Wednesday, 25 January 2017

3 Photo Editing Tools to Bring You into the Social Media Limelight

photo editing

Editing photos for social media is an art form that’s becoming increasingly popular, both among personal users and among photographers looking to sell images across digital platforms.

One of the challenges specific to editing for social media is that your images will only have a fraction of a second to stand out. Think about the way you browse Facebook or Instagram – you probably swipe through images quickly and only pause if something looks interesting.

If you need to create attention-grabbing images with a Mac, then here’s the software you’re going to need.

Photolemur

One of the challenges you’ll face in generating great social media photography is maintaining consistency. Having a distinctive visual style works well for both personal and commercial users, but where do you start?

Photolemur is a drag-and-drop app for Mac that allows you to automatically add a distinctive style to batches of photos.

The technology reads the images you upload, finds areas for potential enhancement, and then applies changes. You can then amplify or reduce the changes with a simple slider.

Although this isn’t a traditional photo editing suite, it is a great starting point for showing off your artistic eye and releasing batches of consistent, beautiful imagery.

This isn’t the answer if you’d like to become a professional social media photographer, but it is an easy way to explore photographic enhancement and get more likes online.

Photoscape

If you’re looking for a bit more creative freedom, then Photoscape is a great starting point. This solid suite allows you to:

  • View images as stacked thumbnails
  • Experiment with the Page, Combine, and Splitter features
  • Edit the image brightness, tone color, and so on
  • Create GIFS, capture your screen, and convert files
  • Print according to a set of popular templates.

For a free software program, Photoscape has a great range of options. You’ll need many of them to become a great social media photographer.

The editing range makes it worth considering – although Photoshop and similar programs offer slightly more depth, Photoscape does deliver more than enough to stamp your style on the social media space.

One issue with the software is the UX (User Experience). The circular navigation is a little jarring, and it takes a little getting used to.

If you are looking for an affordable, simple way to access the powerful tools you will need to stand out on social media, then this might be for you.

Luminar

If you have any kind of editing experience, then you know exactly how important precision is, especially if you are looking to drive business on social media.

Luminar is arguably the best software out there if you’re looking for precision and control when editing photography, regardless of the end publishing platform.

Developed over 10 years ago by a team of experts, this program is the best $70 you’re likely to spend as a photographic wizard. With its more than 300 features and tools, you can create works of art regardless of your editing experience.

The suite is best understood as a digital darkroom, but because it’s based in advanced technology, it adapts itself to suit your needs and style. The program understands your style, knowledge, and approach, and it will prompt and teach you how best to use it for your desired effect.

Stand-out features include:

  • Basic filters
  • Layering
  • Film and color conversion
  • Filter masking
  • And even Touch Bar support.

Add to this a fantastic website and support, and it’s clear to see why this is such a popular choice.

Time to stand out

Although each photographer and designer has his or her own approach and needs, these programs are the best way to use your Mac to make magic.

Featured photo credit: Pexels / RawPixel via pexels.com

The post 3 Photo Editing Tools to Bring You into the Social Media Limelight appeared first on Lifehack.



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