Photo Editing Tips

10 practical photo editing tips to quickly improve your photo quality without complex techniques

Basic Color Grading

1. Golden Exposure Rule

Problem: Photo too dark or too bright?

Solution: Adjust exposure first, then fine-tune highlights and shadows. Remember: it's better to slightly underexpose than overexpose (lost details cannot be recovered).

2. Color Temperature Rescue

Problem: Photo too yellow or too blue?

Solution: Slide left to make the image cooler, slide right to make it warmer. Indoor lighting usually needs lower color temperature, outdoor overcast skies need higher color temperature.

3. The Magic of Contrast

Problem: Photo looks flat and gray?

Solution: Moderately increase contrast (+10 to +30), but don't overdo it. Combine with white and black level adjustments for more natural results.

Portrait Retouching

4. Natural Skin Brightening

Tip: Don't directly increase exposure for brightening, instead:

  • Lower highlights (-20 to -40)
  • Lift shadows (+15 to +25)
  • Fine-tune white levels (+10 to +20)

5. Eye Brightening Secrets

Steps:

  1. Use radial filter to select eye area
  2. Slightly increase exposure (+0.3 to +0.5)
  3. Add clarity (+10 to +20)
  4. Lower highlights to avoid overexposure

Landscape Color Grading

6. Sky Detail Enhancement

Method:

  • Apply gradient filter from top of sky downward
  • Lower highlights (-30 to -50)
  • Increase contrast (+15 to +25)
  • Fine-tune blue saturation (+10)

7. Vibrant Foliage Color

Technique:

  • Select green in HSL panel
  • Shift hue left (-5 to -10)
  • Moderately increase saturation (+10 to +15)
  • Fine-tune luminance (+5 to +10)

Efficiency Boosters

8. Batch Processing Magic

Process:

  1. Process one image with desired settings
  2. Save settings as preset
  3. Select multiple images
  4. Apply preset to all selected
  5. Fine-tune individual images if needed

9. Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Most used shortcuts:

  • Ctrl+Z: Undo last action
  • Ctrl+D: Duplicate layer
  • Ctrl+J: Copy layer
  • []: Adjust brush size
  • Alt+scroll: Zoom in/out

10. Mobile Editing Workflow

Quick mobile editing:

  • Use AI auto-enhance first
  • Adjust basic exposure and contrast
  • Apply color filters sparingly
  • Crop for better composition
  • Export in high quality

Important Reminders

Best Practices
  • • Always save original files before editing
  • • Edit in non-destructive layers when possible
  • • Use adjustment layers for better control
  • • Regularly save your work
  • • Calibrate your monitor for accurate colors
Common Mistakes
  • • Over-sharpening images
  • • Excessive saturation and contrast
  • • Ignoring skin tone preservation
  • • Not considering final output medium
  • • Skipping color space management

Ready to practice these tips? Start with our curated prompt library!