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This is another example of how you can turn a simple snapshot into a portrait style picture with some edits in Photoshop. This took me less than 30 minutes to complete. The beauty of Photoshop is that you don’t have to pay for expensive Photo Shoots or worry about the time or hassle to set up an appointment for family portraits.

While this is an extremely simple example, the possibilities for edits are really endless. You can have different backgrounds, superimposed images, artistic effects, color changes and blending, and you can fix those little issues that need to be fixed. You’ll notice that my beautiful mother got a “trim” of her hair in the edited version since she hadn’t had a chance to get a hair cut before the photo was taken.

A Few Tips and Tricks When Editing in Photoshop

• If you are going to add a different background, make sure that the light is coming from the same direction in the new background as it is in the original photo you are adding to the foreground.
• Make sure to think about the angle that the picture was taken from if you are going to add a scenery background. For example, if a picture of a field or trees was taken from above looking down at an angle, you won’t be able to add in a picture of your subject taken straight at eye level.
• Make sure that the saturation and brightness of the background matches the saturation and brightness of the original photo, or edit the photo to match. Always do this first, even if you are going to turn the photo into a black and white or sepia image.
• Blurring the background is the easiest way to bring out the subject that you want to highlight.
• When you have finished your edits, make sure adjust the canvas size to common print sizes (4×6, 5×7, 8×10).

Please, let me know if you are interested in photo edits no matter how simple or complex. I’d be happy to discuss design options and prices with you, and most edits can be finished and back to you within a couple of days time.

© 2009, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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