When you’re a beginner, creating an edit that will stand up to others out there might feel like it’s impossible. This is where a bit of experience, proper tools and step-by-step guidelines turn anyone into what we can refer to as prophet like an editor.Whether you’re editing photos for personal use, social media, or your business, mastering a few basic editing techniques can make a huge difference!
Let us break it down and give you a step-by-step guide on getting the first edit with professional style.
Step 1: Pick Your Editing Tool
The first step in creating a professional edit is selecting the right software. Adobe Express’s photo editor is a fantastic choice for beginners and experienced editors alike.
It is equipped with a series of robust features, from basic controls to some professional tools including filters, overlays and text adding in an easy-to-use interface.
The best part? You can easily edit image online without needing to download or install any software, making it accessible from any device.
Step 2: Go with Basic Adjustments
Start by making basic adjustments that enhance the image as a whole. This includes:
Shadow: this contrast can be used to correct the brightness and darkness of an image. If your image is too dark, increase the exposure slightly and if it is too bright decrease it.
Contrast — this will make the bright areas of your image brighter and dark ones darker.
Saturation and Vibrance: These settings enhance the colors in your photo. The saturation tool increases the vividness of all colors equally, and vibrance amps up less-saturated hues only (skin tones are off limits).
Adobe Express provides you with sliders to adjust these basic settings with the visual changes taking place in real-time when editing.
Step 3: Crop and Straighten
Cropping and straightening are simple edits that can drastically improve the composition of your shot in an instant. Cropping helps get rid of distractions and focuses the viewer’s attention on your main subject. You should always straighten an image that has some angle or looks to be unbalanced.
The photo editor for Adobe Express has presets to support a range of crops (square, portrait and 16:9) based on your platform or use case and even allows you to adjust the crop manually. Now follow the rule of thirds while cropping using those gridlines that you see, and your image will automatically look better.
Step 4: Filters and Effects Application
Filters and effects are a quick way to add mood and style to your images. Adobe Express offers a variety of filters that can instantly change the look and feel of your photo. Decorate your image with filters to make it more attractive, select from black & white, vintage or other modern effects.
Keep in mind that the intention is to improve upon the picture, however not take away from it. Try to use a slight filter here and then you can always change it on the way down.
You can stack multiple filters for a more unique appearance or pair it with other editing tools and effects.
Step 5: Retouch and Enhance Details
If you are going for documentation, then some areas could be retouched to get a more finished look. This is a great step for portrait photography.
Touch-up — Blemish Removal: Wipe away spots, dust or unwanted objects using the blemish removal tool.
Investing in Sharpening: On the other hand, sharpening is all about edges and details of image.
Skin Smoothing: If you are retouching portraits, the skin smoothing tool will help to even out the tone of faces without flattening them.
Adobe Express allows you to do all of this with easy-to-use tools that are perfect for beginners but powerful enough for advanced users
Step 6: Add Text and Graphics
Your image will look more artistic and sophisticated when you add some text or graphics to your photos, which would be ideal for social media posts like Pinterest pins/Instagram stories, etc. You can insert a selection of fonts, shapes, icons with ease within your image.
Text overlays are great for showing messages, emphasized info as well as a watermark of your photos. Choose a font that pairs well with your image style and color scheme.
Step 7: Save and Export in the Right Format
Eventually, once you are happy with your changes and done editing the image you want to save it in a proper format. Also, Adobe Express enables you to export your edited photos in different formats so that they have better compatibility with the platform where you want them uploaded or printed: JPEG / PNG/ PDF.
JPEG is usually best for the web because it creates the right balance of quality and file size. If the background should be clear click on PNG.
Conclusion
Your first professional edit comes down to
1) grasping the tools you are provided, and from there
2) a methodical style in which you go through your footage.
Opting for Adobe Express’s photo editor means you can experience a full spectrum of editing tools that are user-friendly and robust enough to transform any raw image into the most appealing picture. Edit with basic editing tools, Crop & Straighten your image, apply filters to the edit and Enhance details or even put some creative text into it.
And with a bit of effort and creativity, you can transform your photos into highly professional-looking pieces in minutes.
