Photo editing is not what it used to be. With the presence of image editing software and tutorials on how they could be used, more and more people are dabbling into correcting the photos they took themselves, instead of going to specialists. The advent of the Internet and computers, the darkroom has already become something of the past.
There are still photographers who prefer to practice this almost dying photography method though because they like the idea of working with their hands and using inks and dyes to get the effect that they want, especially when it comes to photo manipulation. However, they are just a chosen few, and most of the people dabbling in photography now are taking advantage of the photo editing capabilities that technology is offering.
What Could Be Done in Image Editing
There are a great number of things that could be done to correct flaws in photos, whether they are portraits or non-portraits. While there are basic adjustments that could be made like red eye removal, correcting color balance or contrast and brightness, and applying some simple special effects like black and white, sepia, there are more advanced photo editing corrections that could do more to the appearance of photos. These include getting rid of excess weight or flab, lessening the appearance of eye bags, whitening the teeth, and getting rid of blemishes on the skin, among many others.
Aside from these, there are also other more advanced editing techniques being used in photo editing, and these include photo manipulation and background removal. Photo manipulation is one of the oldest retouching techniques in the world of photography and deals with a combination of graphic design and photography. Because of this, most of the photos that have gone through this method of photo editing give an appearance of illusion that could mostly be found in photo art. Image warping is one of the easiest photo manipulation techniques used in photo manipulation.
Background removal is also another image editing technique that is commonly used by both professionals and beginners in the world of photography. Aside from this, there are also many now who are venturing into making their own photo collages digitally. While a lot of people may been used to manual kind where gluing is done to post the pictures on a cardboard or paper, more and more now prefer the digital way of gluing photos on their PCs and then adding some effects like mosaics and the picture grid.
What Are Used in Photo Editing Projects
There is a wealth of image editing software available now that could be used so that all these corrections and adjustments could be done. There are others though that are more commonly used than others, and these include Adobe Photoshop and Picasa. If you are planning to use either of the software, you have to be aware Picasa is only good for basic adjustments and bit of advanced photo editing. It is the Adobe Photoshop that could offer you a great number of tools that will enable you to do so much more when it comes to retouching your portraits and non-portraits exceptionally. If you are concerned about whether you would know how to use such tools like the pen, the magnetic lasso and the channel mask, among others, then you should look up some step-by-step tutorials on how they could be used.