Psst. I have a secret. I hate editing photos as much as I hate going to the dentist. Both take too much time and are boring. Really boring.
But the truth is, once I get past the basic color correction and cropping, which takes time on my slow computer, goofing around with different effects is a lot of fun. The most challenging part is figuring out which look I want to go for.
When choosing the specific effects you want to apply to your photo, decide what your theme is or what you’re trying to achieve. Then experiment. Remember, factors such as lighting will affect the final outcome, so what might look great in one photo may look hideous in another. And you can even layer effects to achieve a whole new artistic masterpiece.
Of course to do all of this, you’ll need a photo editing software, such as Microsoft Elements®. But considering all you can do with it (including organizing your photos), it’s worth it.
In the two altered shots shown here, I went under ARTISTIC and FILM GRAIN. The INTENSITY was set at 1 for the picture in the middle, and 10 for the picture on the right. The one on the left is before the special effect was applied. The settings for GRAIN and HIGHLIGHT AREA remained the same for both (10 and 2, respectively). With these three settings, the possibilities are endless.
Have a great week!