From grimoire
Applies a systematic RAW processing workflow (exposure, white balance, tone, detail, color) to maximize image quality and establish a consistent editing foundation before creative adjustments.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/grimoire:apply-raw-processing-workflowThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Apply a systematic RAW file processing workflow — correcting exposure, white balance, tone, noise, and detail in a consistent sequence — to maximize image quality from the RAW file before creative adjustments.
Apply a systematic RAW file processing workflow — correcting exposure, white balance, tone, noise, and detail in a consistent sequence — to maximize image quality from the RAW file before creative adjustments.
Adopted by: Jeff Schewe's "The Digital Negative" is the definitive technical reference for RAW processing, used by professional retouchers, photographers, and digital imaging technicians globally. Adobe Lightroom's Develop module and Phase One's Capture One are the two dominant professional RAW processing applications; both organizations publish workflow documentation consistent with the sequence described here. Impact: RAW files contain significantly more tonal information than JPEG exports — typically 12–14 bits of per-channel information vs. 8 bits in JPEG. Processing RAW correctly recovers highlight and shadow detail that is irreversibly lost in JPEG. A photographer who captures RAW but processes it incorrectly (random edits, wrong sequence) discards much of the quality advantage of shooting RAW. The systematic workflow described here preserves and maximizes the RAW file's full tonal range.
Before any tonal or color adjustments, apply objective corrections:
White balance correction comes early because all subsequent color adjustments depend on it:
Sequence importance: white balance affects the mathematical underlying color data; adjusting white balance after color grading requires re-doing all color work. Set white balance first.
Exposure slider: global brightness adjustment; think of it as your primary exposure correction
Highlights and Shadows sliders (recovery):
Whites and Blacks sliders (clipping control):
Histogram reading: after Step 3, the histogram should show a full tonal range from near-black to near-white without significant clipping (unless the creative intent requires it).
After setting the overall exposure and clipping points, the tone curve refines contrast in the midtones:
Vibrance: selectively increases saturation of less-saturated colors while protecting skin tones; preferred for portraits Saturation: global saturation increase; can push skin tones toward oversaturation; use carefully HSL/Color panel: adjust Hue, Saturation, and Luminance of individual color ranges (reds, oranges, yellows, greens, aquas, blues, purples, magentas):
Noise reduction (Lightroom Detail panel / Capture One Noise Reduction):
Output sharpening:
RAW processing must be exported for sharing or printing:
npx claudepluginhub jeffreytse/grimoire --plugin grimoireApplies color grading to photographs using HSL adjustments, tone curves, and color wheels for consistent mood, brand aesthetic, or film look.
Bulk-retouch a folder of portrait photos using Adobe tools with auto-straighten, auto-tone, and auto-light. Designed for wedding and event photographers needing walk-away batch processing.
Enhances images and screenshots by upscaling resolution, sharpening details, reducing compression artifacts, and optimizing for documentation, blog posts, presentations, or social media.