Before & After: Edit Your Phone Photos Like a Pro
I fell in love with photography in high school. I took a class, just for credit, and fell in love. The first time I watched a photo develop in the darkroom I was hooked! But not just on the final product - on the process! I love it beginning to end. Now things are a little different, no need to have a whole darkroom, you have everything you need in your pocket! We take phone photos constantly. And while some may criticize the "overuse" of phones, I prefer to see the ease of photos as a good thing. But phone photos don't always look amazing right off the bat. This blog series is all about turning your phone snaps into great photos, with tips from me, based on the same edits and apps I use every day!
This week I'm showing you an edit of this photo I took of the strawberries that I cut up for iced tea. I wanted to show you something that had really simple edits but ones that make all the difference in the final image.
I shot in indirect light that shone off the shiny strawberries for a pretty bright image to start with. All it needed was a little love.
original image shot with iPhone 6s
I used one of my favorite apps, A Color Story by A Beautiful Mess again. It is more than just beautiful filters. It also has great editing tools so you can really make your images your own. I use this app more than any other. I love it.
Here is what I did:
Like with my professional DSLR photos, the most important thing I do is use the curves tool. In this app you go to Tools > Adjust > Curves.
This is a screen shot of exactly what I did.
All I did was pull the bottom left point over a bit to bump up the blacks and give this image more contrast which eliminates the dullness of the iPhone shot.
Next, I wanted to change the tint just a little because the color felt off. I wanted to cool it down a bit. SO, if your photo is too warm, just drag the dot till your photo looks like the right tone.
And that's it! Super easy. It took me - maybe - 5 minutes and it took my photo from plain to pro.
Here are a couple more images I edited with the exact same steps:
It's all about just giving your photo a little help.
Have fun playing with this app. It is so awesome.
Keep in touch! Tag your photos with #InTheStudioWithRJ so I can see what you make!
xx, RJ
