Wedding Photo Editing Tips

Understanding of how to edit wedding photos in Photoshop is a laborious and monotonous step of your post-wedding workflow. FixThePhoto provides wedding photo retouching services and recommends you spend your time on things you love to do, business stuff, meeting potential clients rather than on wedding photo editing.

If you want to edit wedding photos like our retouchers, now’s the time to use Photoshop or Lightroom photo editing software to take your bridal images to pro levels. Here are 20 top wedding photo editing tips you need to know before you send your images to clients.

Editing Wedding Photos in Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom is considered as one of the most famous photo editing softwares. This program functions both as an organizer and the image editing software, enabling you to perform the photo post-production faster. This is really relevant when you need to enhance several hundreds of the photographs. However, Lightroom may turn out useless if you don’t figure out how to use the tools and the options properly.

1. Use Flags and Stars for Photo Culling

The very first step is to determine which shots require editing – make photo culling. Apply the import option in the library and pick the "pocket" on the hard drive on the right. Pick the “Attach to Collection” box and form a brand-new catalog for Lightroom editing. When the images are imported and added to the catalog, pick the shots to see the keepers.

Select the shot which you need to edit and press the P button on the keyboard. It’s better to attach a small flag in the top left corner of the thumbnail in the library section. It’s also possible to do the same on the filmstrip in the development section.

The other way of LR wedding photo editing is to evaluate every shot. You can give the stars to the photograph by pressing 1-5 on the keyboard. Then you can turn back and revise the pictures with 4 and 5 stars, saving the 3 stars in case you lack shots in the end. So in order not to have bad shots, follow these wedding photography tips and have only perfect shots.

How to Refine and Cull Images in Lightroom

2. Use Custom Wedding Lightroom Presets

Some photographers rely on Lightroom presets to enhance pictures promptly, while others claim that using such tools, they distort the uniqueness of the pictures. So, what to choose?

In fact, wedding photo editing becomes faster with the LR presets. Besides, these tools are easily adjustable or you can even create the kit of presets for adding a special theme to photos if you want.

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Wedding Entire Plus Collection Entire Collection - 400 Wedding Lightroom Presets

Lightroom Wedding Presets Professional 30 Wedding Lightroom Presets

How to Install Lightroom Presets for MAC

3. Improve the Exposure

The exposure must be adjusted after you used any type of the Lightroom presets. Firstly, apply the corrections to the general exposure. Secondly, change the indicators for the Highlight and Whites to modify the fairest parts of the picture. The dark-colored parts can be improved by changing the indicators for Shadows and Blacks.

Color Grading - Wedding Photo Editing Tutorials

4. Use HSL for Color Correction

The color settings may be found in 2 major panels. Choose the dropper, to pick something white on the shot, for example, it can be the clothes or flowers. This panel is very useful for the Lightroom portrait retouching and consists of the saturation and vibration options. You should work with those sliders very attentively not to spoil everything. Don’t touch, or at least edit HSL just to check if these settings are suitable.

The HSL panel, which deals with Saturation, Hue, Brightness, allows to tune the picture coloring separately. Brightness is an indicator which shows the rate of light and darkness, and the hue results in the shades. Every option must be chosen very carefully and match your wedding photography editing styles.

For example, adjusting the Green and Blues might result in the specific mood in the photo. Along with managing a certain type, the HSL table might although be applied for the particular improvements. If you drag the Orange indicator, the skin tone will become brighter, and pulling the Red slider you will make the red skin less noticeable. It is another feature of professional wedding photo editing.

How to Use HSL in Lightroom to Color Grade Like a BOSS

5. Use HSL for Classical B&W

For obtaining ideal B&W effect while doing the wedding photo editing, try the HSL adjustment. After transforming the picture into monochrome (select "Edit" on the "New" panel) HSL turns into the B&W panel and you will be able to regulate gray tints of every color. If you’ve got a shot where two divergent colors literally seem familiar in black and white, you are welcome to modify one of these colors to achieve more contrast in the monochrome variant. If you are not definitely sure where the color falls on the HSL panel, press the little circle icon.

B&W Essential Lightroom Presets Professional 70 B&W Lightroom Presets

Sepia Fantasy Lightroom Presets Professional 60 Sepia Lightroom Presets

Drama Collection Lightroom Presets Professional 25 Chocolate Tone Lightroom Presets

When the desired option is chosen, you hover over an individual color; the slider for that coloring will be lighted up. When you activate the necessary option and drag it up or down, the real slider value for each open panel will be modified. This trick of the wedding photography editing in LR will help you adjust brightness, saturation, and make a professional B&W.

How to Edit Amazing Black & White Portraits in Lightroom

6. Make Sharpening and Noise Reduction

RAW images, unlike JPEG files, are automatically sharpened while shooting. To apply Sharpening, go ahead and try the slider under the details panel. Zoom in and always be attentive while applying this tool. You can use this function of Lightroom wedding photo editing software to enhance your pictures.

The options you need for the noise reducing can be found under the slider of sharpness. Their aim is to prevent grain from ISO. The brightness and color sliders help decrease noise and enhance skin.

High ISO: Reducing Noise in Lightroom

7. Improve White Balance with the Gradient Tool

This tool can assist with the sky darkening and making grass green. It works similarly to any other density filters used for pre wedding photo editing. You just need to draw a line on the sky/grass, without breaking its boundaries. After that, use the dropper tool to pick the color in the sky/grass. After the gradient action has been applied, it will modify the exposure with colors of this area only, not affecting the rest. According to photographers edit reviews, sky adjustment and grass enhancement are the best ways to manifest this option. Mixed white balances function is different. Imagine, you are shooting the wedding ceremony and there are huge windows in the background. So, to fix the white balance of the photo, you can apply the Gradient tool.

Using the Radial Gradient Tool in Lightroom to Shape the Light in an Image

8. Use Healing Tool to Correct Flaws

Lightroom tutorials for portraits and wedding images editing recommend using the Healing brush which is helpful for many photo retouching scenarios. If you look to the right in the toolbar, you will see the circle sign with the arrow under the Histogram. It is great for little pimples and even small street objects removal from the background. For retouching big objects you will need Photoshop.

Using the Healing and Clone Tools

9. Use the Brush Tool

While doing Lightroom editing, take a special brush designed for teeth whitening and softening skin. It can be found in the filters table in the drop-down list. The intensity can be controlled with a slider or by clicking the arrow if you need more precise adjustments. For the quicker process, check out the auto-masking tool. The edges of the retouching area will be marked automatically. It ensures you that other parts of the picture won’t be whitened. Such an option makes wedding photo edits more convenient.

Among the best professional wedding photo editing tools you can find is the Auto Mask. Unfortunately, it is not always applied correctly. It might be useless if the part of the picture contains several colors, for instance, the darkening on the stained-glass surface. But with most edits, the automatic mask generates the brush tool even quicker. Creating a brand new set of brushes is super simple. The main thing you need is to choose the necessary settings moving the sliders on the custom brush. Select "keep the initial settings as a brand new preset."

How to Use the Lightroom Brush Tool

10. Remember about Lightroom Exporting Tools

Lightroom is a great way for volume wedding photo editing. You might use the software to create a brilliant slide package of the event. One of the pluses of this program is the possibility to add a watermark if the images will be displayed on the web. A slideshow is a separate panel, this function is easily found in correction panel if you scroll it down. Select "Correct watermarks" to upload the picture to prevent the photography copyright infringement. You can use LR Classic CC (it has most tools) or LR CC (it has cloud backups). It is the LR backup, which makes your work easier.

How to Add a Watermark in Lightroom

How to Edit Wedding Photos in Photoshop

Following these wedding photo editing tips Photoshop you will speed up your working process twice. This wedding photo editing software has all most useful tools and many tutorials, thanks to which you might turn the wedding photo editing into an amusing process. However, you need to learn several tricks, in order to perfect each wedding image and give it some charm.

1. Set Up Your Workspace

The PS workplace consists of literally everything that is considered important and needed for the shooters, who are looking for the quality wedding photo editing software. One size usually doesn’t suit everyone, so it’s advisable to adjust the layout of the panel according to the manner of your work. If the panels on the right side are needless for the task, you can delete them by dragging them out of the docking.

How to Customize Your Photoshop Workspace

2. Remove Flaws or Objects Using Clone Stamp

If your wedding images have some defects: minor flaws, noises or distracting spots, your aim is to delete these stains from the photos. Skin smoothing can be done as well. The whole object can be deleted with several clicks. Imagine, someone suddenly appeared right behind the bride with fiancé, and the photograph was already taken. It's possible to correct that picture and cut out a person out of the shot and produce the desired image. Clone Stamp and Healing are perfect for such purposes.

How to Master the Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop

3. Always Use Dodge & Burn for Portraits

It is kind of fun to do dodging and burning photo manipulations. This effect can be activated if you wish to work with backlight, tint or tones. Various areas of photographs can be brightened or darkened. The tint on the bride’s face can be softened; the shade can be strengthened with a burn function. This is quite a labor-intensive work and it can be rather difficult for beginners, so I recommend familiarizing with the wedding photo editing tutorials on this topic.

Dodge And Burn Secrets

4. Make the Images B&W

Monochrome shots are classic and stylish. This kind of wedding photo edit filter helps create the shot which is not similar to another one. Using these professional techniques, you may enrich the photographs with the elegant look, adding a B&W filter. I recommend showing your client one wedding photo both in color and in black and white. Highly recommend making bridal photos in b&w because a white dress looks especially amazing.

How to Create Dramatic Black and White Photos in Photoshop

5. Blur the Background and Concentrate on Several Special Themes

Many small objects are usually photographed during the wedding: an engagement ring, a wedding cake, a floral bouquet on the bride's hand, a groom holding the bride's hand, decoration items, etc. The background can be blurred if you want to distract attention from it and focus on the object that needs to be underlined. Many photographers blur the background in Photoshop to make wedding portraits magical and concentrate the viewer’s attention ONLY on the couple.

How to Blur a Background - Editing Photo Wedding Photoshop Tutorial

6. Attach Some Shadows to Get a Gentle Look

The shadows make wedding photos dramatic. Adjusting shadows correctly is a difficult but an artistic-rewarding work. The tints can be added to the space between the bride and the fiancé to form an imaginary atmosphere, using the Photoshop wedding photo editing tools. It is also possible to apply a mirror effect.

How to Create Soft & Dreamy Photos - Wedding Photo Editing Tutorials

7. Improve the Multicolor to Make the Appealing Wedding Shot

It is not a secret that wedding always means a very bright joyful celebration. Keep in mind that the wedding shots have to be multicolored. Sometimes there might be pictures which have really boring hues. The color adjustment, while editing photo wedding Photoshop, helps add a special mood to photos.

8. Create Better Contrast with Curves

Learn how to make a shot pop, using Curves. Modify the tool to a small S shape to produce the dynamics. Instead of playing with a contrast slider, it is better to modify the Curves. One of the main strategies is to work carefully with this tool, as it is very sensitive and you can either darken the image too much or make it too light if you are not attentive enough while performing wedding photography edit.

Wedding Photography - Adobe Photoshop & What I Need it For

9. Fix the Yellow Colors for Earthy Tone

According to the best wedding photo editing tutorials, the evident changes appear after fixing the Yellow Colors. Yellow flowers and green objects, as a rule, are oversaturated if the photo was taken on a bright sunlit day.

Color Grading and Color Correction Using the Color Balance Tool in Photoshop

10. Use Free Wedding Photoshop Actions & Presets

If you need to edit many photos in a tight turnaround, you can apply Photoshop actions and edit color balance of all photos in several minutes. These Photoshop actions are fully adjustable, so you can change any setting you need and make additional photo retouching.

Free Wedding Photoshop Actions Free Set. 6 actions for Adobe Photoshop

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B&W Photoshop Actions Free Set. 6 actions for Adobe Photoshop

If you have never used Lightroom presets or hesitate to spend money on this stuff, you can download FixThePhoto free Lightroom presets for photographers. They are preferably used by amateurs and make only basic color adjustment and correction of white balance on wedding photos. It’s a great way to start editing photos in Lightroom.

Top Lightroom Presets for Weddings Free Collection. 10 plugins for Adobe Lightroom

Best Lightroom Presets for Weddings of 2017 Free Set. 5 filters for Adobe Lightroom

Pastel Lightroom Presets Free Set. 10 presets for Adobe Lightroom

Wedding photographer is the most difficult kind of photography. You must meet the expectations of customers, providing them with their precious moments, captured in the pictures. Therefore, it is very significant for you to correct and advance the charm of the pictures in the best way possible. Hope, our 20 wedding photo editing tips will help you enhance photos and make them pop.