Image editing is not a simple endeavor to do. Learning how to utilize editing tools such as Lightroom or Capture One involves a considerable amount of time and practice. However, even if you are proficient in the use of picture editing software, you still need to edit your photographs in a way that brings out their natural beauty rather than obscuring it.
In order to understand the how you need to have an understanding of the why. Here are several errors I made while editing photographs since I was ignorant of the why behind them.
Oh, the sliders are so tempting to play with; in fact, they are so tempting that you are inclined to push them all the way to the extreme.
There is some instructional benefit in doing that, but there is very little true creative value in doing that. A significant number of photographers have a propensity to rush things when they first begin. We end up ruining everything that is there in order to get the most out of the photographs.
The following are some helpful hints that can guide you away from common editing mistakes and ultimately make you a more skilled photographer. Keep in mind that any one of these methods can be utilized to improve the quality of the shot.
Too High Contrast
The first one is contrasted since practically every picture I altered when I first started out had excessive amounts of contrast in them. Why? Because it appears like adding contrast gives the image a so-called “cinematic” sense and actually alters how it feels and looks to the viewer.
By examining the detail in the shadows, you may determine whether or not there is too much contrast in the image. You should always try to include some features in the shadows since this is a good rule of thumb to follow. Make sure they aren’t completely in the dark. It won’t have a nice appearance, and it will be lacking in dynamic range.
Did you really buy that pricey camera only to demonstrate that it isn’t capable of capturing an acceptable amount of shadow detail? My best guess is that it is not. It is important to keep in mind that contrast is a difficulty with photography in both black and white and color.
Oversaturation
The art of color photography requires striking a delicate balance between exhibiting rich tones and making the image excessively vibrant. The vividness slider has a tendency to bring out colors that you weren’t able to notice before, therefore it is quite simple to go overboard with its use.
It is seductive at first glance, but you need to question yourself: is the world truly already so filled? The response is nearly never going to be yes, therefore reducing the saturation level. Although you won’t be able to tell the difference right away, over some time you will become accustomed to the photos having a somewhat (5-10%) reduced level of saturation. They will appear more natural and professional once they have been printed.
This, of course, is something that is determined by the type of work you are doing. Turn it up if you’re going for a look similar to that of Willam Eggleston or Dave LaChapelle, but also make sure you’re paying attention to the other aspects of the picture that contribute to its overall impact. The degree to which a picture’s saturation is increased also has an effect on the feeling conveyed by that image.
Coloration Selected
Everyone has, at some point in their lives, experimenting with achieving this particular appearance. Around that time, it began to get widespread attention, and shortly thereafter, the internet was filled with photographs that “elicited intense emotion.” Even while it was interesting at first, it quickly grew dull to the point that selective coloring became a meme.
That is not to mean that you shouldn’t desaturate specific sections of the photograph for the purpose of creating an aesthetic impact. This method works particularly well on dramatic photographs, as it subtly directs the viewer’s attention to the more saturated section of the picture.
What I have in mind here is not a stark contrast between black and white and color, but rather a desaturation of the area. The method is known as “local desaturation” involves reducing the saturation of certain areas of an image by a range of 10–20 percent rather than by a whole hundred percent.
Fake Retouching
Pores, scars, and texture are all characteristics of human skin. At this point in time, frequency separation is your primary foe. It could appear to be a simple “fix” for someone’s face, but in reality, doing so completely damages the shot.
An excessive amount of retouching is not simply an issue with the editing process, but it is also a problem with the culture. It is the purpose of a photograph to showcase a subject in the most flattering light possible; nonetheless, we often overlook the fact that images, at least partially, depict the world as it actually is.
As someone who works often with retouchers, both in terms of training and recruiting, I urge them to perform a bit less work than is typically required of them. The natural look with a minimum amount of post-production applied to the face is becoming increasingly popular. To tell you the truth, if the remainder of the photograph is decent, there won’t be much need for retouching.
Vignette
Hello, drama queen or king. At least, that’s how I interpret the vignette slider’s function. It adds this enigmatic oval that, if applied effectively, would direct the viewer’s attention toward the topic of the image.
However, if it is used excessively, it will almost likely appear unattractive. The issue that arises when you overuse the vignette effect on your photographs is that it eventually dominates and takes the place of the shot itself. Your vignette shouldn’t end up being the most important part of the overall picture. When you have one primary topic on the photograph that stands out from the backdrop, utilizing a vignette in a suitable manner is something you should do.
So, What Constitutes an Effective Edit?
As a result of the extensive amount of material that must be covered in order to provide a satisfactory response to this inquiry, this topic really ought to be the subject of its own article. Leave a comment below letting us know whether you’d be interested in reading an article along these lines.
In layman’s words, a successful edit has to achieve one of the following things (but not both): make the image better and feel consistent with the rest of your work. The color, lighting, and other attributes that characterize your photographic style are what contribute to consistency in your work.
Visual style may serve as a compass for editing, but acquiring it takes years of practice, and even after that, it never remains the same. It’s very normal for your preferences to shift over time. Despite this, think of all the photographers who are able to maintain the look and feel that is distinctive to their work regardless of the subject matter that is captured by their cameras.
Your image should improve after editing rather than becoming worse. If you are going to take a portrait, you should take it while you are on set and then simply improve it in post-production. As photographers, all we do is capture energy, and if the energy isn’t there, to begin with, you won’t have much to edit once you’ve finished taking the picture. Under no circumstances may editing take the place of the original photograph that was taken on site.
Final Considerations
It is abundantly evident that the majority of the time, these editing errors are caused by a problem related to employing an effect in an excessive manner. The use of contrast, saturation, vignette, retouching, and other similar techniques is perfectly acceptable. When you focus excessively on a single endeavor, difficulties will inevitably arise. In point of fact, it is preferable to go too little rather than too much in this regard.
