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00:00:00 – 00:13:43
The video, featuring speaker James, offers comprehensive photo editing advice in Lightroom, beginning with fundamental edits like cropping, exposure, and white balance, which set the foundation for more nuanced adjustments. James highlights the differences between global and local editing, demonstrating their effects with examples from Antarctica and Iceland. Local editing, such as using Lightroom's masking features, allows for precise adjustments, though it must be balanced to avoid unnatural results. He emphasizes the importance of correcting lens distortions and vignetting through profile corrections and explains the significance of the histogram in managing highlights and shadows. Throughout, James stresses that not all image details need to be preserved if it benefits the overall impact of the photo. He also shares practical editing philosophies like stepping away from an image to reassess it later, recognizing when an image can't be salvaged, and prioritizing a fresh perspective. The video concludes with a promotion for Squarespace, noting its utility for portfolios and ease of use.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, the speaker, James, introduces some basic editing tips, focusing primarily on cropping, exposure, and white balance. He emphasizes the importance of starting with cropping because it affects the histogram, which is a crucial tool for evaluating exposure changes. After cropping, assessing and adjusting exposure and white balance are vital, as they significantly influence the overall look of an image. James demonstrates how changes in these settings can dramatically alter the feel and focus of a photo. He advises beginners to prioritize these adjustments before moving on to other editing tools like vignetting, clarity, or noise reduction, which have lesser impacts on the image.
00:03:00
In this segment of the video, the creator talks about the differences between global and local editing in Lightroom’s Develop module. Using an example image from Antarctica, they demonstrate how adjusting the luminance of orange affects both a hut and nearby penguins, highlighting the importance of local editing to isolate specific parts of an image. They explore Lightroom’s masking features and the “Select Subject” tool to adjust the hut’s exposure without altering the penguins. The creator emphasizes that while local edits are crucial, it’s vital to consider the overall impact on the entire image. They provide another example by editing the sky in a landscape photo to illustrate how local adjustments can sometimes lead to unnatural results if not carefully managed.
00:06:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the importance of global versus local editing in photography, using the example of the sky’s tones not matching the rest of the photo. They emphasize the necessity of correcting lens distortions and vignetting during the editing process. The speaker suggests applying profile corrections either through presets or on import to ensure every image is corrected. They demonstrate this with a photo taken in Iceland, showing distortion and vignetting when profile corrections are disabled. The segment also covers the histogram and the concept of protecting highlights and shadows. The speaker argues that retaining some areas without detail isn’t always a flaw and demonstrates how raising shadows can reveal details, despite potential noise.
00:09:00
In this segment of the video, the creator discusses techniques and philosophies for photo editing. They emphasize that retaining all detail in shadows and highlights isn’t always necessary; the decision should be based on what works best for each specific image. They illustrate this with an example, noting that sometimes reducing shadow detail can make a photo more impactful.
Additionally, the creator shares a learning experience about editing: if a photo doesn’t look good after a minute of editing, it’s unlikely to improve significantly after more extensive editing. They recount an instance with a photo of a pony, where despite initial excitement, they realized that prolonged editing wouldn’t salvage the image due to flaws like obstructing hair over the eye and lack of engagement in the photo.
Lastly, they advise on a crucial tip: edit a bit, step away, and return later. This can provide fresh perspective and prevent premature sharing of photos that might not look as good upon later review.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the speaker provides quick editing tips, emphasizing the importance of stepping away from an image for a while and returning with fresh eyes to reassess the edits. They express that often, they come back to images and reconsider their initial decisions. Additionally, the segment includes a thank you to the video’s sponsor, Squarespace. The speaker shares their long-term use of Squarespace for their online portfolio, store, and newsletters, praising its ease of use, variety of templates, and helpful analytics features. They encourage viewers to try Squarespace with a free trial and mention a discount code for the first purchase.