Modern time and the ever-increasing visual media have made photography and photo editing closely related to each other. Professional publishers will touch up their photos before the actual publishing. There are a number of photo editing techniques which will improve your photos to a good extent. Either removing unwanted elements from the picture, removing dust, scratches and spots or resizing the photo correctly are among the many editing techniques. There are also some very good photo editing software and online photo editing companies by which you can get your photo editing tasks done. There are various levels of editing. Today I will discuss about primary five editing. These are the most necessary one and actually used for removing common errors of any photo.
Cropping
Cropping is one of the first that a photo might need. Often we will see unwanted objects around the main object, which might cause the distraction of the attention to the main object. These parts must be cropped out. Most of the software has this option of cropping included. But if you want to take it to a professional level, then you must resize the photo accordingly. You need to observe the cropped areas closely and there must be equal spaces around the image to make the main object appear centered.
Color Balance
Any professional level photo must have the perfect color balance. These days we are experiencing great cameras. But still often the lights are not on our way. Then it comes to the photo editor to edit the colors and brightness and make it appear perfect. Color balance will highly depend on the object and the environment. If the image is associated with a somber and subtle mood then the color tones and brightness must not go too high. If the product is diamond jewelry or a gorgeous dress then you should use vibrant colors.
Contrast
Contrast is another concern. With poor contrast the image will appear gloomy and dull. So contrast must be edited accurately. Too much of contrast will unnecessarily darken the image. Many software has the option to automatically fixing the contrast. But many of them do not have this feature and you have to do it manually. It will lend the image some sharpness which is needed.
Re-sizing and Re-shaping
If you want to display your images in web then you better resize them accordingly. Web does not allow high-resolution heavy files. Even if it allows, it will take longer time to load. Large images must be resized and reshaped. A standard size for websites is 450 pixels. Many website has their special requirements so you need to adjust them before uploading. Also the right format in right place is necessary. Like for web site, PNG and JPG will be the best. But if you want to publish the image on a billboard then you will need AI format.
Photo Retouching
Photo Retouching is another important and highly user photo editing service. To achieve perfection, it is a must do for any kind of photo. Naturally, any raw shot tends to have some imperfections. Dirt, dust, scratches, spots and blemishes are very common issue and found almost in every photo. No matter how careful you are with your camera, but still a close zoom will bring out these issues. A professional photo must be free from these and therefore retouching is very necessary. Retouching will remove all the dirt, blemish, spots and dusts from a photo and will make it more vibrant.
Color Correction
Color correction is a term that covers a lot of things at once. Changing the color of any object or creating that same object in different colors can be done by color correction. Mostly, web shops use this technique to display same object in different colors in their web galleries. Also color correction refers to selecting particular portions of the images and that portions color can be changed. If you need editing like changing the color of your hat or car then color correction the answer. Also an overall color correction will improve the color details of your photo to make it appear more appealing.
Adding Effects
After editing and fixing the basics of the photo then comes the question of adding various effects to it. There are many custom effects available in different software. Also many plug-ins are available by which you can achieve these effects. Adding effects will intensify the environment of the photo and make it more attractive.
These are the major base level editing which will remove the primary flaws of the image and a better appearance can be achieved. Of course there is no ending of revisions. There are excellent filters that can be added to achieve certain effects as well. Photo editing will create a big difference with the raw shot in terms of quality and attractiveness. Over editing or imperfect editing will be harmful for the image. It may degrade the quality instead of enhancing it. That is why you must have good photo editing knowledge before you start working on your images.
