Here's a pic I edited a couple months back shortly after my surgery.  The meds were in effect and I couldn't really work so I decided to experiment with some techniques I had seen over the months.  All in fun, my goal was to bring a bit more clarity and focus to the image while retaining its mood.  It's a picture of my boy at the Wild Bird Sanctuary.  Here's the before:

BEFORE

This is what was involved:

  1. Import into Lightroom
  2. Minor tweaks to white balance, CA, and exposure (+2/3) + lens profile
  3. Some updates to the highlights and shadows in conjunction with a slight S tone curve (blue and red)
  4. Export to Photoshop CC
  5. Frequency separation (very minor) - not required but felt like experimenting.
  6. Cloning (to remove evidence of cheese and crackers snack earlier)
  7. Sharpen eyes and hair (high pass)
  8. Back to Lightroom
  9. Vignette and exposure adjustment - curves and levels
  10. Radial curves for focus on the face and vibrant colour of the coat

And here are the results:

AFTER

That's about it!