Digital Photography II: Creative Processing, Sequencing, and Output

Building upon Digital Photography I, this intermediate course takes your digital workflow to the next level by guiding you through the complete arc of project-based photography—from technical camera mastery and raw file management to fine art printing. Using Adobe Lightroom Classic, students refine exposure mechanics and master advanced processing tools, including Tone Curves, HSL color grading, masking, and noise reduction. Through guided photography assignments and visual literacy exercises, you will conceptualize, edit, and sequence a cohesive 5–8 image mini-series while gaining hands-on experience in color management, soft-proofing, and producing physical inkjet prints in the ICP digital media labs.

Note: This course takes place in ICP Digital Media Labs where students will have access to Adobe Creative Cloud software, professional inkjet printers, and receive 5 lab hours for independent work.

Prerequisites

Intermediate. Familiarity with DSLR or mirrorless cameras in manual/priority modes. Basic understanding of exposure, focus controls, and camera settings. Basic familiarity with digital file management or completion of Digital Photography I.

Class Prep

Onsite: Students should be comfortable operating their camera manually. Bring an external hard drive with 50–100 original RAW or JPEG files to utilize in Adobe Lightroom Classic.

Materials

DSLR or Mirrorless camera, Adobe Lightroom Classic, external hard drive, memory card reader. Onsite students will receive instructions on purchasing fine art inkjet paper.

Course Goals

• Master the Adobe Lightroom Classic Library and Develop modules for asset management and non-destructive image editing.
• Develop an intentional approach to image-making, utilizing advanced lighting, framing, and visual narrative.
• Execute precise tone, color balance, sharpening, noise reduction, and selective masking adjustments.
• Learn file preparation and output workflows, including color space selection, soft-proofing, fine art printing (Onsite) or digital portfolio export (Online).

Learning Outcomes

• Students establish an organized, efficient digital photography workflow from capture to output.
• Students demonstrate technical precision in editing digital RAW files to reflect their personal artistic vision.
• Students understand file specifications for print and web distribution, culminating in a cohesive, edited mini-series of prints or digital portfolio pages.

Topics Covered

• Comprehensive Digital Asset Management (Catalogs, Keywords, Collections, Smart Collections)
• Deep dive into Lightroom Develop Module (Global adjustments, Tone Curve, HSL/Color, Calibration)
• Selective Editing & Masking (AI masks, Radial/Linear gradients, Brush tools)
• Visual Literacy: Reading images, narrative, coverage, and stylistic consistency
• Soft-proofing, Color Spaces (sRGB, AdobeRGB, ProPhoto RGB), and resolution settings
• Fine Art Printing workflow (Print Module, paper profiles, media types)