The shoot is only half the job. What happens after you put the camera down is where the image truly comes to life. Here is my complete editing workflow, from the moment I import RAW files to the second I deliver finished JPEGs to a client.
A lot of photographers treat post-production as an afterthought. Something to get through. I think about it completely differently. Editing is where you make the decisions that define the look and feel of your work, and having a consistent, repeatable workflow is what separates photographers who deliver on time from those who are always scrambling.
Here is exactly how I move a file from the moment it comes off the camera to the moment it lands in a client's hands.
Where Do You Even Start With a Full Card of RAW Files?
The first thing I do after any shoot is cull — and I do it before I touch a single edit.Culling is the process of going through every frame and deciding what stays and what goes. I do this in Lightroom using a simple flag system. One pass through the full take, rating 1 star anything that has potential. A second and third pass through the flagged selects to narrow down the true heroes. By the end I have a tight, curated folder of images worth editing rather than a bloated catalog of every frame I shot.
This step is unglamorous but critical. Editing a weak image well is still a weak image. Culling forces you to be honest about what actually worked on the shoot and sets you up to spend your editing time on files that deserve it.
My Canon EOS 5D Mark III shoots in RAW by default, and those files carry an enormous amount of latitude for the editing process. That latitude only matters though if you start with a well-exposed, well-composed frame. As I covered in The Camera Gear I Actually Use for Commercial Work, the Mark III produces files that hold up beautifully in post — but that's never an excuse to get lazy on set.
How Do You Handle RAW Processing and Exposure Corrections?
Once I have my selects, everything starts in Lightroom.My first move on any RAW file is to set the white balance. I shoot in a custom white balance on set whenever possible, which means the files often come in close to correct already. From there I work through the basic panel methodically: exposure, highlights, shadows, whites, blacks. I'm not chasing a look at this stage. I'm building a clean, neutral foundation that the colour grade can sit on top of.
For food work and portraits I tend to pull highlights back and lift shadows slightly to keep detail in both ends of the tonal range. For commercial product work I want clean whites and deep blacks with a punchy contrast. The approach changes depending on what the shoot was, but the principle is the same: get the exposure right before you do anything else.
Once I have one hero image dialled in, I use Lightroom's sync function to apply those base settings across similar frames from the same lighting conditions. This saves an enormous amount of time on larger commercial jobs and keeps the set consistent before I move into colour.
How Do You Approach Color Grading and Tone?
Color grading is where personal style lives, and it's the part of the workflow I enjoy the most.After the base exposure is set, I move into the tone curve and the HSL panel. The tone curve controls the overall contrast and mood of the image. A slight S-curve adds contrast and richness. Lifting the black point slightly gives a softer, more editorial feel. I adjust based on what the image needs and what the client's brand calls for.
In the HSL panel I work colour by colour, adjusting hue, saturation, and luminance individually. For food work I'm usually warming up the oranges and yellows to make the food feel more appetising, and pulling back any greens that have gone too yellow under warm light. For portraits I'm focused on getting skin tones accurate and flattering before anything else.
I also work with Lightroom's colour grading tool to add subtle toning to the shadows and highlights. A warm shadow tone and a slightly cool highlight is a combination I come back to often for commercial work. It adds depth without feeling overdone.
Understanding how light quality affects colour is something I get into in detail in How to Light Food Photography With Natural Light and How to Shoot in Low Light Without Losing Quality. Getting the light right on set always makes the colour grade faster and cleaner in post.
When Does a File Move From Lightroom Into Photoshop?
Not every image needs Photoshop, and knowing when to make that call is part of a clean workflow.Lightroom handles everything global: exposure, colour, tone, basic noise reduction, lens corrections. Photoshop comes in for anything that requires precision on a specific area of the image. Skin retouching on portrait work. Removing a distracting element from a food scene. Cleaning up a product shot. Any work that needs a brush, a mask, or a clone stamp lives in Photoshop.
My process is to edit the file to completion in Lightroom, then right-click and open as a Smart Object in Photoshop for any retouching work. Smart Objects preserve the Lightroom edits non-destructively, meaning I can always go back and make global adjustments without losing any retouching work done in Photoshop.
For commercial portrait work, my retouching is deliberate and restrained. The goal is always to make the subject look like the best version of themselves, not a different person. I use frequency separation for skin work, which allows me to smooth tone without touching texture. It keeps skin looking real rather than plastic.
How Do You Export and Deliver the Final Files to Clients?
The final step is export, and the settings here matter more than most people realise.I deliver all final files to clients as high-resolution JPEGs. My export settings in Lightroom are quality set to 90, sRGB colour space for digital delivery, and resolution at 300 PPI for any files that may go to print. For web-only deliverables I export a second set at 72 PPI and resize to the client's specified dimensions.
File naming is part of professionalism. I name every delivered file consistently using the client name, shoot date, and a sequential number. It makes it easy for the client to manage on their end and reflects well on how you run your business.
Before anything goes out I do a final quality check pass through every file. I'm looking for anything I missed in editing: a stray clone stamp mark, an inconsistent colour across the set, anything that looks off at full resolution. That extra ten minutes before delivery has saved me from client feedback conversations more than once.
Lightroom is fast and non-destructive for global adjustments across a large number of files. Photoshop handles localised retouching and precision work that Lightroom simply cannot do. Used together they cover every stage of post-production without compromise.
Once one hero image is edited to completion in Lightroom, I sync those settings across all similar frames shot in the same lighting conditions. This creates a consistent baseline across the set and speeds up the overall editing process significantly.
I use presets as a starting point on certain jobs, particularly when a client has an established look they want matched. But I always adjust manually from there. No preset drops perfectly onto every image, and relying on them without understanding what they're doing limits how much control you actually have over your work.
Quality at 90, sRGB colour space, and 300 PPI as a standard. For web-only deliverables a second export at 72 PPI resized to the required dimensions keeps file sizes manageable without sacrificing perceived quality on screen.
It depends heavily on the volume and complexity of the shoot. Culling is always the fastest stage. A full portrait or food job with retouching in Photoshop can take anywhere from a few hours to a full day. Having a consistent, repeatable process keeps that time predictable and protects your turnaround commitment to clients.