Each baby is beautiful in its own way, especially for parents. But without the proper photo editing, a shot of the precious baby in cute clothes may not look as appealing.
Newborn photo editing involves a number of manipulations including the ones related to skin and background correction. In this article we will tell you in detail how to edit baby photos and provide you with 10 useful tips to help you achieve amazing results.
1. Use the Right Software
The main key to success is a decent and user-friendly program for photo editing. Depending on how and on what device you want to edit photos, you will find a lot of handy free and paid programs and applications. If you are editing photos on the smartphone, I suggest using such apps as VSCO, Baby Photo Editor and Facetune.
If you are editing photos on PC, pay attention to GIMP, Photoshop, Lightroom, Photoscape X. For fans of online photo editing, there are also good options – PicMonkey, Pixlr X, Fotor. On this list, you will definitely find something suitable for you and your photo editing skill level.
2. Scale Photos for Social Media
If you want the photo of your baby to look appealing in any social network, ensure in advance that its size corresponds to the guidelines of a certain social network. In fact, each social network sets its own rules regarding the image size.But you shouldn’t trust the first available info you find on the net as it may be unreliable. We have prepared this cheat sheet to help you meet the relevant size requirements of posting photos on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. Take it into account before sharing newborn photos on social networks.
3. Use Automatic Presets
Newborn photo editing isn’t something you can master overnight. Not any parent is willing to invest much time in this laborious and somewhat boring process. That’s why if you are editing newborn photos in Lightroom, you should definitely get free Lightroom presets for baby photography. Within one click, they will help you achieve stunning shots.
These presets are developed specifically to fix the widespread flaws in newborn shots. Choose a preset, apply it, and you are good to go. Besides, you can apply presets to multiple shots at once for a uniform look and in order to save time.
4. Use the HSL Tool to Adjust the Skin Tones
The first step is to raise luminescence in order to add a nice glow to the newborn. Then you should lower saturation and tweak hue. For more precise skin corrections, apply the designated adjustment tool on each element.
Once you click on this tool, draw over the area of the shot with the skin tone color you wish to correct. Click (and hold), then adjust the colors with the mouse up or down, and you will notice the changes.
5. Raise the Exposure
When you edit baby photos, it is important to increase their brightness a bit. In this way, the newborn’s skin will acquire a glowing but at the same time natural look.
In addition, all the small spots and reddish shades will be gone from the skin. By increasing brightness, the overall mood in the shot becomes lighter and airier, which is perfect for baby photos.
6. Address a Baby Photo Editing Service
If you have no time and energy to spend on learning how to edit baby photos, approach professional baby photo editing services.
The experts of such services are usually skilled Photoshop users who have vast experience in the photo editing sphere. They know exactly what to do to bring newborn shots to perfection. For an affordable price, they will take into account all your wishes and will deliver the results to you in due time.
7. Adjust the White Balance
In most cases, newborn photo shoots are carried out inside for the convenience of the little models. But shooting inside results in unwanted color casts or white balance issues.
The newborn portrait shot is considered excellent if it has an ideal white balance. To adjust the white balance, take advantage of the eyedropper tool in the Basic Panel. As the newborn shots are supposed to be on the warmer side, stick to warm white balance.
8. Remove Blemishes
Practically all newborn shots require skin cloning manipulations. Baby’s skin may have some dry spots, scratches and red marks that need to be eliminated.
When you perform photo editing for baby pictures, the Spot Removal Tool will come in handy. It will help you effectively deal with skin imperfections. But we suggest that you leave birthmarks untouched as they make each baby unique.
9. Adjust Contrast and Clarity
To make the baby’s skin tone smoother, tweak contrast and clarity sliders. You need to lower contrast for the softer look of the skin and overall atmosphere of the shot. Besides, in this way, you will neutralize undesired shadows and spots.
By lowering clarity, you will also eliminate a too harsh look of newborn shots. Remember not to go overboard and stay within the values of -10 and -20.
10. Use the Airbrush Tool
If you are editing newborn photos in Photoshop, try the Airbrush Tool to smooth out the baby’s skin. But don’t go over all the areas of the skin with this tool. The crinkled baby hands and feet should remain as these are essential details of a newborn shot.
Don’t forget to properly adjust the Airbrush Tool before using it and change its settings as you are moving on to another part of the body. The opacity of the tool should be set to low – this will help you achieve a realistic result. Remember that the main goal is to make the skin look as natural as possible.
Also Read: https://mamabee.com/7-ways-to-become-a-successful-artist/