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What are your absolute best photo editing tricks that actually work?
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Hey everyone, I've been doing professional photo editing for about 8 years now and I'm always looking to learn new techniques. I feel like there are so many tutorials out there but only a handful of tricks actually make a real difference in the final image.
What are your absolute best photo editing tricks that you find yourself using over and over? I'm talking about those little things that take a photo from good to great, whether it's in Lightroom, Photoshop, or even mobile apps.
For me, one of the best photo editing tricks I've learned is using luminosity masks for dodging and burning. It gives you way more control than just using the brush tool. Another one is creating custom camera profiles in Lightroom for different lighting conditions - saves so much time on color correction.
What about you guys? What are your go-to techniques that actually work?
Great question! As someone who works with presets all day, I've found that some of the best photo editing tricks are actually in how you approach the editing process rather than specific tools.
One of my favorite tricks is using the HSL panel in Lightroom to create separation between colors. Like, if you have a portrait with green foliage in the background, you can desaturate the greens slightly and shift them toward yellow to make skin tones pop more. It's subtle but makes a huge difference.
Another one that's saved me tons of time is creating adjustment brush presets for common issues. Like I have one for eye brighten" that combines exposure, clarity, and a touch of saturation - just click and paint instead of adjusting three sliders every time.
For portrait work, learning to use the range mask feature with adjustment brushes is probably one of the best photo editing tricks I've picked up recently. You can target specific luminance ranges or colors, which is way more precise than just painting over everything.
As someone who mostly edits on my phone, I've had to find some creative workarounds for the best photo editing tricks. One thing that's been a game changer for me is using Snapseed's Selective" tool instead of just applying filters globally. You can brighten just the faces in a group photo or enhance the sky without making everything else look weird.
Another mobile trick I use all the time is taking screenshots of my edits at different stages. That way if I mess something up, I can go back to a previous version without starting over. Most mobile apps don't have proper history like desktop software.
Also, learning to use curves in apps that have them (like Lightroom mobile) is probably one of the best photo editing tricks for mobile. You can create S-curves for contrast or adjust individual color channels to fix white balance issues. It takes some practice but once you get it, the results are way better than just using sliders.
I work more with graphic design than pure photography, but I've picked up some crossover tricks. One of the best photo editing tricks I've learned from designers is using frequency separation in Photoshop for skin retouching. It sounds complicated but once you get the hang of it, you can fix skin texture without making people look plastic.
Another one that's saved me is using the color range" selection tool to isolate specific colors for adjustment. Like if you have a product photo where the reds are too saturated, you can select just the reds and desaturate them without affecting other colors.
Also, creating actions in Photoshop for repetitive tasks is a huge time saver. I have actions for resizing, sharpening for web, adding watermarks - all the boring stuff that takes forever if you do it manually every time.
I review a lot of editing software, so I get to test different approaches. One of the best photo editing tricks that consistently works across different programs is learning to read histograms properly. So many people just look at the image and adjust until it looks right," but understanding what the histogram is telling you about exposure and color distribution can prevent so many issues.
Another trick that's surprisingly effective is just walking away from your edit for 10-15 minutes and coming back with fresh eyes. You'll notice things you missed before, especially color casts or over-editing.
Also, using reference images is super helpful. Keep a folder of photos you like the editing style of, and try to analyze what makes them work. Is it the contrast? The color palette? The shadow detail? Breaking down successful edits helps you apply those principles to your own work.
These are all fantastic suggestions! I love the mobile editing tips especially - I think a lot of professional editors overlook what you can actually do on phones these days.
To add to what's been mentioned, one of the best photo editing tricks for dealing with noise in low-light photos is using the color noise reduction slider more aggressively than luminance noise reduction. Color noise is way more distracting to the eye, and you can often get away with more grain (luminance noise) than color speckles.
Another trick that's saved me countless hours is using the sync settings" feature in Lightroom but being selective about what you sync. Don't just sync everything - choose specific adjustments that worked well for one photo and apply just those to similar shots. This is especially useful for wedding photographers or anyone shooting in consistent lighting conditions.
Also, creating virtual copies before trying major edits. That way you can experiment with different looks without losing your original edit.
I'm not a professional photographer but I edit a lot of screenshots and product images for my app reviews. One of the best photo editing tricks I've discovered for consistency is using the eyedropper tool for white balance on a neutral gray area. So many people just guess or use auto white balance, but finding something that should be gray (like pavement, concrete, or certain fabrics) and clicking on it with the eyedropper gives you perfect white balance every time.
Another simple trick that makes a huge difference is adding just a tiny bit of vignetting (like -5 to -10 in Lightroom) to draw attention to the subject. Most people overdo it, but a subtle vignette can really make an image feel more polished.
Also, learning keyboard shortcuts for your editing software. It seems obvious, but the time savings add up when you're editing dozens of photos.
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