RAW Photo Editing Basics: Pro Tips I Wish I Learned Sooner

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In this week’s episode, we discuss RAW photo editing basics that professional photographers know that I wish I knew sooner. Editing RAW photos is one of the most intimidating and confusing aspects of photography. We all know that photographing in a RAW format provides the most flexibility from a post processing perspective, but how to get the most out of your RAW images can be overwhelming. In this video, I've created a simple 10 step workflow that you can follow in order to become more comfortable with a RAW photo editing process. I even took it a step further and created a step by step guide that you can download above and keep handy while you practice at home. I hope you enjoy this week's video and as always thanks so much for watching! - Mark D.
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[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

🔥QUESTION: Which Crop did you prefer? Edge or no Edge?

[@drmathochist06]

Squarer crop without the edge. It really emphasizes the geometry of the scene, with the triangle and its reflection forming a kite (nearly a cyclic one) centered in the square.

[@arianvangend2536]

Prefer the vertically less symmetrical crop. It's more unique to my eyes and better proportioned over all. I do think the mountain reflection in the water needs some editing because right now it doesn't match with the actual mountain in light display. Feels off because of that, at least to me. But beautiful image in any case. Very nice!

[@geoffclinton8575]

The square image with no edge.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

@@drmathochist06 Great feedback - thanks!

[@LenShigemoto]

I like just the reflection one.

[@nathantibbetts8811]

I've been watching Lightroom and photo editing videos for years, but no one has taught me so much meaningful information in one video as you. Thank you!

[@deivytrajan]

I like the one with the mud in the bottom. It makes composition more interesting and a bigger story to tell than just a cute mountain with symmetrical reflection in the water.

[@davide36923]

Beautiful work Mark. That solo mode is a godsend. You are the Man.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks a million David!

[@michaelgoulding4425]

Been a while since I've visited KZbin and delighted to see the growth of your channel and career, and that your content remains at such a high level

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

That means a lot - appreciate that!

[@markh2719]

Always enjoy your videos Mark, but in particular I enjoy your post processing tutorials. I always learn something new from them, and its great to get your perspective and thoughts behind your editing decisions. I really like the version with the pool in the front, it adds more character to the image.

[@frank1crayon]

Well done, Mark. Very informative. One thing I tend to do is be careful I don't make the sky darker than its reflection.

[@cindyhead498]

Oh gosh! Thank you, your tips really help❣️📸 saving this for later!

[@Suhailkhan53]

Awesome video Mark. Thanks for sharing ❤

[@murraymcgregor4411]

Great walk through of your editing process, thank you Mark for sharing. Of the two photos, I prefer the one without the shoreline as it highlights to me, the mountain and its reflection.

[@davidktimothy]

Shoreline, DEFINITELY!

[@CooperCreativeCC]

This immediately upgraded my Lightroom repertoire. Cheers for the awesome advice!

[@user-ft3vd4nk1o]

Hi Mark, Thanks for very good and informative videos 👍🏼 I would love to see your process when it comes to saving and categorising photos, the stages before you start to edit the photos. I have searched your videos but can’t find that you have done a video regarding that topic earlier. Keep up the good work 👍🏼 Best regards from Sweden 🇸🇪

[@allehman5095]

Awesome tutorial Mark. Thanks for sharing.

[@LyndaRossi]

I really like the crop, it’s less distracting. First time I’ve seen your channel & I’ll definitely be watching more from you. Thanks

[@SkullMonkeyUK]

Excellent Tutorial, Thank You!

[@stevechilvers1322]

Another great video Mark. So informative, more like this in the future please. I like the left hand crop version.

[@seanthompson258]

GREAT VIDEO THANK YOU LEARNT A LOT!

[@jacobthomson9369]

Brilliant ! Thank you.

[@danotoole6914]

I would go with the edge, but the other is good as well. Thanks for the download, it really helps when one is just starting out with editing. Love your channel.

[@jamilgotcher365]

Great tips, thanks! I really love all the features they have in Camera Raw especially all the masking features.

[@embiess]

Great to get back to basics and tune areas that may had not been an area of focus. Thanks!

[@andreasbininda6226]

Nice tip about reorganizing the panel to fit the personal development process!

[@tpoe4]

Left is my pick. Both are great!

[@ksnmurthy4476]

Amazing Mark ❤

[@hoonior]

this was a very useful way to spend an hour, going back and forth between the video and the RAW file, thank you. Time to go out and find some new locations to shoot and create something of my own to play around with...

[@FulvioCapriolo888]

Many thanks!

[@mkbaharris]

Thank you mark, appreciate the time and effort to show us the way. Think I like the more cropped squarer version. You made the upper middle look so nice that the lower sandy area was not really doing much. So the concentration is really pulling you towards the mountains focal area 😊

[@docholliday1811]

You are awesome, and you have such great content, and I have learned so much. I prefer the uncropped photo. Thank you.

[@cdavey7654]

Another great video, thank you so much for the useful LR and editing tips! 🙂

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much!

[@geraldbraun6267]

Beautiful edit Mark, I prefer the one with the shore on the bottom. It draws my eye in better.

[@johnhuzi]

I love the square crop 🔥

[@nivikoseven]

Solo mode changed my life! Thank you.

[@jeffross9620]

I like the photo on the left (closer crop)! Thanks for the download as well!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad to do it Jeff!

[@caroljohnson4321]

I like the image with the reflection only. Enjoyed the video! Good info, thanks.

[@johnSchmidt.photography]

Outstanding to-the-point article on converting RAW images!! Thanks much Mark! As far as the images with/without the shoreline, I prefer the one withOUT the shoreline, no distractions in that image. My eyes tend to gravitate down to the shoreline eventually....... Your work is amazing!

[@davidgillespie6604]

You definitely added a couple of things to my toolkit. I found it interesting though that your process is almost identical to the process I use on my landscape images - then I realized I learned most of my process from you! As always, thanks for a great video!

[@rickredfern2647]

Great video Mark take care mate.

[@toddwhitmire9057]

Hello Mark My choice would the picture without the mud. Excellent job, you are so much fun to follow. I have learned so much from you. Thank you.

[@markconkling4223]

Edge. I like having a little foreground in most landscapes. Excellent video. You have become my Lightroom and general photography guru, PARTICULARLY composition. Thank you.

[@lynsmith1096]

Great tutorial Mark. Just subscribed.

[@JP514-]

You are the ¡Thanks for all these tips and tricks!!

[@gopeddle]

I like the crop that's more like a 2 1/4 format. I think it emphasizes the light and mountain better and makes the overall image more impactful. Nice work.

[@richardpesce5325]

Great video Mark. I prefer the one without the shore.

[@Bob_Amaral_Photography]

That is what I love about your videos Mark. While I have been using Lightroom for years, I always find some Lightroom feature I never knew existed. Solo Mode is one of them. I just love it. Great video. Thank you!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Love hearing this - thanks Bob!

[@andredupuis7018]

Very Instructive. Merci beaucoup

[@MrPhitos]

Thank you for those tips ! I often struggle with high dynamic range pictures and sometimes even quit as I feel like I don't know what I am doing after 30 minutes trying to edit a single image. I will definetly watch this video again while editing.

[@michealpociecha8351]

No edge. Great as always. Thanks

[@CTBikesalot]

I like the shoreline cropped out. I really like your workflow steps/tips. Very logical. I’ll try it with my next set.

[@southernsteve1]

Great vid, learnt some new bits. As for the photo, my preference is the square crop on the left.

[@castorc9710]

The photo with the edge of the pond in view looks more complete to me. The cropped one makes the photo look truncated. Appreciate the tutorial on how you brought out the hidden features that had 'fallen into shadow' in the RAW file.

[@aashishkanji8051]

Enjoyed watching this video. I think that the final image with a shore is much more compelling. It just balances the image well and also gives it a bit more character. It also gives me a sense of standing on the shore and observing the scene which draws me further into the image. The other image is also great, but if I had to choose one, it would be the image with the shore. Thanks for sharing

[@indrajitadvani3742]

Really appreciate that solo mode tip and SHIFT double click black/white. Didn't know those. Can't decide which of the two crops I prefer!

[@sawekzabron8591]

Solo mode definitely I will use today 😍 for me photo on the right is more rich and more interesting. Greate work Mark 👏👏👏

[@celinemorisset5533]

Hi Mark, thanks for yet another great video. My preference is the photo with the cropped shore.

[@debbielynn6683]

I like the version on the left. I’m going off just my fist feelings as I first seeing the without a lot of thought in it. Sometimes when I go with that feeling, it seem to guide me the best. If I stop and start analyzing, I make choices maybe I shouldn’t have. Thanks for all your helping videos❣️

[@mrwilliamwortel]

Wow, thanks a lot for this video! Went through the whole video while editing the picture at the same time, super helpful to learn what button or slider does what! I like the picture without the shoreline better. To me it draws more attention to the ruggedness of the mountain.

[@gpdoyon]

Reflection only picture. Good video!

[@RVNmedic]

Thanks!

[@marcelvG1967]

As someone new to Lightroom your video was really helpful and informative. Thanks for sharing your process! This will be a great starting off point as I develop my own process. Thanks again!!

[@bobvinestreet2498]

Great learning tool for me as all your other videos do. I like the cropped version better. Thanks.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks Bob!

[@condaoultzis]

Μark, thanks for another great video! It is thought in general that a Square version of an image is more balanced but my gut reaction to this was the longer right version, because of the shape of the mountain and its reflection. Plus, the round shape of the pool reflection gives a better feeling.

[@eskay2250]

Terrific video Mark. Appreciated the solo mode tip as I only have a small screen. Liked the crop version as It complemented composition of mountain and reflection

[@tonyarunyard3738]

Great video!! Shoreline for me 😊

[@kathysnavely7639]

Love the image without the shore line. Great video downloading raw guide now. Thank you.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks Kathy!

[@wolfdd]

Thank you for this informative video. I prefer the more cropped image on the left.

[@JanieP53]

Mark, I like the one without the foreground. I really enjoyed this video!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad to hear this!

[@michaelfloy9562]

Tough call as both are appealing, but I like the one on the left slightly better. Very good and informative video!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MartinV.]

Great Video!!

[@fardeenbeharry]

Thank you

[@jimduncan7764]

Great video Mark

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

THanks Jim!

[@dirkgibbens377]

What a great video! Best step-by-step photo editing video I have seen. Very useful to me because I am just getting started in Lightroom. Thanks! I prefer the uncropped version of the image because I think the cropped version lacks any foreground interest

[@karayuschij]

A solid foreground adds depth to the image.

[@pederkristensen4691]

Hi Mark, thanks for your demon on your step by step raw processing. I rather like the near square image as for me it draws the attention to the mountain region.

[@actorpoesia]

Mark, your videos are great. all the photos are very beautiful, I like that one with the shoreline. Thank you for the videos.

[@gregwarson3483]

I've watched tons of your posts Mark, and always come away with something new. Thanks for taking the time to help us use the full capabilities of Lightroom.

[@thomashudzik3519]

Hello Mark, I really enjoyed this video. Thank you for walking through your editing process as I once again learned so much. Great delivery of all your information & step-by- step instructions. Personally, I like the finished image with the shoreline in the foreground. To me it adds more depth to the overall scene. However, I find the second image without the shoreline draws more impact to the mountain areas. Either way, they are both "wall hangers" & enjoyable to view. Thanks for another wonderful video. Tom

[@justindutcher89]

Thanks for the helpful video! I think I prefer the cropped image.

[@TrishDaly19]

Thank you for explaining why you edit the way you do. I like the the image with the shore as it leads into the mountain as the subject. With the more cropped version, the reflection of the mountain seems to be crushed against the lower edge and my eye keeps wandering around the image. Although it is interesting in that it is symmetrical, and that is always a pleasing composition.

[@JimStreeter-ot5wo]

Thank you for sharing your method in developing a photo. I downloaded the steps and the color course. I prefer the photo without the bottom shoreline. They both are great and again, thanks for sharing

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks for downloading the cheat sheet!

[@amundson1942]

Excellent video! I usually jump around. I'm going to try your way. I prefer the crop with out the mud. Thanks!

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much!

[@cwugrad396]

the one w/out the shore. the pic to the left was my favorite

[@paulataylor4369]

Love your videos! Cropped version is my vote. More dramatic and powerful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much Paula!

[@slacayo]

Great video man! New subscriber…..efficient process you have.

[@sutv6754]

Mark, I prefer the cropped version without the shore line. Great great lesson. Love it man. You give. Thank you.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Thanks so much!

[@steveklamkin]

I choose the cropped photo - or, the one that's 'closer to square'. The mountain and its reflection lend itself to the square, I think. I've learned a lot right here... my LRC learning curve has been pretty steep, and you've been helping me quite a bit, Mark. Thanks!

[@2007zodiac]

im just getting back into photography after nearly 3yrs away due to work..just updated my camera(to a D850) and was looking to update my imac also, as my late 2014 isnt up to what i need.and BANG!!, i came across your video..not only have you Got the set-up im looking to purchase,but your tutorial is amazing!!, precise and informative, i was worrying what the new lightroom software could now do, but you've answered all my questions, im saving this video to help me through the new start-up..instantly subbed!!..many thanks

[@HeapsMad]

Amazing!!!

[@owenlawre]

Hey Mark, thanks for the interesting video. I like both of the images but prefer the square crop for this particular photo.

[@Deg99]

I like the one with the edge....I think it pulls your eye to the reflection...

[@lindastock9654]

Like the closer one

[@RVNmedic]

Great video. I like the perspective with the shoreline. But you know what they say about opinions.

[@robertmaguire2809]

Great video. Especially for a total novice like myself

[@JohnJones-xy9pg]

Mark, I like the image that's in portrait with the puddle showing

[@nicolasdeelia4495]

Great video 🙌🙌👏👏❤

[@ChristopherRGray]

Greetings Mark. The one with no shoreline by a long shot. This was a welcomed video, as I am starting to have memory loss. Your check sheet is now on the wall next to my monitors. Thanks Muchly

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Great to hear it's helpful!

[@lee_michae1]

Very useful video, thanks. And I like the crop without the edge better.

[@MarkDenneyPhoto]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jkennan]

I didn’t know about Solo Mode. Thanks!

[@RGP_WA]

Mark, I like the cropped photo with out the distracting edge of the puddle. Thank you for the guide. I'm still learning lightroom and this guide will be helpful!😊😊 😊😊😊

[@arttyree4504]

Excellent video Mark. I prefer the shoreline version.