r/postprocessing Aug 11 '16

Post Processing Megathread

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Post-Processing Megathread

So the last post I made (“How do I get this look?”) got buried pretty deep, so I thought I’d make this thread rounding up some videos/resources/techniques I’ve found.

I mentioned in the last thread that “post processing is more about theory than the tools/plugins/tricks/secrets/etc.” I may have misspoke a bit. I’m not saying neglect learning the tools, or stop searching for secrets, or stop using plugins; but rather use them in a more educational way. Knowing how all the tools work will help you apply them better and know when to apply them. Using plugins can be a great tool, but should never be a crutch. My feeling is anything a plugin can do, I want to know how to do for my own knowledge.

What if you’re an avid VSCO, Replichrome, Alien Skins, etc user and one day you’re working on a job with a fast turnaround time and your plugin fails, or it wasn’t on that computer, or it’s no longer compatible with Photoshop/Lightroom? What happens if your look was defined by a plugin, that you can’t recreate? Meanwhile you have a client waiting on their images. This is why having a vast knowledge of the tools/techniques is extremely valuable.

If you like a plugin, try reverse-engineering it. I’m not saying you have to use the reverse-engineered technique and stop using the plugin, but it sure helps when you know how the plugin is working. Heck you could even improve upon it ;)

Chasing “secrets” is also a great way to learn. It’s not necessarily that a “secret” exists but what you may learn along the way to “finding one”.


Anyways, what I’m saying is there’s no shame or problem with using plugin/preset/filters as tools in your kit; however like any tool you should have an understanding of how it works so you know when to use it, how to use it properly, or what to do if something goes wrong and you can’t use it. The better you get at editing, the more you may realize you need to improve as a photographer. You’ll come to a point where the quality of photo/editing has reached a cap due to the quality of the base image.

If anyone has any techniques/articles/tutorials that should be included, please comment or send me a message and I’ll add it in.

I’m not up to date on my tutorials. From what I’ve found Ben Secret and Michael Woloszynowicz have some of the most powerful techniques in their videos.


Tutorials:

Color/Toning/General:

Retouching:

AI-Assisted Editing (Native Photoshop 2025/2026):

Generative AI Tools:

Like it or not, these are part of the landscape now. Worth knowing what's out there.


Concepts:

General:

Color Theory:

Misc:


YouTube Channels:

Misc:


Tools & Plugins:

Plugins:

Mobile:

Utilities:


Games:

EXIF/Metadata/Image Forensics Tools:

Hope this helps out! ☺

-Cameron Rad

How many people actually check out this thread? If you have gotten any help from it , shoot me a PM :)


r/postprocessing Jun 22 '25

"Cooked" is banned.

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stop it.


r/postprocessing 8h ago

After/Before: Ripples

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r/postprocessing 11h ago

Parakeet before / after

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r/postprocessing 14h ago

Before/After

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Somewhere in the Himalayas


r/postprocessing 6h ago

After/Before: unusable vs unusable

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r/postprocessing 2h ago

Before/After , Shot on iphone 16 base

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r/postprocessing 9h ago

Before/After as an absolute beginner

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These are truly the first images I've ever edited, so any critiques and tips are VERY welcome and a massive thank you in advance. I'm happy with the first two, but I feel like the third image needs a little something more but I just cant place it. My eye is defintely not very trained yet, but hopefully after I get a lot of reps under my belt, I'll be in a place to give advice and not just take.

I've just recently picked up my first real camera (a fancy-to-me Sony RX100) and took it to the front 10 rows of an BTS concert, which easily had the highest production value of any big show I've been to before and came away with tons of images...some great and many terrible, but whatever, shit happens.


r/postprocessing 17h ago

Before/After , Shot on iphone 16 base

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r/postprocessing 13h ago

Did I go too far with this edit?

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r/postprocessing 10h ago

Black Tomatoes Before/After

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r/postprocessing 19h ago

After/Before, did I go too far?

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I wanted to go for a bit of a warmer, mystical feel.

Reduced microcontrast, increased red and greens in highlights to get a bit of yellow.
Reduced green saturation and increased orange.


r/postprocessing 1d ago

Unhappy with my photography lately

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Got my first camera about a month or so ago. Been pretty unsatisfied with my photography and I’ve been a bit demotivated to go shoot much more. Not sure if it’s my editing skills or photography skills that need more work? Both?

Edit: Thank you all for the thoughtful responses! While I might not respond with a comment, I am reading them all and taking note of each one


r/postprocessing 23h ago

Before/after

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r/postprocessing 3h ago

Milky way photography

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Hi,

Few nights ago I gave a shot for milky way photography. The results are kinda lame tbh. The first pic is single exposure (uneditet) and second about 70 pics stacked with sequator. I feel the stacking didnt do any good for the pic.

Settings and equipment used:

Canon eos r7

Ttartisan 10 mm f2

13 s exposure

ISO 1600

F2

This single frame was captured with 30 s exposure to get better pic of foreground but overall i think it turned out fine with only little star trails. Stacked pictures had 13 s exposures.

Any tips how to get better results with stacking?

Is the photo composition looking ok?

Improvements with my camera settings?

And lastly editing tips? I really had hard time editing since i felt that the stars became burned or too blue with almost anything done. I use mostly darktable but im open to suggestions of other software.

(Capturing milky way core is not possible here)


r/postprocessing 16h ago

Is it a good idea to crop the tail?

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r/postprocessing 15h ago

Can u rate the edit and the photo?

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r/postprocessing 12h ago

After/Before shot on Pixel 10 Pro

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Had a split second to pull my phone out while riding in the rear of an ATV.
Edited in Snapseed.


r/postprocessing 16h ago

how much of a help are based presets?

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I came across a content creator (multiple actually) that posts their editing process and I noticed that theyd use a base preset before doing anything else, so i wonder how much of a use are they and where do I get them


r/postprocessing 1d ago

Innsbruck

Post image
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r/postprocessing 1d ago

Before/After

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r/postprocessing 1d ago

Before/after of Jimmy

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Before/after of a picture of my dog in my backyard.
Shot on Nikon D750 with the Nikon NIKKOR af-s 24-120mm f3.5-5.6g at 120mm

120mm
f/5.6
ISO 100
1/200 SS

Dogs name is Jimmy 😀


r/postprocessing 1d ago

I was doing pics I don’t usually stop to edit

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I liked the pop of reds even if the greens feel muddy


r/postprocessing 19h ago

Before & after

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before & after

r/postprocessing 19h ago

After / before creating HDR from 3 raws

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Shot with r50 using kit lens.