Hellobee

When I posted earlier this week about my DIY Newborn Photoshoot, I mentioned that I post-processed the images in photoshop.  I’m learning to shoot manually, and I try to get the best shot I can, but I tend to touch up all my images, at least a little bit.  Below is an image from little Aspen’s photoshoot. On the left is the photo after post-processing, and on the right is the photo straight out of camera.

I work in Photoshop, but this method works just the same in the much cheaper Photoshop Elements, and the principle will work in any photo editing program.

The basic idea to making 90% of images look better is to make them lighter, warmer, and sometimes sharper.  A really easy way to do this is with Photoshop Actions.  I use actions from Pioneer Woman; they work well for basic editing, and they’re free!

Here’s a photo I took of Wonder Baby to show off the quilt I just finished (um, some of the photos show off the quilt…this one is obviously more about showing off the baby!).  Little cutey.

First I zoom in and use the stamp tool to touch up any weird splotchy bits in her skin (I also do this in shots of me…it’s like makeup for photos).

Next I run the “Slight Lighten” Action.  It creates a “curves” layer to lighten the photo.  Looks better, yes?

Often that’s enough, but I don’t think it’s light enough, so I run it again and set the second  curves layer to 75%.

Now on to warming. I run the “warmer” action and set the layer it creates to 57%.  Obviously the percentage changes based on what looks good for the photo.

Last I run the “Define and Sharpen” action; this makes the image a little sharper and boosts the contrast.  Don’t overdo it, or it will look unnatural.  For this photo I set it to 42%.

Here’s what my layers look like when I’m done.

So there you go. I took a “meh” photo and turned into something for the baby book!  I’m completely addicted to post-processing.  If you’re thinking of giving your photos a boost, I hope this inspires you to give it a try!