1. Shoot in RAW<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe first step to perfecting your photography workflow is making sure you have the right kind of shots to edit in the first place. RAW images, rather than JPEG<\/a>, offer significantly more flexibility when editing. They\u2019re larger files, but that size means these images capture more data \u2014 which ultimately means you can salvage highlights and shadows for most images in this format. So first things first, make sure your camera is set to RAW captures before you begin shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Download images into organized folders<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOnce your shoot\u2019s over, it\u2019s time for the good stuff: editing! I download my files onto a hard drive like the LaCie Rugged Hard Drive<\/a> and work directly from there. Otherwise, those big RAW files would bog down my Mac and slow down the process (not to mention laptops hardly have enough space for numerous RAW shoots).<\/p>\n\n\n\nI\u2019m a big believer in folders, subfolders, and \u2014 when it\u2019s relevant \u2014 sub<\/em>-subfolders. Since I use my travel images for articles and blog posts, I save them in a larger destination with a subfolder for each city or experience (and potentially restaurants or experiences within those). That way, I can efficiently access my images when I need to pull something quickly for a client. <\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Import photos and choose selects<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOnce I have my images organized, I import all of them (yes, even the bad ones) into Adobe Lightroom. Culling your images in Lightroom<\/a> will help you save time in the whole process. It\u2019s much easier to analyze my shots here than pre-import. This must-have photo-editing software<\/a> is just as much for editing as it is for organization. You can flag favorites, compare images, and even color code shots to streamline how you\u2019re editing different photo sets.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhile everyone has their own system, my selection process looks like this: I go through images quickly and flag the ones I like (even the ones I\u2019m so-so<\/em> on). Then, I go through those flagged images and remove any flags from images that maybe aren\u2019t up to par. I\u2019ll rate my top shots with five stars; my second-tier shots with three stars, and my \u201cstill considering\u201d with one star. Then, I use the color-code options to mark photos taken in similar settings so I can easily batch edit images at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Use presets for editing efficiency<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nNow, batch editing leads me to presets. Lightroom presets are essential for editing efficiency. While you can have some more general presets for all images (like the presets you purchase from other photographers), I like to make presets during each editing session for making quick adjustments when images are virtually identical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019ll edit the first image in a series \u2014 say a portrait session in the same setting. Once I\u2019ve perfected everything from exposure to color, I\u2019ll save the preset, then apply it to each photo in the color-coded series. From here, I\u2019ll go through each image separately (but quickly) to make simple adjustments, such as cropping in, straightening, or adding minor doge-and-burn tweaks. I create another preset for the next batch of photos, and so on. Every so often I\u2019ll take my photos into Photoshop, but for the most part I stay in Lightroom because this tool has virtually everything I need.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>Unleash the Power using Lightroom Presets: Exploring Photography with Mark Wallace<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Unleash](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/QK2yPnhgB38\/0.jpg\")
2. Download images into organized folders<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOnce your shoot\u2019s over, it\u2019s time for the good stuff: editing! I download my files onto a hard drive like the LaCie Rugged Hard Drive<\/a> and work directly from there. Otherwise, those big RAW files would bog down my Mac and slow down the process (not to mention laptops hardly have enough space for numerous RAW shoots).<\/p>\n\n\n\nI\u2019m a big believer in folders, subfolders, and \u2014 when it\u2019s relevant \u2014 sub<\/em>-subfolders. Since I use my travel images for articles and blog posts, I save them in a larger destination with a subfolder for each city or experience (and potentially restaurants or experiences within those). That way, I can efficiently access my images when I need to pull something quickly for a client. <\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Import photos and choose selects<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOnce I have my images organized, I import all of them (yes, even the bad ones) into Adobe Lightroom. Culling your images in Lightroom<\/a> will help you save time in the whole process. It\u2019s much easier to analyze my shots here than pre-import. This must-have photo-editing software<\/a> is just as much for editing as it is for organization. You can flag favorites, compare images, and even color code shots to streamline how you\u2019re editing different photo sets.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhile everyone has their own system, my selection process looks like this: I go through images quickly and flag the ones I like (even the ones I\u2019m so-so<\/em> on). Then, I go through those flagged images and remove any flags from images that maybe aren\u2019t up to par. I\u2019ll rate my top shots with five stars; my second-tier shots with three stars, and my \u201cstill considering\u201d with one star. Then, I use the color-code options to mark photos taken in similar settings so I can easily batch edit images at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Use presets for editing efficiency<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nNow, batch editing leads me to presets. Lightroom presets are essential for editing efficiency. While you can have some more general presets for all images (like the presets you purchase from other photographers), I like to make presets during each editing session for making quick adjustments when images are virtually identical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I\u2019ll edit the first image in a series \u2014 say a portrait session in the same setting. Once I\u2019ve perfected everything from exposure to color, I\u2019ll save the preset, then apply it to each photo in the color-coded series. From here, I\u2019ll go through each image separately (but quickly) to make simple adjustments, such as cropping in, straightening, or adding minor doge-and-burn tweaks. I create another preset for the next batch of photos, and so on. Every so often I\u2019ll take my photos into Photoshop, but for the most part I stay in Lightroom because this tool has virtually everything I need.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>Unleash the Power using Lightroom Presets: Exploring Photography with Mark Wallace<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
I\u2019m a big believer in folders, subfolders, and \u2014 when it\u2019s relevant \u2014 sub<\/em>-subfolders. Since I use my travel images for articles and blog posts, I save them in a larger destination with a subfolder for each city or experience (and potentially restaurants or experiences within those). That way, I can efficiently access my images when I need to pull something quickly for a client. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once I have my images organized, I import all of them (yes, even the bad ones) into Adobe Lightroom. Culling your images in Lightroom<\/a> will help you save time in the whole process. It\u2019s much easier to analyze my shots here than pre-import. This must-have photo-editing software<\/a> is just as much for editing as it is for organization. You can flag favorites, compare images, and even color code shots to streamline how you\u2019re editing different photo sets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While everyone has their own system, my selection process looks like this: I go through images quickly and flag the ones I like (even the ones I\u2019m so-so<\/em> on). Then, I go through those flagged images and remove any flags from images that maybe aren\u2019t up to par. I\u2019ll rate my top shots with five stars; my second-tier shots with three stars, and my \u201cstill considering\u201d with one star. Then, I use the color-code options to mark photos taken in similar settings so I can easily batch edit images at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, batch editing leads me to presets. Lightroom presets are essential for editing efficiency. While you can have some more general presets for all images (like the presets you purchase from other photographers), I like to make presets during each editing session for making quick adjustments when images are virtually identical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, I\u2019ll edit the first image in a series \u2014 say a portrait session in the same setting. Once I\u2019ve perfected everything from exposure to color, I\u2019ll save the preset, then apply it to each photo in the color-coded series. From here, I\u2019ll go through each image separately (but quickly) to make simple adjustments, such as cropping in, straightening, or adding minor doge-and-burn tweaks. I create another preset for the next batch of photos, and so on. Every so often I\u2019ll take my photos into Photoshop, but for the most part I stay in Lightroom because this tool has virtually everything I need.<\/p>\n\n\n3. Import photos and choose selects<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Use presets for editing efficiency<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n