A complete guide to editing aviation photos from RIAT

 

Capturing fast jets and display aircraft at the Royal International Air Tattoo is one thing , but the real magic often happens afterwards, during editing. Post-processing lets you recover detail, balance harsh skies, and give your images that crisp, professional finish you see in aviation magazines.

 

Whether you’re new to editing or already a seasoned Lightroom user, this guide will take you through the core steps of refining your RIAT photographs while keeping them realistic and full of life.

 

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Step 1: Import and Organise Your Photos

 

Start by importing your images into a photo-editing program such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. If you’ve been shooting RAW (which is strongly recommended), you’ll have much more flexibility to recover highlights and shadows, and all the other details later. This has saved me a fair few times throughout the years.

 

Create folders or collections named by day, aircraft type, or display team,  for example, “Friday Flying  Display , ” or “Saturday – Static Displays”. Good organisation at this stage saves hours later when you’re sorting through hundreds of similar passes. (I have even stopped photographing when I know I have achieved that one shot, I know I'm happy with)

 

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Step 2: Correct Lens Distortion and Chromatic Aberration

 

Before making creative changes, enable Lens Corrections to remove distortion and dark vignetting caused by your lens. Most modern cameras are supported automatically.

 

Then tick Remove Chromatic Aberration,  this cleans up the purple or green fringes that can appear along wing edges or tail fins when photographed against bright skies. These small corrections instantly make your image cleaner and more professional. Its a small edit but can make a difference. 

 

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Step 3: Adjust Exposure and White Balance

 

Air Shows often have fast-changing light,  from dazzling sun to thick cloud in minutes. Use the Exposure slider to achieve balanced brightness, ensuring highlights on aircraft surfaces aren’t blown out.

 

Set your White Balance to “Daylight” or “Cloudy”, This only matters when shooting JPEG, as its not affected in RAW, then fine-tune manually. A slightly warmer tone can bring out natural metal colours, while a cooler tone may suit grey jets or overcast skies. The goal is to reflect the real conditions you saw at RIAT.

 

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Step 4: Recover Highlights and Lift Shadows

 

Aviation photos often include both bright sky and shaded undercarriage. Adjust the Highlights slider to recover detail in clouds or polished fuselages, and Shadows to reveal darker areas without losing contrast.

 

For RAW files, you’ll be amazed how much detail you can pull back, particularly useful for aircraft flying against bright backgrounds. This again has saved that one shot I thought I missed. 

 

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Step 5: Add Contrast, Clarity and Vibrance

 

Once the exposure looks right, add some punch. Increase Contrast slightly to deepen tones, and use Clarity (in Lightroom or Camera Raw) to enhance mid-tone texture, making panels and rivets stand out.

 

Vibrance boosts muted colours without oversaturating, perfect for keeping skies rich and aircraft paint realistic. Be careful with Saturation; it’s easy to overdo and lose the natural look that good aviation editing relies on. Vibrance is the most recommended one to use.

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Step 6: Crop and Straighten

 

Try cropping your images to tighten the composition. Even a small trim can remove distractions like fences, crowd lines, or too much sky, helping the viewer focus on the aircraft itself. I usually stick to a 16:9 ratio, it just feels the most balanced to me. It also works really well for uploading online and fits nicely with the layout of this website.

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Ensure horizons are level, especially with ground or runway shots. Nothing spoils a photo faster than a tilted horizon. For air-to-air-style shots or in-flight displays, you can use Rule of Thirds overlays to position the aircraft dynamically in frame.

 

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Step 7: Apply Sharpening and Noise Reduction

 

High-speed aircraft often require fast shutter speeds, and that usually means pushing the ISO, especially on cloudy days or depending on the camera and lens you’re using. To bring back a bit of crispness and counter any softness from the higher ISO, I’ll typically apply a moderate amount of sharpening in Lightroom (around 70–100) while viewing the image at 100% zoom. This helps fine tune the details without going overboard

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Next, balance this with Noise Reduction, particularly in the Luminance section. Too much can make metal textures look plastic, so use a light touch. The aim is a clean but natural-looking image, detailed enough for prints or social media.

 

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Step 8: Optional Touch-Ups in Photoshop

 

For minor distractions, sensor dust, background clutter, or barriers in static shots, open the image in Adobe Photoshop. This can also be done using the new AI spot removal in Camera RAW, Yes a saw subject for some. However, it does save lots of time if you find out that your sensor is dirty when, especially using a slow shutter speed. Yes that's from personal experience 

 

Use the Spot Healing Brush or Clone Stamp Tool to tidy up blemishes. Avoid over-editing; aviation enthusiasts appreciate authenticity, and the goal is to enhance, not transform.

 

Advanced users can blend multiple exposures for dynamic lighting or remove haze using Camera Raw Filter > Dehaze, which is great for distant shots across the runway. This can really enhance how your image looks, giving more detail to your images.

 

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Step 9: Export and Save Your Work

 

Once you’re satisfied, export the final image in the correct format.

• JPEG (sRGB, 300 dpi) for online sharing and printing.

• Full-size TIFF for archiving or magazine submission.

 

Add your name or watermark if desired, and include metadata such as aircraft type, squadron, and date,  helpful for future reference or photo competitions.

 

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Step 10: Review, Compare and Learn

 

Set your edited photos aside for a few hours and come back to them with fresh eyes. I’ve often compared my own edits later on and noticed small colour inconsistencies or details I completely missed the first time. After staring at an image for too long, it’s easy to become blind to the important stuff, so taking a break helps keep your work looking clean and fresh.

It’s also worth studying other photographers’ RIAT galleries to see how they approach contrast and colour. Every display, whether it’s a Typhoon throwing out vapour or a heritage aircraft cruising past, comes with its own challenges and its own look.

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For me, my editing style shifts depending on a few things:

1. What I’m photographing

2. The weather conditions

3. The location I’m shooting from

4. The gear I’m using

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All of these factors influence the final feel of the image, and adapting to them is a big part of developing your own style as a photographer.

 

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Pro Tips for RIAT Photography Editing

• Shoot in RAW: It gives you the flexibility to correct exposure and white balance later.

• Avoid over-sharpening: Jet edges can easily show halos.

• Use pre-sets wisely: Create your own RIAT-style pre-set for consistent results across the weekend.

• Stay natural: The best edits look effortless,  as if you captured it perfectly in-camera.

 

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Ready to Try It Yourself?

 

Editing is where your RIAT memories come alive. Take time to experiment, compare, and develop your own style. When you’re happy with your results, share them on social media or aviation forums,  and don’t forget to credit the Royal International Air Tattoo for putting on such an incredible spectacle.

 

For more RIAT tips, visit our guides on camera settings, where to photograph aircraft, and equipment recommendations.