How I Edit Photos in Lightroom and Photoshop

Step 1: Importing and Organizing in Lightroom

Editing always begins in Adobe Lightroom. I import all of my photos as RAW files—uncompressed images containing thousands of pixels. The more pixels there are, the more “information” is available for editing and enhancement.

I import the RAW files into a folder within a catalog. These folders are organized by date and session type. For example, I recently photographed the St. Ignatius Academy graduation. I saved all the images in a folder named with that event title and date. Having a consistent organizational system is essential for tracking and archiving client work.

I also back up all of my work to an external drive. That way, if a client asks for photos from three or four years ago, I can easily retrieve them.

Once the images are imported, I cull them—flagging the best shots and discarding duplicates or poorly lit, out-of-focus images. I may go through them a second or third time to ensure I’m only editing the strongest ones.

Step 2: Base Edits in Lightroom

Lightroom is where I make the first round of edits. Here’s my process:

• Cropping: There are many ways to crop an image, so I take time to consider the composition. A good crop guides the viewer’s eye to the most important parts of the photo.
• White Balance: I adjust temperature and tint to ensure natural skin tones and color consistency.
• Exposure & Contrast: This can be subjective, but I typically brighten the subject and darken the background to help the subject stand out.
• Highlights & Shadows: I manipulate these to enhance key details and create depth.
• Clarity, Texture & Dehaze: I often increase clarity and adjust texture or dehaze depending on the subject.
• Dodge & Burn: This technique allows me to shape the light and shadows, emphasizing the elements I want to highlight.

Once I finish the base edits, I sync the settings across similar images for consistency, then export select files into Photoshop for detailed retouching.