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Resources

Tips and tricks about digital photography and editing

SOFTWARE

Producing a great digital photo has 2 stages; actually taking the pic, then editing it on the computer. Some suggestions are shown below, and we regularly hold workshops.

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Many club members use Adobe Photoshop, Elements and Lightroom, which now require a monthly subscription.

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There are alternatives, though, for viewing and editing photos:

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Editing apps are also available for Android and iPhone/iPad

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EDITING

Much of this can be done with FastStone. Talk to any club member for help or more info.

If you're new to this, these guidelines may be helpful:

  1. Straighten the image i.e. make sure horizon is level and or any verticals are vertical.
     

  2. Adjust the level of shadows if the image is dark all over or in places. If this doesn't help, try adjusting the exposure.
     

  3. Adjust the textures of the image to bring out any details.
     

  4. Adjust blacks and whites if there are any distinctive bright spots, you can also adjust the highlights to refine them.
     

  5. Adjusting clarity can also enhance textures but don’t overdo it.
     

  6. Dehaze can remove any glare especially if there is sunlight and water in an image.
     

  7. Adjust vibrance to push colours but don’t over saturate the colours. Adjusting exposure changes the overall brightness or darkness of the image. 
     

  8. Contrast adjusts variance between the light and dark parts of the image. Adding contrast makes your darks darker and your brights brighter.
     

  9. Sharpening is a method in which contrast is increased anywhere a light area meets a dark area, thereby making the photo look sharper.
     

  10. Noise reduction is a method to smooth out any “noise” in a photo, which is usually caused by severely underexposing and/or shooting at an extremely high ISO. Noise is not grain and is considered undesirable.
     

  11. Crop image to give the overall image balance. (I will go into this more at later stage.

RULE OF THIRDS

Lastly try and keep images within the 'Rule of Thirds'.

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This is a guideline in photography that places the subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. It divides a photo into nine equal parts, split by two equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines.

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Many photographers try to place the main object of interest in a pic near one of the four intersections of the white 'thirds' lines,

These are just a few of the commands you will use when editing , though not necessarily in this order. It will depend on the image you are working on and how you feel about what you are adjusting.
 

The best way to how these steps effects the image is to work on the image and see what difference each command has.

Steve Brien 2023

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working with a model

If you are arranging a photoshoot with a model, it's a good idea to sort out the rights to the images you create, to avoid disputes.

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Download our Model Release Form to get everything on paper...

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Photographer

Watermarking Images

How to add a watermark to your pics

Click here to download as a Word doc

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