Editing Techniques that Changed My Photography

Speeding Simple Process
Without a doubt, one of the main issues concerning photo editing techniques is the workflow. Sometimes having to edit even just a couple of photos can turn into hour-long efforts. The process of opening, editing, and saving can become a pain. Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw simplify this process by utilizing a series of shortcut keys. Lightroom’s software helps to save a lot of time for such remedial tasks. Press the ‘Cmd+C’ or ‘Ctrl+Shift+C’ (for Copy options) and ‘Cmd+V’ or Ctrl+Shift+V’ (for Paste settings) commands on your Microsoft Surface from Beachcamera.com.

 

Camera Raw Filter
Photoshop CC has the option of enabling the Camera Raw interface. As such fast layer photography editing can be done in Photoshop on your monitor. Simply select the layer, then go to Filter > Camera Raw Filter. In order to return to the Camera Raw Filter at any time to fine-tune the photos, first convert the layer to a Smart Object using Filter > Convert for Smart Filters. This will prevent destructive edits.

Make Use of Various Shortcuts
Not only does it save you time, but it also offers a better command of the software. One of the most used tools, the zooming can be simplified by pressing and holding H. In Photoshop this will create an instant zoom. You can also hold the space bar to temporarily switch to the Hand Tool, dragging the image around to verify details in other areas.

Create More Vivid Skies
By utilizing the HSL option in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom you can give a subtle boost in contrast between a blue sky and a cloudy one when. To do so, select Luminance and then drag the Blue slider to the left to darken the sky. Don’t over use it, however, or the edges of the clouds and other objects might intrude into the sky. You could employ various other photo editing techniques such as applying a digital Graduated Filter, boosting the Clarity or Curves or increase the Vibrancy or Saturation. Another useful option is the Targeted Adjustment Tool, which can be used directly on the image. This is useful for portrait retouching. Simply select it from the ACR toolbar or by clicking on the ‘bullseye’ icon at the top of the HCL panel in Lightroom. Afterwards simply click and drag on dark areas.

 

Stylizing Photos
If you wish to apply a more stylish look to your wedding photography for example, the following steps might prove useful. Begin by uploading your photo in Photoshop and select Brightness/Contrast panel. Adjust Brightness to +25 and Contrast to +35. Set Saturation to -25. Then adjust the Curves layer. You can first choose Red. Select and drag down the center of the red line a little. Then move the Blue line upward. Lastly select and move up the Green bar a little. Finish by selecting the Soft Light blending mode. To complete, you just need to add two Solid Color adjustment layers. Select a pale yellow color and then set its blending mode to Overlay. Set Opacity to 35%. For the second color layer you can type ‘f000ff’. Select Screen as its blending mode and Opacity to 30%. The perfect touch to your wedding photography.

Experiment with Preset Settings
A handy photo editing technique is to simply use the preset settings. The Presets Panel is located on the left of the interface after you click on the Develop Module. The color presets found there are excellent for experimenting with portrait retouching. If you find yourself in a pinch and need to undo an effect, safely scroll down to the History palette. There you can click back through history states.

Be Selective when Using Apply Levels
Adjustment Layers have the feature of being accompanied by a Layer Mask. This can be helpful when hiding parts of an adjustment. Simply select the Brush tool and continue painting over tweaked parts with black. You can also employ the command Cmd/Ctrl+I to make the Layer Mask black, then paint with white to reveal the modification. By applying these Levels as Adjustment Layers you can mask to restrict the effect to certain areas of the image you have stored on your external hard drive from Beachcamera.com. There you have it, a short list of editing techniques for photography. These tips will improve your editing skills whether it’s portrait retouching, wedding photography or your selfies for social media!