Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 5: Edit like a pro
• Part 2 of 5: On your mobile device
• Part 3 of 5: In iPhoto
• Part 4 of 5: In Adobe Photoshop
• Part 5 of 5: Building your skills
• Tips

With all the devices and editing programs available, it can be quite overwhelming to decide how and where to edit your photos. This article covers some basic photo editing techniques and programs for both your phone and computer. Check out Step 1 below to get started!

To step

Part 1 of 5: Edit like a pro

1. Invest in software. You can do basic edits with programs like Picasa and Instagram, but if you want your photos to look really great, get a program specially designed for serious editing. This does not always have to cost money! Programs like GIMP are free. While you need to learn how they work, they have a huge impact on how your photos look.
2. Trim to make it more interesting. If you scroll through your photos to edit them, you can see how the photo was cropped. Changing where the photo ends can have a big impact on how it looks. Try to follow the rule of thirds, which states that photos look better when the frame is visually divided into three equal parts.
3. Change the contrast. This is a common setting for photo editing programs. It makes whites lighter and darks darker, making an image more dramatic and brighter. Be careful though: you will lose a lot of details if you increase the contrast. Don't overdo it!
4. Change the saturation. Saturation is how bright the colors are in a photo, and you can adjust saturation in most photo editing programs. Sometimes a photo can be improved by lowering the saturation (so that it moves towards black and white) and sometimes it can be improved by increasing the saturation. Experiment!
5. Change vibrancy. This is another setting that comes mainly with Photoshop, but also with a number of other programs. This is similar to saturation, but it works much better with skin tones. If there are people in a photo, start with the vibrancy. If you only have a landscape, you can use saturation.
6. Use blur and sharpen in moderation. Instead of applying blur and sharpen filters to your entire photo, use blur and sharpen brushes. This gives you a lot more control. This is important because photos usually only need a little blurring and sharpening. Sharpen small areas to make important details brighter. Blur areas such as certain areas of the skin on faces to make imperfections less noticeable.
7. Stay as close to the original as possible. Too much editing can quickly make photos appear very fake. It's like using too much makeup on a really beautiful woman. After a while she looks like a clown. If you want to make someone look thinner, don't overdo it. If you're going to change colors, don't make them look unnatural. When removing things from photos, make sure you don't miss anything that will make the photo look edited. You don't want your photo on Photoshop Disasters!
8. Avoid clichés. Clichés are artistic mainstays and can make excellent photos look dull and unprofessional. For example, black-and-white photos with only one thing colored in (red lips, for example) can quickly come across as corny. If you really want your photos to be taken seriously as art, try to avoid such clichés.

Part 2 of 5: On your mobile device

1. Download an application to edit photos. There are plenty of free editing applications available in the App Store, many of which cost no more than a few dollars. If you want to explore different styles, download a few apps and play around with the effects. Examples include:
   • Instagram (Free)
   • Adobe Photoshop Touch (€ 8.99)
   • Apple iPhoto (€ 13.99)
   • Aviary (Free)
   • BeFunky (Free)
   • EyeEm (Free)
   • Wood Camera (Free)
2. Take a photo with your phone or choose one from your photo library. For best results, choose a well-lit photo with an obvious object such as a person, plant, animal, or building. The clearer the photo, the more effective the edits will be.
3. Upload it to the app. Most apps give you the option to take a new photo (find the button with the camera on it) or choose one from your photo library.
4. Choose a filter. Every app is different, but many, like Instagram, have several "filters" or "lenses" to choose from, which basically do all the editing for you. Some apps allow you to adjust the intensity of the filter, giving you more control over the end result.
5. Adjust the exposure. In photography, exposure refers to the amount of light that falls on a photo. If the photo is too dark, you may need to increase the exposure. If you want a darker photo, lower the exposure.
6. Adjust the saturation. Some apps let you adjust the saturation, or color intensity, in a photo. Increasing the saturation of a photo can make the colors brighter, making the photo stand out. But too much saturation can make the photo look harsh and almost cartoony.
7. Add blur, a light leak, or some other effect. Blur the photo to make it look dreamy and distorted, or add a light leak to make the photo look old-fashioned and damaged.
   • Light leaks used to be seen as a mistake when light (usually from the sun) leaked onto the film and damaged it, but today light leaks are seen as a stylistic effect that many people like.
8. Trim the photo. If you want to change the shape or size of a photo, select the "crop" button (usually with a square on it) and make adjustments as desired.
9. Play with different filters and effects. Every app is different, so if this is your first time using one, you may want to try out all possible options for editing your photo.

Part 3 of 5: In iPhoto

1. Import your photo (s) into the program. You can do this by dragging and dropping the file from your desktop or by importing images directly from your camera. To do this, use the cable that came with your camera to connect your camera to the USB port on your computer.
   • Make sure your camera is on, then open iPhoto if it isn't already open. You can import all photos by selecting "Import All", or import photos individually by selecting photos and then clicking the "Import Selected" button.
2. Double click on a photo to start editing. It should expand when you double-click it.
3. Select the "Edit" button at the bottom of the screen. You will now see several editing options at the bottom of the screen, including "Rotate", "Crop", "Straighten", "Enhance", "Red Eye", "Retouch", "Effects" and "Adjust".
   • To use an effect, simply click the button for the effect you want to use. When you're done, hit "Apply" to save the changes, or "Cancel" to discard the changes and start over.
4. Rotate the photo if necessary. To do this, just click on the "Rotate" button. The photo will continue to rotate every time you click until it returns to its original position.
5. Trim the photo. Cropping is a very simple editing tool that allows you to adjust the size and shape of a photo and cut out unwanted parts. When you click on the "Crop" button, you will get a size adjustable rectangle, which lies on the photo. To adjust it, drag its corners until you reach the size and shape you want. You can also move the box by clicking inside it and then dragging your cursor.
6. Choose an effect. When you click on the "Effects" button, a small screen will appear with several filters to choose from. These include "Black and White", "Sepia", "Antique", "Fade Color", "Increase Color" and more.
   • Some effects let you adjust the intensity of the filter. To do this, just click on the effect and then adjust the numbers that appear at the bottom, using the left and right arrows.
7. Make additional adjustments. To perform more complex edits, click the "Adjust" button just below the photo. A new screen will appear with options to adjust exposure, saturation, contrast, definition, highlights, shadows, sharpness, temperature and hue of the photo.
8. Save your changes. When you are done editing, click on the "Done" button on the right side of your screen.

Part 4 of 5: In Adobe Photoshop

1. Import your photo into the program. You can do this by dragging the file from your desktop into the program, or open Photoshop and select "File", "Open", then select the photo you want to edit.
2. Make a copy of the background layer. Before you start editing, make a copy of the original photo in case you make mistakes when editing. To do this, select "Layer" and then "Duplicate Layer". This will make a copy of your original image.
3. Trim the photo. Cropping is a basic technique that allows you to change the shape and size of a photo and cut out unwanted parts. To crop the photo, simply click on the "Crop" icon on the left side of your screen. Now click on the photo and drag your mouse to create the desired size and shape of your square. When you're done, click the "Crop" icon again. You will be given the option to save or cancel the changes and go back to the original image.
   • If you can't find the "Crop" button, hover your mouse over the various buttons in the column on the left, and wait for some descriptive text to appear.
4. Look for the "Adjustment Layer" button. Layers are a useful tool to use in Photoshop because they allow you to edit your photo without messing with the original version. Layers can be turned "on" and "off" as you continue to edit, so nothing is permanent (unless of course you save your final version).
   • The "Adjustment Layer" button is located at the bottom of the Navigator panel on the right side of your screen. It is a black and white circle with a diagonal line through it. When you hover your cursor over it, it should say "Create a new fill or adjustment layer."
   • When you click on the button, a drop-down list appears with various editing options. These include Exposure, Brightness / Contrast, Selective Color, and more. Clicking on one of them will create a new layer for that effect that you can adjust and toggle on and off.
   • To turn a layer "on" or "off", just click on the image of an eye that is right next to the layer title.
5. Adjust the exposure. Again, do this by first clicking the "Adjustment Layer" button, then select "Exposure" from the drop-down list. This will create a new layer on your Navigator panel titled "Exposure 1". A small screen will appear with options to adjust exposure, shift and gamma correction of the photo. Simply slide the knob left and right to make changes to these effects.
   • The exposure of a photo is basically its brightness. Sliding the button to the right will lighten the photo, and sliding it to the left will darken the photo.
   • The shift and gamma correction options let you adjust the dark and midtones of the photo. This can help balance, or "shift", the harshness of color that occurs when you increase the exposure of a photo.
6. Adjust the colors. Do this by creating a "Selective Color" layer. You will get a small screen where you can adjust the red, yellow, blue, cyan, green, magenta, black, white and neutral tones of the photo.
7. Adjust the levels. The Levels tool lets you change the overall tone and contrast of the photo. To do this, create a "Levels" layer in your Navigator panel. You get a histogram palette with three different sliders just below it: the black tone slider (left), the white tone slider (right), and the midtone or gamma slider (right).
   • The position of the black and white tone sliders creates a range for the image input levels. The black tone will initially be at 0, and the white tone at 255. To adjust the range, simply move the black tone slider to the right and / or the white tone slider to the left.
   • Drag the midtone slider to the left to darken the midtones, and to the right to make the midtones lighter.

Part 5 of 5: Building your skills

1. Become a Photoshop professional. Photoshop can be difficult to use - it takes a while to get the hang of it! But once you get it, you can make your photos look professional before you know it!
2. Learn to adjust colors. Sometimes a different color in a photo can make it look bad. A simple adjustment of the color tones can save the whole picture!
3. Sketch your photo! You've probably seen those spam and virus-like apps and sites that make your photos look like a drawing, so to speak. Did you know that you can easily achieve this effect yourself, without getting malware for free? This can be a nice edit for your photos.

Tips

Since every photo editing program is different, it can be helpful to check out an in-depth guide for additional tips and instructions. While most editing apps are simple enough to use for the first time, advanced programs like Photoshop are extremely complex and take months of practice to master.

• Other popular photo editing programs for your computer include Aperture, PaintShop Pro and Pro Tools.