***if anyone is interested in doing a “photo friday” guest post, email me at thehollierogue@gmail.com!***
friday—celebrate! woot!
around these here parts, we like to spend Fridays sharing our favorite photos and maybe even learn a thing or two from this little community that keeps on growing (thank you, by the way! i appreciate EACH linker!)
*i’m not even close to being a professional photographer/photo editer, so take what i’m about to share with a grain of salt. i figure if a regular gal like me can do this easy trick, then so can you!*
ok, today, i want to show you my “go-to” photo editing trick that i use on almost every picture i post on this blog.
before:
after:
again, it may or not be the best/right thing to do, but it works and i get compliments on the blog pictures all the time–you be the judge.
i use photoshop elements (it is about $80 and totally worth every cent).
1. open photo
2. duplicate layer
3. change to “soft light”
4. adjust levels
5. if it is a product photo/tutorial with white background: flatten image and use a soft edge brush to whiten shadows/corners. keep opacity around 50% so it’s not too harsh of a variance.
i think this helps my photos that are inside with less-than-perfect lighting and also brings out more vibrant colors. when all else fails, i run the Coffeeshop Action: SIMPLY VINTAGE and all is right in the world once again.
so what’s the verdict?
is it worth the 4 step improvements?
do you have an easier/better trick for quickly editing photos? i’d love to hear about it!
now, it’s time for YOU to show off what you’ve been photographing this week!
link up, visit some of the other linker-uppers. and tell all your friends where the best place to “party” on friday is!
(my photo friday button is in the sidebar)
watch out for me picking some of my favorites and facebooking/tweeting about them!
You may be new at this whole photography, but you a a pro in my books. I always learn so much from you! Thank you! I edit my photos in Picnik, but I don’t know what free suitable substitute I’m left with now.
Hi! I use Photoscape to edit all my photos! It is completely FREE and sooo fantastic! There are TONS of features…tons of tools in it. This is the link where I downloaded it: http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/download.php I am sure you will love it!
i just heard about Picasa (google) and Photoscape. Both free but i don’t know anything about them!
So, so cool!
thanks for linking up, friend!
Great job with the edits! It’s a simple edit and yet it really adds a lot to the pictures! What fun things to capture too!
(You’ve been tagged! http://jlrailing.blogspot.com/2012/02/eleven.html )
thanks for encouraging words!
I love Light Room…and just recently began also using PS to edit too. I find a combo of both is perfect, since its easier to edit exposure and white balance in LR, but its also a tad limiting. And I totally do the same thing as you for my photos when the lighting isn’t really perfect. great post!
thanks, ana! do you shoot in raw? i was thinking i heard Lightroom works best with RAW (of course, I’m sure any program does). have a good weekend!
I use Picasa 3 from Google to edit my pictures. It’s easy to use and free to download. you can’t do all the things you can do with photoshop, but I like the effects you can get with minimal effort.
oh, i’ve heard of picasa but never tried it, i think i’m going to have to start! thanks for sharing and for linking up!
Brilliant! Thanks for the Photoshop tutorial. I rely so much on actions that I don’t actually know how to do anything on my own in Photoshop. Thanks for teaching me a thing or two… going to try this next time I edit a batch of photos.
So pleased to take part in Photo Friday today. Looking forward to clicking on the other lovely photos and see what everyone’s been photographing!
hope it was helpful and i so appreciate you stopping by and visiting the other posts! blessings to you!
I used to do that all the time. Soft light was my go to.
what is it now? thanks for stopping by, friend!
I’m going to have to try that! Thanks for the tips!
excited about the new site!
Great tip!! I’ll have to check out that software!
thanks for linking up!
Great color boost, I should contact you about guest posting!
I think you just did
! any topics that you’d like to talk about? I’m open for anything!
Hi Andi! I think your go-to editing is perfect! I use a different program called Photoscape, and I have my go-to editing as well… back-lighting! Does just about the same thing yours does. =)
wow, i’ve never heard of it! can’t wait to go check it out—FREE is fantastic!
I’m brand new to editing my pictures, so I’m excited to hear your tips. Thanks!
Hope it was helpful for you and so happy you stopped by! have a great weekend
A very subtle way to get a great outcome
Very nice!
Hey Andi! I am new to your blog but I’d love to do a guest post. Email me if you are interested.
I think it is totally worth the 4 steps to get a much brighter and eye pleasing photo. I rarely post a photo on my blog that isn’t edited or at least brightened. I would love to do a Friday photo guest post
Hi Lisa! Did I see that you are going to Creative Estates, too!? I would so love to have you guest post sometime. Email me with a topic that interests you and we can figure out a date! Excited to work together!
Andi
I’ll have to check out that software! I should contact you about guest posting! Email me if you are interested. have a great weekend..
Hi Martina,
Send me an email with your website/portfolio and then we can talk about a guest post from there. Thanks for your interest.
Your edit looks fantastic! I have PSE, but I am a little lazy, so I use Picasa 3 a whole lot. The auto contrast button on Picasa is a one click fix for exposure that’s really very accurate, and then I use a little fill light if needed and highlight, and those make a huge difference! An employee at my camera store told me about Picasa, and I’ve loved it ever since. Wanting to get some actions and play more with PSE though!
great tips! i’m going to try playing around with picasa!