Tutorials · 5 min read

A portrait in five edits

Exposure, white balance, background separation, eyes and grain — the five moves behind almost every strong portrait.

One: exposure for the face, not the frame. Use Face Exposure +15 in Portrait controls to lift the subject alone.

Two: white balance. Neutral skin sits around 5000K under flash; type “neutral 5000K skin” and let AI Develop set Temperature and Tint.

Three: separation. Background Darken 25 with the subject mask keeps the eye where it belongs. Four: eyes. Eye Sharpen 40 with Sharpen Masking 30 so only edges get crisper. Five: grain. A touch (12–18) hides retouching and makes digital look like photography.