When you decide to work as a photo editor, you first need to make up your mind about whether you want to take up photo editing as your profession or just as a hobby. Needless to say, if you have decided to take it up as a profession, you need to be more serious about providing professional photo editing services to your clients.

In this post, I will throw some light into the world of professional photo editing. This post is intended to help newbie photo editors.

Prepare Yourself: First of all, you need to be prepared to face questions like what exactly do you do, what your job is etc. Most people are not familiar with the concept of editing or retouching pictures. You have to keep in mind that this job has a wide variety of aspects and thus it is not like most other jobs.

Know Your Job: A professional who edits pictures does a lot more than just editing. He/she needs to look closely into the picture to find out what changes need to be made according to their client’s needs. They also have to be ready for impromptu work because clients do not always have a clear idea of what they want from editors. You have to form an idea in your mind by asking questions to your client.

Sometimes, clients may just ask you to improve the lighting or add some shadow effects to their photos, or they might even want to you to create a retro look or a futuristic look in their picture. Sometimes you may even be asked to remove someone from a snapshot or merge a couple of individual snapshots to make a group portrait. You have to know the tricks to take care of these jobs successfully.

In this age, many people, especially business owners download a snapshot from an online source and ask editors to ‘retouch’ the picture so that they can use it on their company’s promotional materials or worse, corporate identity. These people do not understand the concept of copyright. You have to be able to convince them that you cannot undertake such work because of copyright issues and that they would have to use stock photos instead. Remember to always use images that have the Creative Commons license.

Photoshop and Other Tools: You have to be well-versed with Photoshop because it is a powerful tool for retouching, modifying or manipulating images. Besides, you have to be aware of the photo editing software available in the market – how to use them, when the new versions are coming up etc. Browse the internet for tutorials and tips to get the most out of your software.

Create Samples: Clients do not always understand technical terms. For instance, if you ask them whether they want noise reduction in their image, not all of them may understand. This is where the need for creating samples arises. Create some examples using your imagination and tools that you can get your hands on, focusing on different aspects of modifying and manipulating images. When they approach you with a project, listen to their needs and show them your examples. You can also put these samples in your portfolio.

Network: Get to know photographers, agencies and editors like you. Connect with them on social media, comment on their blogs and interact with them. Exchanging ideas, critiquing their work, requesting critiques for your work etc.  are ways to network with other professionals in your field. This would help you get more projects and stay updated about the latest happenings in your field.

In the end, always keep honing your skills. Remember, modifying images is a part of a huge field called graphic design. Learn as much as you can about the subject and never stop learning.

All the best and do share your comments with us!

Photo editing or image editing is essential for those who blog regularly. With photo editing, you can edit or re-size photos even if you rarely use photos in your blog. The first name that comes to mind when you think of image editing is Adobe Photoshop. You do not need to be a graphic design professional to know that this is a very efficient tool and with all due respect to it, let me tell you that there are other tools available in the market that can offer picture-perfect photo editing services.

One such example is GIMP. It is an open source tool. If you are used to having Photoshop solve all your image editing needs, another open-source tool named GIMPShop can be helpful for you. As far as user-friendliness is concerned, the latter is a better option.

Now let me offer you some information about the nitty-gritty of photo editing. There are 5 things you need to know about – cropping, re-sizing, contrast management, managing color and red-eye reduction.

Cropping: This process is about reducing an image size by eliminating the parts that you do not need/like. It is similar to cropping photos on Facebook. You are presented with an option to select the part of a photo you want to keep. This feature works best when there is a lot of sky or ground in your photo.

Re-sizing: This is used when you want to use a scanned high-resolution picture on your blog. There is an option for pixel re-sizing if you want the picture to be of a specific number of pixels. There is also an option for inch re-sizing if you want to the photo to be of a particular size in inches. Plus, there is a percentage re-sizing option that can be of use if you wish to have a smaller or bigger photo. Always pay attention to the ‘Maintain aspect ratio’ feature when you are working with inch re-sizing or pixel re-sizing.

Contrast Management and Management of Color: These are important features in photo editing services. These features allow you to fine-tune the contrast and brightness the way you want to. You can also adjust the saturation of colors, the hue and what not! These adjustments can impact your photos greatly. So it is advisable that you check your images before publishing on your blog.

Red-Eye Reduction: This option is not available in all photo editing software. It eliminates the red eye that is caused by the flash of the camera when the photo was taken.  If you use this feature, be sure to check the photos immediately after using it because in some cases, this feature eliminates anything that is red in the picture.

After the nitty-gritty, here comes some info on the different photo editing techniques that can give you the desired look. Let’s start:

Polarize: You can use this functionality for minimizing the glares and reflections in a photo. It helps you make the colors in your photo more vivid.

Multiple Exposures: With this technique, you can blend more than one images in one picture.

High Dynamic Range (HDR): This is for the photos where the range of contrast is wide. Use it to create a range within which you can locate the high-contrasted parts and eliminate them as you like.

Overlays: You can blend 2 pictures with this technique.

Flash: This technique allows you to use light when there is not sufficient light in the picture you are editing. It can be tailored to your requirements.

No matter which software or technique you use, the images you edit, should reflect your creativity.

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You find people who simply love to click photos of trees, flowers, monuments, landscapes, people, and so on. Only taking photos doesn’t satiate their passion, they also try their best to enhance the look and feel of them. This is the reason photography lovers use photo editing services to make them a dozen times better.

If a photographer possesses graphic design skills, all the better for him. Knowledge on image editing is good since photo editing services can prove expensive.

Photographers edit snaps to convey a better story to the people. This post will highlight some of the benefits of such services:

Hides Flaws

Knowledge of image editing helps to hide any flaws that might be in the photo. Say for instance, a blotchy mark or spot can be easily concealed using such effects. You simple have to choose the affected part, and work with an image editing software tool to do the needful.

Improves the Quality

Why do photographers take pictures? They do it make them look the best. With editing tools and software, the task is now more easy. Using such tools will enhance the quality of the image.

For example, a photograph has been taken on a cloudy day with a sky overcast with dark clouds. As a result, the photo appears too gloomy. With the help of editing effects, you can brighten it up. It will make the subject and surroundings of look more lively and bright.

Old, Torn Photos Look New

Very often we do have family snaps that are black and white or have faded with the lapse of time. Such images look old, pale and worn out. Sometimes, there might be a torn corner or yellowing of the same.

With the advent of advanced editing techniques, you can transform your old photos into new! A black and white snap into a colored one. Remember that It is attractive images that capture the attention of people.

Accentuating The Subject

Sometimes, pictures are clicked, but without proper emphasis on the subject. This is no longer an issue if you know the tricks of editing. There are software and tools with which you can highlight the subject you wish to.

For example, you want to highlight the costume of a ravishing actress. You can do it using modern image editing tools or software.

Makes It Look Professional

It doesn’t matter if you are not a professional photographer. If you have graphic design skills, you will be able to make your photo look more professional. No one can make out that it has been taken by an amateur, and not a professional! You can make use of software like Photoshop.

Narrates an Interesting Story!

Your ordinary photo can tell people a more interesting story if you know adding effects to it. With the use of sophisticated image altering techniques, the visuals will  have more drama and excitement to it. For example, if you use the ‘panning effect‘, you can take the snap of a static object, and make it look as if moving!

Hope you now understand how beneficial photo editing is. Please share your comments if you like.

Understanding the basics of photography can help you to click a great picture. However, to make your photo more interesting, an in-depth knowledge about photo retouching is important. We provide you with few photo correction tips that will help you to enhance quality of your images.

Adjusting the image levels

A basic aspect of retouching is adjusting levels of your photo. This allows you to modify the light and dark aspects of the picture and thus, create a balanced look. However, avoid going overboard with the levels. The reason is that it may drastically affect the image quality and provide it with an artificial look. Finding out levels button in Photoshop is easy. Click at ‘Image’, move on to the ‘Adjustments’ panel, and finally, press the ‘Levels’ button.

Removing imperfections

To remove bodily imperfections, such as pimples or freckles, opt for the healing brush. To use the brush perfectly, choose the ”alt” key for selecting areas that you would like to swap. While using the brush, choose a soft one. Do not drag the brush. Instead, click only on the selected areas. Remember that dragging will affect the picture quality and may mess up the pixels.

Changing colors

Photographers are often required to alter eye and hair color and brighten the outfits of their subjects. For these purposes, one can choose the hue and saturation tool. To use this tool perfectly, first chalk out a path. After clicking on the tool, you will be provided with a layer and a new toolbar. With the help of this toolbar, play with the selected colors. You may find this process overwhelming initially. However, with practice, you will be able to master the trick.

Enhancing sunset photos

Sunset photos highlight the spectacular beauty of nature. Though quality of sunset photos mainly depend on the weather, with a photo retouching tool, such as a gradient map, you can make them warmer and more interesting.

Open the layer palette and find out the ‘Adjustment Layer’ button. After clicking on it, you will be provided with a list. Click at the ‘Gradient Map’ option of the list to find out the ‘Gradient Editor’. Select colors that are dominant during the sunset, such as yellow and red. Choose ‘soft light’ option of the blending mode and scale down the capacity to approximately by 50%. This will contribute in the creation of a golden and beautiful sunset.

Opt for the classic sepia look

Many photographers opt for the sepia look for its classic appeal. For creating this look, go to ‘Layer’, click at ‘new adjustment layer’, move on to the option of ‘photo filter’ and finally, choose the Sepia filter. Open the ‘Layer style’ window by clicking twice on the layer option. This will provide you with various blending options. Enhance the sepia look by adding an elegant touch.

For using photo retouching tools effectively and creating a perfect picture, it is important to be patient. Mastering an art requires extensive practice. Remember that committing mistakes during the first few attempts is normal. Learn from the mistakes and continue sharpening your skills.