How to Edit Photos

As there are more and more devices and photo editing programs available, it can be overwhelming to choose from. This article will walk you through some basic photo editing, and introduce more programs and apps that you can use to edit images on computers and mobile devices.

Table of Contents

Make edits on a mobile device

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Download a photo editing app. You can find many free photo editing apps at the Google Play Store on Android or the App Store on iPhone and iPad. If you want to explore more styles, download a few more apps and try out the effects. Here are a few suggestions for you:

Snapseed (Free)
PicsArt (Free)
VSCO (Free)
Instagram (Free)
Adobe Photoshop Express (Free)

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Open the photo editing app. After downloading and installing an app from the App Store or Google Play Store, simply tap the app on the home screen or apps menu to open it.

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Take a photo or select a photo. Most apps give you the choice to take a photo (look for the button with the camera icon) or select a photo from the gallery (look for the “+” icon). You will see the image in the center with the selection and the icon at the top and/or bottom of the screen.

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Select filter. While every app is different, many apps like Instagram let you choose a “filter” or a “lens” and do all the editing for you. Look for the tag or icon below or above the preview to see the editing choices you can make on the app. Most photo editing applications display filters as preview thumbnails below the image. Look for a slider or an icon with a slider that lets you adjust the level of the filter.

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Adjust exposure. In photography, exposure is the amount of light on an image. If the photo is too dark, you need to increase the exposure. Conversely, if you want the image to be darker, lower the exposure.

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Adjust saturation. Some applications allow you to adjust the saturation, or color intensity in the image. Increasing the saturation of an image is a way to bring out the colors and make it look more eye-catching. However, high saturation can make photos look heavy and cartoonish.

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Crop photo. This is an effective way to add more attention to the subject in a photo by cutting out some background details. The image crop tool usually has an icon of two square corners forming a square. To crop an image, simply select the crop tool and drag the corner of the photo inward so that the subject is in the center of the bright part of the photo, then tap the change confirmation icon.

In many applications, the crop tool displays two horizontal and two vertical lines that divide the image into three parts. You can use these lines to align the layout. Arrange the subject or other element of the photo in lines or points of intersection. In photography, this is the rule of thirds. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Try other filters and effects. Every application is different; The first time you use an application, you should browse and try all the other options to know how to edit photos.

Some photo filters are available for a fee. If the filter has a padlock or a dollar symbol, you need to pay to use it.

Professional photo editing

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Install photo editing software. You can do basic editing with programs like Picasa and Instagram, but if you want your photos to look more dramatic, use an advanced photo editing program. Adobe Photoshop is the typical professional photo editing program, but you don’t need to pay an Adobe subscription to use it. Instead, you can try GIMP – a free, open source photo editing program that has many of the same tools as Photoshop and no download fees.

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Save the image to your computer. After installing the photo editing program, you need to prepare a few photos for editing. If you have a digital camera, you’ll use an SD card or USB to transfer the photos to your computer. If you take photos with your phone, you can save them to a cloud service like iCloud, Google Photos, or DropBox that’s accessible from a computer.

It is better if the photo to be edited has a high resolution.

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Crop photo. Cropping adds attention to the subject in the image by removing excess background. Click the two square corners that make up the square in the left toolbar. Next, click and drag the square around the subject of the photo. Drag the corners to adjust the lighter part of the photo. Click the center of the photo or the checkmark icon to confirm the cut.

When you crop an image, you’ll see two horizontal and vertical lines that divide the image into three parts. Align the subject or other element of the photo along these lines to improve the composition of the photo. In photography, this is the rule of thirds.

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Change the contrast. Contrast is a setting common to all photo editing programs. With this setting, whites will be brighter and darks will be darker, making the photo look more dramatic and clear. However, be careful: you will lose a lot of small details when you increase the contrast.

To adjust the contrast in Photoshop, you need to click on the half-black and half-white sun icon displayed to the right of the upper part of the Layers pane. This adds a brightness and contrast adjustment layer to the image. Click the layer in the Layers pane, and then use the sliders above the frame to adjust the brightness and contrast.
To adjust contrast in GIMP, you’ll click Brightness and Contrast in the Cpors menu at the top. Adjust the brightness and contrast using the sliders, and then click Ok .

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Change saturation. Saturation determines the depth of color in an image, and the saturation bar is a common feature in photo editing programs. Sometimes photos will look better when the saturation is reduced (towards black and white) or increased saturation. Experiment to see the effect on the photo.

To adjust the saturation in Photoshop, you’ll click the three gradient bar icon (Hue & Saturation) or the triangle icon (Vibrancy) at the top of the Layers pane. This adds a new adjustment layer to the image. Click on the new adjustment layer and use the slider above the Layers pane to adjust the saturation. You can also adjust the lightness, color, or highlight sliders.
To adjust saturation in GIMP, choose Saturation in the Cpors menu above. Use the Saturation slider to adjust the saturation of the image, and then click Ok .

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Color adjustment. You can adjust the color balance to slightly change the colors of the highlights, the neutrals, and the shadows on the image. You can also use the Hue slider of the Hue & Saturation section to give the image a noticeable color change.

To adjust the color balance in Photoshop, you’ll click the scale icon in the upper right portion of the Layers pane. This is the operation to add a color balance adjustment layer. Click the selector next to “Shadows”, “Midtones”, or “Highlights” to select the element to adjust. Use the sliders under Cyan/Red, Magenta/Green or Yellow/Blue to adjust the color of the image.
To adjust the color balance in GIMP, you need to choose Cpor Balance under the Cpors menu at the top. Click the selector next to “Shadows”, “Midtones”, or “Highlights” to select the element to adjust. Use the sliders next to Cyan/Red, Magenta/Green, or Yellow/Blue to adjust the color of the image, and then click Ok .

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Adjust Levels. The Levels tool allows you to change the hue and contrast of the image. You can click the histogram icon in Photoshop to add a Levels adjustment layer, or select Levels in the Cpors menu on GIMP. The Levels section has two adjustment bars for input and output colors. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Drag the black slider in the Input bar to the right to increase the darkness of the image. Drag the black slider in the Output bar to the right to limit the darkness in the image.
Drag the gray slider in the Input bar to the left to lighten the neutrals. Drag the slider to the right to darken the neutrals.
Drag the white slider in the Input bar to the left to increase the brightness. Drag the white slider in the Output bar to the left to limit the brightness in the image.

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Use blur and sharp filters with caution. You can find the Blur and Sharpen/Enhance filters in the Filters menu above GIMP and Photoshop. Be careful with the blur or sharpness you add to the photo. Instead of adding a filter to the entire image, you can use the marquee, ellipse, lasso, or quick selection tool to select a portion of the image and add a filter to the selected portion of the image.

When editing an image in Photoshop or GIMP, you’re better off right-clicking the layer in the Layers pane and choosing Duplicate . This is a duplicate of the layer to be edited so that you have an unedited copy of the original image in case the editing doesn’t turn out the way you want.

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Use the Brush and Eraser tools. The Brush tool allows you to paint and color or add textures. Eraser tool helps you to erase unwanted points in the image. The Brush tool has a brush icon in both Photoshop and GIMP.

Below the toolbar, you will see two overlapping rectangles. The upper cell is the primary color, the lower one is the secondary color. To choose a base color, you’ll click on the rectangle at the top. Click a color in the rainbow gradient and click a tint in the large square on the left. You can also click the dropper icon in the toolbar and click a color in the image to select it.
In Photoshop, the Brush menu displays above the left toolbar. Click the dark or faded circle icon to see the Brush menu. In GIMP, the Brush menu displays below the left toolbar. Click a brush, circle, or texture type to choose a style. Adjust the brush size and thickness using the slider.
You can use a variety of brushes with the Eraser tool, the Healing tool, and the Clone Stamp tool.
Use the Opacity slider to adjust the intensity or transparency of the color.

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Use the Clone Stamp and Healing tools. These are effective tools to remove small imperfections in photos. The Healing tool has a bandage icon in Photoshop and GIMP. The Clone Stamp tool has a stamp icon in Photoshop and GIMP.

To use the Healing tool, you need to click the Healing tool and then select the brush type and size using the menu above or below the toolbar. Click on the point to be fixed. The Healing tool will make the point blend in with the surrounding colors and textures.
To use the Clone Stamp tool, you need to click on it, and then select a brush style and size from the menu bar above or below the toolbar. In Photoshop, you would hold down (“Command” on Mac) or “Ctrl” (“Contrp” on Mac) in GIMP and click on the pixel to sample. Click another part of the photo to stamp that pattern.

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Copy and paste parts of a photo. There are many tools in Photoshop and GIMP that allow you to copy and paste, or cut and paste multiple parts of an image. These are the following tools:

Marquee and Ellipse Tool : This is a tool with a rectangular or oval icon drawn with a dotted line. You will use this tool to select part of an image by clicking and dragging your mouse to draw a rectangular or oval selection on the image.
Lasso Tool: This tool has a noose icon displayed on the left side of the toolbar. Its function is to select an area on the image by drawing a shape you like. You can use this tool to copy certain shapes on the image.
The Magic Wand Tool: This is a tool with a magic wand icon displayed on the left side of the toolbar. This tool automatically selects image areas by color or shape.
Add or remove a selection: After creating a selection with one of the tools above, you can add or subtract operations. Add or remove features show above the toolbar in Photoshop, and below the toolbar in GIMP. Click on the two overlapping squares and use one of the tools above to add a selection. Click the two separate squares and use one of the tools above to deselect the selection.
Copy and paste a selection: After selecting an area on the image, you’ll click Copy in the Edit menu at the top of the screen. Click Paste in the Edit menu to paste the selection as a new layer. Use the Move tool in the toolbar to move the selection. You can copy a selection in one image and paste it into another.

Advice

Since every photo editing program is different, it will be helpful to consult the detailed manual for more tips and tutorials. While most photo editing apps are easy to use the first time around, advanced programs like Photoshop are incredibly complex and will take months of practice to master.
Other popular photo editing programs for computers are Aperture, PaintShop Pro, and Autodesk SketchBook.
Don’t abuse photo editing tools. Programs like Photoshop and GIMP have a lot of “magical” photo editing tools. Even so, you shouldn’t always take what you can. Over-editing will make the photo look artificial and easily recognizable as edited. Your goal is to make the photo look unedited.
Avoid repeating textures. When using Clone Stamp or copying and pasting an image area, you need to avoid repeating textures. This is a clear sign that the photo has been edited. Take samples from multiple sources close to the point you want to fix.
You can change the brush size in Photoshop and GIMP by pressing the “[” and “]” keys.
Use keyboard shortcuts to work faster in Photoshop and GIMP. Place the pointer over the tool in the toolbar to see the shortcut, and press the shortcut to select the tool. You can also find keyboard shortcuts listed to the right of the options in the menu at the top of the screen.

Steps

Make edits on a mobile device

Professional photo editing

Advice

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