Crop, clone, colour and tone

For NQ photographers, digital pictures need to be edited. Photoshop gives us so much choice, it can be confusing.
So, when I get confused (which is often) I try to boil down the complicated task into a small number of steps. Then I try to find a way to memorise it - something short, snappy, maybe a rhyme.
At this stage, to edit your pictures you need to crop, clone, colour and tone.
Remember it:
Crop, clone, colour, tone.
Simples

Use the crop tool to tidy the edges and improve your composition

Use the clone stamp to remove spots and scratches

Use a levels adjustment layer in one colour channel to alter the colour balance

Use levels adjustment layer in the RGB channel to alter the tonal range - the brightness of the picture

Four simple, easy to remember steps to clean, colour corrected and well exposed pictures.

But each step needs lots of practice and constant use.