The editing process
This photo was taken by Loriel, a first class photographer in Florida (see shotbyloriel.com) who uses my editing services.
In this example the following steps were taken to complete my edit:
Apply Mastin Labs preset Fuji 400H. A great preset perfect for beach shots.
Adjust the white balance. I do this before increasing exposure as white balance errors are easier to spot with more contrast.
Increase the exposure to taste.
Dehaze and adjust exposure, contrast and saturation in tandem as they affect each other.
Adjust the hue, saturation and lightness of various colours to improve skin tones and hair colour if needed. In this case the preset had added a little too much yellow to the hair and needed backing off.
Crop the image. I find the 4x5 ratio works great on vertical portrait compositions.
Remove distractions such as people in the background, beach clutter, seaweed and an imposing mobile phone shooter.
Straighten after removing distractions. Cleaning up the edges can be awkward if the image is straightened first.
Sharpen the image and mask it to apply to subject edges only.
The final image is then saved in multiple formats for web and print of various sizes.
If you would like a quote for editing your photos, please click here to contact me.