PHOTO EDITING TALKS

Photo Editing holds the magic to change a good image into a great one, however photo editing can be rather complicated and difficult to get your head around, so my talk starts with the real basics, shows you what you can do and what software you need to achieve this.

I have something for beginners, where I start with the free software which is available, and what you can achieve with this, and then progress to the paid software and evaluate the value for money of each one, and what software is worth buying and why.

For more advanced photographers I go into the more specialised techniques such as HDR and image colouring and toning, and examine how you can control the whole look and mood of an image.

Although Photoshop and Lightroom are the industry standards they can be difficult to use, especially for beginners, and not everyone will get value for money from their monthly subscription model. New software is now getting rather good and can be much easier to use, such as Affinity Photo, ON1 Photo RAW, DxO PhotoLab and Exposure, and the artificial intelligence features of products like Luminar can make many tasks so much easier, even for a beginner. Some editing programs such as Exposure (Used to be called Alien Skin), and add-ons like Nik Collection are particularly good for their filter effects which can simulate the look of many film brands.

Here are some of the topics I cover in my talk.

You don't need a computer to organise and edit your photos now. You can do it with your phone or tablet. There is online storage and apps to do all this in a very advanced way.

NO COMPUTER

Basic editing is what you need to be able to do on any image to show it at its best, yet many photographers struggle to see what needs doing and knowing how to do it.

BASIC EDITING

There is good software available for free to organise and edit your photos on your computer, and if you are on a tight budget or are just starting out this is a good place to begin.

FREE SOFTWARE

Advanced editing is not for everyone but you can produce amazing results if you can develop the skills to do it, or know which programs to use which have special features or AI to help.

ADVANCED EDITING

There are now some great photo editing programs and the problem is finding which one to choose as there are good alternatives to Photoshop and Lightroom. I explain the features to look for.

PAID SOFTWARE

Printing is a real challenge for a photographer because this is where every fault shows itself. However, printing your photos is the ultimate satisfaction and they can then be properly displayed.

PRINTING

These are some of the before and after images I use in my talk.