The Top 3 Photoshop Techniques To Enhance Your Images

Photoshop is a must for any photographer that has given traditional cameras the boot and turned to digital. It enables the photographer to transform their images into masterpieces. By utilizing the top 3 Photoshop techniques below, your images will look infinitely better than they were before.

#1 - Modifying (or "filtering") the background

Modifying the background can greatly enhance the appearance of a particular subject in an image. Choosing an appropriate filter to use can make or break an image, so it is best to stay away from some of the more "crazy" filters and stick to the "sensible" ones. To achieve this effect, follow the steps below.

- Duplicate the layer of the image and, using the lasso tool, roughly select the main subject of your image. You don't need a perfect outline of the subject, so don't worry if the selection looks a little out-of-whack.

- Feather the selection by going to Select > Feather. The pixel radius of your feather will depend on your image's dimensions, but anything between 25-50px should be fine. Following this, go to Layer > New > Layer via Copy.

- Select the layer copy. The last step is to experiment with filter styles. Again, stay away from the crazy filters.

#2 - Softening

This simple yet commonly used effect applies a blur to the photo, giving it a "soft" look.

- Duplicate the image's layer and go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

- Play around with the layer's opacity to achieve the desired effect. I recommend using 50%, but it depends on your image.

#3 - Enhancing image tones

This method enhances both the dark and light tones while softening the image. The colors in the image will appear much more vivid.

- Duplicate the layer and go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

- In the layers palette, change the blending mode to "Overlay". You can experiment with the other options to achieve a better effect, such as "Vivid Light".