How I Edit My Photos!

Hi guys!

Editing photos is one of my favorite things about my job. I love having the ability to bring a photo to life and completely transform it with a few apps. And the best part is it all happens right in the palms of my hands, no matter where I am : P

Before

After

VSCO filter S2 +4.9, brightened up the photo and increased the contrast and clarity.

To start, most of my photos are taken with my iPhone 7+ or my Canon mark iii 5D + Sigma 35mm F1.4 lens. If they are on my camera, I upload them onto my computer or phone and pick out my faves for editing. I would say the percentage of my feed right now is 50/50 (photos taken on my iPhone vs. camera)

For my Instagram feed I have an overall theme of bright, clear, contrasted photos so I try to keep that in mind when I edit. Every photo is treated individually as some may be darker, back lit, taken during golden hour, or shot directly under the sun, so I keep that in mind whenever I'm editing. I will be doing a blog post on how to take a good photo next, so stay tuned for that as well.

In general though, I like to play around with different filters on VSCO (specific ones are shown in the examples) and tools that make my photos bright, warm and welcoming. 

Here's a list of my 3 fav apps and what features I use within them:

Snapseed - FREE

I love the 'Selective' tool in this app. You can use it to selectively adjust brightness, contrast, saturation and structure in an area of the photo. Use two fingers to expand or shrink the selected space. This tool is also really smart at selecting, it won't just chose a general circle it picks out different things within the image. For example, let's say you want your bright red outfit to stand out even more, you can select just the outfit and brighten it up without touching the rest of the photo. Awesome right! 

VSCO - FREE (but I paid to get all the filters)

VSCO is the king of filters. All the boho, summer, fall, faded or morning tones you could ask for and more. The app itself is free and it comes with filters, but you can pay for additional ones. It's definitely my go-to editing app. Tools in VSCO I commonly use are straightening, temperature, clarity and contrast. Filters I'm OBSESSED with right now are the S series and the C series (specifically C3, C7 and S3).  Been really feeling the warm tones lately. 

FaceTune - $2.99

Facetune is ideal because it has a BRUSH for detailing. Lots of apps have a detail tool also but it usually effects the entire photo. I like to use the detail brush to highlight key things in my photos and bring them a little more into focus! The Patch tool is also super convenient. I'm a crazy detail oriented person so when it comes to my photos, if theres a little paint chip in the wall behind me or lint on my leggings, you can bet I'm patching it up.

I'm going to show you some examples now of how I use these apps in the photos below. 

VSCO C7 +7.4, exposure +1.2, contrast +0.9, sharpen +1.3, clarity +0.9, temperature +0.4, grain +1.9 + cropped it  in closer

VSCO filter C3 +6.2 , exposure +0.8, contrast +0.2, sharpen +0.7 + cropped  + debated if I should 'Facetune' out the bird, but I left him ; P

VSCO filter S2 +1.2,  exposure +0.4, clarity +0.5, temperature -0.3 + cropped

Then I took it to FACETUNE and used the patch tool to cover up the major scratches and holes in the wall.

VSCO filter F1 +3.9, Exposure +0.3, Sharpen +0.7, Clarity +0.6, temperature +0.6, Grain +2.2 + crop

VSCO filter J6 +6.3, exposure +0.2, Contrast +0.5, Sharpen +0.7, Contrast +0.8, temperature +0.6, Grain +1.1 + crop

There you have it! I hope you guys found this post helpful and let me know if you have any suggestions for future posts :) always open to feedback from you guys.