If you’ve ever scrolled through social media apps, you know how quickly people judge photos. It’s not uncommon to scroll through dozens of photos in a row, in just a matter of seconds.
Especially in such a media-heavy world, photos must be great to get noticed. But if you’re a beginner photographer, you may have no idea how to edit photos to get them looking their best.
Use these five photo editing tips to start improving your shots.
1. Crop and Adjust
When taking photos, it’s helpful to be aware of where your subject and other details are in the shot. But sometimes, a little adjusting is still necessary after.
Don’t be afraid to crop and move around your photo when editing to get it right. That way, you can cut out too much empty space or center a subject that is slightly off-center.
This should be the first step in the editing process before making other changes.
2. Change White Balance
Have you ever thought a person or scene looked great in real life, but on your camera it comes off too warm and orangey or too blue and cool-toned? This could be because the white balance is off.
In your photo editing software, look for white balance or “WB” to change the photo’s color casts. This one tweak can make a huge difference in the final product.
3. Use Filters and Presets
Nowadays, nearly everyone has gotten familiar with filters and photo effects, thanks to social media and photo editing apps. And if you want to take good photos, you shouldn’t overlook this editing step.
Digital filters change saturation, contrast, sharpness, and other photo characteristics. Playing around with different filters can help you learn what looks best for your own photography.
You can also use presets, such as Adobe Lightroom presets, to save and apply editing techniques to several photos.
4. Cut Out Clutter
As you get more familiar with photo editing tools, you can start removing visual clutter and objects from your photography.
For example, if you took a photo of a beautiful landmark, but a random man is standing in the foreground, people may be distracted looking at the image. But photo editing software allows you to cut the man out of the photo entirely so that all eyes are on the landmark.
You can also try blurring distracting parts of an image and changing focus in order to pull attention away from visual clutter.
5. Touch Up Blemishes
Just like cutting out clutter, you can also touch up and remove blemishes in photos.
This can literally mean removing blemishes on a subject’s skin, making their face look fresh and clear. But blemishes can also include things like marks on a car, graffiti on a fence, or a stray hair.
Blur or shade in blemishes to give your photos a clean, professional touch.
Improve Your Shots With These Photo Editing Tips
An average photo can be quickly improved with a little editing. Use these photo editing tips for beginners to get an amazing shot every time.
Learn more about photography and editing software in our other technology articles!