The key concepts in photo editing relate directly to the fundamentals of light in photography. It is essential to know what changes they will generate in your image and then manipulate them to your liking.
With these concepts, you can start editing your photos and take them to the next level with software that can be seen in https://photolemur.com/blog/best-hdr-software-reviews for instance:
- Exposure Has To Do With The Amount Of Light Your Camera Sensor Receives
This way, you will have shots correctly exposed (with the correct amount of light), underexposed (below the correct exposure), and overexposed (above the correct exposure). The exhibition is an aesthetic decision; not all photos must be correctly exposed. Modifying these settings can help you save a dark photo, darken a too bright shot, or add a creative touch.
- Contrast Is The Difference Between The Light And Dark Tones Of A Photograph
By editing these values, you get more defined images or with more ethereal auras. In general, it will serve you to define your photographs, highlight the contours, or achieve more artistic effects.
- Highlights, Shadows, And Amount Of Black And White
They may seem like similar concepts and even work the same way, but they are different topics. Highlights help you control the brightness of the parts of the photo that are most exposed. The same happens with shadows, a tool that helps you control the light in less exposed areas.
With both values, you can, for example, improve very whitish skies or architectural photos where the lights and shadows have been very marked. The handling of black and white has to do with the purity of these two tones. In a photograph modifying these two indicators, you will get purer blacks or brighter whites.
- White Balance: Temperature And Hue
It is ideal for making a correct white balance in shooting using a photometer or a medium gray 18% chart. If you have not been able or are looking for creative effects for some reason, white balance is the tool you need. With the hue, you can modify the presence of green or magenta in your photograph, which will help you manage the predominance of yellow, something common in digital photography.
The temperature has to do with how warm or cold a light is and allows you to correct incandescent lights or any other element that you could not consider at the time of the shooting.
- Saturation And Intensity
In saturation, you will handle the purity of the colors, the amount of pigment in color. The intensity works on the less saturated colors and modifies the amount of presence of them. It is beneficial in portrait photography because the adjustment of each tone is more controllable. Both effects, used subtly, will make your photos stand out or blend in with different color palettes.
- Clarity Or Sharpness In Photo Editing
You can also find it as “structure,” depending on the version of the editing program. This tool works with the differences of highlights and shadows in the mid-tones. Increasing the sharpness will help obtain definition in highly compressed photos or remove the characteristic smoothing of raw shots.