10 Easy Ways to Improve Image Quality

Instagram and Pinterest have long been a part of everyday life, and photo editing skills are important not only for professional photographers, but also for ordinary users of social networks. Filters, brightness and contrast are terms that are familiar to every Instagram user, but we'd like to introduce you to a few more ways to improve the quality of your photos.

Not many have mastered cropping, vignette, saturation and other tools, although they can be used to significantly improve the image.

Looking to hone your photography skills? In this article, we'll share 10 easy ways to improve image/picture quality.

Improving Image Quality Like a Real Pro

Cropping

Cropping is the easiest and most effective way to enhance your photograph. With its help, you can immediately remove all distractions, improve the composition and can focus on the subject, bring it closer, or change the proportions and orientation of the picture.

However, simply grabbing and cropping an image is not enough. There are a few basic rules to keep in mind:

• Leave some free space: Try not to crop your photos too close to objects.
• Follow the rule of thirds: This is the principle of composition, according to which the image must be divided into nine equal parts. The part of the image that you want to select should be along the dividing lines or at their intersection.
• Remove unnecessary details: By cropping, you can get rid of distractions, debris, or white space.

Tip: Always buy a large size image so you can crop your photo without losing quality.

Original photo:

Cropped:

Colour Saturation Correction

Saturation allows you to adjust the intensity of the colour in the image. The desired level of saturation is subjective, but try to avoid over saturation. To avoid noise and graininess, switch to RGB (red, green, blue) mode. So, you can correct exactly those colours that came out not bright enough. However, if you increase the saturation of all three colours at the same time, the photo will look unnatural.

Here are some examples:

• Top left - the image with the highest saturation (+100);
• Top right - the image with the lowest saturation (-100);
• Bottom left - image with unsaturated green;
• Bottom right - image with desaturated red.

Tip: The higher the saturation, the brighter the colours.

Original photo:

Saturated

Converting a Colour Image/photo to Black and White

The most radical change you can make is to convert the photo to black and white.

Not every photo looks good in black and white, so consider the amount of contrasting elements first. For example, black and white portraits are better at expressing emotions, but landscapes and architecture look more dramatic.

Tip:  If you've converted your image to black and white and it doesn't look at all what you expected, try adjusting the brightness and contrast.

Adjusting Brightness and Contrast

If you are just starting your journey in photography, it is quite difficult to get the desired brightness and contrast of the picture right away. Fortunately, everything can be corrected during the editing process. The brightness parameter allows you to adjust the lightness of the picture, and works well when paired with contrast.

Here are some examples:

• Top left - the image with the highest brightness (+100)
• Top right - the image with the lowest brightness (-100)
• Bottom left - the image with the highest brightness (+100) and contrast (+100)
• Bottom right - image with lowest brightness (-100) and lowest contrast (-50).

Original photo:

Edited

Using a Vignette

Professional photographers often turn to different vignetting options (mechanical, optical, natural, etc.), but to be honest, all you need to know is that this tool the-saturates the edges and allows the subject to be emphasized in the centre. Vignette looks especially good in macro photography, but it can also be an artistic technique.

Tip: professionals rarely use vignette. Try not to overuse this tool so you don't look like a newbie who is into photo effects.

Original photo:

After Editing

Adding Text and Frames

Text is another way to enhance an image. Of course, ideally, the photo should speak for itself, but if you want to know more about Lightroom Editing or decorate the photo a little or just give the viewer additional information, add text. It can be one word, a phrase or a whole paragraph, the main thing is that the text does not overload the image.

In addition to caption to help you tell the story of the photo, you can add a frame. Remember that a frame should not just be a decoration, but rather solve some problem (simplify the perception of an image, highlight an object, or personalize a photo).

Filter Processing

Last but not least is the use of filters. If you plan to edit photos for your social media account or another photo project, we recommend creating a preset and trying to achieve consistency in the style of all photos. This way, you create a certain atmosphere, stand out with original editing style and grab the attention of the audience with your unique shots.

Tip: To maintain image quality, do not set filters to maximum.

Original photo:

Improved with editing

Photo editing seems like a fairly straightforward task, but it really requires the utmost concentration and precision on the part of the photographer. Try not to use all the available tools and functions at the same time, but to objectively determine what improvements your images need.

You can find more useful information about Photoshop and Lightroom editing lessons by exploring enhancemyphoto.com because they are expert in customizing stock photography.

Suggestion:

If you often find yourself doing image corrections, it might be worth considering mastering the basics of retouching. To use professional Photoshop techniques, you should buy a special plugins and learn all the intricacies of working with the program.

Alessandro is a professional photographer and expert in video making from London. He is also providing tutorials and tools that teach and help people that how to use Photoshop and LIghtroom. If you want to get his photography services just explore his website and buy your favourite tools and tutorials.