← The Camera in Your Pocket: Smartphone Photography
Lesson
Lesson 1. Basic edits: light, color, cropping
Do minimal editing that brings a shot to life: exposure, contrast, white balance, cropping, and straightening.
Lesson rule: a little goes a long way
Basic editing
Good editing is invisible: it doesn't “paint a new picture,” it brings out what you've already shot. The editor built into your phone's photo app is enough. An order that almost always works:
1. Cropping and straightening. Trim anything extra around the edges and fix a tilted horizon (even a slight tilt spoils the shot). While you're at it, you can bring the composition in line with the rule of thirds.
2. Exposure (brightness). Raise it if the shot is dark; lower it if it's overexposed. Make sure the bright areas (sky, window) don't blow out to pure white and the dark ones don't turn into black, crushed shadows with no detail.
3. Contrast. Add a little to make the shot crisper and give it more depth. Too much makes the picture look harsh.
4. White balance (warm/cool). If the shot is too yellow or too blue, shift the temperature toward neutral — or deliberately warmer for a cozy feel, cooler for a more austere one.
5. Saturation/vibrance. Add just a touch to bring the colors to life. Overdoing it turns skin orange and the sky a toxic blue — the first sign of “over-editing.”
The main rule of restraint: move the slider to the point where it looks better, then back off a little. Compare with the original (there's usually a Before/After button). If an edit catches the eye, there's too much of it.
Lesson notes
Basic editing
Good editing is invisible: it doesn't “paint a new picture,” it brings out what you've already shot. The editor built into your phone's photo app is enough. An order that almost always works:
1. Cropping and straightening. Trim anything extra around the edges and fix a tilted horizon (even a slight tilt spoils the shot). While you're at it, you can bring the composition in line with the rule of thirds.
2. Exposure (brightness). Raise it if the shot is dark; lower it if it's overexposed. Make sure the bright areas (sky, window) don't blow out to pure white and the dark ones don't turn into black, crushed shadows with no detail.
3. Contrast. Add a little to make the shot crisper and give it more depth. Too much makes the picture look harsh.
4. White balance (warm/cool). If the shot is too yellow or too blue, shift the temperature toward neutral — or deliberately warmer for a cozy feel, cooler for a more austere one.
5. Saturation/vibrance. Add just a touch to bring the colors to life. Overdoing it turns skin orange and the sky a toxic blue — the first sign of “over-editing.”
The main rule of restraint: move the slider to the point where it looks better, then back off a little. Compare with the original (there's usually a Before/After button). If an edit catches the eye, there's too much of it.