Photoshop - Basic photo touch ups

Article Submitted by Gary Howell

I use Photoshop on every photograph I take.  The most important lesson I’ve learned, however, is that Photoshop is not used for correcting a poorly taken photograph, rather it’s used for making very small touch ups to an other wise great photo.

If you ever find yourself trying to “fix” a photograph using Photoshop, stop, get your camera, and retake the photo.

Below I’ve listed the basic steps I use on every photograph.  These steps are not necessarily what every photographer needs to do.  The touch up steps you’ll take in using your photo editing software will depend upon the camera you use and how well you use it.

I increase the contrast to somewhere between +5% to +15%

I increase the color saturation to somewhere between +5% to +20%

I lighten or darken the image (depending on need) by 2% to 5%

The example image below shows that only small adjustments are needed.

The image on the left is the original.  The image in the middle had the contrast and saturation increased by 15%.  The image on the right, had the contrast and saturation increased by 50%.  When an image begins to take on an unnatural appearance, you’ve done too much.

Click to Enlarge

Unfortunately, this is often a common mistake.  I’ve seen oversaturated photos in many places, including a calendar where the artist had oversaturated the photo to the point that the sky had a purple hue.  To avoid this mistake follow a simple rule, increase the contrast and saturation to the point you think the photo looks good, and then decrease it just a little bit.