Bring life to your Fall photos with these editing tips
The days are getting shorter, the evenings possibly cooler, and the colours are starting to change. A sure sign Fall is on its way. Such a beautiful time of year to get the camera out. So how do you go about editing your fall photos so your colours pop?
Get out in nature
First thing first, get out in nature, capture those beautiful fall colours. Visit your own garden, or your local nursery or garden centre. Visit the local Botanic Park. Personally, I prefer to either go early in the morning and capture that gorgeous morning dew or late in the afternoon and capture those awesome deep shadows. I honestly believe Fall has the best light. If you really like dark and moody, like me, go in the afternoon when the sun is low. An added benefit is you get to sleep in!
Check your histogram
When you are shooting your image, don't forget to check out the histogram, if your image is too dark or too light, the colours captured can sometimes be a little washed out. That doesn't mean you can't shoot dark and moody or light and bright. But if it is too far to the left or right can make them difficult to recover. Once in your editing program of choice check to see that there is a spread through the middle area, as well as your channels that there is a good spread.
Histogram in Lightroom
A little saturation is a good thing
In your editing program of choice, I have used Adobe Lightroom Classic, you can boost your situation and vibrance just a touch, I used +5. Don't go overboard with the soldiers as you can create banding and make the image look unnatural.
Basic panel in Lightroom
In the HSL panel, you can boost the saturation of various colours as well. For instance, I boosted the reds, oranges and yellows, enhancing the golden tones on this autumn leaf.
HSL Panel in Lightroom
Another option is adding some colour grading. This is a really great way to add some toning to your image via the colour channels in your midtones, shadows and highlights. I added some reddish tones throughout the shadows and highlights of this image, just a touch. Again moderation is key.
Color Grading panel in Lightroom
So next time you are capturing those stunning fall colours, don't forget to edit them so your colours pop.
