Underwater Image Editing Course
This course teaches you to turn underwater captures into clean, natural and striking images. You will learn how light behaves under water and how that shapes editing, how to diagnose color casts and exposure, develop RAW files non-destructively, correct white balance and color with precision, work with masks and local adjustments, remove backscatter and artifacts, retouch and restore without losing realism, and organize a professional workflow from ingest and backups to presets and a finished underwater portfolio.
Prior knowledge check
These are the skills this program gives you. Tick the ones you already master and we will tell you which part of the syllabus is for you.
You are starting from scratch in this subject. The program is designed precisely for that.
What is the Underwater Image Editing Course?
This short course prepares you to post-process underwater photographs, and the stills and frames you take from video, with professional technique. You will study the physics of light under water applied to editing, diagnosing casts and exposure, primary underwater correction, sharpness and micro-contrast, noise reduction, camera profiles and lens correction for housings, advanced exposure and tone curves, advanced white balance, practical color work with HSL and channel mixing, clarity, dehaze and texture, subject and background separation, local color correction, backscatter control, dodge and burn, selective sharpening, restoration and cleanup, perspective and distortion correction, underwater portraits, composition and cropping, multiple exposures, and file management, catalogs, automation and portfolio building.
What sets this course apart: a technical method grounded in how water absorbs and scatters light, so every correction has a reason; a complete non-destructive workflow from import to export for different platforms; precise local work with masks to recover reds, neutralize backgrounds and clean particles efficiently; constant attention to keeping images realistic rather than artificial; and a final project in which you organize your archive and build a coherent underwater portfolio with a technical statement.
Program highlights
- Light physics for editors: absorption, scattering, backscatter and contrast loss with depth.
- RAW development: profiles, lens correction, tone curves and advanced white balance.
- Color science in practice: HSL, channel mixing and saturation without unreal tones.
- Local editing: masks, red recovery, backscatter cleanup and underwater dodge and burn.
- Retouching and restoration: perspective, housing distortion and multiple exposures.
- Final project: a professional workflow and a curated underwater portfolio.
Syllabus of the Underwater Image Editing Course
5 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Underwater imaging fundamentals and color workflow: light physics, color casts and base correction
- 1.1. Physics of light under water applied to editing: spectral absorption, scattering, backscatter and contrast loss with depth
- 1.2. Diagnosing color casts and exposure: reading histograms, clipping, white balance and recovering useful RAW information
- 1.3. Primary underwater correction: neutralizing greens and blues, recovering reds, global contrast and zone-based brightness control
- 1.4. Managing sharpness and micro-contrast: artifacts, halos, selective sharpening and the limits of detail in turbid water
- 1.5. Underwater noise reduction: ISO, chrominance, luminance, preserving texture and avoiding a plastic look
Underwater RAW development and non-destructive editing: global adjustments with technical consistency
- 2.1. Profile and camera set-up: color profiles, calibration, lens correction and handling aberrations from housings
- 2.2. Advanced exposure: shadows and highlights, tone curve, channel-based recovery and contrast control without muddiness
- 2.3. Advanced white balance: temperature and tint by scene, neutral reference, depth correction and compensation for strobes
- 2.4. Practical color science: HSL, channel mixing, luminance by color and saturation control to avoid unreal tones
- 2.5. Clarity, dehaze and texture: when to use them, how to limit them, their effect on suspended particles and keeping images natural
Selective editing, masks and local correction: subject, background and particles with precision
- 3.1. Separating subject and background: luminance and color masks, edge refinement and halo control on wildlife and corals
- 3.2. Local color correction: recovering reds in the foreground, neutralizing backgrounds and harmonizing planes
- 3.3. Controlling backscatter and artifacts: selective cleanup, repetitive patterns, intervention criteria and saving time
- 3.4. Underwater dodge and burn: modeling volume, reading form, light direction and guiding the viewer's eye
- 3.5. Selective sharpening by intent: eyes, critical textures, progressive fall-off and preserving organic grain
Retouching, restoration and composition: technical corrections without losing underwater realism
- 4.1. Advanced cleanup and restoration: spots, dense suspension, banding, micro-bubbles and gradient correction
- 4.2. Perspective and distortion correction: wide angle under water, lines, scale, housing deformations and proportional correction
- 4.3. Skin and underwater portraits: tones, color casts, textures, naturalness and consistency with artificial lighting
- 4.4. Narrative composition and cropping: rule of thirds, diagonals, negative space and reading direction in marine scenes
- 4.5. Blending multiple exposures where appropriate: color consistency, alignment, edges and avoiding an artificial look
Professional workflow, archiving and final project: efficiency, protection of material and portfolio
- 5.1. Ingest and organization: folder structure, 3-2-1 backups, version control and traceability by dive
- 5.2. Catalog management and performance: proxies, caches, hardware optimization and practices for large volumes
- 5.3. Rights and permissions: image use, sensitive locations, geotags and responsible publication
- 5.4. Automation and productivity: smart presets, actions, batches, templates and standard times by type of shot
- 5.5. Building an underwater portfolio: narrative coherence, selection, technical statement and professional presentation
Duration and format of the Underwater Image Editing Course
It is 300 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Underwater Image Editing Course
Career opportunities after the Underwater Image Editing Course
Questions about the Underwater Image Editing Course
Correcting the color and contrast problems caused by the way water absorbs and scatters light, which removes reds and adds blue or green casts with depth.
Typically warming the white balance, reducing the blue or green cast and carefully restoring reds and yellows, while controlling saturation so that colors stay believable.
The course works mainly with Lightroom and Photoshop for stills and introduces DaVinci Resolve for footage; the principles apply to any professional editor.
No. You can practice with your own images or with sample files; if you intend to shoot under water yourself, you should hold a certification from a recognized diving organization.
Much of it, yes. The course teaches efficient selective cleanup and the criteria to decide when an intervention would make an image look artificial.
You organize your archive with a professional workflow and build a curated underwater portfolio with a consistent edit and a short technical statement.
Fully online, through a virtual campus available 24/7, with live sessions that are recorded, downloadable materials, practical exercises and personalized tutorials.
The course comprises 300 hours of study across 5 modules of about 60 hours each and ends with an applied project. You can progress at your own pace within the schedule set when you enroll.
More programs in Underwater imaging
Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: aimed at amateur and professional underwater photographers, marine biologists and scientists, underwater videographers and documentary makers, diving instructors and guides, and students of photography and marine science; basic knowledge of photography and digital editing, or experience in underwater photography, is recommended, together with a willingness to learn editing software.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and editing software such as Lightroom, Photoshop or DaVinci Resolve; your own underwater images are useful for the exercises.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.