Editing photos is easier today than ever before, thanks to a wide range of editing programs for our computers and apps for our phones.
Whether you fancy using Photoshop or Lightroom, Luminar or On1, VSCO or Snapseed, you have extremely powerful tools right at your fingertips for correcting mistakes and bringing out the best in each photo you take.
But if you've perused Instagram lately, you have no doubt seen examples of editing gone wrong. More specifically, editing gone too far.
We've all stepped over the editing line at some point - I know I have.
The difficulty with editing photos, especially when you're a beginner photographer, is simply knowing when to say when, according to Mark Denney.
In the video above, he expounds on this issue and offers a few tips for avoiding the cardinal sins of post-processing.
As Denney explains, though the signs that you've overedited a photo might be hard to spot at first, understanding what to avoid as you edit your photos will help you recognize when it's time to hang up your editing hat.
As you'll see, there are five common signs of overediting of which you need to be aware. These include:
- Unrealistic highlights and shadows
- Adding too much contrast to the image
- Sharpening the image too much (and/or adding too much clarity)
- Too much vignetting
- Oversaturated colors
Clarity was my big issue back in the day. I overamped so many photos by turning the clarity up way too high.
In the end, less is usually more, so heed Denney's advice and know when to say when!