tips & tricks | favorite websites for post processing

sooc

edited

i have been talking about the importance of post processing. if you have an interest in photography or are looking to create more professional looking shots, then this is a must. now you might be thinking "i don't have photoshop! i don't know how to do any processing!" here is some help to get you started:

you need to have photo editing software. the newest professional version of photoshop CS4, at upwards of $1500, will probably be out of your reach. the good news is you don't need it! photoshop has a very user friendly 'home version' called elements which you can often find for around $100. here is the site if you want to download a free trial:

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/

another option is the google program picasa. i have heard good things about picasa and it is free!

http://picasa.google.com/

another option is to check to see if your printer or camera came with any editing software - you might be surprised!

now that you have some software, the next step is learning what to do with it. here are some great websites to help you get going:

mcp:

http://mcpactions.com/blog/

jodi at mcp has the best advice around! she also sells amazing actions and tutorials for using photoshop once you reach that point. here is an extrememly useful post full of tips and tricks to get you started...

http://mcpactions.com/blog/2009/04/23/40-top-photoshop-tips/

ilp:

http://ilovephotography.com/forums/index.php

i have posted the link for 'i love photography' before. not only will you find some great advice about taking photographs but you will also find heaps of advice for post processing, both with photoshop and other programs. it is free to join!

youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/

type the name of your editing software (photoshop elements, picasa, etc.) into the search box and see a list of a number of free and very useful video tutorials. i use this option all of the time!

coffeeshop:

http://coffeeteaphotography.blogspot.com/

if you have photoshop elements and you would like to try out some actions - you will find some great free ones here, along with some great tutorials and advice. (actions are preset steps you load into photoshop - with a click of the button you can create amazing black and whites, colour portraits etc.)

if you do have an interest in learning some post processing techniques and would like some more specific information or have questions you would like answered, please send me a message! i would love to help, and i guarantee that your question will help others as well =)