Understanding the order in which your photo editing software applies adjustments can dramatically affect your images. Nailing this concept helps you avoid unexpected results and makes your workflow smoother and more predictable.
Coming to you from Kevin Patrick Robbins of Studio Builder, this insightful video explores how various editing software handles the process chain differently. Robbins starts out by breaking down a familiar example: Photoshop. Layers and their stacking order define Photoshop’s workflow, with adjustments cascading down from top to bottom. Order matters—you might switch two layers and get a totally unexpected result. Robbins illustrates this clearly through the example of applying a black and white adjustment followed by a red solid color layer. Flip their order and the adjustment outcome completely changes. Robbins explains clipping layers to isolate adjustments, giving you targeted control over your edits without unintended ripple effects across multiple layers.
Robbins then moves into Davinci Resolve's method, which, instead of stacking vertically, uses horizontal nodes. Edits run sequentially from left to right in these node trees, offering different advantages, especially when color grading video footage. He demonstrates Resolve's parallel nodes as well, showing how you can simultaneously process distinct effects without one interfering with the other. Unlike Photoshop’s linear layer stack, parallel nodes in Resolve let you tweak aspects like color and sharpness independently, then seamlessly rejoin into the pipeline. Robbins points out this structure can be incredibly powerful—but only if you clearly understand how nodes pass along their edits.
When Robbins shifts his attention to Capture One, things get interesting. Though Capture One labels adjustments as "layers," he notes these don't function like Photoshop's stack-based layers at all. Instead, Capture One applies layers additively, through masks, and mostly simultaneously. Robbins categorizes Capture One adjustments into groups—operational, compositional, integrity, and creative image adjustments—and explains how each interacts under the hood. Rather than relying on stacking sequence for the effects, Capture One follows an internal, predefined processing order involving base corrections, global exposure and tonal adjustments, creative tools such as clarity and sharpening, and finally aesthetic adjustments like color grading and vignettes.
At this point, Robbins highlights a common source of confusion for many users: the difference between Capture One's white balance and color balance tools. He explains precisely why white balance corrections belong at the start of your editing process, establishing a neutral foundation that ensures consistent subsequent edits. In contrast, the color balance tool should be reserved for creative color grading later in the workflow, not for correcting initial color casts. Robbins clearly demonstrates why mixing these roles leads to ineffective results and unnecessary headaches when editing.
Robbins provides additional depth in the full video that further clarifies the nuances between these editing tools and software platforms. His explanations and visual examples offer practical advice that's vital if you aim to produce technically sound and visually consistent images. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Robbins.
