You’ve chosen your perfectly-put-together outfit, got your DSLR set to ready, and picked out your favorite shooting location. However, if you think your #OOTD pic is ready to go with just the above, you’re mistaken.
Trust me, I’ve learned from my previous job at Goorin Brothers where I edited countless photos of hats, models and more hats - the only way to get the best outfit photo is to edit that photo. I’m happy to be back in the blogosphere, in my comfy Birks and cropped button-up, with more knowledge to give you insider photo editing tips. Last time we gave you tips on how to take your best #OOTD. Here are three quick and easy photo editing tips that the pros use to get the best photo possible.
1. Remove objects from the background.
Oftentimes when I’m shooting outdoors or in my apartment, I’ll find that there were random objects in the background. The last time we heard, garbage cans are not chic. You can remove unwanted objects in the background of your outfit photo with what’s called the Clone Stamp Tool. Simply click the Stamp icon then hold down your Alt or Option key, causing your cursor to change into a target, and click on a portion of the background that you want to replicate. Then, brush over the object that you want removed.
If you’re new to Photoshop, I’d recommend choosing a blurrier brush so that it blends with your background and adjust the brush size to the largest you can work with to give it a more natural finish over the object.
2. Adjust the temperature.
Without natural lighting, your colors will likely be off - usually too yellow or too green. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance to open the Color Balance window. If the colors in your photo looks too yellow, edit the midtones and increase the blue intensity. If your photo looks a little too green, edit the midtones and increase the magenta intensity. The temperature adjustment is one of the most important edits you can make to a photo, so experiment with all the options to be sure you get the color of your liking.
I’d recommend not going past -10 or +10 since you should only be making subtle temperature adjustments. You don’t want to lose the radiance of your new dress, do you?
3. Even out shadows or bright areas.
Without professional lighting, your photo will have areas that are too bright or too dark. To brighten areas, select the Dodge tool (its icon looks like a lollipop), changing the exposure to how intense you want the brightness to be and brush type, then brush over the areas you want to brighten. To darken areas of your photo, select the Burn tool (hand icon) and do the same steps as with the Dodge tool.
Definitely use a blurry brush for balanced lighting and do not overdo the exposure. It’s easy to go too bright, and this is where you can really tell if someone is new to photo editing. Also, don’t forget to add new layers while you make your edits so that you don’t edit the original.
So, what are your best kept photo editing secrets? Let us in by leaving us a comment or join us in Chictopia’s photography forum!
