, upload them to your editing software, editing your photos, and exporting/saving them as edited files.  When editing, make a routine and stick to it.  For example, I always adjust exposure and white balance very first thing.  Then I adjust blacks, shadows, highlights, and whites if needed.  Thirdly, I’ll add some vibrance before then sharpening my photo.  If the photo needs anything more than that, that’s when I’ll add my gradients, spot/blemish removal, and hand-editing with my brush in Lightroom.  That’s my routine.  I do it the same way every…single…time…without fail.  So, doesn’t it take time to make all those adjustments each time?  Yes, which brings me to…

4. CREATE PRESETS (LIGHTROOM) / ACTIONS (PHOTOSHOP)

Creating your own presets that are specifically made to your shooting style is key to streamlining your editing workflow.  A wise man (ahem, my husband) once told me, “Work smarter, not harder.”  Don’t even waste that little bit of time it takes to make all those adjustments to one photo for each new session.  Make a preset/action so that you can reference it for a future session you have that may be similar in lighting, white balance, whatever.  It’s worth it.  Just trust me.

I can almost guarantee that if you follow these 4 simple steps, you will be on your way to streamlining your workflow in no time at all.  You’ll see a difference almost instantly.  Thanks for stopping by!  If you would like to inquire about my 1-on-1 editing tutorial sessions or outsourcing your editing to yours truly, get a hold of me by clicking the button below!

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