Basics of Photography: Editing Images in Post

 For our final photography lesson this week, we're going to talk about the final step: editing your images. We'll take a look at different kinds of techniques for color correction, touch ups, and a few other fun effects.

This lesson is really more of a roundup than anything because we've covered tons of photo editing tips and tricks in the past that it would be kind of redundant to re-write them all here. First things first, we have entire night school on Photoshop, including a lesson on color correction and touch ups, so you might want to start there. If you're looking for more, here are a bunch of handy tips and tricks to get your photos into shape.

Note: A lot of these tips are demonstrated in Photoshop, but not all of them are and many can be replicated in other (cheaper) image editors.

Color and Tone Correction and Enhancement
Our comprehensive guide to getting the best color out of your photos
Change a specific color in a photo.
Brighten up a specific part of a photo
Fix poorly exposed photographs with the Levels tool
Give your photos a gritty, high-contrast look
Fix uneven skin tones
Get better black and white conversions
Make any photo look like it was taken with a vintage camera
Create color correction/enhancement presets to save you time later
Simple, fast, and accurate color and tone correction

Correcting Scratches, Blemishes, and Other Problems
Repair damage and scratches
Fix distortions
Whiten teeth
The funniest touch-up lesson you'll find

Other Enhancements
Make crappy photos look much nicer
Add sharpness and detail without adding noise
Learn all about sharpening techniques
Sharpen photos better with unsharp mask

Thanks for learning with us!