Editing in photoshop

I really enjoy playing with photos in photoshop.  I use photoshop CS4 and still have a lot to learn about all the little tweaks and such you can do with a photo.  While photoshop can't salvage a bad photo, it can be a photographers best friend!  I prefer to make minimal changes to a photograph, keeping the attention on the person in the photo.  But sometimes photos need a little extra help to make the subject "pop" or to remove distracting objects.

 In this picture, there was a diaper bag in the background that took away from the sweet girls.  With a little help from a clone tool and lots of patience, it disappeared!  I also changed the color tone of the shot and brightened up their eyes.

This is a picture of my son, Chase.  It was just a quick shot at the pumpkin patch last year, but I liked it.  Except for the bits of food all over his face and the shadows around his eyes.  A few minutes in photoshop and it's much brighter (and cleaner!)

Sometimes pictures just need a little extra.  This is my favorite picture from our vacation to the Washington coast.  The boys were having such a good time running in the cold waves.  Chase is holding a big walking stick he found among the huge trees that wash onshore.  They look like Goonies. :)  I thought the picture looked a little dull, so I brightened up the blue in the sky, brought out the mid-tones, and sharpened it a bit.

Photoshop can also be used to completely change the feel of a photo.  I much prefer this shot in the muted, aged tones on the right.


I have several photo shoots coming up this week, so I'll be posting more pictures here soon!