META: It’s actually a lot easier than you’d think to get into photo editing. Take a look at our guide to get your photos looking their best.I
Photo editing might seem quite daunting at first. It does seem like there’s a chasm between adding an Instagram filter and using anything with “Adobe” in the title. But it’s actually a lot easier than you’d think to get into photo editing. Take a look at our guide to get your photos looking their best.
Rule of thirds
The first and most basic of photography rules is something we’ve mostly internalised without knowing anyway: the rule of thirds. Modern phone cameras even have a grid on them to help you out here. The photo will be split into 3×3 boxes for the perfect layout.
The rule of thirds says that you should align your subject into the photo in thirds. A good way to remember it for a face is to line up one of your subject’s eyes with one of the intersections on the screen or line up both eyes with the top line on the screen. For landscapes, taking the beach as an example, you’d want the line where the water meets the sand lining up with the bottom line or the horizon on the top line. It means that when you go to add your photos to your Instagram or a photo book maker, everything will look cohesive with no empty space or “off” vibes.
You don’t need to get everything in there
Some users are too busy trying to cram an entire long shot of a person in their photo when it doesn’t call for it. We’re sure Susie’s 10-inch stilettos were quite the sight and totally slayed, but unless it’s the focus of the photo leave them out. That’s not to say you should simply cut them off at the feet but aim for above the waist. Unless the point of the photo is the outfit or the surrounding landscape, like holiday photos, just focus on the upper body. People will connect more with the subject of your photos with a mid-shot that emphasises the face.
Dolly angles are mostly a “no”
Ah, memories. Remember MySpace photos? Big racoon eyes and massive Amy Winehouse hair and always with a Dolly angle. In the film world Dolly shots are used to discombobulate the viewer, but MySpace photographers were using it in every selfie to make something “weird”. Think about Tom Hardy’s viral MySpace picture.
But leave them in MySpace, forever forgotten of a more childish time. They can be fun for the occasional selfie, but they have no place in branding, business photography or even a photo vaguely serious. It just looks juvenile. Straighten your photos.
Bring out the colour
It’s very easy to get started in photo editing, and you don’t need to stick to Instagram’s same 10 filters either. There are plenty of apps to help you get started with photo editing, and the best place to start is the colour gradients. Play around with the dials to make that red lipstick really pop, or bring down the blue that doesn’t go with the vibe you wanted. It’s a simple way to create a colour palette in your photo, the same way every film poster is blue and orange nowadays. You don’t have to stick to blue and orange.