Photography is more comfortable today than ever. Whether with the smartphone or the digital camera, the possibilities of photography have evolved with the change to digitalization. And image editing today also offers amazing possibilities to edit your personal favorite photos quickly and easily.
There are now a variety of software and apps for image editing from expensive to free. For photographers and ambitious hobby photographers, these programs for image editing are usually relatively easy to understand. As a part-time snapper with a penchant for quick results. Editing photos in an app or with software on a PC quickly becomes a nerve-wracking challenge.
This is because most of these programs require a basic knowledge of terminology, which at best is represented by more or less unambiguous symbols. In order to shed some light on image editing for laymen. This article is dedicated to a handful of terms related to photo editing.
Automatic correction
In most image editing programs, the hobby photographer will find automatic correction, also known as autocorrection for short. Basically, such automatic corrections already achieve impressive results in terms of image sharpness, colors and contrasts. However, since automatic image correction is usually aimed at a particularly prominent detail in the image. It does not always achieve the effect desired by the photographer.
Image retouching and beauty retouching
For professional image editors, retouching is part of the fixed tools of the trade. Retouching means the subsequent optimization of photos. In landscape and detail shots of objects, plants or even buildings, image retouching conveys the impression of perfection. Small unevenness of flowers or leaves, a rusty spot on the vehicle or a brittle spot on the wall of the house. Such unpleasantness can be quickly remedied with a copy stamp and repair brush.
There is no question that retouching has long since arrived as so-called beauty retouching in the image processing of portraits and especially in advertising. However, the reputation of image manipulation now precedes it here. But back to the image editing of the hobby photographer.
Some image editing programs offer tools for beauty retouching. If a pretty selfie highlights the wrinkles around the eyes or the hectic spots in the family photo show up in their most noticeable form, there are also opportunities to touch up the unwanted areas with a copy stamp or brush. But be careful! Retouching requires a lot of experience and tact. If used too motivated, the picture, which is pretty in itself, can quickly appear fake and contrived. The rule here is clear: less is sometimes more!
Color depth
In many image editing programs and especially when you want to have a pretty photo printed, you come across the concept of color depth. In digital images, the depth of color is directly related to the size of the stored image.
Most cameras have the memory size of the images preset. 8, 16 or even 24 bits are common. But what does that mean exactly? Each digitally captured image consists of pixels, i.e. individual pixels. Each of these pixels contains its own color information.
An image with 300 pixels in width and 200 pixels in height has 300 by 200 pixels, i.e. 60,000 individual pixels. If it is a black-and-white image, each pixel would contain either the information “black” or “white”. As a bit, the information is stored as “0” or “1”. Such a black-and-white image with the minimum color information of two colors has a color depth of 1.
If you want to be able to display eight colors per bit, you get 28 equal to 256 shades. A color depth of 24 bits distinguishes 224 Colours, that is about 16,700,000 colours. In addition, the colors can be mixed per color channel, so that a much higher number of color gradations is possible. However, because the human eye can “only” perceive 10 million colors, no further explanatory calculation is required at this point.
In summary, the higher the number of bits of the stored photo, the more extensive the possibilities in image editing. For hobby photographers who want to make minor adjustments and possibly have their image printed in photo format, 16 bit is completely sufficient.
Gamma correction
If an actually successful photo is too dark or too bright in an area. Most laymen use the brightness function in their image editing program. At first glance, this seems to make sense, because if a detail in the image is too dark, it should be brightened.
However, it is the case that lightening usually does not bring the desired effect. The image looks washed out and slightly foggy after brightening. The actually desired brightening is achieved with gamma correction. An explanation of the calculation and functionality of gamma correction would go beyond the scope of this article and delve deep into mathematical functions.
For the ambitious amateur photographer, however, experimenting with the gamma correction function is worthwhile even without a physical-mathematical background. Gamma correction changes the midtones of the image, while very dark or very bright areas remain the same. For the human eye, this shift in average brightness is perceived as more pleasant and also more appropriate than the more extreme shift in black or white gradations.
Practice Makes Perfect
If you want to edit your favorite photos, you will find a variety of programs for the PC or as an app for the smartphone. Basically, the following applies to all these image editing programs: The possibilities are manifold, but not all tools and functions are suitable for simple image editing.
This short excerpt about retouching, color depth and gamma correction is intended to offer a small insight into the frequently used terms around image editing. Of course, a look at the manual of a program or the digital manual of an app can’t hurt. However, you often achieve the best results if you experiment with different effects with an open mind and take a little time, especially in the initial phase of image editing.