In this day and age, technology has become the center of the world. Almost everything is dependent on it; information is shared, connections are made, and content is created. With technology comes the internet and social media and the need to share more and more. We share our pictures, our information, and the events that take place in our lives. Regardless of what it is that we are sharing, we want to make it look perfect, especially when they are pictures. There are numerous applications on the market now as well as the default apps on your PC or phone which will help you get the best version of your photo.
Read on below to find out which skills are needed to become a master in photo editing.
Following the Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is one of the most important photo editing rules. Of course, you do not have to follow that rule but similar to the golden ratio of making things look perfect, the rule of thirds has a similar effect. The rule of thirds is basically dividing a photo into “thirds” horizontally and vertically evenly, and putting the subject of the photo on one of the intersections or the lines themselves. Although this may sound like a lot of geometry, most applications will automatically divide the photo that way as a grid to properly edit your photo.
Creating Adjustment Layers and Masks
Adjustment layers and masks are one of the coolest parts of editing. With adjustment layers, you can create an adjustment to the image without actually changing the entire photo. The more adjustment layers you add the more you target and alter different parts of the photo. For instance, if you have a photo that is colorful but would like to make parts of it black and white, you can simply add an adjustment layer to make those parts without any saturation. With a photographic website, you can learn how to edit your photos with different tools like Photoshop, Lightroom, and others. These websites and applications will help you create those adjustment layers and play with your photos however you would like. Also you can do things like background remove as well.
Being Able to Correct Color, Saturation, Exposure, and Contrast
The most basic way to make a picture look good is by adjusting the color, saturation, exposure, and contrast. Extra features include the highlights and the shadows. Some photos of nature for instance will look 10 times better with extra saturation and more greenery showing, but it can get really warm and unrealistic. With that, you can adjust the color and make it bluer, or adjust the warmth of the photo instead. The color of the photo will make it all a specific color, whereas warmth targets specific areas that look warmer than others. With dull and dark photos, making them lighter by increasing the exposure will really do justice to your photo and creates more contrast which makes the photo look sharper and more intense.
Knowing the Right Type of Filters
Not all filters suit all photos. Some suit a specific photo much more than the other. This all depends on the mood of the picture as well as the color, saturation, exposure, and so on. For instance, a photo of a bike can very easily be black and white, but a picture of nature will look dull as black and white unless it is already dark and meant to look somewhat mysterious.
Creativity
One essential skill you need to have or acquire is creativity. Although not everyone is creative you can learn to be by looking at ideas to get your mind working and think of how to make yours more interesting. You can make a picture look good and adjust the lighting, the temperature, saturation, and choose the perfect filter, but it can still look quite dull. See how you can manipulate your photos and make them look more intriguing. That is what will stand out when you decide to post those photos on a website or n Instagram for instance.
Of course, it can be really easy to install an application that will perfect the picture for you with the click of a button. Yet, that takes out all sorts of personalization of the photo and does not allow you to learn more skills either. If you want to learn to be an expert at photo editing you need to practice with different photos, different lighting and see how different filters will affect your photo. Each photo has its own “mood” and by time, you will understand which edits will suit the mood of those pictures better.