The Most Effective Photo Editing Skills You'll Ever Need
As a photographer, you probably know how important it is to catch the right momentum for making the best photo. Sometimes it can even turn out to be a huge challenge due to the lack of specific skills for working with photo editing tools or models, the light and time-effective workflow.
Taken from: https://www.pexels.com
A beginner photographer may wonder what tips can really come in handy. In this article, we’ll cover the essential ones you definitely need for setting up an effective and efficient photo editing workflow.
#1 Always Saving an Original Copy
The process of photo editing is always full of creativity. Sometimes, the idea can come up from nowhere, so with that piece of inspiration, photographers are ready to make the entire process from scratch. Or else, they come up with another concept of photo editing, which requires another cropping style, color editing, or simply add effects to the original.
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Sometimes it is impossible to go back to the very first change: some of the photo editors don’t have that feature in their interface! Saving an original copy of all your photos can ensure you’ll always have an option of making some other style and provide your clients with a choice. Furthermore, a photographer can ensure none of the photos made can be lost, which is certainly a great benefit.
#2 Straightening and Cropping Correctly
Cropping tools can easily turn a boring composition into a better one. It allows you to follow the right composition, remove some irrelevant elements and not waste time correcting the other elements that will be removed from the image later.
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#3 Removing the Sensor Dust
Even a perfect photo with enough light and in a great location can be easily spoiled by the sensor dust. The problem of the dirt on the lenses will always accompany photographers and often become a pain point during the editing process. Various particles on the lenses become especially visible when you shoot with a smaller aperture of f/16 or lower.
To get rid of that issue, you can apply the spot healing brush (for Photoshop) or the spot removal tool (available for Lightroom). Besides, it’s a nice idea to use these options for the portray photos to remove the blemishes on the skin if needed. These procedures are also better to complete before you start adding effects and playing with the color palette.
#4 Keeping It Natural
Being enchanted with the various multimedia software, photographers usually make that rookie mistake of adding too many presets and changes. After realizing the main idea of the editing tools, it becomes more than clear: they were created to achieve the balance.
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Just bear in mind the golden rule of KISS - Keep It Short and Simple. It’s possible to achieve the right composition by playing around the curve tool and the white balance.
Catch the most appropriate feeling by making your next picture. Peter Adams, a great photographer, once said: “Great photography is about the depth of feeling, not the depth of field.”
#5 Finding the Golden Balance of Editing
It often happens that on the very first steps on their career path, photographers can’t set up a comfortable style they’re going to proceed with. As a result, two things can happen: either they don’t really change the situation with a photo by editing it, or they are captured by over-processing each of them.
That’s not only a waste of your time and resources but also seems too unnatural for others. Furthermore, sometimes it leads to starting the process from scratch to find common ground with your client.
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To achieve the so-called “golden balance”, it’s a nice option of training your feel of colors and styles you like. For example, you can analyze the work of others and use those photos as the reference for the practice.
Taken from: https://www.pexels.com
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#6 Not Rushing the Editing Process
The first times of editing photos might be a little bit overwhelming, requiring lots of patience and practice to achieve the desired result. For sure, the editing process is not a matter of minutes, even if you’re a pro.
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However, photographers with advanced skills know a good recipe for the perfect editing - make it enjoyable. For instance, you can find the right mood and inspiration from good music or a nice atmosphere around you.
#7 Utilizing the Multimedia Software
Photo editing software is the best assistant of any photographer. That is why some usable shortcuts and presets in Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom can significantly reduce the editing time: add effects with the same settings by slightly adapting them to each photo.
Specific editing techniques can help photographers to give fresh momentum to the photos of any style: floral or food photography, travel and nature, lifestyle and interior photography, portraits, and others. With the assistance of photography techniques and tools, it becomes way easier to create your personal style and adapt it to the latest trends in this industry.
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However, the multimedia software doesn’t solely cover the photo editing tools. To develop a unique and professional style, you should also make use of sources like Instagram or Pinterest to get a piece of inspiration and discover the latest trends in photography.
Wrapping Up
The photo editing process is the right way to find the golden balance of any photo. The changes made with it shouldn’t distract the colors and composition. Instead, they need to emphasize its unique atmosphere and minimize the imperfections in it.
Following these simple yet professional tips can greatly help you to set up the most comfortable editing process for creating the nicest pieces of art.
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