Quote Originally Posted by Raven01 View Post
1st things 1st. Work in RAW. And, no I do not mean strip down and get creative/bohemian with your photo editor.
Always try to get the best shot possible with the camera (this can take practice and, the pickier you are the more you'll be learning), then make minor corrections in RAW format for superior results. When I can't work in RAW I try to use lossless formats, they take more memory but, they leave you with fewer artifacts to try to clean up later.
I'm old and a bit of a nerd TIFF and bitmap are still 2 of my most commonly used although, .jpg, .png and, .gif are usually just fine for web based applications.
This is a great tip. If your camera allows you to shoot in RAW format, then do it. It will take up more space on your memory card but your images won't be played with. JPEG sharpen the image, compress and add an artifact. Plus, you get more editing capabilities.

Also, not sure if this has been said but always make sure to use adjustment layers. Don't go Image->Adjustments... This will make your life easier down the road say you don't like how 2 adjustments clash, you can fine tune everything much easier. And keep a duplicate layer of the original image hidden under everything.

Just some stuff that's helped me along the way..