Image Editing Basics
Find out which simple core adjustments can drastically improve image quality.
Digital Image Editing
Digital cameras often make compromises when recording a shot. The contrast may end up a little compressed, the brightness range altered, or even some colours dulled. Putting this right sometimes needs just a couple of mouse-clicks. Image editing software has a useful little feature called Auto Enhance, Auto Fix or, depending on the application, Quick Fix. It has only one purpose – to ensure that any image has the best range of brightness, best distribution of contrast and good colour. If the Auto Fix command doesn’t do a good job, try the Auto Brightness, Auto Contrast and Auto Colour commands on some holiday shots and see how much better they become. If you’re still not satisfied, it’s time to move on to some of the stock standard, core processes that are useful to make the most of just about any of your shots.
Different image editing programs will go about processing these effects differently, but the basic principle and outcome remains the same.
Core Competencies in Image Editing
• Sharpening:
Despite the complexity and optics inherent to digital cameras, many still take soft images. The process of sharpening is about adjusting the intensity and colours of adjacent pixels. Clever sharpening tools will separate the colours from the brightness levels, adjust the brightness, and then merge the two layers, creating an amazingly crisp image. Adjusting sharpness can fix any soft edges in a high resolution shot creating a much more detailed image on close inspection or magnification.
• Levels:
Adjusting the levels can make a flat and lifeless shot jump off the page with exuberant vivacity. A lack of contrast is usually the main cause for a lifeless shot, but it is easily fixed through the use of the ever-assisting histogram. A low-contrast shot will have the majority of pixels clumped together. All you have to do is remap what the image believes are the darkest and lightest pixels via the histogram and the contrast level will be renewed to create a much more visually dramatic image.
• Curves:
The curves tool is the levels tool stepped up a notch. Again, through the use of the histogram, a straight diagonal line will represent the current contrast levels, but a simple click here and there will resultantly bend the line into an S-curve. Then, much like the levels tool, simply remap the extreme light and dark pixel references. This process will boost the contrast levels at different locations on the image providing you with more control over the precise spot for contrast.
• Colour Balance:
Incorrect colour balance is usually caused by incorrect white balance. This is easy to fix if you shoot in RAW, but not so much if you shoot in JPEG. However, there are some instances in which an image can be saved. Manually manipulating the individual colour levels to reach appropriate midtones takes time, skill and a good eye, but it is possible. One way of doing it is to pick out an object that you know the original colour and tone of and adjust the relevant colour levels until they look natural.
• Reducing Noise:
Using image layers is essential when attempting to reduce image noise manually. You will need to separate the colour from the brightness on two separate layers., the bottom layer being the brightness, the top being colour. Manually adjust the pixel brush size and proceed to blur the areas of noise on the colours layer using a filter (‘Gaussian Blur’ works well). Now the two layers will work with each other to create a noiseless yet sharp image.
This is but a fraction of the processes involved, but it’s our hope that it will get you started. Happy editing!
If you found inspiration on our digital image editing page, feel free to browse the following pages too:
Related Pages
* Image Editing Programs
* Digital Workflow
* Digital Photography Glossary
Hope you enjoyed our digital image editing tips!
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