How to Edit RAW Photos in Affinity Photo | Develop Persona for Beginners

[@AffinityRevolution]

I have a gift for you! 😊 It's a free Affinity Photo course that will teach you 10 simple steps to make any photo amazing. I hope you love it! affinity.sale/10-steps

[@mister.sir997]

Realy good. Especially your explanations at the beginning the working of the sliders exposure and brightness.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@DigitalInspirations]

Thanks Ally - these tutorials always have something interesting to learn. Your use of Brightness vs Highlights was fascinating.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you Jon! I'm glad you liked the video! 😊

[@mikesrandomchannel]

Second that. Only video I've seen that explains these terms so clearly and with a demo on the picture.

[@Ted-F-Strassburg-III]

I really appreciate the time you take to show all of us these great features and abilities of Affinity Photo. So glad I switched and hope to be a customer for life.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you Ted! 😊

[@geraldhawkins773]

Very good. Straight forward and to the point. Thanks for another excellent tutorial.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you Gerald! I'm glad you liked the video. 😊

[@billhonnold7271]

I'm so happy to have discovered you, Ally. Your tutorials and courses are excellent. Highly recommended.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you Bill! 😊

[@african7498]

Thanks for a great informative video. I have watched many Affinity videos - the more I watch the more confused I get - this was simple and logical without jumping around and losing your viewer. Great job!

[@johnlochness]

Thank you. It's great to see your workflow and thought processes for an image. More of this please! I didn't know you can just invert a layer, I've always added a mask and then inverted that. Great tip.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! 😊

[@JohnHayesOnLine]

Thanks Ally, another good video. I have bought a number of courses from Affinity Revolution, and have found them to be excellent

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you so much John! I appreciate you saying that. 😊

[@PeteEdmunds]

Excellent thanks for this. The colour balance layer effect was really interesting to see, will have to try that

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you Pete! Glad it was helpful. 😊

[@johnshepherd5673]

Thank you Ally, excellent tutorial, very helpful 👌👌

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you John! Glad you liked it. 😊

[@simonpayne7994]

Good - as always. A nice presentation of the basic adjustments that can be applied in the Develop Persona plus a couple of twiddles as a follow-up in the main workspace - i.e. the Photo Persona. All of Ally and her hubby's stuff goes into the making of an excellent starter kit for getting to grips on the overwhelming complexity of Affinity. A sort of Dragon Alley show-casing all of Affinity's magic wands to us novices along with a charming helping hand to get us safely 'cross the cobbles. 😊

[@AffinityRevolution]

Haha wow, thank you! You make it sound so magical. 😊

[@simonpayne7994]

@@AffinityRevolution I was just airing my poetic vein. It does tend to run away with me now and again.😊

[@UncompressedWAVmusic]

Wow 10 minutes of improved beauty and transformation.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@basicelement]

Excellent, thanks!!!

[@AffinityRevolution]

You're welcome! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@JosephelLeon]

Best tutorial for beginners. Thanks!

[@AffinityRevolution]

You're welcome! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@tonyhicks3095]

I've been shooting in RAW for the past few months but didn't really understand how to edit them. I do now! Thanks for a great tutorial.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Glad you learned something new! 😊

[@TheVirtualObserver]

Wow, this was a great tutorial! Thanks a ton, you really explained each step in an approachable way and helped me understand the RAW Development Persona better.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! I'm really you enjoyed the video. 😊

[@josesmith617]

Thanks for making this video. Everything is explained really well and it really helped make the daunting task of getting into photo editing a lot less intimidating for me.

[@AffinityRevolution]

You're welcome! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@deniscoquoz686]

Thank you very much ! Very helpful !

[@AffinityRevolution]

You're welcome! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@dimon22323]

As usual another simple yet useful lesson, thanks Ally!

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked it. 😊

[@ashleymartin7644]

Nicely done and well explained. Thank you.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@akgreenberg]

Great tutorial! You make it so simple. This really opened Affinity even better. Keep these coming!

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! 😊

[@David-fg4nu]

Yay! Now I know what I’m doing!

[@AffinityRevolution]

Haha that's great to hear! 😊

[@sandrahammondhammond3754]

A great tutorial thank you

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked it. 😊

[@andyml1]

As usual, very helpful - thanks so much. 👍👍👍

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! 🤗

[@AmanSidhu-u9d]

Thank you, thank you, thank you !!

[@AffinityRevolution]

You're welcome! I'm glad you liked the video. 😊

[@matrixate]

You gys are a gift to us. Thanks again.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thanks for all the kind comments! 😊

[@DEMONT4u]

Thanks so much this was very informative ❤

[@AffinityRevolution]

You're welcome! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@UltraPatate]

Switched from adobe suite to your app, Thanks

[@AffinityRevolution]

Welcome to Affinity! 😊

[@CleanSlateFarm]

I was hardly using Affinity's fullest power until I watched this. This will take my editing to new levels. Amazing and thank you!!!

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked the tutorial. 😊

[@Mueleski]

Another great lesson.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! 😊

[@haroldlippold4226]

Another great tutorial, Ally!, thanks much.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you Harold! Glad you liked it. 😊

[@colletteworley228]

Another great tutorial, looking forward to the next one where you show us the use of the other tools in the Devlop persona,

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you Collette! I'm glad you liked the video. 😊

[@Ashleybmakingvideos]

Fantastic! Great for a beginner Affinity editor such as myself.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you Ashley! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@stevemurphy5653]

Hi Allie. I always learn more from your tutorials. Thank you for explaining how sensitive and effective the tools are. You have shortened my trial and error learning curve ;-) thanks.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Glad I could help! That trial and error curve can take a long time... :)

[@hepgeoff]

Thanks for this! I'm looking into Affinity photo, possibly moving from Luminar. I'll definitely check out your 10 steps course.

[@AffinityRevolution]

You're gonna love Affinity! 😊

[@seok84]

Wow ihave learned more here than any other video! Thank you!

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@mauriziopalladino2514]

Thank you for your tutorials !!! You are very professional, your way of explaining so precise, it helps a lot to understand what you are doing.It would be interesting to see some tutorials on landscaping in the future, such as luminance masks ... THANKS AND CONGRATULATIONS !!!!

[@AffinityRevolution]

Great idea! Thanks Maurizio. 😊

[@easyartwiths7689]

Nice tutorial

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked it. 😊

[@CreativeIsolation]

Woh, thanks. Beginning to end, but nothing too crazy for a beginner.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@jeylful]

Great video! Thank you!

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked it. 😊

[@youlookingatmelookingatyou533]

Very useful video, thank you.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked it. 😊

[@4toes1nose]

Thank you

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thanks Kevin! 😊

[@LyndiTedder]

this helped me so much!!! thank you

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you Lyndi! Glad you liked it. 😊

[@Esclarecidos]

Best tutorial on editing raw photos in Affinity! I would suggest, instead of reducing the highlights on Develop mode, applying the Shadows & Highlight filter on Photo mode. Then inverting the filter mask, and brushing white on the model cloth. That way the bright on her face is not affected.

[@AffinityRevolution]

That's a great way to do it too. Thanks for sharing! 😊

[@anapantz]

So helpful - thank you!

[@AffinityRevolution]

You're welcome! Glad you liked the video. 😊

[@JulesMoyaert_photo]

Thank you!

[@fernandofernandez8067]

Great tutoria!

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you Fernando! I'm glad you liked it. 😊

[@JuggaknotPunch]

Awesome video..keep them coming!

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! 😊

[@macrobionic]

Great video: simple to follow with advanced results.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Glad you enjoyed it! 😊

[@ChrisB257]

This is particularly interesting - have to admit after many years I have not tackled anything with RAW images. Thanks for another great mine of information Ally. :)

[@AffinityRevolution]

Yay! Glad you could learn something new. :)

[@elizabethrussell4858]

A great video as usual, I have stuck to my older version of Lightroom to edited my RAW because I didn't find it very easy to switch to Affinity for this but must try again

[@AffinityRevolution]

Lightroom is great for editing lots of photos, but I prefer Affinity if I'm working on just 1 or 2 images.

[@DarkMojoYT]

Looks Nice!

[@DarkMojoYT]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYa7Y4ScgLOpadk

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! 😊

[@paulhayward444]

Thanks a very clear description of the Develop process. Would you typically also sharpen a RAW photo, and if so how do you decide how much to sharpen it?

[@AffinityRevolution]

I like to sharpen with a high pass filter in the Photo Persona. That way, I can change how much sharpening has been applied if I ever change my mind. "How much sharpening to apply" really depends on the photo, and whatever looks good for that particular image.

[@Uniblab8]

Allie...I love these tutorials. Having been a PS user since the 90s I'm no expert but have enough experience to be dangerous. I use it more for creative projects than photos. My experience, so far with Affinity has been enhanced by your vids and course...still is it me, or is the learning curve in Affinity a bit steep...I mean so much of what you show is very detailed and almost "advanced" to me. I purchased Affinity a few years ago as a PS replacement. I still want to do that so keep 'em coming so I can break the chains of Adobe for good.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Affinity is definitely an advanced program. I would say it's easier to learn than Photoshop, but it still takes a lot of practice. Hence why I make these videos! :)

[@Uniblab8]

@@AffinityRevolution No mistake...you have excellent courses and I know enough to finally ditch PS one and for all. Looking forward to the next one.

[@jamescordon8133]

For anyone who hasn't worked with RAW files before, RAW can be thought of (kinda) a bit like watching a time-lapse video -- where you can go back and use any of the frames before the video ends. As a camera exposes an image the sensor is recording the "what happened". The exposure slider allows you to bring back lost detail --blown-out highlights or crushed shadows can be recovered into the image. If you raise the exposure slider you'll notice an increase in shadow detail but a decrease in highlight detail, if you lower the exposure you get great detail on the dress but crushed shadow. Exposure seems a bit like contrast/brightness but really is far more fundamental to the image quality. The guys have created an HDR tutorial which how you can (try) to get better detail across an image. Hope this helps! I should add. The jpeg your camera/phone outputs is like "one frame" of the data the camera saw with Special Sauce applied to make it look nice (not necessarily accurate), Phones take this to an extreme..

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you for the explanation and analogy! I'm sure a lot of people will appreciate reading your comment. 😊

[@jamescordon8133]

@@AffinityRevolution I figured people who are new to RAW might misunderstand where their power lays and what the point of the camera outputting (usually) a worse looking file is. Keep up the excellent work :)

[@gossedejong9248]

brilliant, thank you!

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked it. 😊

[@RuggeroT]

Hi, very compliments for the video clarity and useful. One question off topic if possible. How do you put two images side by side to comparative and display together ? Thanks....sorry for my English

[@AffinityRevolution]

Open one image, then go to the File Menu, and choose Place. Select your other image, and then click & drag to place it next to the other photo. You can crop the photo to make more room if desired. :)

[@RuggeroT]

@@AffinityRevolution Thanks for reply. In my menù File, I don't have "Place" . I have Mac version ...

[@AffinityRevolution]

@@RuggeroT See this video at 5:56, where I demo the Place option: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZjGgH5-hLuir9U

[@RuggeroT]

@@AffinityRevolution Many many thanks I found the command and now I can do what I wanted Thanks again

[@voidplay3121]

Is there any chance that develop persona will recognize nikon color profile (from picture control)? I'm doing in FL (flat) mode. But develop persona still import image without it. Why? other programs don't have this problem

[@AffinityRevolution]

Sorry, I'm not sure why that is. I recommend you ask on the official Affinity forums: forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/forum/5-affinity-on-desktop-questions-mac-and-windows/

[@mister.sir997]

I've got a little question: To have "full" control isn't it better to turn the colour dept up to 32 Bit? 65k colour are photo realistic?

[@AffinityRevolution]

That's true, good point!

[@RoyLouden]

How does AF do with Apple ProRaw? I understand they are different from other raw formats. I am considering iphone 14 pro, but have no experience with ProRaw

[@AffinityRevolution]

Affinity can work with ProRaw files just fine. 🙂

[@RegularCupOfJoe]

Hello, Ally. Do you have a "limit" as to how much adjusting you do in Develop mode? My typical workflow during my Photoshop days was to equalize the image to what I think looks good (basically what you did in the video in Develop mode) and then drop out of raw and into Photoshop itself to do anything else. I practice this same workflow with Affinity Photo. What do you recommend?

[@AffinityRevolution]

I do the same thing as you. After equalizing the image, I like to work in the Photo Persona so that I can use layers and masks.

[@Ken-us3xf]

When I export my image it doesn't retain the adjustments made in the develop persona. There a setting I'm missing on export to keep those changes?

[@AffinityRevolution]

It's supposed to keep all of your changes. I recommend you post some screenshots of what's happening on the Affinity forums: forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/forum/5-affinity-on-desktop-questions-macos-and-windows/

[@wtfismyhandle]

I would add anyone using a DSLR camera look at the "Lens" tab next to "Basic" in the Develop Persona! It has lens correction profiles for your Sony, Canon, Nikon devices.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thanks Ian! Good tip.

[@keithwjones]

Great tutorial as always Ally. Thank you. Would you could you put a .jpg through this system?

[@AffinityRevolution]

Good question. Yes, you can use the Develop Persona on JPEG images. However, I don't typically recommend that, because you can do all of these same edits in the regular Photo Persona, which also gives you layers. Layers can be turned on and off whenever you want, and have masks applied to them to target specific areas. For those reasons, I like to use the Photo Persona whenever possible. 😊

[@jandebuysser2]

What happens with the raw image once you push develop? Do you loose all the extra data to work with like a jpg?

[@AffinityRevolution]

From in Affinity, you are working with a JPEG after pressing Develop. The actual RAW image will still stay intact on your computer/SD cards though.

[@IdahoSAM.]

Very nice Ally. Do you ever use the Develop Persona to use the lens distortion corrections on a JPEG or TIFF photo? Sometimes those tools are often more helpful than the Perspective Tool. How about just using the Develop Persona for the other tools on JPEGs or non-RAW photos. Just curious.

[@AffinityRevolution]

I also use the Develop Persona from time to time to fix distortion on a JPEG (I agree with you, it can be more helpful than the Perspective Tool). But for editing the light & colors of a JPEG, I stick to the Photo Persona (where I can use layers and work non destructively).

[@qevian]

raw often has very fuzzy photos - don't you sharpen the photos first? (in the detail menu?)

[@AffinityRevolution]

I like to do sharpening in the Photo Persona, because then I can work with non-destructive layers. I actually just made a video on sharpening in the Photo Persona, if you want to check it out. 😊 kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3WufaqHmrB5fpo

[@dmystify1381]

Hi Ally.(i hope i spelt your name correct)..I have been using Affinity for years now & this has been bugging me for a while...i just like to ask......why is there no 'picker' for the white balance...and also....why is there no 'picker' for the de-fringe.....it is so difficult to defringe in the develop module without a 'picker'...& yet once you move into the photo persona the 'pickers' are there...it doesnt make a whole lot of sense.

[@AffinityRevolution]

I've wondered the same thing. I'm not sure why that is. 🤷‍♀️

[@Thirsty_Fox]

Is there a way to later change the RAW develop settings? It seems like once it's developed, it's converted to a pixel layer and that's it. You can develop the pixel layer but it starts from the developed state (with any other changes, too). But if I decide that maybe I brought up the exposure or shadows too much, is there an easy way to go back into develop mode and tweak my develop settings?

[@AffinityRevolution]

Unfortunately, the only way to change your RAW settings is to start from scratch and open the original RAW image again.

[@Thirsty_Fox]

@@AffinityRevolution That's too bad. Thank you for the reply.

[@jamescordon8133]

Not sure it's exactly what you are looking for. You can make your exposure adjustments and save them as a preset; you can just apply this to a reloaded RAW (or other image) to start over from a point you are happy with.

[@NeelModi_dotcom]

Never knew about the "Apply Tone Curve" option - isn't the point to RAW to start it without any edits?

[@AffinityRevolution]

I agree with you. That's why I like to turn the tone curve off.

[@jfphotography69]

Another nice video by Affinity Revolution. When opening up an adjustment layer, like contrast for example it's easier just to place the mouse pointer on the digit "click on it" box and use the scroll wheel to make adjustments by scrolling up or scrolling down while the pointer is still inside the digit box, easier and more precise than using the slider. The only adjustment layer I don't use this method is the brightness adjustment layer, I just point my mouse pointer on the digit box and add the values manually, it's much easier to make micro adjustments.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thanks for the tip! 😊

[@kore996]

Can anyone help… I’m using the Affinity app on iPad, is there a way to edit one RAW photo and copy the same edits over to the rest of my photos from the series while in the develop persona? I think that’s what it’s called…I’m still a bit new. When I tried the Adobe Lightroom trial that came with a hard drive I purchased there was a simple 1 click option to copy edits from previous photo option and it would copy all my raw edits and adjustments over to the new photo I had opened and then I could just make small tweaks if necessary. Basically trying to find a way in Affinity to process RAW photos quicker that are all in the same set or environment. Thanks for any help….even if the answer is “no it’s not possible”. Do I need to buy the desktop version in order to do this and maybe use Macros? I don’t even know if that would accomplish what I want.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Sorry, Affinity can't do that. That's the exact reason people get Lightroom... 😅 I think the app Darkroom can help you though. Check out this video! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqXKhZKhiJx-hMk

[@srv232]

You are awesome

[@AffinityRevolution]

Aww, thank you! 🤗

[@simon8723]

Great vid. As there is some much useful content out there in the desktop version, I notice however videos like this are lacking in the iPad version. Understanding that the procedure is the same, the interface is different. Thoughts?

[@AffinityRevolution]

That is correct. The tools are the same, but the interface is different. Sorry for the confusion!

[@simon8723]

@@AffinityRevolution any chance for more iPad-centric tutorials? Those seem much less available compared to desktop.

[@AffinityRevolution]

@@simon8723 I'm not planning on making iPad videos anytime soon, sorry!

[@phlotographer]

another creator of AP videos is Carl Surry and he has created quite a few or iPad users. he also does regular AP tutorials as does InAffinity (Dave) and Olivio as well as James Ritson of Serif. Ally does a very nice job and one thing I love that she does -- takes her time when moving the pointer so that the viewer can easily follow along. Also she provides a link to the image she worked on so users can follow the steps and even do something different if so desiring. Thanks as usual Ally

[@rafsnchz]

Thanks a lot for the tutorial. I'm planning to cancel my Adobe sub and switch to Affinity. One question - can you export edited files without clicking "Develop"? I often don't do local adjustments (Photoshop like), only basic adjustments like in this first persona (Lightroom like).

[@AffinityRevolution]

Unfortunately, you need to press Develop before you can export.

[@rafsnchz]

@@AffinityRevolution but can you press develop on multiple photos? to then export them.

[@AffinityRevolution]

@@rafsnchz You can make "batch edits" in Affinity Photo, but it's not as easy as Lightroom. Here is a video if you're interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gl7TaJ-CYreCsLcsi=_Ew5XdBfly2oXkw0

[@tomaswilde5481]

Very nice an useful tutorial. The only concern I have is that all the adjustments you make in the develop persona are destructive. Thank you very much.

[@AffinityRevolution]

I agree, that is a problem. That's why I like to do most of my editing in the Photo Persona, where you can work with non-destructive layers. I only use the Develop Persona to get my RAW images to look 90% good, and then I'll use the Photo Persona to finish my edits.

[@tomaswilde5481]

@@AffinityRevolution Thank you very much !!

[@moanyamech]

probably a dumb question, i know that all raw files open in the develop persona and you need to hit develop to change it to an AF file for further editing, but if you are going to work on an image in the photo persona anyway, ( adjust/ remove flaws etc,) why do anything in the develop persona at all? why not just open the raw file and immediately hit develop, then do all adjustments, cropping, removal etc etc in photo persona? The develop persona seems to me to be a smaller tool than the photo persona, so why do anything with it. not trying to be a wiseass, I just don't get it.

[@AffinityRevolution]

That's a good question! Pressing "Develop" turns your RAW photo into a JPEG. So after pressing Develop, you lose all the extra information that a RAW photo has. That's why I like to get my photo looking 90% good in the Develop Persona before pressing the Develop button.

[@moanyamech]

@@AffinityRevolution thank you so much , that makes sense :)

[@terryt2910]

A very helpful lesson for me, a beginner in Affinity. I was easily able to follow what you were doing, until inverting the layer and painting with a brush. Although I might be able to follow what you did successfully, I just didn't didn't understand what was going on.

[@JLPicard440]

Thank for the video... I think I was going in the wrong order. I wanted to add text, boxes, etc to the photo through the photo persona and then I went to develop. Every time I clicked develop, the photo it would resort back to it's original un-edited form.... When I go to develop first and then to the Photo Persona to add whatever... Then it works fine! They should have the develop persona as the first choice at the top instead of photo for people like me who have the iq of a hammer😂... Unless I'm still doing it wrong!??

[@AffinityRevolution]

It sounds like you're doing it right now! 🙂

[@JLPicard440]

@@AffinityRevolution TY!

[@nerrelloader4226]

A nice straight forward video, but you didn't go through all the Tabs in Develop Persona. There is still Details (Detail Refinement, Noise Reduction), Tones (Curves), Overlays (Brush Overlay Gradient Overlay) & Lens - what about those please?

[@AffinityRevolution]

Those are lesser used tabs, but I do have tutorials for all of them in my Retouching 101 course: courses.affinityrevolution.com/p/retouching-101

[@vinhsanity]

This channel has gotten me to ditch photoshop. While it wasn’t an immediate switch (I’ve been using PS since the mid-2000’s), it was much quicker than it would have been otherwise!

[@AffinityRevolution]

That's great! Affinity is awesome. 😊

[@TeddyCavachon]

As a former pro-photographer, National Geographic photo lab tech and manager of magazine printing and color management since the 1970s Photoshop and muser since V1 in the 1990s I would strongly recommend that anyone shooting portraits have the model hold, or place on a stand at subject position for control objects: 1) A 12% (not 18%)gray card for WB reference, with: 2) 4x5 inch color checker; 3) a white terry wash cloth draped over the right edge of the card to evaluate highlight exposure, and; 4) a black terry wash cloth draped over the left edge of the card to evaluate shadow exposure. Human color vision is very adaptable and for that reason I always leave my camera WB set to daylight as a baseline reference point. That way the camera will record any color biases due to time of day, foliage, reflection from nearby objects (e.g., red brick wall). With the subject in this edit the brain will key off the dress, assume it is neutral white and adjust color perception accordingly. In reality the light under foliage always has a green tint due to the sunlight reflecting off the canopy of foliage. Green light gives pinkish skin tone a dull gray pallor which requires a + magenta TINT correction to eliminate. If adding flash to the mix that further would further complicate things because bare flash is usually cooler than daylight. The ideal strategy when mixing flash with ambient is to gel the flash to match the ambient, which in that location would require green gel. An inexpensive way to get gels for speedlights is buy a sampler swatch book or two. When editing the first thing I do is correct WB to a neutral baseline by clicking on the image of the gray card. This might not be the final WB desired for the the image but it will automatically get rid of any WB (blue-yellow) and TINT (green-magenta) biases the eye may not see on the monitor because color perception adapts to expectation that “white is white” on a monitor the same way as in person. The use of a 12% not 18% is due to the change in film speed rating system back in 1975 from ASA (American Standard) to ISO (International Standard). The ASA standard was based on a ROT composed landscape - 1/3 sky and 2/3 land - reflecting, on average 18% of the incident light back in the days B&W film when it was established. For example Gospel, per St. Ansel (Adams) was to always meter shadow exposure of the 18% card (not the actual scene) and with testing adjust the meter ASA speed dial higher or lower from the rated speed until Zone 0 black voids were reproduced with the clear base of the film and Zone 1 shapes emerging from shadows produced a 0.1 density on the negative. The ISO standards organization changed the “average” scene reflectance speed value to 12% to reflect (pardon the pun) the fact the old ASA standard based on negative films would nearly always overexpose the highlights if using transparency (slide) film. All digital camera metering and histograms are based on the 12% standard and in theory if using a 12% and exposing the highlights ideally with Zone 9 non-specular whites around 245-250 the spike created by a 12% card should fall near the middle of the histogram at 128. The spike from an 18% card will fall to the right of center because 18% reflects about 1/3 stop more light than 12%. But as the saying goes, “If your nose itches do you scratch your belly?” No, and with a digital camera the “nose” in the highlight and the best way to judge how they are exposes isn’t centering the histogram spiked from a gray card (per Zone System methodology) is is to use the histogram and highlight warning on a white object. In the sample photo the subject is conveniently wearing a white dress but if not that’s when the white towel comes into play. To optimally expose with a digital camera the simply raise exposure until the white towel starts to trigger the “black out” clipping warning then back off exposure 1/3 stop or so until it disappears in test shots of the target. Once the highlights are exposed “optimally” as seen by eye with separation between Zone 9 smooth white the Zone 10 specular reflection looking at the spike the BLACK towel creates on the histogram will reveal of the dynamic range of the camera sensor can handle the CONTRAST of the lighting. If not the photographer can add reflective panels or flash from over the camera as fill until it does. With practice it only takes about a minute to set exposure and evaluate shadows using the towels draped to create 3D shapes. The gray card isn’t there for exposure adjustment, just as a reference for WB. It is possible to set Custom WB off the card when shooting but as mentioned find it more informative to always shoot from the baseline of Daylight WB in the camera and use clipping on a gray card target to “snap” color to neutral as the FIRST STEP in editing. But you can’t do that consistently and objectively if there isn’t a gray card in a test shot.

[@VegasGuy1975]

I’m imagining you are going to have a lot of new comments on these older videos, so I may as well be the one to kick it off. Question on the strategy of making adjustments to the original raw photo before switching to making the more specific adjustments; what’s the thought behind the strategy? I ask because my current strategy is to never adjust the original, and always do an immediate “Save as” as soon as I open it. Then make all adjustments I want all at once. The strategy here is that I’m always keeping the original in place in case I decide later that I didn’t like my adjustments and I can go back and do them again. Even under my old Adobe strategy, I never used Lightroom. It seems like a waste of time, but perhaps there’s a strategy I’m just not seeing. Thanks in advance for feedback and awesome content by the way!

[@michalsiegel6717]

I've never understood this because I find the personas a bit confusing. When using the develop persona, I'm working with the raw file. After I develop, I get into the pixel persona and can't use the develop tools on the photo anymore. Does it mean I am editting just a jpeg in the pixel persona? I mean, there's 90% of the editting being done, most important color grading and masking. It is not possible to do this with jpeg only. And if I'm still working on a raw file, why does it have to be in a different persona?

[@Hendoneabdar]

Why do the first changes in Develop persona when you can do it in Photo persona undestructively? What should the benefits be?

[@parsec3d]

How do you save a preset for the raw editor?

[@summerhutchison8913]

i dont know why my affinity photo doesnt show the basic option to adjust

[@filipbueno]

I don’t like the program. I have purchased the licenses for ipad and most recently v2 for pc. I had high hopes as this is one of two third party softwares that see’s sigma sd1 images. First negative is the way of adding pictures which is to many clicks away. Dxo and few other programs have simple preview window where you can browse folders and see whats in them. Affinity will let you choose the file in open file section, some files like tiff have no thumbnails so if you pick the wrong one, you have to close current file and go back. At least this is what happens when trying to edit files from sd1. Secondarily, colour interpretation that affinity does to sigma raw files is killing the nature of foveon sensor. It is far easier to work as there are sliders that are not present in sigma photo pro (which is software most likely designed by a madman) but images in affinity seem like lifeless vs spp. I’m sorry that I’ve shared this negative input. I know you’re working hard.

[@itowmyhome797]

I🎉

[@AGENT-J-bt2mm]

So much easier than Lightroom and faster. Regardless what people use nobody can look at a picture and determine what you used to edit them. Not sure why other photographers care. Photography at the end of the day is art. I use Lightroom but am going to start using this. It’s essentially the same thing. PS is great if you can use it fast. I can’t so I try to get the picture right so I don’t have too. Again. My brush techniques aren’t the same a Warhol.

[@AffinityRevolution]

I hope you enjoy using Affinity Photo! 😊

[@jeffreyscottmorgansmusic]

Thank you - great tutorial.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you! Glad you liked it. 😊

[@cheungirisful]

Useful video, thank you.

[@AffinityRevolution]

Thank you Iris! I'm happy you liked it. 😊