{"id":106379,"date":"2017-06-18T06:59:26","date_gmt":"2017-06-18T05:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amateurphotographer.co.uk\/?p=106379"},"modified":"2017-08-07T10:29:00","modified_gmt":"2017-08-07T09:29:00","slug":"how-to-edit-raw-images-in-5-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/how-to-edit-raw-images-in-5-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to edit raw images in 5 simple steps"},"content":{"rendered":"\"raw\n

Camera makers expect the raw photographer to want to make their own choices when it comes to things such as white balance, colour space and sharpening. So if you choose to shoot raw, you\u2019re entering into a commitment that you\u2019ll spend time editing your photos to bring out the best in them.<\/p>\n

There are no set rules for editing raws other than this \u2013 if it looks right, then go with it. But there are typically a few basic adjustments that we would make to almost every image. Let\u2019s take a look at five essential edits that, no matter what the subject, you should make.<\/p>\n

One thing, though: interfaces and controls vary between raw processors, but all of the best options, such as Lightroom, DxO or Capture One, will let you make the following edits to your raws. Once done, the final stage is to export the image in a format that can be viewed by others, like a JPEG or TIFF.<\/p>\n

\n

1. Fix white balance<\/h1>\n\"Raw\n
\n

2. Adjust exposure<\/h1>\n\"Raw\n

Raws hold greater detail in shadows and highlights, so we can adjust an exposure that\u2019s not perfect. All good raw processors feature exposure controls, as well as shadow and highlight settings.<\/p>\n

\n

3. Set white and black points<\/h1>\n\"Raw\n

These two controls set the point at which pixels become \u2018clipped\u2019 to pure white or black. In Lightroom we can hold \u2018alt\u2019 and drag either slider for a view that shows clipped pixels. Drag to a point just before they begin to appear.<\/p>\n

\n

4. Add some extra punch<\/h2>\n\"Raw\n

Next we can begin making more creative tweaks, perhaps by boosting vibrance and increasing contrast. Lightroom\u2019s Clarity and DxO\u2019s Microcontrast are great for pulling out detail in the midtones.<\/p>\n

\n

5. Apply sharpening<\/h2>\n\"raw\n

All raws require sharpening. This is referred to as \u2018capture sharpening\u2019 (as opposed to \u2018output sharpening\u2019). It\u2019s set with an amount slider, which controls the strength, and a radius slider, which controls how contrast is applied to edges.<\/p>\n

\n

James Paterson<\/em><\/h2>\n

James is as skilled a photo editor as he is a photographer. His work has appeared in countless magazines and books, and in 2014 he was appointed editor of Practical Photoshop magazine. His subjects range from portraits to landscapes, architecture and underwater scenes. For James, Photoshop is more than just a work tool. Visit www.patersonphotos.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James Patterson gives his top tips for raw editing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":323,"featured_media":106752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[210,36],"tags":[],"product-category":[],"class_list":["post-106379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-photo_editing","category-technique"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to edit raw images in 5 simple steps - Amateur Photographer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"James Patterson gives his top tips for raw editing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/how-to-edit-raw-images-in-5-steps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to edit raw images in 5 simple steps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"James Patterson gives his top tips for raw editing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/how-to-edit-raw-images-in-5-steps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Amateur Photographer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Amateur.photographer.magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-06-18T05:59:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-08-07T09:29:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2017\/06\/Screen-Shot-2017-06-14-at-16.15.06.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"371\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rosee Woodland\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AP_Magazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AP_Magazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rosee Woodland\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/how-to-edit-raw-images-in-5-steps\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/how-to-edit-raw-images-in-5-steps\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rosee Woodland\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/#\/schema\/person\/f95a396031978ed0ea69236f11b520a5\"},\"headline\":\"How to edit raw images in 5 simple steps\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-06-18T05:59:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-08-07T09:29:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/how-to-edit-raw-images-in-5-steps\/\"},\"wordCount\":391,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/how-to-edit-raw-images-in-5-steps\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2017\/06\/Screen-Shot-2017-06-14-at-16.15.06.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Photo editing\",\"Technique\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/how-to-edit-raw-images-in-5-steps\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/how-to-edit-raw-images-in-5-steps\/\",\"name\":\"How to edit raw images in 5 simple steps - 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