Image Editing Essentials
Editing an image is like editing text. When you edit text, you take an existing piece of text and fix what is wrong with it. The same is true for editing an image. But first you must learn to speak the language of the image. This series of steps will help you to focus on the individual problems an image might have. It will also help you to understand how to use Photoshop's tool together.
Not every picture requires that each step be performed on it, but going through the checklist in order can help you determine the quality of the image, and compensate for a bad scan, bad lighting conditions, damaged photos and other inadequacies.
Step 1: Crop, Rotate and Scale
Step 2: Fix Scratches and Dust using the Clone Tool
Step 3: Expand the Tonal Range using Levels
Step 4: Add Contrast using Curves
Step 5: Adjust Midtones using Curves
Step 6: Adjust Color using Curves