Photo Editing Techniques You Can Try

With the advent of digital cameras and photo editing software, such as Picasa, Photoshop, and Lightroom, amateur and professional photographers have a wide range of editing techniques available to create better photos. Emphasis must be made, however, that there is a thin line between acceptable and unacceptable editing especially when the photos are used for journalistic purposes.

Before you jump into the conclusion that photo editing should ideally be avoided, you have to keep in mind that photographers then and now had to use photo editing techniques for various reasons. In the contemporary world, editing is a must to produce photos at par with the incredibly clear and sharp images, not to mention that these two techniques are generally acceptable since these do not affect the integrity of the photos.  

Cropping

This is definitely among the most used editing tool since it has several uses that enhances the beauty of the photo. First, you can remove unwanted objects at the edge of the photo and, thus, encourage the viewer to focus more on your subject than on the distractions.  You may want to capture everything on your viewfinder – nothing more, nothing less – but there will inevitably be instances when other objects are captured (e.g., your fingers on the camera) so cropping becomes necessary.  

Second, you can zoom in on the photo, crop out the unwanted elements, and create a new subject. For example, you captured a beautiful moment on camera that should not have been there because your subjects were other persons. You can crop out your original subjects, zoom in the beautiful moment, and create a new photo.

Sharpness

Even when you have a great photo from the frame composition to the personal expression, you will not find it competition-worthy when it’s not as sharp as it could be. While there are rare exceptions to the rule, sharpness is the foundation for digital pictures – without the clear and sharp details, your photo may as well as blurred all throughout for all it’s worth.

You don’t have to change anything in the photo’s brightness, contrasts, and colors either since adjusting its sharpness can make the difference. Your tool: The Filter and Sharpen functions on Photoshop; choose a higher number of pixels in Radius and a higher percentage in Amount for sharper pictures.  

When you believe that a photo can still be improved, you can use the other editing functions like brightness, contrast, and color. Just be sure to discuss the limits of editing with other concerned persons to ensure that your photo meets the agreed standards. If you have the best photo possible, your next step is to take it to Costco Photo for further processing.