For some people, photo editing is a profession. For others, it’s a hobby they’re passionate about. But even for a person who prefers to keep things basic, a few simple photo editing tricks can transform ordinary images into something surprising, unusual, and artistic. In this post, we’ll introduce you to some simple ideas that deliver amazing results. Check it out!
1. Layer in Elements from Two or More Images at Once
Even the pros love a background remover app. Way back when, it existed, but you had to zoom right into pixel level and carefully outline the element you wanted to use as a cutout. Nowadays, intelligent software does it for you, and that means being able to place people or objects in unexpected places. The creative uses for this kind of editing are virtually limitless and it’s surprisingly easy to do using very basic image editing programs.
2. Play Around With Filters and Preset Edit Tools
You can have a lot of fun with filters or editing tools that make your image look very different from the original. Create effects that make your image look like an oil painting, a drawing, or a cartoon. Filter down to cool blues or warm reds. Go for black and white or allow some parts of your image to retain a touch of color. You may find yourself amazed by the range of things you can do just using your smartphone’s built-in image editing software. As an artist, you can create “paintings” out of images, and black and white really make a statement.
3. Don’t Forget the Basics
Perfectly ordinary edits like straightening and cropping can make the difference between your image looking ordinary, and looking striking. Add on a few additional, but very simple, edits like adjusting light and contrast, and your edited image could be worlds away from the original.
4. Blur it Out
Blur functions might sound like an oddity. Don’t you want everything in your images to be crystal clear? Not always! Blurred backgrounds draw attention to the focal point. They’re particularly useful for portraits, nature photographs, and action pics. Most simple photo editing programs offer a way to select the portion of a photo that you want to keep clearly defined, allowing you to blur out the rest.
5. Saturate It
Saturation intensifies the colors in your image. It can be very helpful if the image is slightly overexposed with too much light washing out colors. It’s also great for nature images and pictures of food. While it’s possible to oversaturate an image to the point where it looks cartoonish, that may even be part of the arty look you want to create. Always save several different edits and the original image so that you can make comparisons.
Play and Have Fun
There are a lot of basic edits we haven’t covered here, but these few tips could be all you need to take your images from the blah to the interesting. If you find yourself enjoying the editing process, get to know your existing tools as well as you can, and consider opting for something with even more functionality, even if you have to pay for it. These days, being an artist doesn’t necessarily mean having wonderful handicraft skills. A lot of artists are basing their success on photo editing. It’s a great hobby too, so if you enjoy it, consider investing in it!
