How I edit images

I've learned from years of picture editing that though nearly every digital file might look fine on the camera's LCD screen, it's usually a bit lacklustre once on the computer. This could be because the original lighting was poor, or because the screen is not calibrated. But it's most likely caused by the camera's operating software.

Editing Raw Files: Double-click a RAW file and it must open first in this special edit window. Here you can achieve an amazing range of tonal improvements—from simple contrast and color boosts, to noise reduction, cropping, and sharpening. The original is on the left, and the edited version (right) has had five sliders adjusted (in red) to add visual drama to the file.

Here's how I (try to) make each image pop off the page:

Step one: The first thing is to correct the global tones in the file (using the contrast slider).

Step two: If it's in the RAW file format, it opens...