Custom Editing :: Lower Mainland Photographer
Custom editing is an important part of my workflow. There are many elements needed to get a great photo, including all the technical aspects of photography like exposure, location, connection, composition, etc. But editing is also a big part of creating a photo that stands out. Images directly out of the camera can sometimes look a little flat – it’s nice to make the details like eyes, skin, and backgrounds pop.
I recently took an online photo editing course (thanks Crave Photography) that gave me a few new tricks to add to my process. One of my favourite parts of photography – in addition to actually taking pictures – is watching a photo come to life during the editing process. So I thought I’d share this transformation with you. Here’s a photo of my daughter taken for our 2011 Christmas card. I’ve included the original, followed by a few examples along the way to making it sparkle…
Straight out of camera. I love this photo of my daughter, but I think her eyes and the background are lacking a little lustre. Agree?
So I made her eyes pop by sharpening and adding a little light.
Next step – bring some life into that background using blending modes in Photoshop. Basically, the photo is layered to add more depth to areas that need it.
Before I finish, a few more steps to add a touch of light, contrast, and extra detail here and there. Much better, don’t you agree?
Here’s the transition, before and after the custom edit process. What do you think?
