How do you edit your photographs? Things to consider!

Taking the photo is only half of the story for any photograph. A lot of time and effort goes into the post-production side of photography and either you like it, or you hate it. Here are some things to consider and keep in mind while you edit your commercial photographs.

The best photo editor? Pros and cons of Adobe

There is no "best photo editor" because it's all personal preference and what matches your workflow. That might not be the answer everyone wants to hear but...

There are some programs and softwares that are more capable of certain tasks and might be catered towards certain demographics.

Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom are the industry standard when it comes to photo editing for its large range of tools and the many functions it holds. In Photoshop, you're able to paint, manipulate images, create vector art and so much more. It's not the easiest program to learn but once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to change tools and apply effects so much quicker. Lightroom is a simple program that allows you to manipulate the colour and exposure of an image. The UI is quite simple compared to Photoshop but you can add masks to fine-tune your adjustments.

BUT with all that said, it comes at a steep price that not everyone can afford.

Adobe Photoshop	CAD $27.99/month	CAD $355.88/year
Adobe Lightroom	CAD $27.99/month	CAD $335.88/year
Photography Bundle (Photoshop + Lightroom)	CAD $12.99/month	CAD $155.88/year
Creative Cloud All Apps	CAD $69.99/month	CAD $839.88/year

If you want the individual app, then you're paying CAD $27.99 which is quite an expensive cost, paying CAD $335.88 a year. The Photography Bundle is more affordable, cutting the cost in half, but some people don't want to pay CAD $155.88 a year, understandably.

If you're a student, then you're eligible for the student discount, which cuts your costs by 60% for the first year.

Photo editing alternatives

Affinity Photo

Affinity is Photoshop's biggest rival. You can do the same things you can in Photoshop in Affinity Photo (editing colour, composite, etc.) with a more-colourful interface. A big selling point is how easy it is to navigate through the workspaces and adjust your photos quickly. Instead of paying for a subscription, you only have to pay CAD $74.99 for a lifetime warranty.

(appleinsider.com)

Luminar Neo

Luminar Neo is a new software that uses AI to change and enhance your photos. This is a great alternative to Lightroom as there are many similar options you can apply and more such as relight tools and portrait retouching, all using AI so the program does most of the work. You can either pay for a subscription of CAD $84.00/year or a one time-payment of CAD $108.00.

(fstoppers.com)

Gimp

Gimp is a very similar program to Photoshop in the way that it has many tools that achieve identical results. There aren't as mine fine-tuned adjustments you can make in Gimp, but it has a simple interface and multiple tools that are also seen in Photoshop.

(gimp.org)

Paint.NET

Paint.NET is similar to Gimp. It has many tools that are similar to Photoshop's –– possibly more –– and has a very minimalistic interface. More if its adjustments and effects are hidden away in drop down menus so it might take a while to learn where everything is, but it performs well and is able to do many tasks such as cutting out objects from images and compositing.

(getpaint.NET)

Pixlr E

Pixlr E is unique as it's a web-based editor. That means you don't need to download any software or purchase anything and all you need to do it search it up. That is a great benefit because many people don't want to bother downloading programs and Pixlr E makes it easy. Its interface is similar to the previous mentioned programs and is easy to navigate. Basic retouches and compositing can be made on this website.

How to start

First off, you want to make sure you're shooting in RAW instead of JPG to capture the most detail in your photos.

Once you bring your RAW image into your editing software of choice, you want to apply any lens corrections, which will get rid of any perspective changes and vignetting.

See this final photo in my product portfolio!

Next it's good to fix your exposure so you get the most detail out of your photo. That means reducing highlights and raising your shadows in moderation so they aren't clipped (no detail left in those areas). For a stylistic approach, you can adjust those values to your wish, but adjusting highlights and shadows is a general step for most photos.

From there, some basic retouching is a good step. With products and food, you don't want to see dust everywhere or any residue on the main subject, nor around it. Some blemish removal as well as eye brightening or teeth whitening are some suggestions of minor touch-ups you can apply to portraits. This is all done to help the subject look the best it can.

Anything past this stage is up to creative interpretation. Colours, cropping, contrast, etc. can be manipulated to however best fits the vision.

See this final photo in my lifestyle portfolio!

General tips when editing

There is no step-by-step guide on how to edit a photograph but there are some things to keep in mind when you do so that your best work turns out:

Be patience. Don't rush through editing, it's the second half of photography
Zoom out. Sometimes you add too much when you're always zoomed in
Zoom in. On the opposite side, don't forget to catch small details that are noticeable in the overall edit
Let it sit. Your thoughts will change on your edit 24 hours later and you'll notice errors you didn't see before
Get another opinion. Getting a fresh pair of eyes helps creative editing

These will help you edit your photos to be the best they can be!

Go to my contact page, email me or call me to talk further!

Jack Rintoul