How to Edit Photos
Invest in some software., Crop to add interest., Change the contrast., Change the saturation., Change vibrancy., Carefully use blurring and sharpening., Keep it as close to the original as possible., Avoid the cliches., Download a photo-editing...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Invest in some software.
You can do basic edits with programs like Picasa and Instagram, but if you want to make your photos really look amazing, you should get a program specifically designed for serious editing.
This doesn't always have to cost money! Programs like GIMP are free.
Though you'll have to learn how to use them, they'll make a huge impact on how your photos look. -
Step 2: Crop to add interest.
When you're going back through your photos to edit them, one thing you can look at is how the photo is cropped.
Changing where the picture ends can vastly change how it looks.
Try following the rule of thirds, which suggests that photos look better when the frame is visually divided into three equal parts. , This is a common setting for any photo editor.
It makes whites brighter and darks darker, making an image look more dramatic and clear.
Be careful, however: you lose a lot of minor details when you increase contrast.
Don't go overboard! , Saturation is how bold the colors in a photo are, and a saturation adjuster is another common feature in photo editing programs.
Sometimes, the photo can be improved by lower the saturation (moving towards black and white) and sometimes it can be improved by increasing the saturation.
Experiment! , This is another setting which comes mainly with Photoshop but also with some other editors as well.
This is much like saturation, but it works much better with skin tones.
Essentially, if you have people in a picture, start with the vibrancy.
If you only have a landscape, you can use saturation. , Instead of just applying blur or sharpen filters across your entire picture, use blur and sharpen brushes instead.
This will give you more precise control.
This is important because pictures usually only need a little blurring and a little sharpening.
Sharpen small areas to make important details more crisp.
Blur areas like certain parts of the skin on faces to make blemishes less noticeable. , Really heavy editing can quickly make pictures look really fake.
It's like putting way too much makeup on a really pretty woman.
After awhile, she just looks like a clown.
If you're going to make someone look thinner, don't go over the top.
If you're going to change the colors, don't make them look unnatural.
If you edit things out of images, check to make sure you didn't miss anything that will show the edits.
You don't want to end up on Photoshop Disasters! , Cliches are artistic crutches and can make excellent photos come across as boring and unprofessional.
For example, black and white photos with just one thing colored (like a nice pair of red lips) are over done and now tend to come across as cheesy.
If you really want your photos to be taken seriously as art, try to avoid cliches like this one. , There are plenty of free editing applications available in the App Store, as well as affordable ones for under $5.
If you want to explore different styles, then download a few apps and play around with their effects.
Examples include:
Instagram (Free) Adobe Photoshop Touch ($4.99)Apple iPhoto ($4.99)Aviary (Free) BeFunky (Free) EyeEm (Free) Wood Camera (Free) , For best results, choose a well-lit photo with a clear object like a person, plant, animal, or building.
The clearer the photo, the more effective the edits will be. , Most apps give you the option to either take a new picture (look for the button with the camera on it) or choose one from your photo library. , Every app is different, but many of them, like Instagram, have a variety of "filters" or "lenses" to choose from, which essentially do all of the editing for you.
Some apps give you the option to adjust the intensity of the filter, giving you more control over the final result. , In photography, exposure refers to the amount of light that falls on a photo.
If the photo is too dark, then you might need to increase the exposure.
If you want the photo darker, then lower the exposure. , Some apps allow you to adjust the saturation, or intensity of color, in a photo.
Increasing the saturation of a photo can make the colors pop and make the photo more eye-catching.
Too much saturation, though, can make the photo look harsh and almost cartoon-like. , Blur the photo to make it look more dreamlike and distorted, or add a light leak to make the photo look old fashioned and damaged.
Light leaks used to be considered an error, occurring when light (usually from the sun) leaked onto the film and damaged it, but today, light leaks are considered a stylistic effect that many people find aesthetically pleasing. , If you want to change the shape or size of a photo, then select the "crop" button (which will usually have a square on it) and adjust it as desired. , Every app is different, so if it is your first time using one, you might want to go through and check out all the different options for how to edit the photo. , You can do this by physically dragging the file over from your desktop or by importing pictures directly from your camera.
To do this, use the cable that came with your camera to connect your camera to the USB port on your computer.
Make sure that your camera is on, and then open up iPhoto if it isn't open already.
You can either import all of the photos on your camera by selecting "Import All," or import photos individually by highlighting photos and then clicking the "Import Selected" button. , It should expand in size when you double-click on it. , You will now see several editing options at the bottom of the screen, including "Rotate," "Crop," "Straighten," "Enhance," "Red-Eye," "Retouch," "Effects," and "Adjust." To use an effect, simply click on the button for the effect you want to use.
When you are done, either press "Apply" to save the changes or "Cancel" to discard of the changes and start over. , To do this, simply click on the "Rotate" button.
The photo will continue to rotate each time you click it until it returns to its original position. , Cropping is a very basic editing tool that allows you to adjust the size and shape of a photo, as well as cut out any unwanted parts of the photo.
When you click on the "Crop" button you will be presented with an adjustable rectangle that lies directly on top of the photo.
To adjust it, simply drag on the corners of it until you reach the desired size and shape.
You can also move the box around by clicking anywhere inside of it and then dragging your cursor to move it around. , When you click on the "Effects" button, a small screen will appear with various filters for you to choose from.
These include "Black and White," "Sepia," "Antique," "Fade Color," "Boost Color," and more.
Some effects let you adjust the intensity of the filter.
To do this, simply click on the effect and then adjust the numbers that appear on the bottom using the left and right arrows. , To make more complex edits, click the "Adjust" button just underneath the picture.
A new screen will pop up with options to adjust the exposure, saturation, contrast, definition, highlights, shadows, sharpness, temperature, and tint of the photo. , When you are finished editing, click the "Done" button on the right side of your screen. , You can do this by dragging the file from your desktop into the program or by opening up Photoshop, selecting "File," "Open," and then selecting the photo you want to edit. , Before you get started editing, make a copy of the original photo in case you make mistakes while editing.
To do this, select "Layer" and then "Duplicate Layer." This will create a copy of your original image. , Cropping is a very basic editing technique that allows you to change the shape and size of an image and to cut out any unwanted parts.
To crop the photo, simply click on the "Crop Tool" icon on the lefthand side of your screen.
Now, click on the photo and drag your mouse to create the desired size and shape of your square.
When you are done, click on the "Crop Tool" icon again.
You will be given the option to save the changes or to cancel and return to the original image.
If you are having trouble finding the "Crop Tool" button, simply hover your mouse over the various buttons on the column on the lefthand side of your screen and wait for the descriptive text to pop up. , Layers are a useful tool to use in Photoshop because they allow you to edit your photo without tampering with the original version.
Layers can be turned "on" and "off" as you continue editing, so nothing is permanent (unless of course you save your final draft).
The "Adjustment Layer" button is located at the bottom of the Navigator Panel on the right side of your screen.
It is a black and white circle with a diagonal line through it.
When you hover your cursor over it, it should read, "Create new fill or adjustment layer." When you click on the button, a drop-down list will appear with various editing options.
They include Exposure, Brightness/Contrast, Selective Color, and more.
When you click on one, you will create a new layer for that effect which you can adjust and turn on and off.
To turn a layer "on" or "off," simply click on the image of an eye that appears right next to the title of the layer. , Again, do this by first clicking the "Adjustment Layer" button, and then selecting "Exposure" from the drop-down list.
This will create a new layer on your Navigator Panel entitled "Exposure
1." A small screen should pop up with options to adjust the exposure, offset, and gamma correction of the photo.
Simply slide the dial to the left and right to make changes to any of these effects.
The exposure of a photo is essentially its brightness.
When you slide the dial to the right, the photo will become brighter, and when you slide it to the left, it will become darker.
The offset and gamma correction options allow you to adjust the dark tones and midtones of the photo.
This can help balance, or "offset" the harshness of color that occurs when you increase the exposure of a photo. , Do this by creating a "Selective Color" layer.
You will be presented with a small screen that allows you to adjust the red, yellow, blue, cyan, green, magenta, black, white, and neutral tones of the picture. , The Levels tool allows you to change the overall image tone and contrast.
To do this, create a "Levels" layer in your Navigator panel.
You will be presented with a histogram palette with three different sliders right underneath it: the black tone slider (on the left), the white tone slider (on the right), and the midtone, or gamma, slider (on the right).The position of the black and white tone sliders creates a range for the input levels of the image.The black tone will originally be at 0, and the white tone will be at
255.
To adjust the range, simply move the black tone slider to the right and/or the white tone slider to the left.
Drag the midtone slider to the left to darken the midtones, and to the right to lighten the midtones., Photoshop can be hard to use: it's definitely got a learning curve! But once you get the hang of it, you can get your photos looking like they belong in a gallery before you know it! , Sometimes, one color not quite matching the rest in a photo can make the whole thing look off.
A basic adjusting of the hues can save a picture! , You've probably seen those spammy, virus-ridden apps and websites which promise to make your photos look like a drawing.
Did you know that this is an effect that is easy to get for yourself, without the bonus malware? This can be a fun edit for your photos. -
Step 3: Change the contrast.
-
Step 4: Change the saturation.
-
Step 5: Change vibrancy.
-
Step 6: Carefully use blurring and sharpening.
-
Step 7: Keep it as close to the original as possible.
-
Step 8: Avoid the cliches.
-
Step 9: Download a photo-editing application.
-
Step 10: Take a picture with your phone or choose one from your photo library.
-
Step 11: Upload it to the app.
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Step 12: Choose a filter.
-
Step 13: Adjust the exposure.
-
Step 14: Adjust the saturation.
-
Step 15: Add a blur
-
Step 16: light leak
-
Step 17: or other effect.
-
Step 18: Crop the photo.
-
Step 19: Play around with additional filters and effects.
-
Step 20: Import your photo(s) to the program.
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Step 21: Double-click on a photo to begin editing.
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Step 22: Select the "Edit" button at the bottom of the screen.
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Step 23: Rotate the photo if necessary.
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Step 24: Crop the photo.
-
Step 25: Choose an effect.
-
Step 26: Make additional adjustments.
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Step 27: Save your changes.
-
Step 28: Import your photo to the program.
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Step 29: Make a duplicate of the background layer.
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Step 30: Crop the photo.
-
Step 31: Find the "Adjustment Layer" button.
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Step 32: Adjust the exposure.
-
Step 33: Adjust the colors.
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Step 34: Adjust the levels.
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Step 35: Become a Photoshop Pro.
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Step 36: Learn to adjust colors.
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Step 37: Get the sketchy look!
Detailed Guide
You can do basic edits with programs like Picasa and Instagram, but if you want to make your photos really look amazing, you should get a program specifically designed for serious editing.
This doesn't always have to cost money! Programs like GIMP are free.
Though you'll have to learn how to use them, they'll make a huge impact on how your photos look.
When you're going back through your photos to edit them, one thing you can look at is how the photo is cropped.
Changing where the picture ends can vastly change how it looks.
Try following the rule of thirds, which suggests that photos look better when the frame is visually divided into three equal parts. , This is a common setting for any photo editor.
It makes whites brighter and darks darker, making an image look more dramatic and clear.
Be careful, however: you lose a lot of minor details when you increase contrast.
Don't go overboard! , Saturation is how bold the colors in a photo are, and a saturation adjuster is another common feature in photo editing programs.
Sometimes, the photo can be improved by lower the saturation (moving towards black and white) and sometimes it can be improved by increasing the saturation.
Experiment! , This is another setting which comes mainly with Photoshop but also with some other editors as well.
This is much like saturation, but it works much better with skin tones.
Essentially, if you have people in a picture, start with the vibrancy.
If you only have a landscape, you can use saturation. , Instead of just applying blur or sharpen filters across your entire picture, use blur and sharpen brushes instead.
This will give you more precise control.
This is important because pictures usually only need a little blurring and a little sharpening.
Sharpen small areas to make important details more crisp.
Blur areas like certain parts of the skin on faces to make blemishes less noticeable. , Really heavy editing can quickly make pictures look really fake.
It's like putting way too much makeup on a really pretty woman.
After awhile, she just looks like a clown.
If you're going to make someone look thinner, don't go over the top.
If you're going to change the colors, don't make them look unnatural.
If you edit things out of images, check to make sure you didn't miss anything that will show the edits.
You don't want to end up on Photoshop Disasters! , Cliches are artistic crutches and can make excellent photos come across as boring and unprofessional.
For example, black and white photos with just one thing colored (like a nice pair of red lips) are over done and now tend to come across as cheesy.
If you really want your photos to be taken seriously as art, try to avoid cliches like this one. , There are plenty of free editing applications available in the App Store, as well as affordable ones for under $5.
If you want to explore different styles, then download a few apps and play around with their effects.
Examples include:
Instagram (Free) Adobe Photoshop Touch ($4.99)Apple iPhoto ($4.99)Aviary (Free) BeFunky (Free) EyeEm (Free) Wood Camera (Free) , For best results, choose a well-lit photo with a clear object like a person, plant, animal, or building.
The clearer the photo, the more effective the edits will be. , Most apps give you the option to either take a new picture (look for the button with the camera on it) or choose one from your photo library. , Every app is different, but many of them, like Instagram, have a variety of "filters" or "lenses" to choose from, which essentially do all of the editing for you.
Some apps give you the option to adjust the intensity of the filter, giving you more control over the final result. , In photography, exposure refers to the amount of light that falls on a photo.
If the photo is too dark, then you might need to increase the exposure.
If you want the photo darker, then lower the exposure. , Some apps allow you to adjust the saturation, or intensity of color, in a photo.
Increasing the saturation of a photo can make the colors pop and make the photo more eye-catching.
Too much saturation, though, can make the photo look harsh and almost cartoon-like. , Blur the photo to make it look more dreamlike and distorted, or add a light leak to make the photo look old fashioned and damaged.
Light leaks used to be considered an error, occurring when light (usually from the sun) leaked onto the film and damaged it, but today, light leaks are considered a stylistic effect that many people find aesthetically pleasing. , If you want to change the shape or size of a photo, then select the "crop" button (which will usually have a square on it) and adjust it as desired. , Every app is different, so if it is your first time using one, you might want to go through and check out all the different options for how to edit the photo. , You can do this by physically dragging the file over from your desktop or by importing pictures directly from your camera.
To do this, use the cable that came with your camera to connect your camera to the USB port on your computer.
Make sure that your camera is on, and then open up iPhoto if it isn't open already.
You can either import all of the photos on your camera by selecting "Import All," or import photos individually by highlighting photos and then clicking the "Import Selected" button. , It should expand in size when you double-click on it. , You will now see several editing options at the bottom of the screen, including "Rotate," "Crop," "Straighten," "Enhance," "Red-Eye," "Retouch," "Effects," and "Adjust." To use an effect, simply click on the button for the effect you want to use.
When you are done, either press "Apply" to save the changes or "Cancel" to discard of the changes and start over. , To do this, simply click on the "Rotate" button.
The photo will continue to rotate each time you click it until it returns to its original position. , Cropping is a very basic editing tool that allows you to adjust the size and shape of a photo, as well as cut out any unwanted parts of the photo.
When you click on the "Crop" button you will be presented with an adjustable rectangle that lies directly on top of the photo.
To adjust it, simply drag on the corners of it until you reach the desired size and shape.
You can also move the box around by clicking anywhere inside of it and then dragging your cursor to move it around. , When you click on the "Effects" button, a small screen will appear with various filters for you to choose from.
These include "Black and White," "Sepia," "Antique," "Fade Color," "Boost Color," and more.
Some effects let you adjust the intensity of the filter.
To do this, simply click on the effect and then adjust the numbers that appear on the bottom using the left and right arrows. , To make more complex edits, click the "Adjust" button just underneath the picture.
A new screen will pop up with options to adjust the exposure, saturation, contrast, definition, highlights, shadows, sharpness, temperature, and tint of the photo. , When you are finished editing, click the "Done" button on the right side of your screen. , You can do this by dragging the file from your desktop into the program or by opening up Photoshop, selecting "File," "Open," and then selecting the photo you want to edit. , Before you get started editing, make a copy of the original photo in case you make mistakes while editing.
To do this, select "Layer" and then "Duplicate Layer." This will create a copy of your original image. , Cropping is a very basic editing technique that allows you to change the shape and size of an image and to cut out any unwanted parts.
To crop the photo, simply click on the "Crop Tool" icon on the lefthand side of your screen.
Now, click on the photo and drag your mouse to create the desired size and shape of your square.
When you are done, click on the "Crop Tool" icon again.
You will be given the option to save the changes or to cancel and return to the original image.
If you are having trouble finding the "Crop Tool" button, simply hover your mouse over the various buttons on the column on the lefthand side of your screen and wait for the descriptive text to pop up. , Layers are a useful tool to use in Photoshop because they allow you to edit your photo without tampering with the original version.
Layers can be turned "on" and "off" as you continue editing, so nothing is permanent (unless of course you save your final draft).
The "Adjustment Layer" button is located at the bottom of the Navigator Panel on the right side of your screen.
It is a black and white circle with a diagonal line through it.
When you hover your cursor over it, it should read, "Create new fill or adjustment layer." When you click on the button, a drop-down list will appear with various editing options.
They include Exposure, Brightness/Contrast, Selective Color, and more.
When you click on one, you will create a new layer for that effect which you can adjust and turn on and off.
To turn a layer "on" or "off," simply click on the image of an eye that appears right next to the title of the layer. , Again, do this by first clicking the "Adjustment Layer" button, and then selecting "Exposure" from the drop-down list.
This will create a new layer on your Navigator Panel entitled "Exposure
1." A small screen should pop up with options to adjust the exposure, offset, and gamma correction of the photo.
Simply slide the dial to the left and right to make changes to any of these effects.
The exposure of a photo is essentially its brightness.
When you slide the dial to the right, the photo will become brighter, and when you slide it to the left, it will become darker.
The offset and gamma correction options allow you to adjust the dark tones and midtones of the photo.
This can help balance, or "offset" the harshness of color that occurs when you increase the exposure of a photo. , Do this by creating a "Selective Color" layer.
You will be presented with a small screen that allows you to adjust the red, yellow, blue, cyan, green, magenta, black, white, and neutral tones of the picture. , The Levels tool allows you to change the overall image tone and contrast.
To do this, create a "Levels" layer in your Navigator panel.
You will be presented with a histogram palette with three different sliders right underneath it: the black tone slider (on the left), the white tone slider (on the right), and the midtone, or gamma, slider (on the right).The position of the black and white tone sliders creates a range for the input levels of the image.The black tone will originally be at 0, and the white tone will be at
255.
To adjust the range, simply move the black tone slider to the right and/or the white tone slider to the left.
Drag the midtone slider to the left to darken the midtones, and to the right to lighten the midtones., Photoshop can be hard to use: it's definitely got a learning curve! But once you get the hang of it, you can get your photos looking like they belong in a gallery before you know it! , Sometimes, one color not quite matching the rest in a photo can make the whole thing look off.
A basic adjusting of the hues can save a picture! , You've probably seen those spammy, virus-ridden apps and websites which promise to make your photos look like a drawing.
Did you know that this is an effect that is easy to get for yourself, without the bonus malware? This can be a fun edit for your photos.
About the Author
Joshua Wallace
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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