Lifestyle

5 Brilliant Photo Editing Tips

If you’re like most people, you take digital photography for granted. You fire up your camera or use a DSLR, and it’s online in no time. But did you know that the first digital photo occurred in 1957 when Russel Kirsh converted an analog photo of his baby into a tiny digital file?

With social media apps like Instagram increasing in popularity, the notion of a picture saying a thousand words is more prevalent than ever. Whether you’re a professional photographer, lifelogger, or influencer, it is always important to hone your editing skills.

Our editing tips will have your photos looking better than ever. Focus on our guide below to get started.

1. Shoot RAW

While this is a guide on editing tips, it’s important to know how to shoot correctly first. There are two main file formats your camera will shoot in—RAW and JPEG.

JPEGs can be useful for quick shots, but if you’re serious about photo editing, then shoot in RAW. This is because when shooting in RAW, you’ll have much more flexibility with color, exposure, white balance, etc.

2. Correct Your Exposure

The first set of editing skills you’ll want to master is correcting your exposure. This is the overall brightness of your shot. Your photo may either be too bright or too dark, or perhaps it’s “perfect.”

To get clearer on the exposure, head to your editing tools and open up the histogram. This will show you the tones of your image. Peaks on the left indicate shadows, peaks on the right indicate highlights, and peaks in the middle indicate mid-tones.

3. Choose the Right White Balance

If you have any unwanted color in your shot, use the white balance. Your camera will have a white balance, but most times you’ll need to adjust it in post.

A perfect white balance will be close to the whites in real life. Of course, you can give your piece the creative flair it deserves. For example, feel free to play with this online background remover for some interesting results.

4. Boost the Contrast

Next on our editing tips list is contrast. This deals with the difference between lights and darks in a shot. Intense darks in a shot are defined as having a high contrast, whereas low contrasts will result in softer lights. 

5. Check the Saturation

When learning how to edit photos, don’t forget about the saturation slider. When you boost the saturation, your photos will have a bit of pop. Play with it until it feels just right.

It’s easy to go too far, but the good thing is you can always undo it. To create a moody piece, try reducing the saturation.

Refer to These Editing Tips for Your Next Photo Project

The next time you’re out on a shoot, it’ll be helpful to think in terms of editing. When you sit down, refer to our editing tips if you’re stuck.

Every shoot, you’ll learn something new about the process. Don’t be afraid to get creative with it and experiment.

For more editing tricks and photo tips, be sure to browse our blog.

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