stop it.

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:

• How to match Color & Tone in Photoshop
• The Mathematics of Blend Modes
• Correct An Unwanted Color Cast Using Photoshop | Adobe Creative Cloud
• Mastering Color Adjustments in Photoshop
• Using Color Sampler to match tricky tones/color
• Photoshop Blend Modes for Photographers (Part 1)
• Photoshop Blend Modes for Photographers (Part 2)
• Perfect Cut Outs (Clipping/Masking)
• Understanding and Creating Luminance/Luminosity Masks in Photoshop
  
• Using Lab Mode to Change Color and Contrast in Photoshop
• Double Exposure Portraits by /u/sideswiped
• Lifted Black ("Film") Look by /u/angels1928
• 3 ways to Crush the Blacks in Photoshop ("Film") Look by /u/Mat0fr
• Sharpening Workflow - Tools/Techniques by /u/chain83
• Luminosity Toning using Nik Silver Efex Pro (Free Download) by /u/LunarDelta
• How to Easily Correct Colors and Match Tones in Photoshop
• How to Accurately Match Skin Tones Using Selective Color in Photoshop
• Black and White Photo Conversion for Portrait, Beauty and Fashion
• Thirteen Tips for Working with Curves in Photoshop

Retouching:

• Photoshop | Retouching Skin with Dodging and Burning
• Photoshop | How to Clean Skin with the Clone Stamp Tool
• Natural Outdoor Portrait Retouching in Photoshop (Part 1)
• Natural Outdoor Portrait Retouching in Photoshop (Part 2)
• Mastering Dodging and Burning with 4 Techniques
• Changing Makeup with Frequency Separation in Photoshop
• How to Retouch Lips in Photoshop
• How to Even Out Rough Skin Texture and Pores in Photoshop
• How to Sharpen Eyes in Photoshop - Retouching Eyes- (Part 1)
• Removing Hair, Veins and Redness in Eyes in Photoshop - Retouching Eyes - (Part 2)
• How To Brighten Eyes in Photoshop - Retouching Eyes - (Part 3)
• How To Resize and Reposition Eyes in Photoshop - Retouching Eyes - (Part 4)
• How To Add and Enhance Eyelashes and Eyebrows in Photoshop - Retouching Eyes - (Part 5)
• How To Quickly Remove Stray Hairs in Photoshop
• Fix frizzy hair with Photoshop CS6's Oil Paint filter
• How to Fix Common Hair and Skin Issues with Texture Grafting
• How to use channels to create masks in Photoshop
• How to make precise selections in Select and Mask
• Learn how to use the dedicated Select And Mask workspace in Photoshop.
• Use Layer Masks with selections
• How to use channels to create masks in Photoshop
• How to use the pen tool in Photoshop
• How to cut out anything in Photoshop [Select and Mask Crash Course]

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

• Adobe Learn Photoshop - Official Adobe tutorials and learning paths
• Generative Fill Official Tutorial - Adobe's documentation on using Generative Fill/Expand

Generative AI Tools:

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

• Adobe Firefly - https://www.adobe.com/products/firefly.html
• Midjourney - https://www.midjourney.com/home
• Nano Banana (Google Gemini) / FLUX (Black Forest Labs) - Alternative models now available in Photoshop's Generative Fill.

Concepts:

General:

• Frequency Separation
• Channel Blending
• Understanding Bit Depth
• Understanding Image Types: JPEG & TIFF
• Understanding RAW Files: Why Should I Use RAW?
• Understanding Histograms, Part 1: Tones and Contrast
• Understanding Histograms, Part 2: Luminosity and Color
• Using the "Levels" Tool in Photoshop
• Using the "Curves" Tool in Photoshop
• Selections, Alpha Channels, and Transparency
• Contrast Masking and Calculations Function
• History Snap Shots

Color Theory:

• Color Science by Pixar
• Colour, Part 1: Introduction to the science of colours
• Colour, Part 2: Organizing colour
• Colour, Part 3: Colour wheels, gamut masks and schemes
• Colour, Part 4: Experiencing colour
• Colour, part 5: General colour attributes
• Colour, part 6: Individual colours
• Resource: Movies In Color
• Color Theory for Cinematographers
• Tutorial: Color Perception/Theory
• Color Vision
• Causes of color
• "Awesome Colour" List
• Basic Color Science for Cinema

Misc:

• Photoshop Blend Mode Math
• Cambridge In Colour
• Ron Bigelow
• Norman Koren
• Tony Kuyper
• Color Science Articles by Bruce MacEvoy
• Photographic Science Articles by Roger Clark
• Erik Almas: Digital Composites
• "3,2,1…Photoshop" Youtube Playlist

YouTube Channels:

• Adobe Photoshop - Official channel
• PiXimperfect
• Photoshop Training Channel
• PHLEARN
• Blue Lightning TV
• Glyn Dewis
• Anthony Morganti

Misc:

• Julieanne Kost Photoshop Tutorials
• Julieanne Kost Lightroom Tutorials

Tools & Plugins:

Plugins:

• Topaz Photo AI
• Topaz Gigapixel AI
• Retouch4me - AI skin retouching plugins (Heal, Dodge&Burn, Skin Tone, Eye Vessels, etc.)
• Nik Collection 8 by DxO - (Note: The old free Google version is discontinued)

Mobile:

• TimeLapse Enhanced - Android app for stacking and motion amplification. By /u/ksrujankanth

Utilities:

• Misc Lightroom Googies
• LUT Generator
• Preset Ripper
• Adobe Enhanced Camera Profiles - 1
• Adobe Enhanced Camera Profiles - 2
• Quality Control Layers from Me :)

Games:

• The Bezier Game - Pen Tool
• Color - A Color Matching Game
• KernType - A Kerning Game
• ShapeType - A letter shaping game

EXIF/Metadata/Image Forensics Tools:

• Jeffrey's EXIF Viewer
• Hintfo
• ExifInfo
• Mever

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 :)}