Did you know that Instagram boasts more than 2 billion active users each month? That means there are a ton of photos getting photos, but some are much better quality than others.
Proper picture editing can make amateur shots look like professional photos in a flash. If you take photos and post them online, shouldn't you enhance them to their fullest potential first?
The following guide will explain easy photo editing tips to apply after you take pictures. Read on and learn how to edit photos and make them truly stand out.
Clean Up Your Photos
First, make sure to straighten your photos to make them more visually appealing. Adjust your photo so that the horizon is completely horizontal and balanced.
You can also crop your photos to enhance small details in their composition. It helps remove distracting parts of your image at the frame's edge. Cropping can even help reposition your photo's main subject to make it stand out
In some cases, you might want to remove background from an image altogether. Consider this technique for products or just to give your shot a unique edit.
Use a spot-removing tool such as a clone stamp or spot healing brush to get rid of blemishes. Highlight any areas of your photo you wish to remove and let the tools blend the spots into the surrounding colors.
Tweak the White Balance
The white balance of your photos involves their color levels. Adjusting the white balance helps correct the overall color tone to make photos appear more natural.
Photo editing programs typically allow users to choose from presets such as daylight and cloudy to correct lighting conditions. Many editors also offer temperature and tint sliders so that you can manually tweak the lighting of pictures.
Keep in mind that JPG files contain less digital data than RAW files. So, they don't allow detailed white balance adjustments during the editing process.
Adjust Exposure and Contrast
Adjusting the exposure of your photo makes it precisely as bright or dark as you need. Although, adding too much brightness can introduce noise into your photo. Minimal exposure editing is key and you should always try to take well-lit photos.
Adjusting the contrast of your photo tweaks the range of dark and light tones. High contrast creates a stark photo where all tones are either very light or dark. Low contrast flattens images and makes nothing stand out in the photo.
Try to avoid both of those extremes and find a nice middle-ground for your photo's contrast. Of course, you can intentionally use high or low contrast if you like the effect it gives a particular photo.
Saturation and Sharpness
Use saturation and vibrancy sliders to increase the color intensity and brightness. Boosting saturation makes all colors in the photo more dramatic and intense. But don't go overboard or your image won't look natural.
Finally, adjust the sharpness of your photo for a cleaner overall look. Start at 50% and move the slider either way to get perfect clarity.
Applying Photo Editing Tips
Now it's time to use these photo editing tips to make your photos stunning and memorable. Remember to prioritize composition, color, lighting, and sharpness for professional results.
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