Step-by-step Edit

As I share photos regularly on my Instagram and Facebook pages, I thought I'd start doing a few 'step-by-steps' so you can see my editing flow and how and why I tackle various issues within my photos. I'm using Lightroom, but I'm only using basic tools you would find in most editing programs.

Most of my images would never make it into a competition, and for me this isn't about perfection or competitions, it's about honing my skills as I move forward and polishing up some of my favourite images to share along the way.

Here is our starting image - and the first step is to always assess what could be improved in the photo.

What I notice about this photo is it's a little bit dark, and the tones are very cool.

The lovely yellow crest has a slight green tinge and the white feathers have a blue cast so we need to look at white balance.

I also see the subject is positioned a little bit low in the frame - there's a big space overhead and it doesn't look balanced, so we can use the cropping tool to optimise.

The settings: ISO 1250 Aperture f5.6 and Shutter speed 1/800th second

1: Although the image isn't very grainy, as it's taken at ISO 1250 which is not a particularly high ISO, my first step will be to use a denoise filter. It will bring just a little extra clarity, as it's the expression and details that are strong features of the photo, we want to make sure is nice and crisp.

If we look side-by-side we can see a slight difference in the before and after (click to enlarge). Successful editing isn't about big dramatic change, it's about small tweaks that add polish to the end result.

It's always a good idea to perform denoise first as it can effect other edits.

2: Next I would like to crop the photo to reposition the subject in the frame and make the composition more dynamic. I want the viewer to be able to see the expression and details in the feathers as they are the strongest features of the photo.

I'm going to keep the original 4:3 proportions for now, but I usually like to return to check framing after further editing.

3: Now lets fix the cool colours by adjusting the white balance. I've used the blue/yellow slider and added quite a lot more warmth - I personally prefer warmer images and as this was taken in shade in the late afternoon it is quite cool.

PRO TIP: When using sliders, remember to look at the image as you move the slider - not at the slider itself. I will usually go up and back again, overdoing it on each end of the scale, looking to find that sweet spot somewhere in the middle.

4: Next I'm going to pull back the highlights by quite a bit - even though the image is a little dark, I can see where the light hits at the top of the crest is going to lose detail as it's already brightly exposed, and I want to increase the global (overall) exposure significantly to really brighten the image.

5: So next I beef up the exposure to really brighten things up! It is looking a little washed out at this stage but we are not done yet!

6: Although most of the time I tend to lighten shadows, in this case I want to darken the shadowy background and remove a bit of the extra detail that isn't adding anything to the image, so I've deepened the shadows to provide more contrast between the subject and the background.

7: Now you might wonder why I didn't use the contrast slider above - but I didn't want to increase the overall contrast - and my next step is to take down overall contrast a little more, having the effect of evening out the light.

8: I want to make the whites pop a tiny bit more, so a small increase to whites next.

9: Next I'm adding a decent amount of vibrance - which is the midtones. It may be called midtones in your editing program. Now he's starting to look a little more lively!

10: Now I'm going to scroll down and use the dehaze tool - always use a light touch with this tool - it's easy to overdo.

11: Lastly I decided to increase the black - I wanted to add a little more drama to the image and make it pop a little bit more, just to bring the eye to the pretty dappled light that's across the face and shoulder.

And I think that will do! Here's the end result:

Here is the original and edited image side by side:

If you like to have a go with the while process, you can download the original raw file below and have go at editing it - you may wish to do something completely different!

I'd love to see the end result so feel free to send me a message and your edited image via instagram or facebook!

Happy birding - and editing! xx S