Step 1 – ‘Save As'

Save the file from the camera to a new name to protect the original.  Save as a ‘.PSD' file – a Photoshop format file.

This preserves the original against error – never, ever edit the original – keep it safe so there's always a way back.

Step 2 – Straighten

Use ‘Measure' tool (underneath ‘Eye Dropper' tool – right click)

Find a straight edge that should be vertical or horizontal – click on both ends with ‘Measure' tool.

‘Image' > 'Rotate Canvas' > ‘Arbitrary' – Photoshop will have filled in the precise angle required – click OK.

Step 3 – Crop

Use the ‘Crop' tool to choose the best composition.

When happy, ‘Image' > ‘Crop'.

Step 4 – Clone

Use the ‘Clone' tool to eradicate anything you don't want.  For example, dirt on the camera sensor, other photographers, things growing out of the top of the loco, …

Choose an appropriate brush size (35 works for me) – ‘Zoom' right in to what you're trying to remove.

‘Alt'+ left click selects where to clone from, left click then clones over whatever it is you're trying to remove.

Note its useful to play with the ‘Opacity' for subtle effects and the brush size/type.

Step 5 – ‘Save'

By this time you've a fair investment in effort and it'd be a shame to lose it all!

Step 6 – Get neutral colours

Use a layer for this to preserve the original file.  A layer is conceptually a layer laid above the original image that modifies its appearance.  You can have as many layers as you wish.

Be sure to work on the right layer!

‘Layer' > ‘New Adjustment Layer' > ‘Curves'

This brings up the Curves dialogue box. Bottom right there are three eye droppers. Click on the middle (grey) one. The cursor becomes an eyedropper.

Now click around the picture looking for a mid density, neutral grey colour. As you click into the picture, the area you click on is assumed to be neutral grey.

This usually takes some experimentation, but once a neutral grey is found any colour cast on the picture will be corrected.

Click OK.

Step 7 – Sort brightness/contrast

Again , use a layer for. Be sure to work on the right layer!

‘Layer' > ‘New Adjustment Layer' > ‘Levels'

This brings up a histogram showing the spread of light and dark tones in the image. There are three sliders under the histogram – one at either end and one in the middle.

• The left hand slider intensifies the blacks – try moving it to about 6.
• The right hand slider intensifies the whites (and the overall contrast) – try gently sliding it left – for a normal image 235 works – for a flat image try bringing it right back to 200.
• The middle slider lightens or darkens the entire image – left lightens – right darkens.
• A useful tip is to hold the ‘Alt' key while you're moving the left and right sliders – it shows just the pure whites (right) and pure blacks (left).
• The three eye-droppers are good too – select the empty one and click on something that should be pure white – it'll fix any colour cast at a stroke.
• The full one does the same thing for pure blacks, the half full one the same thing for pure greys.

Play with the three till you're happy – usually slight changes work best – for drama try big changes!

By now the overall image should look good – but you might still have some areas of the picture you'd have dodged or burned in the old days when you were working in the darkroom. Try this…

‘Layer' > ‘New Adjustment Layer' > ‘Levels' a second time.

Play with the levels to sort the highlight or shadow you're trying to shift. When you've got it right for the area you're trying to fix – click OK.

Now choose the ‘Brush; tool – make a nice big soft edged brush (try about 350) – set the foreground colour to black – and then paint away the areas you're NOT trying to fix.

You'll find the underlying layer comes through and done with care you can leave just the areas you want to fix.

Got it wrong? No problem – change the brush to white and you can recover any areas you've inadvertently painted black.

An alternative way of achieving a similar effect is to use ‘Select' > ‘Colour Range'.

A dialogue box opens – point at the area you want to correct – then move the slider in the dialogue box to highlight the area you want to fix.

When you press OK, a selection is created of just the area you're going to work on.

Then do ‘Layer' > ‘New Adjustment Layer' > ‘Levels' and lighten (left) or darken (right) to get the effect you want.

Beware – alterations of more than +/- 15 can become noticeable – alterations of +/- 20 should be considered an absolute maximum.

You can create as many layers as you wish in this way to correct different parts of the picture.

Note that when you display the level by clicking on the ‘Levels' tab you can switch them on and off at will by clicking on the eye symbol. If you don't like what any particular layer is doing, just drag it down to the waste bin at the bottom of the levels tab.

Sounds difficult – in fact dead easy and a great way of fixing problem exposures.

Step 8 – Add the ‘Velvia' effect

Most digital cameras produce subtle colours – but if you used to use Velvia you want ‘in your face' colours.

‘Layer' > ‘New Adjustment Layer' > ‘Hue & Saturation' Pick the middle slider (Saturation) and jack it up a bit – between 8 and 10 works for me.

Step 9 – Remove any remaining colour cast

If you've ever done colour printing with an enlarger you'll know all about yellow, magenta and cyan. Want to play? Easy!

‘Layer' > ‘New Adjustment Layer' > ‘Colour Balance'

You get three sliders – one that shifts between cyan and red, one that shifts between magenta and green and one that shifts between yellow and blue. Use them gently – initially try +/- 3 to midtones, highlights and shadows – click preview on and off until you get the effect you want.

Step 10 – Save

Save your finished masterpiece as a .PSD file. That preserves all the levels which of course you can go back and adjust as you wish.

Step 11– Size the image to print

Normally for A4 prints - check the ‘resample' is off – adjust either the height or width to what you want.

For bigger prints its OK to put resample on and then change the resolution to 250dpi – the file will get bigger to suit.

Don't save it if you've resampled – it permanently changes your original file.

Step 12– Sharpen

Firstly flatten the layers into the original ‘Layer' > ‘Flatten Image'

Secondly – sharpen. ‘Filter' > ‘Sharpen' > ‘Unsharp Mask' – initially choose values around Amount 90, Radius 2, Threshold 1.

Up the amount for soft images. Beware – heavy handed use of this tool becomes very obvious.

Step 13– Print

‘File' > ‘Print with Preview' Make any final adjustments to page layout – print.

I never save these final steps (9, 10, 11) – they make permanent changes to your original file.