How do you "tweak" your photos?

[dpuck1998]

I take all my photos in Manual and RAW now, so I'm over that hurdle. Now I have Photoshop CS3 and have a little extra time to play with my images. Where do you start? What type of things should I play around with in my images? Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated, things you do to "tweak" the sky, faces...etc...etc...

Thanks!

 

[deletedpenguin]

I shoot in RAW, and the first thing I adjust is the white balance, then the curve. I use Lightroom, and if you're familiar with it at all, I essentially work my way down the menu.

 

[SharonLowe]

Depends on the image but first thing (after any ACR work) I make sure is to set a white and black point and do a curves adjustment so that I have a complete histogram. If it is a landscape, I might work on the sky, boosting the color (not with a global hue/sat layer though). If it is a portrait, I have actions set up to whiten the eyes, whiten the teeth, and smooth the skin a bit. I do everything on layers with masks, so nothing is destructive and can be removed and redone at any time. Also, of course, is the dreaded cloning to get rid of any dust spots.

If you are new to PS, I suggest some basic PS lessons (try www.betterphoto.com). I've been using PS for 7 years now and I wish I knew then what I know now!