Background: I’ve been a photographer taking photos for over 10 years now. I like editing my photos to bring them more in line with the feeling of the shot, rather than keeping it closer to the journalistic style.

I have purchased presets that I never like the look of, learned what all the settings in Lightroom do (or so I thought), but somehow can’t make them do what I want them to do.

For example, I was trying to emulate the editing style of Amy Shore (car photographer), as I really like her almost ephemeral/pastel-y shadows, and bring it closer to my preferences. Went into Lightroom, edited the settings I thought most responsible for the look and ended up with… garbage.

In a typical Dunning–Kruger turn of events, I am starting to think I may need to brush up on my editing skills/knowledge. Where do I start? Who is a good youtuber?

Thanks c:

  • Mmatthew93@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Listen, the problem is that you have no idea what you’re doing. So you should learn about retouching and photography more. Buying presets is completely absurd to a good photographer, it’s a waste of money. Lightroom is very easy to use and is a minimal part of retouching. 10 years or 40 of experience are irrelevant. Better a month of experience trying to learn new things. So this cold shower was needed because you need to realize that you need a lot of learning,not just some advice on how to edit photos. Once you know the technical aspects of photography and you know the ins and outs of a software like Photoshop, because you studied from good teachers or professional resources, you can easily replicate whatever style you want without having to think much about it. It’s like the gym where people work out for years completely wrong and achieve no results, while others study from the best resources and achieve a lot in just 6 months.

    Now I highly suggest piximperfect as a YouTube channel. He shows you the correct ways to use Photoshop.