Basics of Photo Editing using any photo editing software
Basic photo editing when learning photography - understand the components of an image and learn to edit your photos in any software.
examples in the editing videos
The image below of a ranch in Pillaro Ecuador is one that I use for <anchor>examples in the editing videos</anchor>. The first one with a warm yellow tint was the first edit I made and printed. In fact it's still hanging in my office and I think you see it in the intro video at the top of this article. The second one with the white fog and orange moss on the rocks in the foreground was a new edit I did while working on these videos. I used to apply a color toned filter over the entire image; mostly because I didn't know any better. Now I only enhance colors selectively when I think they add some impact to the image. This is an example of how my learning has changed my editing style over the years. The full photoshop file with layers is included in the tutorial for you to see my workflow on the image and to experiment with.
Basic Photo Editing Tutorial - Intentionally Lost
Basic Photo Editing Tutorial - Intentionally Lost

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# Basic Photo Editing Tutorial

## What you'll need to do these exercises

1. A computer with a photo editing software installed: Apple photos can do all of the adjustments covered in these videos. You can [install a trial version of Adobe Lightroom here](https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/catalog/desktop.html). Or [install a 7 day free trial of Luminar](https://skylum.com/luminar) which is my favorite inexpensive standalone photo editor.
2. Photos to edit - use your own photos or the sample images provided with this download.

## What You'll Learn in this basic photo editing tutorial

## Directing Viewer Attention: 18 minutes

The difference between taking a photo and making a photo. Creating focal points in an image and how to draw in a viewer's attention.

![Editing your photos to direct viewer attention with selective sharpness, brights, darks, color contrast #intentionallylost](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)

## Concepts and post-processing workflow you can use with any photo and any editing software: 13 minutes

- Why do you want to edit your photos anyway?
- Photo editing softwares do the same things in different ways.
- In what order should you make corrections to a photo?

![Common post-processing concepts and workflow that you can use for any photo and with any photo editing software #intentionallylost](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)

## Basic Edits - Understanding the Components of a Photo: 54 minutes

- Black point vs Shadows
- White point vs Highlights
- White balance and temperature
- Texture, Clarity, Contrast, Dehaze - how they each create impact in different ways
- What’s that Curves tool thing about?
- Sharpening properly and how not to do it.
- Color contrast and pop using Vibrance and HSL adjustments - hue, saturation, luminance

![Basic photo edits for common corrections to blacks, whites, shadows, highlights, sharpness. You can do these in any photo editing software.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)

## Universal Edits vs Selective Edits: 47 minutes

- Selective edits demonstrated in Lightroom using spot, radial, brush and gradient tools
- Selective edits shown using Luminar individual edits and whole image layer edit
- What are masks and how do they work - demonstrated in photoshop
- Purpose of a vignette
- Full selective edits on one image in photoshop.

![Photography post-processing, universal edits vs selective edits  #intentionallylost](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)

## Common Editing Mistakes - 23 minutes

- Flat tones or color contrast
- Oversaturating colors or unnatural colors
- Oversharpening
- Selective color
- HDR overdone

![Common post-processing mistakes when editing photos #intentionallylost](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)

![](https://intentionallylost.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/20150710KW_TLYL_Hills-of-Pillaro-Original.jpg)![Hills of Pillaro Ecuador New Edit #intentionallylost](https://intentionallylost.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/20150710KW_TLYL_Hills-of-Pillaro-2020-edit-scaled.jpg)

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