Equinet Academy
Refine with precision. Deliver with polish.
Course Description
What is This Course About?
At the professional level, post-production is not about correcting what went wrong during the shoot. It is about completing what you intended to create.
This course develops the desktop post-production capability that separates professional commercial photography from technically competent work that never quite reaches that level. The tools are Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. The standard is commercial.
In Lightroom Classic, you will develop full catalogue management discipline and advanced RAW processing, including colour profile selection, point tone curve, and the calibration panel as a capture-specific colour correction tool, and you will design structured ingest-to-delivery pipelines for complex commercial projects.
In Photoshop, you will develop the three retouching techniques that define professional practice: frequency separation, which preserves skin texture while correcting colour and tone; luminosity masking, which creates selections based on how bright an area is rather than where it is; and non-destructive dodge and burn on a neutral-grey layer, which sculpts tonal relationships without ever touching the original image data.
You will also develop the post-production disciplines that extend beyond technical retouching: using tonal emphasis and crop to strengthen visual hierarchy, applying colour grading to create deliberate emotional moods, and delivering files correctly specified for print, commercial digital, editorial, and portfolio contexts.
The course culminates in a single portfolio image produced through the complete professional pipeline, Lightroom develop, Photoshop retouch, colour grade, format decision, delivery specification and presented as the Individual Project Presentation assessment. That image is the best evidence of what you can now do.
Both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop require an Adobe subscription. Install both before Day 1.
Target Audience
Who This Course is For
This capstone course is for photographers who are ready to produce work at the standard commercial clients actually expect.
- Graduates completing the full Certified Digital Photographer programme
- Portrait and product photographers serving or targeting commercial clients
- Advertising and editorial photographers developing portfolios that need to compete professionally
- Photographers who have strong capture skills and need the post-production capability to match
- Anyone whose photography has outgrown what Lightroom Mobile and basic Lightroom Desktop can produce
Prerequisites
What You’ll Need to Get Started
You should have:
- Adobe Lightroom Classic and Photoshop are installed and functional before Day 1; this is a hard requirement
- Completion of Modules 4 and 5, or equivalent advanced photography and Lightroom editing experience
- Basic familiarity with the Photoshop interface, layers, tools, and basic navigation. You do not need to be proficient
- A set of your own images from the programme or your personal portfolio for the portfolio build.
Course Highlights
What You’ll Learn
- Lightroom Classic catalogue architecture, how it functions as a database rather than a folder system, and how to structure a professional ingest-to-archive pipeline that does not break at 50,000 images
- Advanced RAW processing in Lightroom Classic, colour profile selection, point tone curve for tonal character, HSL, and the calibration panel for correcting camera-specific colour biases that no other tool addresses as efficiently
- File strategy for commercial delivery: TIFF versus JPEG versus DNG versus PSD, 8-bit versus 16-bit, sRGB versus Adobe RGB versus CMYK, and how the choice at each stage of the pipeline affects quality downstream
- How to design a structured editing workflow for a complex commercial project, from ingest checklist to Photoshop handoff to delivery format to archiving
- Frequency separation: how to separate the texture layer from the colour-and-tone layer in a portrait, and how to retouch each independently so that skin looks real, not smoothed, not plastic, but clean
- Luminosity masking: how to create a selection based on the luminosity values in the image itself, and why that precision makes adjustments to complex images, skies over mountains, highlights over shadows seamless in a way manual selections cannot achieve
- Non-destructive dodge and burn: how to build a neutral-grey layer set to Overlay mode, and use it to sculpt the tonal relationships in an image, building specular highlights, deepening shadows, shaping the appearance of directional light without ever touching the original image data
- Advanced colour grading: split toning to create deliberate mood from shadow-to-highlight colour relationships; selective colour adjustment layers for surgical colour correction; LUT application at reduced opacity with masking for cinematic and editorial aesthetics
- How to strengthen visual hierarchy in post through crop, tonal emphasis, and selective sharpening, the compositional tools that are available after capture, not during it
- Non-destructive Photoshop workflow: smart objects, adjustment layers, and layer masks as the architecture that preserves editing flexibility at every stage and prevents the irreversible flattening decisions that destroy retouching work
- Professional output packaging: print-ready file preparation (CMYK, bleed, resolution), commercial digital delivery (web-optimised JPEG), editorial submission specifications, and portfolio curation
Course Objectives
What You’ll Takeaway
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Analyse manual capture variables and apply advanced editing techniques to optimise exposure, tone, and image format selection
- Apply advanced composition techniques, lighting refinements, and emotional visual strategies to create compelling and conceptually driven images
- Evaluate and refine complex photography outputs through precision retouching, compositional enhancement, and professional delivery preparation
Skills You’ll Acquire:
Completing this course, you will develop the following professional desktop post-production capabilities:
Lightroom Classic mastery
Process RAW files with full develop panel control and professional catalog management
Commercial file strategy
Select format, colour space, and resolution correctly for every delivery context
Workflow design
Plan and execute ingest-to-delivery pipelines for complex commercial projects
Frequency separation
Retouch portraits with complete texture preservation at a commercial standard
Luminosity masking
Apply targeted tonal control to complex images using luminosity-based selections
Non-destructive tonal sculpting
Dodge and burn on a neutral-grey layer without touching the original image
Advanced colour grading
Build deliberate colour moods through split toning, selective colour, and LUTs
Emotional post-production
Apply tonal and colour decisions that serve the psychological intention of the image
Non-destructive workflow architecture
Build fully editable Photoshop documents with smart objects and adjustment layers
Professional delivery
Prepare files correctly for print, commercial digital, and portfolio output every time
Certification Track
Level Up!
The skills developed across all six modules converge here in the post-production workflow that determines whether a strong photograph becomes commercially deliverable.
The full certification pathway:
Module 1: Mobile Phone (iPhone & Android) Photography
Module 2: Advanced Cinematic Smartphone Photography
Module 3: Mirrorless & DSLR Photography Essentials
Module 4: Advanced Camera Techniques & Creative Lighting Photography
Module 5: Mobile Photo Editing with Lightroom & Creative Apps
Module 6: Desktop Photo Editing & Retouching (Photoshop & Lightroom)
Completing all six modules qualifies you for the Certified Digital Photographer certification. This capstone is the final and most demanding step.
A Certification of Completion by Equinet Academy will be awarded to candidates who have demonstrated competency in the Desktop Photo Editing & Retouching (Photoshop & Lightroom) course assessment and achieved at least 75% attendance.
Course Outline
Inside the course
This course moves from Lightroom Classic RAW processing and professional file strategy through Photoshop precision retouching, compositional refinement, and colour grading to non-destructive layer workflows, portfolio-quality production, and professional delivery preparation. The portfolio image produced through the complete professional pipeline in class, with trainer critique at each stage, serves as the assessment instrument for the Individual Project Presentation.
Advanced RAW Processing, Manual Control & File Strategy
- Camera settings and manual controls in relation to post-processing, how capture decisions affect RAW editing latitude, and workflow requirements
- Advanced editing software Lightroom Classic catalogue architecture, advanced develop panel, colour profile and calibration panel
- Select and use appropriate digital image formats, such as TIFF, JPEG, DNG, and PSD, for print, commercial digital, editorial, and archival delivery
- Advanced post-processing techniques advanced tone curve, HSL calibration, and targeted tonal and colour corrections in Lightroom Classic
- Plan and execute structured editing workflows, ingest-to-delivery pipeline design for complex commercial projects
Advanced Composition, Lighting Refinement & Emotional Direction
- Advanced photography principles in post-production, advanced composition, lighting control, and creative framing are applied to editing decisions
- Apply advanced composition techniques in post-crop, tonal emphasis, and selective sharpening to strengthen visual hierarchy
- Precision retouching frequency separation, luminosity masking, and non-destructive neutral-grey dodge and burn
- Employ psychology and emotion through post-production tonal and colour decisions that direct viewer attention and create mood
- Advanced colour grading and storytelling, split toning, selective colour layers, LUT application
Complex Shot Execution, Retouching Precision & Professional Delivery
- Advanced editing features, such as smart objects, adjustment layers, layer masks, and a non-destructive layer-based workflow in Photoshop
- Plan and execute complex photography refinements, retouching, compositional enhancement, and grading for portfolio-quality output
- Select appropriate digital image formats for print, commercial digital, and portfolio delivery
- Apply advanced post-processing techniques to refine detail, contrast, tonal depth, and visual quality
- Advanced principles applied to final compositional and lighting refinement, portfolio curation, and output
Assessment Methods
- Case Study Written Assessment
- Individual Project Presentation
Trainers
Meet Your Educators
Trainer Bio
Munster Cheong
Munster Cheong is a Creative Director, Photographer, and Filmmaker with over 20 years of experience shaping high-end visual content across fashion, luxury, and global brand campaigns. His clients include Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Rolex, Cartier, and Singapore Airlines, and his work has featured international icons such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Serena Williams. Currently a lecturer at NTU’s School of Art, Design and Media, he brings a rare blend of industry mastery and academic insight, specialising in visual storytelling, image-making, lighting, and creative direction to develop the next generation of creative professionals.
Course Fee
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Course Fee
S$499.00S$999.00
Course Schedule
Mark Your Calendar!
2 Days | 16 Hours | Programme Capstone
Day 1: Lightroom Classic catalogue setup, advanced RAW processing, format strategy, workflow pipeline design, and Photoshop retouching, introduction to frequency separation and luminosity masking.
Day 2: Non-destructive dodge/burn, emotional post-production, colour grading, smart object workflow, portfolio image production, format delivery, portfolio curation, and assessments (Case Study Written Assessment + Individual Project Presentation).
| Learning Mode | Course Dates | Duration | Trainer |
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There are currently no intakes available. Please contact us to enquire on the next intake dates.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Need-to-Know Stuff, Fast
Everything you need to know about the course. Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Please contact our friendly team.
Yes. Both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop require an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. A 7-day free trial is available. Activate it immediately before Day 1 if you do not already subscribe.
Yes. Bring your 10–20 strongest images from Module 4 or your own portfolio for the T12 portfolio production session. The better your source material, the more the retouching work will teach you.
Yes, provided you can find the layers panel and understand what a tool is. All advanced techniques, frequency separation, luminosity masking, and non-destructive dodge/burn are set up from scratch in class. Prior Photoshop proficiency is not assumed.
A portfolio-quality retouched and graded image produced through the complete professional post-production pipeline. A non-destructive Photoshop document architecture you can use as a template for future work. Three export presets for print, editorial, and digital delivery. And a clear, specific understanding of what professional retouching actually requires, so you know exactly what to practice next.
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