What are the best techniques for photo retouching for scientific or technical presentations?

This technical papers requires a great deal of expertise as random images shouldnt just be included in your work but visible, clear and concise and well cropped out images with contrast and the saturation accurately adjusted.

Scientific and technical presentations at times require extreme accuracy, mandatory for architectural goals: whenever you have to respect the lines, start with a picture taken using a tilt-shift lens, remember that garbage in-garbage out. Otherwise cropping and straighetning tools can do most of the work for you. Anyhow, while straightening a horizon is a non-dramatic decision, whatever other alteration has to be done with a sense of proportion and balance. This is an aggressive editing and is to be taken accordingly, the slightest exaggeration makes your work unlikely to be trustworthy. That is, if we are talking scientific and technical editing. Creative retouch has lower expectations as the message weights more than facts.

Recortar y enderezar? Si hablas de técnicas fotográficas lo primero es tener un encuadre correcto, bien iluminado y con la correcta exposición, la elección del lente es muy importante, la distancia focal depende del foco en el tema y la amplitud se puede abstraer a partir de pensar en esta herramienta. Las técnicas fotográficas y las técnicas de dise?o editorial con photoshop son cosas distintas, yo creo que hay que recortar y enderezar esta pregunta. Slds

To give an effective editing of contrasts, highlights and shadows, learn how to read the histogram like they read the green letters in matrix. The better you can read a histogram, the safest you can edit your picture.

This is also something that is to be controlled when the picture is created. There are grey cards that can help you with the editing to make the white balance adjustment exact. Otherwise you have to use references inside the picture, but don't hazard too much. If we talk scientific and technical pictures, precision is mandatory. Also: one thing is the picture is for the print or for the screen. Only in the first case you can have an exact reproduction of colours. When we talk about screens, either they are all calibrated, or expect the colours to be right on your screen only. Don't show the picture on a non-calibrated screen, colour and white balance are pointless when you don't know where the picture will be reproduced.

You can do amazing editing in Adobe Camera Raw when it is about instructions of sharpen and dehaze. Most of the time you can do all these adjustments in Camera Raw, and then move to Photoshop if you need to add layers or move to a higher level of editing. Editing is a thing, enhancing is another.

For photo retouching in scientific or technical presentations, also consider maintaining accuracy and authenticity, avoiding over-manipulation. Use annotations or labels for clarity when needed. Enhance important details without altering factual content. Apply subtle retouching to maintain natural appearance. Ensure consistency across all images for a unified presentation. Show before-and-after comparisons to highlight the impact of your edits. Regularly back up original images for reference. These techniques ensure that your retouching enhances the educational or informational value of the images while preserving their scientific integrity.

In retouching where people go wrong is that they over do it and make people skin's not look as it should be. when retouching in photoshop always reduce the opacity up to when the skin will have removed all blemishes and smooth enough to look like natural skin. by doing this it retains the texture of the skin without removing all of it

Consider using actions in Photoshop when you work on batches of pictures that require editing consistency. Name your layers. Always name your layers according to the major event that happens on each of them.