If your editing feels random, your portfolio will look random.
Before you touch curves, masks, or “creative” sliders, run this 3‑minute checklist. It prevents the two biggest consistency killers: wandering white balance and over‑saturation.
The problem
Most people edit one image until it looks good, then struggle to match the next 20. A checklist creates a repeatable starting line.
This is especially important if you shoot in mixed conditions (shade + sun, forest + beach, tungsten + daylight). Consistency comes from decisions you repeat.
The framework
Four quick checkpoints:
- 1) White balance decision (warm/cool on purpose)
- 2) Exposure baseline (subject readable at thumbnail size)
- 3) Highlight protection (detail in bright areas)
- 4) Problem-color control (neon greens, cyan skies, orange skin)
Field steps
- White balance first: decide mood, then correct casts.
- Shade often goes green.
- Snow/sky reflections often go blue.
- Exposure for the subject: thumbnails don’t lie—if the subject isn’t readable small, fix exposure.
- Protect highlights: pull highlights down until you see detail in whites/clouds.
- Control problem colors: before increasing saturation, reduce saturation of “neon” hues in HSL/Color Mixer.
- Only then add a small contrast boost if needed.
Quick “do not do this” list
- Don’t add saturation to fix flat light (that’s usually contrast).
- Don’t fix WB last (everything shifts).
- Don’t judge color on an ultra-bright screen (you’ll overdo it).
Common mistakes
- Using saturation to fix a flat image.
- Correcting WB last.
- Editing on a too‑bright screen.
- Comparing edits across different monitors without a reference.
Quick drill (10 minutes)
Pick 6 photos from the same shoot.
- Run the checklist on the first one.
- Copy settings to the other five.
- Adjust only exposure and highlights/shadows.
Goal: the set feels like one story, not six different days.
A quick “portfolio consistency” test
Open your last 9 edits in a grid view.
Ask:
- Do the whites look like the same white across images?
- Do the greens feel like the same family (not neon in one and muddy in another)?
- Does the overall brightness feel consistent?
If the answer is “no,” your fix is almost always Step 1 (WB) and Step 2 (Exposure)—not more presets.
Mini checklist
- [ ] WB decided (warm/cool)
- [ ] Subject readable at thumbnail size
- [ ] Highlights protected
- [ ] Problem colors controlled before boosting anything
One more thing to try
If you only change one behavior this week, make it this: slow down for one deliberate decision, then shoot 10 frames with that decision.
Consistency comes from repeating one good move—not from hoping each frame magically improves.
Wrap + next step
Use this checklist as your gate.
If a photo isn’t stable after these steps, don’t move on to “style” yet.