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Edit 5 photos to one consistent style, save a preset, and share a link

The capstone project for Photo Editing with Lightroom — a free Creative course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

A single shareable link (e.g. Google Drive) containing 5 photos edited to one consistent style, before/after comparisons, and a note naming your saved custom preset and describing the style.

What to do, step by step

  1. Choose 5 photos that belong together — for example, one mini photoshoot, one small event, or 5 products from a seller. Use your own photos or free practice photos, ideally a mix of lighting (at least one too-dark and one too-bright) so your corrections are visible.
  2. Edit all 5 to ONE consistent style: fix exposure and tone first, then correct white balance and grade the colour, and do light, honest retouching where needed. The set must feel like a cohesive collection, not 5 random moods.
  3. Build your edit on a hero photo, save it as a named custom preset (e.g. 'Warm Portrait 01'), then apply that preset to the other 4 and tune Exposure and White Balance per photo so each one looks right.
  4. Create a clear before/after for the set — for each photo show the original next to your edited version (a side-by-side image, or originals and edits clearly labelled), so the improvement is obvious.
  5. Export the final edited photos at ~2048px long edge (JPEG, quality 80–90%), put everything plus your before/afters into one folder, and upload it to Google Drive or a similar service.
  6. Share ONE public link (set Google Drive sharing to 'Anyone with the link') that contains: the 5 final edits, the before/after comparisons, and a short note naming your preset and describing the style you went for.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 6 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
Exposure & tone correctly fixed across all 5 photos (no too-dark faces, blown highlights or flat, faded images)25%
Accurate, natural colour and white balance — skin and whites look true, not yellow, blue, grey or over-saturated20%
Consistent style across the set, driven by a properly saved and named custom preset25%
Clear before/after for each photo showing a real, professional-level improvement20%
Clean delivery: correct export size, organised folder, and one working public link10%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Photo Editing with Lightroom before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Photo Editing with Lightroom is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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Ready to earn this certificate?

Photo Editing with Lightroom is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

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