editing pictures using camera raw
A frequently asked question I receive would be; “how do you edit your pictures?” So I made this simple tutorial (with a little sneak peak of tomorrow’s post!) in which I’m taking you through my picture editing process. I shoot all my pictures in RAW and if you own a SLR camera I recommend doing the same. When I open them on my computer Photoshop’s Camera Raw Editor pops up, which is a very handy tool. If you shoot in JPG; don’t sweat, a lot of these options are also available in Photoshop or other photo editing programs.
1. Getting started
I usually run through all pictures and make a selection of the best ones. Then I open all of those up in Camera Raw.
2. Adjust temperature
This is subject to taste, but I think we can all agree that yellow-ish pictures don’t look nice. I would suggest setting your camera’s white balance settings to whatever’s applicable to that day: cloudy, sunlight, shades or something else. This already saves a lot of hassle and makes it easier to spot the potential of your picture before you start editing. I usually go for a cooler temperature and add in a little more pink, because well, you know me. I love a little bit of pink.
3. Adding contrast
There was a time when I went without adding contrast to my pictures, until I found out how lively it makes them actually look. Be careful on this one, as too much contrast can make your pictures look too harsh.
4. Adding black
Adding more black to your pictures can make them a lot richer. In my case this also makes my hair stand out. If you use Photoshop this can easily be done using ‘Selective color’.
5. High saturation
I always add a lot of saturation to my pictures as I love them to have that ‘happy feel’. Just play around with this one and see what works best. Too much saturation will make your pictures look very pop arty, which might be good if you’re wearing a pop arty look, but usually isn’t a good idea.
6. Adjusting colours
All this saturation has made my skin look very orange when I only meant to make my clothes pop. So I adjust the luminance of my skin colour, usually red, orange and magenta. This option is also nice when you want to adjust the colour of your clothes. In Photoshop this can also be done using ‘Selective color’.
7. Adjusting exposure
I always like my pictures light & bright, so I end with adjusting exposure. When you’ve opened up all of your files and you’ve finished editing the first picture, you can now select them all and synchronize all of your adjustments. Run through them, tweak a little here & there and you’re done!
Now, wasn’t that easy? Hope you’ve enjoyed the read and my tips have been helpful!
Loved it or have more questions? Facebook or tweet and let me know!
P.S. In case you’re wondering how I take my pictures, read this post.
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