I Edit Your Photos!

Teo Crawford
25 Dec 202223:16

TLDRIn this video, the creator engages with their audience by editing photos submitted by viewers. The video is a follow-up to a previous edition, where the host shares their photo editing process using Adobe Lightroom. They receive numerous photos and decide to split the content into two parts, focusing on 18 images in this first part. The host meticulously works on each photo, adjusting white balance, contrast, and saturation, as well as using color grading techniques to enhance the mood and atmosphere of the shots. They also address the challenge of handling a large volume of submissions and express gratitude to those who participated. The video provides a detailed look into the artistry and technical aspects of photo editing, offering viewers insight into the creative decisions made during the process.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 The video is a follow-up to a previous one called 'I Edit Your Photos', where the creator edits photos sent in by viewers.
  • 📷 The creator received many photos and has decided to split the editing process into two parts, with this being part one.
  • ⚙️ The editing process starts with basic settings, with a particular focus on white balance to set the direction for the image.
  • 🔍 The creator prefers to decrease contrast initially to save information and control tonal values, then adjusts according to the mood of the photo.
  • 🌈 Vibrance and saturation are added to the photos to enhance colors, and specific color grading techniques are used to improve the mood and look.
  • 📸 The use of curves, such as an S curve, is a common technique to bring back controlled contrast and enhance the image.
  • 🖌️ Color wheels are used for fine-tuning, often adding teal to the mids and highlights, and yellow to the mids to achieve a warmer look.
  • 📑 The creator uses masks to brighten or darken specific parts of the photo to support the overall lighting and mood.
  • 🔎 The importance of sharpening and adding grain to finalize the edited photos is emphasized for a more polished look.
  • 🎞️ The video includes editing of both digital and analog (film) photographs, with adjustments made to suit the unique characteristics of each.
  • ⏭️ The creator mentions that part two is in the making and will be released soon, promising more editing insights and techniques.

Q & A

  • What was the purpose of the video titled 'I Edit Your Photos!'?

    -The purpose of the video was to showcase the process of editing photos sent in by viewers. The creator had asked for raw pictures to make a second edition of a video from two years prior, where they edit the audience's photos and share their process.

  • How many photos were chosen for editing in the video?

    -A total of 36 photos were chosen for editing, which were split into two parts for the video series, with 18 photos in each part.

  • What was the first step the creator took when editing the photos?

    -The first step the creator took when editing the photos was adjusting the white balance. This helps to set the direction for the overall look and feel of the edited photo.

  • What tool did the creator use to convert a film photo to a digital format?

    -The creator used 'Negative Lab Pro' to convert the film photo to a digital format.

  • How did the creator handle the editing of a photo with too much contrast initially?

    -The creator handled photos with too much contrast by decreasing the contrast, lifting the shadows, and making other tonal adjustments to achieve a softer and more balanced look.

  • What color adjustments were made to enhance the mood of the photos?

    -The creator made color adjustments such as adding teal to the shadows with the red curve, adding a bit of yellow to the mids with the blue curve, and adjusting the color wheels to introduce specific color tones that fit the mood of each photo.

  • What was the creator's approach to editing a photo with foggy conditions?

    -For a foggy photo, the creator chose to dehaze the image slightly to retain the silhouettes in the background, which were at risk of being lost due to the heavy fog. This was a deviation from the usual approach of enhancing the fog.

  • How did the creator adjust the colors for a photo with skin tones and greens?

    -The creator edited the primary colors in the calibration tab, shifting the yellows slightly towards green and the greens slightly towards teal. Then, in the color tab, they adjusted the yellow and orange settings to improve the skin tones and the green color to achieve the desired look.

  • What was the creator's process for editing a street photography shot with a reflection?

    -The creator warmed up the shot with the white balance slider, decreased the overall contrast, softened the image, and added some dehazing. In the curves, they used an S-curve to bring back contrast and added color adjustments in the red and blue channels to enhance the warm and green tones.

  • How did the creator approach the editing of a snowy landscape photo during sunrise?

    -The creator warmed up the shot to embrace the warmth from the sunlight, decreased the contrast slightly, softened and hazed the photo, and saturated it. They used curves to bring back contrast and added color adjustments in the red and blue channels to enhance the cold tones and the pinkish glow of the sunrise.

  • What was the final step the creator took in editing each photo?

    -The final step the creator took in editing each photo was to apply sharpening and add some grain to finalize the look and enhance the details and texture of the image.

Outlines

00:00

📸 Photo Editing Process Introduction

The speaker begins by expressing gratitude for the numerous raw pictures sent by viewers for a second edition of a video titled 'I edit your photos.' They mention being unable to edit all submissions but have chosen 36 photos to edit in two parts. The first part will cover 18 photos, and the speaker outlines their editing process starting with basic settings, white balance adjustment, and tonal value editing. They also discuss adding vibrance, saturation, and making color adjustments to enhance the mood and colors of the photos.

05:02

🎨 Detailed Photo Editing Techniques

The speaker delves into the specifics of photo editing, describing the process for several photographs. They discuss the use of curves, color grading tabs, and color wheels to adjust the mood and tones of the images. Techniques such as adding teal to shadows, yellow to mids, and sharpening are mentioned. The speaker also addresses the conversion of film photos using Negative Lab Pro and the importance of preserving the original mood while making enhancements.

10:03

🌁 Editing Foggy and Abstract Photos

The speaker moves on to editing a foggy shot and an abstract photo. They discuss the decision to de-haze an image to retain silhouettes and the use of color grading to boost colors and contrast. For the abstract photo, the focus is on enhancing the droplets' appearance through color boosting and contrast adjustments. The speaker also details their approach to maintaining the original mood while making the image more visually appealing.

15:04

🌅 Adjusting Colors and Contrast in Outdoor Photography

The speaker describes their editing process for outdoor and street photography, emphasizing the need to adjust white balance, contrast, and saturation to achieve a warmer and sunnier look. They also discuss the use of color grading tools to add warmth and green tones, and the importance of fine-tuning with masks to balance light and shadows in the image.

20:06

🍂 Final Touches on Autumn and Sunrise Photos

The speaker concludes with the editing of an autumn photo and a sunrise shot. They explain how they adjusted the white balance, contrast, and used color grading to enhance the natural colors and features of the scenes. The use of masks and brush strokes for fine-tuning the image is also covered. The speaker expresses appreciation for the viewers who sent in their photos and promises part two of the video.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡White Balance

White balance is a fundamental photography and video editing concept that refers to the process of ensuring that white light appears 'white' in your image, despite varying light conditions. In the video, the editor uses white balance as the starting point for editing, as it sets the tone and direction for the rest of the adjustments. For example, they warmed up the image slightly in the case of Kevin Pietek's foggy shot to match the mood of the scene.

💡Contrast

Contrast in photography and video editing refers to the difference in brightness levels between light and dark areas of an image. The editor frequently mentions decreasing contrast to soften the image and save details in the highlights and shadows, which is a common technique to achieve a more balanced and less harsh look. This is evident when they describe the initial adjustments made to several photos, such as the one by Thiago Matos.

💡Vibrance and Saturation

Vibrance and saturation are both related to the intensity of colors in an image, but they are adjusted differently. Vibrance specifically targets muted colors, enhancing them without oversaturating already bright colors, while saturation increases the intensity of all colors uniformly. In the video, the editor adds vibrance and saturation to bring out the colors more in the photo by Thiago Matos, aiming for a more vivid and lively appearance.

💡Curves

Curves is an advanced tool in photo editing that allows for precise control over the tonal range and contrast of an image. The editor uses curves to make 'S curves' that enhance the contrast in a controlled manner and to adjust color channels for specific effects, such as adding teal to the shadows for a cooler tone. This technique is mentioned multiple times throughout the script, indicating its importance in achieving the desired look for each photo.

💡Color Grading

Color grading is the process of altering and enhancing the color of a motion picture, video, or still image. In the context of the video, the editor uses color grading to add warmth to the mids, change the color of highlights, and adjust the shadows to achieve a specific mood or look. This is a critical step in the editor's workflow, as seen when they add teal to the mids and red to the highlights in the photo by Sherman Aguirre.

💡Dehaze

The dehaze feature in editing software is used to reduce the amount of atmospheric haze or fog in an image, making details clearer and colors more vibrant. The editor mentions increasing or decreasing the dehaze slider depending on the subject and desired effect, such as increasing it for a more popping look in the photo by Bikal Papanta from Nepal, or decreasing it to retain silhouettes in Kevin Pietek's foggy shot.

💡Calibration Tab

The calibration tab in editing software allows for fine-tuning of primary and secondary colors to achieve accurate and desired color representations. The editor uses the calibration tab to make subtle adjustments to colors, such as shifting the yellows towards green and the greens towards teal in the photo by Bikal Papanta, to enhance specific color aspects of the image.

💡Masks

In photo editing, masks are tools that allow editors to apply effects to specific areas of an image without affecting the rest. The editor adds masks to brighten or darken certain parts of the image, such as the middle of a shot or the sides, to enhance the lighting and draw attention to specific areas, as seen when they darken the sides and brighten the middle in the photo by Bikal Papanta.

💡Sharpening and Grain

Sharpening is a process that enhances the details of an image, making edges appear more defined, while grain adds a textured look that can give a more film-like appearance or artistic feel. The editor consistently applies slight sharpening and adds grain to the final images as a finishing touch, which is mentioned at the end of the editing process for each photo.

💡Negative Lab Pro

Negative Lab Pro is a tool used for converting raw film scans into a more developed look. The editor uses this tool to convert the initial scans of film photos, such as the one by Jens, into a format that can be further edited. This is an important step for film photographers who want to take advantage of digital editing while maintaining the aesthetic of film.

💡Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio is the proportional relationship between the width and the height of an image or screen. The editor decides to crop a photo by Sherman Aguirre to a wide cinemascope aspect ratio, which is wider and provides a more cinematic feel, enhancing the scene's impact in the final image.

Highlights

The video is a second edition of 'I Edit Your Photos' where the host edits photos sent in by viewers.

Due to the large number of submissions, the host has split the editing process into two parts.

The host begins each photo edit with white balance adjustments to set the direction for the edit.

A technique used is decreasing contrast and lifting shadows to soften the look of the photo.

Vibrance and saturation are added to enhance the colors in the photos.

An S curve is used in the curves adjustment to bring back some controlled contrast.

Teal is added to the shadows and yellow to the mids for a unique color effect.

The host converts a film photo to digital using Negative Lab Pro.

For a photo taken on a phone, the host emphasizes the recovery of details and color enhancement.

Skin tones and green colors are carefully adjusted in one photo to achieve a natural look.

The host uses color grading to add warmth to mids and highlights, and teal to the shadows.

A foggy photo is de-hazed slightly to retain the silhouettes in the background.

In a portrait edit, the host boosts the red line and adds a glow effect for a dramatic touch.

For a snowy sunrise photo, the host enhances the pinkish glow and maintains some cold tones.

A self-portrait is edited with a focus on contrast and color adjustment to emphasize the subject.

Street photography is given a sunnier, warmer, and greener look to match the scene.

The host appreciates the vulnerability of viewers who send in their photos for editing.

Part two of the photo editing series is announced to be in the works.