A brief introduction will include touch points on why quality image files start in the field with good camera technique;
• Shooting in RAW, using lowest ISO possible, using a tripod, using sharpest aperture on your lens, ETTR (exposing the the right), focus stacking when necessary.
I won't go in to great detail here as the article is about post processing, although it is important to briefly mention these points as they are the basis for quality RAW files.
I will be using Lightroom in my article, although the techniques can be applied with most software applications. Touch points for the main body of the article could include;
1) Setting up Lightroom for colour space, bit depth, and resolution.
2) Addressing image noise and why it is the biggest hurdle in quality print enlargements.
3) LR tools that can damage image quality.
4) Deconvolution sharpening (capture sharpening), when to use it, when to avoid it.
5) Using the histogram to avoid clipping highlights and shadows.
6) Why it is important to process as much and as close to your vision in LR before moving to PS.
7) The benefits of opening your files as Smart Objects in PS.
8) Saving your master files with all adjustment layers intact.