I just had a photoshoot last night using a 20 year old camera on top of my normal gear and it produced my favorite photos of the night but im struggling with the editing process as it is an older lower mp quality camera and I’m used to editing raw files and the such. This is a new challenge for me and I’d love any advice you can offer.
For jpgs I usually edit them in Lightroom as the raw files. Except, I apply only a portion of the total effects I usually do if that file was a raw.
The highlights, shadows, blacks, etc., I only nudge them a bit, instead of the usual stronger adjustments.
For the noise, same thing. Or maybe don’t even apply noise reduction at all if it isn’t an issue. Having a small noise can actually help to keep the image original and sharper; too much noise reduction, or noise reduction when its not needed, may have a nasty effect on the photo.
If the color is somewhat right, don’t mess with the white balance or you will have issues achieving the correct color temperature.
If you need a bigger file for printing purposes, you can take your edited photo to AI Image Upscaler | Upscale Image Online Batch Free (imgupscaler.com) and it upscales the image up to 400% the original size. It works better with images with basic colors and shapes; not so much with photos, but you can always try and see how the photo looks with the upscale.