I love taking photos: capturing beautiful moments in beautiful settings, getting creative in composition, and of course, the fun in preparing props and planning outfits. I also enjoy editing photos. I look at it as an integral part of the creative process.
It is easy to achieve beautiful editing results just by using a few mobile apps. Most are free or just a few dollars, but they can make a big impact. Here are some of my go-to mobile phone photo-editing apps.
Lightroom + Snapseed + Quickshot
- I tend to use two to three different apps when I hit a photo. The main colour correction is done in Lightroom and Snapseed. If the weather is bad and the sky is gray, I will use an app called Quickshot to modify the color of the sky. Then comes the beautifying app Meitu. The left image above is the original image, which is relatively dark; the middle image shows the effect after using Lightroom; the right image is after using Lightroom and then using Quickshot and Snapseed to add filters to adjust the colour of the sky.
This is my setting for highlights and shadows in Lightroom. Usually, I try not to make drastic adjustments to exposure and contrast unless the photo is taken in a very dark condition. It is fun to develop your personal editing style with regards to colour tone and saturation.
2. Here is another example: after tuning in Lightroom (upper right)；Lightroom + Quickshot (bottom left)；Lightroom + Quickshot + Snapseed (bottom right)。
Here are the Lightroom settings for your reference.
Snapseed is a very useful app and it is free to download. In addition to contrast and saturation, you will also find the most fundamental editing tools. There are also artsy filters which change the mood of your photo in one click. While this may be fun to experiment with, I tend to prefer to edit manually rather than using these preset filters.
Quickshot is my favourite app to adjust the colour of the sky. You can turn a downcast day into a sunny one with just a click, and there are also many choices for the colour of the sky. The result is quite delicate, and you can even adjust how strong and how wide a filter should be applied.
Lightroom + Meitu
Edited using only Lightroom.
Additional editing on the skin tone, the shape of the face and the shoulders with Meitu.
3. When we do photo-editing, it is as important to correct colour tones as to beautify ourselves! First, use Lightroom to adjust colour tones– it is especially important when you are back-lit, or when your surroundings appear washed out or muted. In-phone apps are not great for this purpose, because when you try to dial up the saturation, your skin tone becomes unnatural. Lightroom lets you specify your colour tuning, and the result is far better.
As for the slimming and beautifying effects by Meitu, I think most readers are already familiar with its magic, so have fun with it! I hope you find these tips useful. Once you have mastered the basics, it is really easy to make any photo look vibrant and beautiful.
(Translated by Leslie Yip)
