For the perfect photo to truly stand out, photographic skill and top-of-the-line equipment will only get you so far. Nowadays, the best images are edited by professional photo editors for hire using sophisticated software and advanced algorithms.
Below, we’ll explore some of the key pieces of software professional photo editors use.
Adobe Photoshop
This software has become so synonymous with photo editing that it’s now used as a verb. Everyone understands what you mean when you say, “This image looks photoshopped.”
The real pros, however, will tell you that if the average person can tell an image was photoshopped, the photo editor didn’t spend enough time on the details. A photo professionally edited using Adobe Photoshop to its full capacity should be indistinguishable from a non-edited photo.
Photo Stacking
Within Photoshop is a feature known as ‘stacking;’ this feature takes all of your images and stacks them together. Using algorithms and features within stacking allows a professional photo editor to take the best elements of multiple photos of the same subject and merge them together into one perfect image.
An example of the uses of stacking is those flawless images you see of typically crowded tourist destinations completely devoid of people. The photographer certainly didn’t pay to have some grand palace emptied out just–they took numerous photos and used image stacking to preserve the monument and ditch the people walking around it.
Airbrushing
The term ‘airbrushing’ dates back more than one hundred years, and originally referred to airbrushing paint onto images to improve them. Today, the airbrush feature on Photoshop is the most commonly used feature, especially for those working in the fashion and beauty industries.
Typically, the photo editor will grab a color near the blemish or spot they wish to remove and simply airbrush over the spot. This makes the spot blend into the tone of the surrounding area and draws the eye away from it.
Adobe Lightroom
Photoshop makes permanent alterations to the image with each stroke of the brush. Lightroom, on the other hand, only makes alterations permanent once you save the file, and even then, those changes can be undone by simply adjusting the settings once again.
Lightroom lets you play with the lighting in an image, allowing professional editors to draw out beautiful lanterns in night shots while removing annoying street lights that risk ruining the picture, for example.
Lightroom Presets
Adobe Lightroom comes packed with a wide variety of preset lighting options that are similar to the filters on your phone’s camera, but to a much more professional extent. Using presets such as ‘nights’, ‘water,’ or ‘nature’ adjusts lighting, colors, and vibrancy for you and can easily take your photos from zero to hero in a snap. When in doubt, trust the preset until you learn the ins and outs of Lightroom’s vast array of features.
Stick to the Experts
If that magic button on your phone’s photo editor is as far as you want to dive into photo editing techniques, you may want to consider hiring a professional photo editor to make your photos come to life.
On Guru, thousands of freelance photo editors are standing by, with the skills and experience necessary to improve your family photos, bring your social media game to the next level, or provide expert photo editing for businesses.
You can browse portfolios, compare prices, and read reviews right on the platform until you find the perfect editor to match your personal tastes, needs, and budget. Simply browse our catalog of available freelancers or post your free job listing, and let Guru help you find your perfect freelance photo editor with ease!
