For some individuals, photography is a passion or a hobby, whereas, for others, it is their means to earn a living. Photography is a great medium using which individuals can show their creativity and shed light on numerous important topics. With a good-quality camera and fundamental knowledge about photography, any individual can start their photography journey. However, capturing a picture is merely one aspect of photography. There are numerous other aspects, out of which editing is a significant one.
Editing a photo refers to tweaking its elements or making changes to different aspects to ensure that it appears as per the photographer’s requirements or the project’s needs. According to Delisign, there are numerous reasons why photo editing is important. For starters, it facilitates photographers to apply and implement their style or branding to photos. Besides this, editing photos also helps individuals convey a story using visual effects. Any photographer who wishes to become an expert editor must first learn the basics of editing and then move on to complicated stuff. This article will list some fundamental photo editing for amateur photographers who wish to learn the craft of tweaking digital images professionally. Let us begin:
- Tweak the Picture’s Brightness & Contrast
One of the most important parts of editing a picture is adjusting the picture’s brightness and contrast. The level of light and shadow in a picture plays a crucial role in determining how the audience will receive it. For instance, if your picture looks dull and has little light, it may not appear appealing to the masses. In contrast, if the picture has too much color and brightness, it will look forced and thus fail to create a positive impact on the audience. Hence, the first thing beginners should do while editing a picture is adjust its brightness and contrast sensibly.
- Crop or Resize the Image
The composition of any image plays a vital role in determining how well it looks. For instance, in most cases, if a photo is not symmetrical, it will appear very unprofessional to the audience. Similarly, if the subject of a picture is not emphasized, the image may not manage to make the right impact. Hence, cropping or resizing an image is a necessary task every novice editor should perform. Doing so helps in removing unwanted elements which are present in the picture. Moreover, it also contributes to improving the composition.
All major photo editors, whether they are macOS-compatible or Windows-compatible, feature tools using which individuals can easily resize any image they want. For instance, if you are wondering how to resize a photo on Mac, you can easily do it using native utilities like the Photos app or the Preview utility or opt to use third-party editors like PhotoBulk. Similarly, if you use a Windows computer to edit pictures, you can use apps like Adobe Photoshop or Picasa to conveniently resize images per your requirements.
- Adjust the Picture’s White Balance
In digital photography, white balance refers to adjusting the colors to ensure that the image looks more natural and less artificial. To ensure your image is portrayed as a natural shot, you must tweak its white balance properly. You can do it by adjusting the color temperature of the picture. When the white balance is not right, the image’s tones will not seem right. The photo should neither seem too cool or bluish or too warm or yellowish. Having the right white balance works wonders for the picture’s overall appeal; thus, amateur photographers who wish to enhance their picture’s appearance should adjust its white balance properly.
- Use Keyboard Shortcuts
All major photo editing applications, including Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, etc., feature numerous native keyboard shortcuts using which individuals can edit photos and tweak their different aspects quickly and efficiently. Hence, every individual who wishes to enhance their photo editing skills should select a suitable photo editing application and learn & implement its native keyboard shortcuts while editing. Using keyboard shortcuts not only enhances the editing skills of individuals but also facilitates them to get more work done in less time.
- Use Presets and Filters Whenever Required
Presets refers to a group of photo-editing settings designed to turn digital images into a beautiful finished product with a single click. On the other hand, filters alter basic settings like the picture’s color tone or exposure. Even though tweaking different aspects of an image separately helps individuals learn more about the editing process, there may not always be enough time to work on each image individually, especially if numerous images require editing. Hence, beginners should apply filters, or use presets to enhance the appearance of images.
Photo editing plays an extremely crucial role in photography; thus, it is essential for every individual wishing to become a professional photographer to know the fundamentals of editing. If you are an amateur photographer, refer to the aforementioned editing tips to create top-tier images.
