Editing demonstrations
If I were to sum up my digital imaging workflow in one sentence, I would say: "Start big, then get smaller".
It’s very important to do all your global corrections (ie the whole image) first. If you’re processing Raw files, the global corrections are done in your Raw conversion software (eg Adobe Camera Raw, Lightroom, Aperture, etc).
Once you’re satisfied that your image’s overall exposure and colour are acceptable, then you can begin to edit selected areas.
Of course, every photo is different. The following are a few examples of my techniques in different circumstances: