The best way to learn about post-production is to have a real problem and then look for ways to solve it. However, it certainly helps to have a working knowledge of the post-production tools available - knowing what you can do is the first step to solving a problem. Below we list a selection of more advanced post-production techniques and how to use them. Note, not all are suitable for Lightroom and you may need to move over to Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Photo to access them.
3D Lut Creator When you get into editing colour, you may find changes you want to make don't seem to be possible with the colour… 32-Bit Processing (Part 1) What is 32-bit processing and why would you want to use it? 32-bit processing gives you access to a broader range… 32-Bit Processing (Part 2) After viewing Part 1 you'll understand what 32-bit processing is all about. In Part 2, you can see one example of how… Blend Modes - Part 1 If you edit with Photoshop, you have access to blend modes within the layers panel, but what exactly are blend… Blend Modes - Part 2 There are a number of popular Photoshop techniques that are based on blend modes. While many of them have been… Blend Modes - Part 3 Blend modes can be useful for both creative and practical editing. For instance, you can create a beautiful soft focus… Clarity If you're looking for a quick and cheerful way to give your image a little more punch and presence, clarity can do it, but… Curve Problems If you've attended a Dr Les Walkling workshop on Photoshop, he'll explain to you why Photoshop has some major problems with the way… L*a*b* Color You know what an RGB file is all about (red, green, blue). Well, there's another colour model that does things a little differently… Image File Quality for Gallery Prints Most of our cameras are very capable of producing a print that is one metre wide, but when it… Linear Curves Photographers who claim to love using their photos 'straight out of the camera' should start with a linear curve - as it is… Luminosity Masking When we first think of making a mask, it's usually of a subject, like a tree or a person. Luminosity masking doesn't look… Sharpening - Part 1 The first question to ask yourself is, do you actually need to sharpen your photos, or are they quite sharp enough?… Sharpening - Part 2 Okay, so we've decided we need to apply a little sharpening to our photos - how do we do it? In… Shape, Sparkle & Pop Towards the end of the editing process, I often find my images have lost some of their original tonality and look… Vignetting I have been known for heavy vignetting in the past - it was a style used in the darkroom that I carried over into…
