I would like to thank everyone who replied to the questions asked in the previous article. For those that are thinking about post-processing, I would encourage you to read those responses as a way to discover different perspectives, thoughts and opinions on the matter.
In this article, we will briefly go through how you can post-process your photographs and the variety of options there are.
Firstly, you will need a software to post-process your photographs. This could be the software that came with your camera on a separate disc, Photoshop, Lightroom, GIMP, and many other programs out there. It is not about how good these programs are that determine how well you can post-process your photographs (though it does influence things), but about what you do in them and how you use them.
Things to Consider
Brightness
Uniformity of light can be improved if brightness is adjusted. Increasing or decreasing the brightness is effective when the photograph is underexposed or overexposed, though this should be used with caution.
Contrast
Increasing or decreasing the contrast may affect the impact and effect a photograph has. Experimenting with the contrast is ideal in finding the best setting for a photograph.
Crop Tool
Cropping can be useful in removing negative space and focusing upon the main subject matter by cutting out unnecessary things within the frame, thereby centering our attention more on what is important.
Hue
Changing the hue of the photograph may make things more interesting while still appearing natural. However, balance is key between realism and unrealism where hue is concerned.
Rotation
Consider rotating your photograph to achieve a different, more interesting perspective that would work out better than how you originally captured the photograph.
Sharpening
There is a useful tutorial on sharpening here for Photoshop and Lightroom users. Sharpening can be applied to improve details.
Vibrance or Saturation
Increasing or decreasing saturation so that it affects colour enhancement can influence the atmosphere and mood of a photograph. Some prefer to use the 'Vibrance' tool over 'Saturation' as Vibrance increases the saturation of the less saturated pixels while leaving saturated pixels intact. On the other hand, Saturation may cause a loss of detail and the photograph may end up looking unnatural. Which tool to choose is up to you.
Overall
The above listed is by no means exhaustive. In fact, what is listed above barely scrapes the surface of post-processing, but if you are thinking about it, then what is listed above is worth some consideration. Other things that you can consider applying to your photographs are cloning, burning, dodging, black and white conversion, white balance, etc.There is no shortage of post-processing tutorials on the internet. The main thing is to find a style and technique that works for you. Some good resources that you can find on post-processing can be found here and here to start you off.
As a way to end this article, feel free to answer these questions!
Which out of the above list 'Things to Consider' do you usually focus on in post-processing your photographs? What other things do you do to your photographs that is not already listed and why? Do you have a link to a good post-processing resource? If so, link us and tell us about it!
