Editing photos at a professional level has become a specialized skill. A good photo editing should not just be about simple changes, but should tell a stronger story behind the photo. Professional photographers and designers use editing as a powerful tool to express a specific emotion through their photos. By balancing the colors, light, depth, shadows, and other nuances of a photo, you can create a more stunning image while maintaining its original merit.
First-time photo editors should definitely follow some basic rules. It is important to understand the context of the photo before editing. It can be a vibrant travel photo, or a philosophical portrait, the editing style will change depending on the purpose of the photo. For example, if it is a landscape photo, the colors need to be brighter and the clarity needs to be increased. If it is a portrait, the skin tones should be enhanced naturally.
Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Sketchbook are among the most popular photo editing tools used by professionals. Photoshop is available from lower level to advanced techniques, so if you learn it completely, you can achieve professional output. Lightroom is especially suitable for color grading, with the help of which you can completely change the tone of a photo. The features provided by these tools are useful for realistic and natural editing.
One of the most important aspects of editing is the balance of light and shadows. To get a natural look in a photo, the light must be used correctly. Sometimes, if too much light falls on some places while taking a photo, it can burn. At the same time, some areas may appear too dark. To solve this problem, the ‘Highlights’ and ‘Shadows’ settings should be used correctly. By reducing the highlights, the areas with too much light can be brought to normal levels. By increasing the shadows, you can make the details in the dark areas more visible.
Color balance is also very important. For a photo to remain a sweet memory, the colors in it should be natural. Some new editors often increase the saturation, which makes the photo look unnatural. Color grading should be done to improve the harmony of the colors in the photo without touching the original colors. The "HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance)" tool is very useful in this process. It has the option of changing each color separately. For example, if the color of the grass in a photo seems dark green, you can adjust the 'Green' color to bring a natural look.
Background manipulation is also important to give the photo a completely professional look. Sometimes unnecessary objects remain in the photo, which can damage the beauty of the photo. In such cases, tools like 'Content-Aware Fill' and 'Clone Stamp Tool' should be used to remove those objects. To completely change the background, you can cut out the main subject and place it on a new background using the 'Select Subject' feature. This is especially useful in portrait photos.
An important aspect of photo editing is 'retouching'. This is especially important in models and portrait photos. Changes like improving skin tone, removing small blemishes, highlighting eyeliner and lip color can have a big impact in a short time. However, do not lose naturalness in retouching. Some photos look more fake than others, to avoid such mistakes, changes like rescaling and reducing 'Opacity' should be made.
Another important point is to know how to save the final output after editing. Each photo should be saved correctly depending on its use. For example, it is best to save photos in JPG format for social media. For the same, make sure that they are in TIFF or PNG format for printing. To reduce the file size, use the "Save for Web" option and save without losing the necessary clarity.
Overall, professional photo editing is not just a simple editing but an art and a skill that should be developed. With the right tools, good understanding, and practice, any photo can be made to look very professional. The most important thing is that editing should enhance the original beauty of the photo but not completely change it. Every natural photo is beautiful, and the goal of a good photo editor is to make it more amazing.
Another important aspect of photo editing is improving the composition. Most photographers follow the correct composition at the time of taking the photo, but in some cases, small changes are needed. To make the photo more attractive, you can use the "Crop Tool" to remove unimportant parts. The "Rule of Thirds" is an important method, through which the subject can be placed in the right place in the photo and attract more attention.
Increasing the depth of the photo is also a very important technique. Professional photos often have a three-dimensional look, which gives them a natural slowness and professional touch. "Blur", "Vignette", "Depth of Field" tools can be used to show depth correctly. Especially for portrait photos, by slightly blurring the background, the main subject can be highlighted more.
Using "dedicated presets" in photo editing can be easier for some beginners. Using presets already available in Lightroom and Photoshop can give you good output in a short time. However, you should not rely on presets every time. After applying different presets to the same photo and trying them out, you can bring out a more natural and innovative look by customizing it.
Another important aspect is balancing "contrast and clarity". Most beginners increase the contrast a lot to make the photo attractive. However, the contrast should be increased to a limited extent so that the original natural look of the photo is not lost. Similarly, increasing the clarity helps to clearly see the fine details in the photo.
"Black & White Editing" is also a popular technique. Some photos are more important in black & white than in color. Tools like "Grayscale", "Desaturate", "Black & White Adjustment Layer" can be used to do black & white editing. However, it is important to understand which photo to use black & white for. The black & white variant gives good results, especially for street photography, emotional portraits or historical photos.
The "Dodging & Burning" technique is very useful for making a photo look more natural and professional. With the "Dodge Tool", you can lighten and highlight some areas, and with the "Burn Tool", you can darken some areas to create depth. This technique is very often used in Hollywood movie posters.
The method of improving "texture and details" is also very important. Some photos look attractive with more texture, especially in landscape photography. Tools such as "Sharpening", "Texture", "Detail Enhancement" can be used to improve the small details in the photo. However, if the sharpness is increased too much, the photo will become harsh, so balance is essential.
After editing the photo, it is important to save the "Color Profile" correctly. To save photos for print, they should be in the "Adobe RGB" or "CMYK" profile. For social media, it is best to save them in the "sRGB" profile. This ensures that the colors of the photo appear unchanged on different screens.
Overall, professional-level photo editing is an art. Excellent results are possible only when the right tools, technical skills, and passion come together. Every photo tells a unique story, and a good editor's goal is to edit photos to tell it more beautifully. With daily practice and learning about various techniques, anyone can become a professional photo editor.
To understand photo editing in more detail, it is necessary to observe the methods of improving light and shadows. Light plays a very crucial role in a good photo. Setting the light to enhance it naturally through editing is a professional level technique. Using tools like "Curves", "Levels", "Exposure" you can make the parts that need to be highlighted in the photo brighter. However, it is very important not to overexpose. Similarly, shadows are of great importance for some photos. In makeup photography, portrait photography, it is possible to increase depth through shadows. It is necessary to improve the shadows in a balanced way through techniques like "Shadow Adjustments", "Dodge & Burn".
Another important aspect of making a photo more natural is "Skin Tone Editing". Especially in portrait photography, it is very important to improve the skin tone to the right level. Some photos may appear with inappropriate colors after editing. This happens due to improper color correction of the skin tone. Tools like "Hue/Saturation", "Selective Color", "Color Balance" can be used to achieve a natural skin tone. Sometimes, it is necessary to correct blemishes or uneven skin tone. For this, "Spot Healing Brush", "Clone Stamp Tool", "Frequency Separation" techniques are used. This is a very important technique in professional level photo editing.
"Color Grading" is a very effective method to make a photo more significant. Color grading is the process of clearly enhancing the colors in a photo to give it a cinematic feel. Color grading can be done in various ways. For example, if a color grading with a slightly warm tone is used in wedding photography, it is common to use a cool tone in landscape photography. Techniques like "Color Lookup Tables (LUTs)", "Gradient Maps", "Split Toning" can be used to give a unique look to the photo. This is an important part of taking a photo to a truly professional level.
"Background replacement" is also a popular technique to make a photo look great. Some photos have a good composition, but if the background detracts from the original appeal, it is best to change it. You can easily change the background using tools like "Select Subject", "Refine Edge", "Masking Techniques". In modeling photography, product photography, there is an opportunity to give a professional touch by changing the background.
To make the photo more quality, it is necessary to save it in "High Resolution". Some photos lose quality when shared on social media. To avoid this, the "Export Settings" should be set correctly. To save the photo for printing, it should be in 300 DPI resolution. For social media, 72 DPI is sufficient. The file format should also be consulted. TIFF, PSD formats are best for printing. For social media, JPEG, PNG formats are suitable.
After photo editing is complete, the final step is to check the photo on screen. In some cases, a photo may look different on a laptop screen and different on a mobile screen. Therefore, it is best to open the photo on different devices and check the final output. Reviewing the photo again for a few hours after editing will give you a chance to correct any minor mistakes.
If you follow all these and practice, it will become easier to learn professional-level photo editing. Especially, practicing and trying different techniques will increase your skill. Editing is an art, and you must work hard to improve it. You can improve further by learning new techniques, improving your portfolio, and analyzing the work of other professional photographers.
To make photo editing more professional, it is necessary to use "Filters & Effects" properly. Most people apply filters over and over and make the photo look unnatural. However, if filters are used with the right balance, they can bring extra beauty to the photo. You can get better output by using "Preset Filters" in Lightroom and "Camera Raw Filters" in Photoshop. However, after applying the filter, you can get natural results by making a little manual adjustment.
Another important aspect that makes a photo more attractive is "Highlights & Midtone Adjustment". Some beginners complete the editing by changing only the brightness and contrast of the photo. However, at a professional level, special attention should be paid to the midtones, highlights, and shadows. You can balance the colors in the photo using tools like "Tone Curve", "Selective Color", and "Gradient Map". For example, if the highlights in a photo are too high, you can bring a natural look by reducing them a little.
"Sharpening & Noise Reduction" techniques are very useful for converting a photo to a higher definition. Some photos may appear grainy when taken at a high ISO. To reduce this, you can use the "Noise Reduction" tool in Lightroom or the "Reduce Noise Filter" in Photoshop. Similarly, tools like "Smart Sharpen" and "High Pass Filter" can be used to make the photo look clearer. However, if Sharpening is applied too much, the photo will become harsh. Therefore, it is better to apply a soft sharpness according to each photo.
Another important aspect of photo editing is "Dynamic Range Enhancement Techniques". You can bring a balance between highlights and shadows in a photo using the HDR (High Dynamic Range) technique. Features like "HDR Toning" in Photoshop and "HDR Merge" in Lightroom are available. This technique is mostly used in landscape photography. For example, if the sky looks too bright and the ground looks too dark in a photo, you can balance these two parts through HDR.
"Photo manipulation" is also a special art in professional photo editing. To completely transform a single photo into a different scene, tools like "Layer Masking", "Blending Modes", "Digital Painting" should be used in Photoshop. This technique is especially useful for YouTube thumbnails, ad designing, photomontage, etc.
Proper monitor color calibration is also very important for proper photo editing. Many people notice that after editing a photo, it looks one way on one screen and another on another screen. The main reason for this is a color calibration error. For professional editing, you should work according to the "Adobe RGB" or "sRGB" color profiles. You can correct the display settings using the "Color Calibration Tool" on Windows & Mac.
After photo editing is complete, "Final Touch & Examination" is a must. Some small mistakes may go unnoticed while editing. That's why you should zoom in on the photo 100% and examine all the parts. Sometimes, you may feel like you've over-edited it. In such cases, you can fix the flaws by leaving the photo off the screen for a few hours and then examining it again.
If you follow all these, it will be easier to do photo editing at a professional level. Most importantly, it is very important to learn new techniques and implement them to make each photo unique. Photo editing is not just a software skill, it is an art. To improve it, you need to practice regularly. Great photos become even more amazing through editing, so it is necessary to pay attention to every little detail.
"Composition & Crop Techniques" should also be used effectively to further improve photo editing. It is very important to observe the composition of a photo before editing it. Some photos may have the right scene, but if they are not framed properly, they lose their appeal. If composition techniques like "Rule of Thirds", "Golden Ratio", "Leading Lines" are followed, the photo will get a more professional look. You can rearrange the photo using the "Crop Tool" in Photoshop & Lightroom. While cropping, you should decide whether to put the main subject in the center or on the side depending on the mood of the photo.
"Depth & Blur Effects" techniques can be used to make the photo more natural. Some photos may seem simple, in that case, the background can be blurred a little and the subject can be highlighted. This result can be achieved through Photoshop tools like "Gaussian Blur", "Lens Blur", "Tilt-Shift Blur". To get a professional camera look in photos taken on a phone, you should use the "Artificial Depth of Field" technique. You can give more depth to the subject by using the "Radial Filter" in Lightroom or "Depth Masking" in Photoshop.
To make the photo more dynamic, you should do the "Light & Shadow Placement" correctly. In some photos, you can give them a more professional look by adding artificial light sources. You can use the "Dodge & Burn Tool" in Photoshop to improve the highlights & shadows in the photo. In some cases, adding effects like "Light Leaks", "Sun Glow", "Artificial Reflection" can increase the uniqueness of the photo. For example, when taking a sunset or sunrise photo, you can add "Gradient Overlays" to make the light look more natural.
It is very important to follow "Color Theory" to improve the color harmony in the photo. The main reason why some photos do not look attractive in terms of color is the lack of proper color balance. Following color schemes like "Complementary Colors", "Analogous Colors", "Triadic Colors" will give a professional look to your photo. You can control this process through "HSL Adjustments", "Color Balance", "Gradient Mapping" in Photoshop & Lightroom.
"Final Touch & Texture Editing" is very important to make your photo even better. Some photos may seem to have a little less detail, in that case, you can improve them using the "Texture & Clarity" tools. In Lightroom, you can enhance the improvement in the photo through the "Texture", "Clarity", "Dehaze" tools. In Photoshop, you can improve micro-details through the "High Pass Sharpening" & "Frequency Separation" techniques.
"Sizing & Format Selection" is also very important while exporting a photo for social media. You should set the photo resolution & dimensions according to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. For example, 1080x1350 pixels is best for Instagram, while 1280x720 pixels is best for YouTube thumbnails. To save photos in high quality, you should use the "PNG" format, while "JPEG" is better if you want a smaller file size.
If you follow all these, it will be easier to do photo editing at a professional level. It is essential to practice regularly and learn new techniques to make each photo unique. Photo editing is an art, and it takes real interest and perseverance to improve it. Every photo should tell a story, which becomes even more amazing through editing.