A good photo is not taken; it is created. This free translated quote from Ansel Adams hits the nail on the head. Thanks to digital photography, taking good photos and capturing the right moment is only half the battle. Because really good photos are created in post-processing.
If your photos don’t look quite as impressive as the photo website of your favorite photographer: inside or the Instagram feed of your favorite influencer: inside, your pictures may need a few tweaks.
- Discover Your Style
There is no right or wrong in image processing. This is shown by the different styles and techniques used by different photographers just like we have in https://photolemur.com/ for instance. Some like to experiment with color saturation; others prefer black and white photography. Still, others like high-essential photography (pictures with a high proportion of white), and some prefer low-key pictures (photos with dark tones) for the right mood.
But how do you find your style? The first step to successful photo editing is figuring out what you like. We encourage you to take a look around and browse other photographers’ social media accounts and portfolio websites. Take inspiration from the work of others and pay attention to what excites you about their work. Is it the compositions and motifs themselves? Or is it the colors, contrasts, and depths of the pictures that impress you? The latter can be easily improved by post-processing your images.
So, when you set out to edit an image, you can ask yourself what you want to achieve by editing an image. For example:
- Do you wish the photo was a little brighter and more exposed?
- Do you want to crop the picture or straighten the horizon?
- Would you prefer the picture to have more colors?
Once you know what you want, it will be much easier to find the right image editing program and the proper functions.
- Choose Your Photo Editing Program
After finding your style and knowing what you want to achieve in post-processing your pictures, you can choose your photo editing program.
With so many choices on the market, enhancing photos is easier than ever today. Some of the programs are easy to use and offer a good basis of tools for optimizing photos. Other programs are more complex and time-consuming and allow you to change the photo you have taken completely. Most professional photographers use image editing programs such as Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, or Capture One Pro. If you’re considering getting one of these programs, you can try them out for free first and then buy a license later. Adobe products are available by subscription, and with their “photo subscription,” you get both Lightroom and Photoshop programs.
Editing photos is also cheaper. There are many free photo editing programs that you can use to edit your photos professionally. In addition, every smartphone or tablet today has various integrated editing functions and apps that you can download inexpensively. In addition, social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook also offer some simple editing tools that you can use to retouch your photos before posting and achieve great effects.
- Use The Auto Mode Of Your Photo Editing Program
With the constant further development of image processing programs, their algorithms for automatic processing are also improving. This enables the program to analyze images and make suggestions for changes with one click. This auto-correction is indicated in most image editing programs with the magic wand symbol.
Most professional photographers avoid these types of tools and make all changes manually. However, it is worthwhile for non-professionals to try this function. You can also undo the changes at any time.
