A Series on using Photoshop
to Edit your Photographs

This is a series on photo editing. We will look at whether or not you should edit your image or just use the one your camera produces. For editing and post-processing images there are a large number of software available. Personally, I use both Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. Having used them for many years I am most comfortable with them so I will talk about Adobe Photoshop for this series. Whatever editing software you are comfortable using is also fine. The tools used may have different names or work slightly different in your chosen software, but they will give you nice results as well. Just remember the more you use it the better your results will be. 

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Part Two
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Open a File in Adobe Photoshop 
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Once you have opened the Adobe Photoshop program on your computer find the tool bar that is across the top of the program. Click on the File option and a list of more options are available. If the option is in dark print it is available for use, if it is light you can't use it at this moment. Near the top of this list is the Open...option. Clicking on this will open the files that are currently available on your computer. Find the file or files you want to edit and double click on them. This will open these pictures in Photoshop.
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If you open a jpeg file your picture will open in the main workspace of Photoshop.
At this point you can set up your Photoshop Workspace, so it is most comfortable for you. 
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​If you open a Raw file your picture will open in Camera Raw Filter. 

When you open a jpeg file

When you open a RAW file

Setting up the Photoshop Workspace

When you opening a jpeg file your image will open in the workspace area of Photoshop. You will see a tool bar across the top and a tool bar down the left side. 

These tools will help you make adjustments to your photograph. 

On the upper right side of the program, you will find more items you can adjust. The first thing you should do is set up the Adobe Photoshop program to edit for Photography. Clicking on the drop-down arrow will open a box with several choices in it. Clicking on Photography will give you tools in your left side tool bar that are most helpful in editing Photos. You can also change this selection while editing a photo if you need too. 

Now your tool bar on the left has tools that are helpful with Photography. You will notice a double arrow at the top of the tool bar on the left. If you click on that, the tools will be in a double column instead of a single column. Adjust that in a way that is most comfortable for you to use. 

Now on the right side of your workspace you can add frequently used tools by going to the top tool bar and clicking on window. This will open a drop-down box with a series of options for you to choose from. By clicking on the items, you will use more often these will appear on the right side of your screen. for easy access. 

Once you have Photoshop and your workspace set up to your preferences you won't have to do this again. The Photoshop program saves your preferences. 

Ready to edit

 After you open the file that you want to edit, whether as a jpeg or a RAW file you should first make a duplicate layer of your file. This way you can then edit the duplicate and save your original file untouched. 
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To make a duplicate layer look at the top of the Photoshop program. Across the top are a series of drop-down buttons starting with File and ending with Help. Look for the Layer button and click on it. Look for duplicate layer button and click on that. This will open a box on your screen where you can name the new duplicate layer and start editing it. 

These are common adjustments photographers make to their photos in Photoshop:
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• Exposure: Adjusts the overall brightness of the photo 
  
  
• Contrast: Controls the relationship between the light and dark areas in the photo 
  
  
• White balance: Corrects the photo's overall color tone 
  
  
• Levels: Adjusts the brightness, contrast, and color tones within an image 
  
  
• Crop and straighten: Makes sure the photo is framed properly 
  
  
• Color vibrancy and saturation: Work with these to improve the photo 
  
  
• Sharpen: Sharpen the photo ​​

You can also use adjustment layers to control the image's exposure and color balance. Some commonly used adjustment layers include Brightness/Contrast, Levels, and Curves. 

In Photoshop there are more than one way to make these adjustments. Here are some ways to find the location of these tools.
The first method is to look at the tool bar at the top of the program. Find image and click on it. This will open a drop-down box. Find Adjustments and click on this. You will find Exposure, Contrast, Color Balance, Levels and Curves in this area, along with other options. 

The tool bar on the left contains tools to crop and straighten your photograph. There are also tools here to help you remove dust or other blemishes on your photograph. 

Another way to make these corrections is to look on the right of your workspace. If you chose the Adjustments tool for one of your preferred items here, click on what you want to correct, and it will open a mask layer over your image for these adjustments. You can now make adjustments using sliders. 

Another way to make corrections to your jpeg is to go to the top bar and click on the filter button. This opens a drop-down box. In here look for the Camera Raw Filter button and click on it. This will open your photograph in the Camera Raw Filter program where all of these adjustments can also be found. 

This will be the easiest and quickest way to make the corrections you may want. 

If you open a RAW file, it will automatically open in the Camera Raw Filter program. The same one you can move your jpeg too. The difference is there will be more data with your RAW file allowing you to make more controlled changes while retaining more data with your photograph.  

When you are done making your adjustments click on the OK button at the bottom of the program. Your photograph will now open in the Photoshop workspace. 

To Be Continued....