Photoshop is like a "dark room" for digital photographers. The best photos, whether taken by professional photographers or ordinary people, can be produced with a few added effects. The best way to turn a great picture into a stunning photo is to adjust and edit it until it's perfect "after" taken.
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Method 1 of 3: Improve Photo Color and Clarity
Step 1. Use the "Brightness/Contrast" setting to get dark shades, perfect blacks, and bright whites
In all images, the difference between the darkest and lightest sides (which is called contrast) should be clear. Thus, the resulting photo will be more attractive. The goal is to produce a well-lit image, with vivid tones of deep blacks and bright whites. Use the "Brightness" setting to make sure the image is still clear enough.
- Click "Image" → "Adjustments" → "Brightness/Contrast…"
- Make sure to check the "Preview" option so you can see the difference in the photo while changing the settings.
- Almost all photos will look better by increasing the contrast by at least 10-15 points.
Step 2. Increase the color saturation of the photo to make it brighter and sharper
Granted, increasing the saturation excessively can make a photo look unnatural, but it is necessary for almost all images, especially those taken with cheap cameras.
- Click "Image" → "Adjustments" → "Hue/Saturation."
- Increase color saturation by 5-10 points. Increase it little by little until the result is what you want.
- Shifting the "Saturation" bar all the way to the left will result in a black and white image.
Step 3. Edit the hue of the image if it looks odd
This can happen if the picture is taken with indoor lighting, so the result looks yellow or green. The "Hue" setting, which can be found alongside "Saturation", allows you to change the overall color tone of the image and create a whimsical and unique look, or fix color issues.
- Click "Image" → "Adjustments" → "Hue/Saturation."
- Changing the "Hue" just a little can have a dramatic effect, so change it slowly.
Step 4. Use the "Shadows/Highlights" setting to remove the parts that are too light or fade the dark shadows
This setting is most often used when sunlight creates distracting white flashes in corners and partially obscures the image. On the other hand, this setting can also help fade the shadows that cover a person's face in a photo. The "Shadow/Highlights" setting can target the lightest and darkest parts of the image directly without changing other parts:
- Click "Image" → "Adjustments" → "Shadows/Highlights."
- Lower the "Shadow" slider to brighten the dark areas in the photo.
- Increase the "Highlight" slider to darken the bright areas in the photo.
Step 5. Use the "Sharpen" filter to deal with photos that are slightly blurry or out of focus
This filter isn't a magic solution, and it can't fix photos that are completely blurry. However, it can greatly improve photos that are "slightly" blurry and clear up and clarify the boundaries. To use it:
- Click "Filters" in the Menu at the top.
- In the "Sharpen…" option, select "Sharpen" to slightly adjust the photo, and "Smart Sharpen" for a more detailed effect.
- In the "Smart Sharpen" option, use "Amount" to specify how far you want to sharpen the image. Use "Radius" to produce sharper lines, and "Reduce Noise" to smooth out areas that are too sharp.
Step 6. Consider reducing very blurry or low-quality images to reduce the problem
The larger the image size, the clearer the problem will be. Reducing the image will make it clearer with closer pixels. Thus, the part that is blurred or blurred is less visible to the eye. To reduce an image:
- Click "Image" → "Image Size."
- Decide whether you want to resize the image in inches, pixels, or a percentage compared to the original image.
- Make sure the chain icon is on, to maintain the proportions in the new image and avoid an uneven result.
- Reduce the image size by about 25%, reducing it again if necessary.
Method 2 of 3: Correcting Composition and Blemishes on Photos
Step 1. Crop the image using the "Rule of Thirds" to create an eye-catching photo
Never assume that original photo frames are the best choice. The rule of thirds is one of the oldest and most trusted rules in photography. This rule states that if an image is cut into thirds horizontally and vertically (resulting in 9 small squares), the most interesting elements are the lines and their intersections. In Photoshop, these lines will appear automatically when the image is cropped, making them easier to fix.
- Even small cuts can greatly improve a photo. Are there any unnecessary elements in the corners of the photo frame that you can remove to focus the results more on what's interesting?
- Always place the main line like the horizon in the example above on the third line.
- To crop the photo, press "C" to bring out the crop tool.
Step 2. Use the "Red Eye" tool to improve the appearance of the eyes in the photo
The "Red Eye" tool is located under "Patch" which can be found under the eye icon in the toolbar. You can also press J to bring out the "Patch" tool, then click and hold on the icon until the "Red Eye" tool pops out. Once you've opened the "Red Eye" tool, all you have to do is click and drag it over the eye area to get rid of the red eye.
Step 3. Use a small brush to remove small stains
Want to get rid of small pimples on the forehead? Use "Spot Healer". Click and hold the "Patch" tool (or press J) to open it, and "Spot Healer" will appear as a small menu under "Patch". "Spot Healer" can transform your desired point with the surrounding pixels and blend it perfectly. This way, minor issues like pimples or wires on the photo background can be removed easily without damaging them.
The "Healing" brush works the same way, but you can specify the replacement pixels. To select the part you want to fix, hold down the "Alt/Opt" key, click once, then start repairing the part you want
Step 4. Use the "Content-Fill" effect to remove minor objects and issues
For example, suppose that there is a small amount of dust on your camera lens, resulting in a brown speck in the sky of the landscape image you take. The "Content-Fill" effect can mask this problem for you. To do this, use the "Quick Selection" tool (which is below the leash icon) and open "Smudge". From there:
- Click "Select" → "Modify" → "Expand."
- Enlarge the part you want to fix by 5-10 pixels.
- Select "Edit" → "Fill."
- Select "Content Aware" in "Fill" and in the question box, select "okay".
Step 5. Use the "Patch" tool to replace a small part of the photo with another part
Imagine that you've managed to get a picture of a soccer player in action, but there's a fan on the fence that you want to remove. Of course, you want to remove this fan image while keeping the field fence. This may seem impossible if the fan is covering the fence! However, with the "Patch" tool, other parts of the fence can be duplicated to replace the fan image.
- Use the "Selection" tool (eg "Quick Selection") to select the object you want to delete.
- Open "Patch" by pressing J. You can also find it under the eye icon.
- Select the part you want to delete (the part you want to replace), but don't let go of the mouse.
- Drag the part you selected to the part you want to replace and release the mouse.
Method 3 of 3: Using Photoshop Effectively
Step 1. Use the "Save as a Copy" option to duplicate the image before editing
It's always a good habit to keep a copy of your images before starting work, especially if you're just getting to know digital editing. Having a copy of the image allows you to experiment without fear of making mistakes. Even though there's an "Undo" button, this option can be difficult to use when you're doing several things at once like cropping, tinting, sharpening, etc.
- Click "File" → "Save As," or simply press Ctrl+Shift+S (Windows) or Cmmd+Shift+S.
- At the bottom of the "Save As" menu, click "Save as a Copy."
Step 2. Learn the benefits of "Adjustment Layers" to get permanent results on most edits
The last thing you want is to experiment with color, contrast, saturation, etc., but can't fix it after going too far. While you always keep a copy of the original image before editing, the "Adjustment" layer allows you to save these changes for later use, including enabling/undoing them, without using "Undo".
- Click "Window" in the top bar.
- Select "Adjustments."
- Select the changes you want, from "Brightness/Contrast" to "Gradient Maps". Mark the creation of a new layer.
- Delete, reorder, or change the darkness of the layer at any time, or double-click it to change its settings.
Step 3. Set Photoshop to open the photo in "Camera Raw" mode to quickly fix the photo without destroying the original image
"Camera Raw" mode can open a new copy of the image along with sliders for color temperature, contrast, lighting, brightness, saturation, and image cropping. This option allows you to directly modify the photo with effects and settings slider. This option will open automatically when the image is opened if you set it up correctly:
- Click "Photoshop" in the top left corner.
- Click "Preferences" → "File Handling"
- Under "File Compatability," check "Prefer Adobe Camera Raw for Supported Raw Files."
- Click "Camera Raw Preferences" and select "JPEG and TIFF Handling" to "Automatically Open all Supported."
Step 4. Use "Batch Commands" to make the same changes to multiple photos at once
Let's assume you know that most of the pictures you take are too dark, and this can be corrected by increasing the "Brightness" by 10 points. Instead of changing them one by one manually, you can have Photoshop do them automatically all at once. As a study example, suppose you want to increase the "Brightness" by 10 points on 15 images:
- Click "Window" ↠ "Action" to open the "Action" menu.
- Click "New Action" at the bottom of the menu and mark the changes you want to make. This button is similar in function to a bookmark label.
- Click "Image" → "Adjustments" → "Brightness/Contrast" and increase the "Brightness" 10 points as usual.
- Click the square "Stop" button in the "Action" menu to finish setting.
- Click "File" → "Automate" → "Batch" from the top bar.
- Under "Play," select the "Action" you just created (whatever it's called).
- Select "Choose…" and select the photo you want to edit.
- Check the "Suppress File Open Option Dialogs" and "Suppress Color Profile Warnings" boxes then press OK to edit the entire image at once.
