Thursday, January 10, 2008

Warning: These 9 Photoshop Techniques May Result In Great Photos

Post-Processing (or photo editing) is what makes a good photo great. Cameras produce a good starting point, but post-processing is where the magic happens. If you’re feeling a little bored with your current arsenal of Photoshop techniques, try out some of these creative post-processing tricks to boost your artistic style.
High Contrast Color
Boosting the contrast in a color photo can produce some stunning results. Bump up the contrast, play with the colors, and add that sort of “grunge” mood to your photo.
Photo by kk+. Kris Krug is also agreat Vancouver Fashion Photographer
High Contrast B&W
I love black & white photos, but I really love a good high-contrast black & white. This method creates a focus on the shapes, lines, and patterns rather than the tones. Also be sure to read my other black and white photography tips.
subway moments by Gregor Winter
High Color Saturation
One way to make your photo “pop” is to really push up the color saturation. Just be mindful of color clipping and banding if you push it too far.
Fishing Apocalypse by Anoop NegiAnoop also has a photography blog
Vintage Look
Making a photo look older than it really is gives it a lot of character and mood. To get this look, you can toy with color saturation, color tinting, and adding imperfections.
Welcome to the past by Marko Kosovcevic
Lomo Look
The real lomo photos have a very distinct look to them, but it’s a look that can be replicated through post-processing. They tend to be saturated in a very interesting way.
Lomo by Sigh Lens
Oversharpen
Most photos need to be sharpened anyways, but some photos can actually benefit from oversharpening. This method gives the image a “harder” look and feel.
Blown by Brian AuerYou’re already at MY blog!
Texturize
Overlay texture to bring in subtle elements to your image. It’s a great way to deal with flat and bland portions of the photo by introducing detail and complexity into it.
Unflinching by Ali Sharif
Add Vignette
Some images really stand out with some applied vignette. It helps create a natural frame around the image and it draws the eye toward the center of the photo.
Sunflower through the Viewfinder by Kaddy
Add Noise & Grain
This is another way to spice up the bland parts of your image. Adding noise or simulated grain adds texture and feeling to a photo, and can sometimes produce very “gritty” results.
i wanted to walk over the edge by Emily Higginson
As you can see, many of these photos apply multiple Photoshop techniques in addition to other techniques not listed here. So if you see a photo that intrigues you, ask yourself why. If you like it partly due to the post-processing, try to imitate the technique on your own photos

Brian Auer is a photography enthusiast from San Diego, California. He's also the guy behind the Epic Edits Weblog. As a hobbyist photographer since 2003, his passion has been to constantly improve his photography skill set, to share his own knowledge with others, and to become an integral part of the photographic community.

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