6 Easy Photo Editing Tips to Make Your Photos Stand Out

Pictures speak louder that words. Photographs have been the center of attention on every social media platform, professional website and online business. Photographs are essential, but photo editing is equally important.

Are you looking to make a name for yourself as a professional photographer and purchase your first professional camera? Perhaps you just want to know how to make your photos look great for your album. These eight tips will help you create stunning photos in a subtle manner. It was discovered that professional photographers prefer Lightroom, Adobe Camera Raw, or Photoshop for post-processing. So, I decided to share my tips on the most popular photo editing software. Let’s now get to the important part: our photo editing tips.

These are some simple tips to help you create captivating photos that will entice people.

The subject should not always be the center of attention

The main subject does not have to be located in the middle of the frame to be the protagonist of your photograph. It doesn’t matter if the model is standing on one side or the focal point appears from the other side. This can make your picture even more eye-catching.

1. Center the subject

This means that other parts of the photo must be edited in a way that doesn’t distract from the main subject. Adjust colors to highlight an illuminated foreground while blurring the surrounding.

2. Straighten the picture

A “wrong” photo is not just about a blurred horizon. It can also refer to a tilted perspective where all horizontal and vertical lines are angled. You can straighten the image by turning on the Grid of your mobile phone or camera. Later, you can fix it using photo editors such as Photoshop.

Harmonizing the horizon

Click “Ctrl/Cmd+C”, (crop tool).

Click the “Straighten” icon at the top left of the tool palette (below menu).

Move the cursor to the left. Click and hold the ‘horizont’ button and drag the mouse from one end of the picture to the other. The picture will automatically rotate.

And voila! The ‘horizont’ will be fixed.

Perspective distortion tool

Go to “Filter Camera Raw Filter”

Use the Shift+T key combination to select the Transform Tool located at the top of “Camera Raw’ dialogue box.

Choose from any one of the four “Uprights” modes available in the dialog box: “Auto”, Level, “Vertical”, or “Full”. Each one offers different results, so choose the one that suits you best. “Auto” is the best option for correcting an image’s perspective.

Once you have selected one setting, refine it by adjusting the sliders below: “Vertical”,” “Horizontal”, and “Rotate”, respectively.

To change it, press the “Alt/Option” key on your keyboard. The “Cancel” option will become “Reset”. To start again, click it.

3. Cropping extra space

Any extra area surrounding the main subject could easily distract the viewer’s eye. Cropping it will ensure that there are no distracting elements competing for the viewer’s attention.

To make a selection in the area that you want to keep, use the “Rectangular selection instrument”.

Click “Ctrl/Cmd+C”, or select the “Crop” tool from the tool palette. The unselected section will disappear.

Don’t tick the “Delete Cropped Pixel” option. Photoshop deletes any cropped pixels automatically. If you wish to revert the crop, it will not be possible because it would have been deleted.

4. “Shadows” & “Highlights” & “Contrast”

A stunning setting can be significantly under- or overexposed by strong sunlight. These are the steps to help you recover your details from a photo like this:

Move the slider to the left to reduce the “Highlights”. The whitest or most prominent parts of the image will be restored.

You can increase the “Shadows” slider by moving it to the right. The constituent elements of black and darkest tones will be restored.

You can increase or decrease the “Contrast” depending on your needs. It accentuates the contrast between darkest and most lightest shades, or it reduces the glaring contrast.

These sliders can be moved to a certain extent depending on how much “Shadows”, and “Highlights”, corrections are required for the image.

Please note that

An “RAW” image has a wider dynamic range and color range. This makes it possible to recover details from under- or overexposed areas.

The “JPEG” file, however, is compressed data. This means that it’s not the best option for recovering details. However, the image quality will still be acceptable.

5. “Saturation” & “Vibrance”.

While colors give photos life, their dimming can make them lose their life. You can avoid such sub-par effects by adjusting the “Saturation” and “Vibrance” settings.

Saturation is the process of enhancing an image’s overall color by adding saturation. A scene that is underexposed can significantly reduce its grandeur. The great thing about “Saturation” in photography is that it gives a photo a revitalizing feel.

Vibrance is a different to “Saturation”, which intensifies the entire image, but “Vibrance”, which focuses only on the areas that are muted, is not as intense. This is particularly useful for improving skin tones that can be overexposed by “Saturation”.

6. “White Balance”

White Balance, as the name implies, makes white appear whiter. It balances other colors by adding their complementary color temperatures.

The “White Balance” option can be found in some photo editors at the top of the “Adjustment” panel. In Photoshop it can be found by clicking on “Filter-Camera Raw Filter”. The dialogue box will appear, giving you the option to adjust “White Balance” (Temperature, Tint sliders) and other color correction modes (Exposure/Contrast, Highlights, etc. ).

To achieve “White Balance”, move the sliders for “Temperature” which changes the yellow and blue hues, “Tint”, (regulates green and magenta), or “Vibrance” which decreases it at the end.

You can also use the eyedropper tool located above the “Temperature” button. Click it and click on any white spot in the image. It will adjust the “White Balance”, automatically.

You will need to open White Balance in a JPEG file. A “RAW” file will open automatically.

This is not a tip. However, it is practical for those who don’t want to spend money on photo editors. Adobe Photoshop is only available through the Creative Cloud subscription that requires a monthly or an annual fee. You can also opt for free photo editing software (Adobe Lightroom, VSCO). These high-end services are also available on mobile phones. Snapseed (a smartphone version Adobe Lightroom) and Lightroom Express are two examples. It’s so easy to make life easier! You can also make your life easier by outsourcing your photo editing tasks and entrusting them to professional photo editors.

Lifestyle photography Birmingham gives you the opportunity to get a closer look at people or events than would be possible otherwise. It makes them feel more personal and familiar. Your image is vital if you are a business owner. Your image not only attracts new customers but also keeps them coming back. Do you still find it difficult? There are many ways to promote your business and also numerous ways to develop your image. You may now be curious about lifestyle photography.