Basic Photo Editing Techniques

Why This Matters

Every photograph you take is really just a starting point. The editing process is where you transform a raw capture into a polished image that communicates your creative vision—and understanding why each adjustment works is what separates intentional editing from random slider-pushing. You're being tested on your ability to identify problems in an image (exposure issues, color casts, distracting elements) and apply the appropriate technique to solve them while maintaining image quality.

These techniques build on core photography concepts like exposure, composition, color theory, and the relationship between light and shadow. When you adjust contrast, you're manipulating tonal range. When you correct white balance, you're compensating for color temperature. Don't just memorize which slider does what—know what visual problem each technique solves and when to apply it in your workflow.

---

Tonal Adjustments: Controlling Light and Shadow

These techniques manipulate the brightness values in your image, from pure black to pure white. Tonal adjustments work by remapping pixel luminosity values across the histogram, giving you control over how light and dark areas render.

Adjusting Exposure and Brightness

• Exposure controls overall light intensity—think of it as simulating a longer or shorter shutter speed after the fact
• Histograms are your diagnostic tool for identifying clipping; peaks hitting the left edge indicate underexposure, right edge indicates overexposure
• Brightness differs from exposure by affecting midtones more than highlights/shadows, making it useful for fine-tuning without blowing out detail

Contrast Adjustment

• Contrast increases tonal separation—it pushes darks darker and lights lighter, creating visual "pop" and dimension
• The S-curve technique in curves/levels gives you precise contrast control; steeper curves = more contrast in that tonal range
• Excessive contrast destroys detail in both shadows and highlights, so watch your histogram for clipping as you adjust

---

Color Adjustments: Accuracy and Impact

Color editing serves two purposes: correcting unwanted color casts for accuracy, and enhancing colors for emotional impact. All color adjustments work within a color model (usually RGB or HSL) by shifting hue, saturation, or luminance values.

Color Correction and White Balance

• White balance neutralizes color casts caused by different light sources; daylight is ~5500K, tungsten is ~3200K, and your camera may guess wrong
• Temperature slider shifts blue-to-yellow, while tint slider shifts green-to-magenta—use both to achieve neutral whites and grays
• Proper white balance is foundational—always correct color casts before making creative color adjustments

Saturation and Vibrance Adjustments

• Saturation affects all colors equally—increasing it boosts every hue's intensity, which can quickly look artificial
• Vibrance is the smarter tool because it selectively boosts muted colors while protecting already-saturated tones and skin
• Desaturation creates mood just as effectively as boosting; partial desaturation with one preserved color is a classic creative technique

---

Detail Enhancement: Sharpness and Clarity

These techniques affect the perceived detail in your image by manipulating edge contrast and texture. Sharpening works by increasing contrast along edges where tonal transitions occur, creating the illusion of greater detail.

Sharpening and Noise Reduction

• Sharpening enhances edge definition—it doesn't add detail that wasn't captured, it makes existing detail more visible
• Noise reduction smooths grain from high ISO shots, but aggressive noise reduction destroys fine detail and creates a "plastic" look
• These two adjustments fight each other—sharpening emphasizes noise, noise reduction softens edges—so balance them carefully and apply selectively

---

Composition and Cleanup: Refining the Frame

Not every editing decision happens with sliders. These techniques let you physically alter what's in the frame and remove distractions that weaken your composition.

Cropping and Resizing

• Cropping removes distracting elements and tightens composition—use it to apply the rule of thirds after the fact
• Aspect ratio must be maintained when resizing to prevent distortion; common ratios include 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, and 1:1 (square)
• Cropping reduces resolution—a heavily cropped image may not have enough pixels for large prints, so crop conservatively when possible

Removing Blemishes and Imperfections

• Healing tools sample nearby texture to seamlessly cover blemishes, dust spots, or small distractions
• Clone stamp copies exactly from a source point, giving you more control but requiring careful source selection to avoid obvious repetition
• Work at high zoom for precision, but regularly zoom out to check that your edits look natural in context

---

Non-Destructive Workflow: Layers and Masks

Professional editing preserves your ability to revise decisions. Non-destructive editing means your original pixel data remains unchanged, with adjustments stored as separate instructions that can be modified or removed.

Working with Layers

• Layers stack adjustments independently—each layer can be edited, hidden, or deleted without affecting others
• Layer blending modes change how layers interact; Multiply darkens, Screen lightens, Overlay adds contrast
• Name and organize your layers as you work—a messy layer stack makes revision difficult and mistakes more likely

Using Adjustment Masks

• Masks control where adjustments apply—white reveals the effect, black conceals it, gray provides partial application
• Brush opacity and feathering create smooth transitions between masked and unmasked areas, avoiding harsh edges
• Masks can be inverted with a single click, which is faster than repainting when you want to protect most of the image and edit only a small area

---

Creative Effects: Filters and Stylization

Filters apply preset combinations of adjustments to achieve specific looks. Most filters manipulate color grading, contrast curves, and vignetting to create recognizable aesthetic styles.

Applying Filters and Effects

• Filters are starting points, not endpoints—apply them at reduced opacity and fine-tune individual parameters
• Context determines appropriateness—a vintage filter suits nostalgic subjects but undermines documentary or product photography
• Stacking filters compounds their effects and can quickly produce muddy, over-processed results; less is almost always more

---

Quick Reference Table

---

Self-Check Questions

1. An image shot under tungsten lighting has an orange color cast. Which adjustment would you use first, and which slider specifically would shift the image toward blue?

2. Compare saturation and vibrance: if you're editing a portrait and want more colorful clothing without making skin tones look unnatural, which tool should you reach for and why?

3. You've increased contrast significantly and notice your histogram shows clipping on both ends. What visual problem will this create in your image, and how would you address it?

4. A student applies noise reduction and sharpening to the same image but the result looks soft and grainy simultaneously. Explain why these tools conflict and describe a better approach.

5. Compare global adjustments to masked adjustments: describe a specific editing scenario where a mask would be essential to achieve the desired result without ruining other parts of the image.