A dependable editing workflow saves time, protects quality, and keeps your creative energy focused on decisions that matter. This simple pipeline works for most portrait, lifestyle, and event assignments, and it scales as your volume grows.
Ingest begins on location. Set your camera clock accurately and use consistent file naming. After the shoot, copy files to an external SSD and your computer, preserving folder structure by date and client. Verify checksums or spot-check random files before formatting cards.
Culling is where speed matters. Skim at low magnification to assess pose, expression, and overall read. Tag potential selects, then review at higher magnification for focus and micro-expressions. Avoid over-zooming on every frame; momentum is your friend. Aim to reduce the set to a strong core, then add alternates only if they serve different needs.
Color and tone establish the baseline. Start with lens corrections, white balance, and exposure. Protect highlights first, then lift shadows as needed. Use a soft S-curve for contrast and keep saturation natural. If you use presets, treat them as starting points to speed consistency. Sync across similar lighting situations, then refine per image.
Local adjustments add subtlety. Lift eyes gently, tame hotspots on forehead and nose, and dodge the subject from the background to increase separation. Keep retouching restrained; the goal is to guide attention, not remove all texture. For skin, small frequency separation or texture-aware tools can help, but always keep pores alive.
Retouching escalation is project-dependent. Editorial and commercial work might require advanced cleanup, color matching across sets, or compositing. Create a layered file only for hero images to avoid ballooning storage. Document your steps to speed future revisions.
Export with purpose. Prepare separate recipes for web, print, and social. For web, export sRGB JPEGs with moderate compression. For print, export 300 dpi images in the requested color space. Name files clearly and organize them by use case. Consider adding subtle output sharpening based on size.
Delivery closes the loop. Share with a branded gallery and a short note on usage rights. Invite feedback and provide a simple way to request retouches. After sign-off, archive the project: store raws, selects, finals, and sidecar files. Keep two backups, one offsite. A clean archive keeps your future self grateful.