How to Enhance and Improve Digital Photos in Adobe Photoshop

PDF download Download Article
Increase resolution, improve color, and remove blemishes.
PDF download Download Article

Photoshop is to digital photographers what the dark room was to film photographers. Everyone, from professionals to hobbyists, gets their best photos after a little bit of touch-up. The best way to turn a good shot into a great photograph is to fine-tune your image in "post," editing it to perfection. With Photoshop, you can upscale a low-resolution image, improve the color and contrast, remove blemishes, and more. This wikiHow article teaches you how to improve a digital photo on Photoshop with expert tips from professional photographer Adam Kealing.

Improve Digital Images in Photoshop

Enable "Preserve Detail 2.0" to increase the resolution of an image. Use adjustment layers to increase the contrast and saturation to make the color pop a little more. Use tools like the Spot Healing tool and Patch tool to remove blemishes from an image. Use filters to sharpen an image.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Increasing Image Resolution

PDF download Download Article
  1. 1
    Open a low-resolution photo in Photoshop. In 2018, Photoshop introduced a new feature called "Preserve Detail 2.0" which allows you to increase the size of an image while preserving the image details. Open a photo you want to enhance in Photoshop.
    • To open a photo in Photoshop, you can click Open on the title screen or click File followed by Open in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Select the image you want to enhance. Alternatively, you can right-click (or Control-click on a Mac) the image you want to enhance and click Open with ,followed by Photoshop .
  2. 2
    Enable Preserve Detail 2.0. Use one of the following steps to ensure Preserve Detail 2.0 is enabled: [1]
    • Windows : Click Edit > Preferences > Technology Previews . Click the checkbox next to "Enable Preserve Details 2.0 upscale." Then click Ok .
    • Mac: Click Photoshop CC > Settings (or Preferences ) > Technology Previews . Click the checkbox next to "Enable Preserve Details 2.0 upscale." Then click Ok .
    Advertisement
  3. 3
    Open the image upscale window. Use the following steps to do so:
    • Click Image in the menu bar at the top.
    • Click Image Size .
  4. 4
    Select "Preserve Detail 2.0" as the resampling method. Use the drop-down menu next to "Resample" to select "Preserve Detail 2.0."
  5. 5
    Adjust the resolution of the image. You can input a new number in the boxes next to "Height" and "Width" (make sure the chain link icon is turned on). Or you can enter a new number in the box next to "Resolution." Change the size of the image to whatever size you want.
    • Make sure you have "Pixels" selected as your unit of measurement.
  6. 6
    Adjust the "Reduce Noise" slider bar. You should see a preview of the enhanced images in the "Image Size" window. Use the slider bar next to "Reduce Noise" to adjust the detail. Too little noise may make the image look too smooth. Too much noise will make the image look too rough. You’ll probably want something somewhere in the middle. Adjust the "Reduce Noise" slider to your liking.
  7. 7
    Click Ok . This will upscale the resolution of the image with Preserve Detail 2.0. You should have a larger and clearer looking image. [2]
  8. 8
    Duplicate the image layer. To do so, right-click the image layer in the "Layers" panel to the right. Then click Duplicate Layer .
  9. 9
    Select a High Pass filter. To do so, make sure you have the top layer selected in the Layers panel. Click Filter in the menu bar at the top. Then select Other , followed by High Pass .
  10. 10
    Adjust the radius and click Ok . Click and drag the slider below "Radius" to adjust how much detail is showing. Set it so that you see an outline of the major details in the image. You don’t want it to reveal too much detail. Just an outline of the image will do. Click Ok when you are done to apply the filter.
  11. 11
    Change the blend mode to "Overlay." Right now, the image doesn’t look too good with the filter. You can fix that by changing the blend mode to "Overlay." To do so, click the Blend Mode drop-down menu in the "Layers" panel. It says "Normal" by default. Then select "Overlay" in the drop-down menu. You should now have an image that is a much higher resolution image that looks clean and crisp. [3]
    • To save the image, click File followed by Save or Save as . Enter a file name for the image and then select the image format next to "Format." You can save it as a Photoshop file (.psd) or you can save it as a JPEG or PNG image to distribute.
    12. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Improving Color and Clarity

PDF download Download Article
  1. According to Kealing, adding contrast to an image is one of the most basic things you can do. No matter what picture you're editing, the difference between your darkest areas and your lightest areas (called Contrast) should be distinct. This leads to more compelling photos. Your goal is a well-lit picture with deep, dark blacks and bright, well-defined whites. Use the brightness to make sure the picture is still clear as well. [4]
    • Click Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast...
    • Make sure "Preview" is checked so you can see how the image changes as you move the slider.
    • Alternatively, you can create a Brightness/Contrast layer adjustment. To do so, click the layer you want to adjust in the Layers panel. Then click the Brightness/Contrast adjustment icon. It has an icon that resembles a half-black/half-white sun. [5]
    • To apply an adjustment layer to one layer only, right-click (or Control-click on Mac) the adjustment layer in the Layers panel and click Create Clipping Mask . This will apply the Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer to the layer just beneath it.
    • Almost all images can benefit from 10-15 points of higher contrast, at the least.
  2. This will make the colors more vibrant and eye-popping. Going too far can make the picture look like something out of Willy Wonka, but saturation is a necessary adjustment in almost every shot, especially with a lower-cost camera. [6]
    • Click Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Hue/Saturation .
    • Alternatively, you can create a Hue/Saturation layer adjustment. To do so, click the layer you want to adjust in the Layers panel. Click the Hue/Saturation at the top of the Layers panel. It has an icon that resembles two gradient bars.
    • Increase saturation by 5-10 points, adding a few points at a time until you hit your desired level.
    • Slide the saturation bar all the way to the left to put the picture in black and white.
    • Click one of the color swatches at the top of the menu to select a specific color to adjust.
  3. Bad lighting can affect the color of an image, which can make the whole shot look yellow or green. Hue settings, found along with Saturation, let you change the overall color palate of the picture for strange, artsy effects or to correct these all-over color issues.
    • Click Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Hue/Saturation .
    • Alternatively, you can create a Hue/Saturation layer adjustment. To do so, click the layer you want to adjust in the Layers panel. Click the Hue/Saturation at the top of the Layers panel. It has an icon that resembles two gradient bars.
    • Even small changes to Hue can make dramatic effects, so work slowly.
    • Click one of the color swatches at the top of the menu to select a specific color to adjust.
  4. This will remove any overly bright areas and weaken dark shadows. The most common use of this is when the sun forms a big, unsightly bloom of white light in the corner of the picture, washing out part of the actual photo. Alternatively, it helps when a shadow obscures half of someone's face. Shadow/HIghlights targets the lightest and darkest parts of a shot directly while leaving the other areas intact: [7]
  5. 5
    Adjust the color for skin tone. Photoshop now has an option that allows you to adjust the color of the photo to produce a more natural-looking skin tone. Use the following steps to do so:
    • Click Click Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust color for skin tone. Then select an area of skin.
    • Use the slider bars to adjust the Tan, Blush, and temperature of the skin tone. Then click Ok when you are done.
  6. This filter is not perfect, and can't fix seriously blurry photos. But it can make a serious difference for slightly "soft" shots, bringing back some clarity and definition in the photo's lines. To use it:
    • Click Filter from the menu bar at the top.
    • Under "Sharpen...", choose Sharpen for a minor adjustment, and Smart Sharpen for a more detailed effect.
    • Under "Smart Sharpen," use "Amount" to choose how severely you'll sharpen sharpen, "radius" to make more precise lines, and "Reduce Noise" to smooth out any over-sharpened areas. [8]
    7. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Improving Composition & Blemishes

PDF download Download Article
  1. Never assume a photo's original framing is the best option available. The Rule of Thirds is one of photography's oldest and most trusted guides. It states that if you cut the image in thirds horizontally and vertically (making 9 mini squares), the most interesting elements should always be along the lines and intersections. In Photoshop, these lines appear automatically when cropping, making it easy to improve.
    • Even small crops can dramatically improve a photo. Are there any unnecessary elements in the corners of the frame that you can eliminate to focus on more interesting things?
    • Always put major lines, like the horizon in the example above, on a third line.
    • To crop a photo, press "C" to pull up the crop tool. You can also click Crop tool in the toolbar to the left. It has an icon that resembles two angles forming a square. [9]
    • With the Crop tool active, click and drag the edges and corners of the image inward to adjust the cropping.
  2. The Red Eye Tool is found under the Patch tool, which is found underneath the eyedropper icon in your toolbar. You can also press J to bring up the Patch tool, then click and hold on the icon to reveal the red eye tool. Once you have it, simply click and drag over the eyes to remove red eye. [10]
  3. Want to get rid of that small pimple on your forehead? The spot healer is here to help. Click and hold the Patch tool (press "J") to find it, as it will pop up in the small menu under the Patch tool. This tool simply replaces the spot you click on with pixels surrounding it, blending them in perfectly. This means thin, small issues, like a zit or a power-line in the background, can be quickly erased without ruining the image.
    • The healing brush works similarly, but you can select which pixels to replace from. To select the "healing area," hold the Alt/Opt key, click once, then start healing your blemish area.
  4. For example, imagine there was some dirt on the lens that you missed, which put a big brown spot in the sky of your beautiful landscape shot. Content-fill can cover it up for you. To do so, use the Quick Selection tool (found under the Lasso icon) to select the smudge. From there:
    • Click Select > Modify > Expand .
    • Expand the selection by 5-10 pixels.
    • Select Edit > Fill .
    • Select "Content Aware" in the Fill, dialogue box and select "okay." [11]
  5. You can replace them with another section of the photo. Imagine you've got a great shot of a soccer player in action but there is one fan in the background up against a fence that you want out of there. Of course, you need to remove him while keeping the fence, which may seem impossible when he's covering the fence up! The patch tool will take another section of the fence and duplicate it over your man to replace him.
    • Use a selection tool (like "Quick Selection") to select the thing you want to be removed.
    • Select the Patch Tool by pressing J. It can also be found underneath the eyedropper icon.
    • Click on the selected area (the place you're replacing), but don't let go of the mouse.
    • Drag the selected area to the spot you want to replace it with and let go of the mouse. [12]
    6. Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Working Effectively in Photoshop

PDF download Download Article
  1. It is the best practice, especially if you're new to digital editing, to always save a copy of your image before working on it. This allows you to experiment and edit without worrying about making a mistake. While you can also click "Undo," this gets much harder if you're trying multiple things at once, like cropping, tinting, sharpening, etc.
    • Click File > Save As , or simply press Ctrl+Shift+S (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+S.
    • At the bottom of the "Save As" menu, click Save as a Copy .
  2. This will help you gain permanent control of most edits. The last thing you want to do is experiment with color, contrast, saturation, etc. and not have the ability to fix it when you go too far. While you should always save a separate copy of an image before editing, Adjustment masks let you keep tinkering with these setting at any point in the future, including turning them on/off, without using "Undo."
    • Click "Window" in the top bar.
    • Select "Adjustments."
    • Choose your adjustment, from Brightness/Contrast to Gradient Maps. Note how a new layer is created.
    • Delete, re-order, or change the opacity of your layers at any time, or double-click to change the settings. [13]
  3. 3
    Adjust the curves of an image. Adjusting curves is a powerful way to adjust the color and contrast of a photo all in one. According to Kealing, tone curves are a very important Photoshop tool to learn. The curves adjustment menu displays a slanted line over a histogram. The lower-left corner represents the blacks. The upper-right corner represents whites. Adjust the curve of the line to make changes to the color and contrast. You can also use the drop-down menu at the top to select a specific color hue to adjust. This sounds technical, but you might be surprised how easy it is to use.
  4. Most cameras have their own camera raw file type, and Photoshop has it’s own raw file type (.raw). Opening files in camera raw format allows you to quickly fine-tune any photo without ruining the original. Camera Raw opens a new copy of your picture with sliders for color temperature, contrast, light control, clarity, saturation, and cropping. This allows you to make quick, basic changes with real-time sliders and effects. It gives you access to all the tools that are in Adobe Lightroom. By default, JPEG and TIFF files do not open as camera raw photos, but you can set Photoshop to open them as raw file automatically. Use the following steps to do so: [14]
    • Click Edit in the menu bar (on Windows) or click Photoshop CC in the upper left corner (on Mac).
    • Click Settings (or Preferences) > Camera Raw > File Handling .
    • Under "File Compatibility," check "Prefer Adobe Camera Raw for Supported Raw Files."
    • Set JPEG handling to "Automatically Open all Supported JPEGs." [15]
    • Set TIFF handling to "Automatically Open all Supported TIFFs."
    • Click Ok .
  5. Say, for example, you know that most of your images are a bit too dark, and they all could use an extra 10 points of Brightness. Instead of manually editing each photo, you can teach Photoshop to do it for you on many pictures at once. For learning's sake, say you want to add 10 points Brightness to 15 images:
    • Click Window > Action to bring up the Actions menu.
    • Click New Action in the bottom of the menu and name it after whatever you're doing. The button looks like a sticky note.
    • Click on Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and add your 10 points Brightness like normal.
    • Click the square "Stop" button in the actions menu to end the recording.
    • Click File > Automate > Batch from the top bar.
    • Under "Play," select the action you just made (it will be whatever you titled it).
    • Select Choose.. . and select the photos you want to edit.
    • Check the boxes "Suppress File Open Option Dialogs" and "Suppress Color Profile Warnings" and hit OK to edit your images all at once once. [16]
    6. Advertisement


Expert Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    How do I improve image quality in Photoshop?
    Adam Kealing
    Professional Photographer
    Adam Kealing is a Professional Photographer based in Austin, Texas. He specializes in general wedding, destination wedding, and engagement photoshoots. Adam has over 11 years of photography experience. His work has been featured in Green Wedding Shoes, Style Me Pretty, Once Wed, and Snippet Ink. His work has won numerous awards with Fearless Photographers and Masters of Wedding Photography.
    Adam Kealing
    Professional Photographer
    Expert Answer
    Most photos look very flat when they're first loaded into Photoshop. Adding contrast almost always should be the first edit you do to make your photos look more professional.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1
  • Question
    How do I change my background in Photoshop?
    Community Answer
    Make a path using the pen tool to your subject, or select your subject using the magic wand. Then, inverse the selection and delete or change the background.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 2 Helpful 1
  • Question
    What is the cost for Photoshop?
    Community Answer
    Depends on the version and where you buy it. The latest version may cost around $79.99-$99.99, unless you are able to find a special deal somewhere, get it on eBay, or something like that.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 4 Helpful 0
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Read Video Transcript

      Tips

      • Don't try to overdo it. Sometimes adding too many effects to a photo can completely ruin a photo. People will be focused on how jazzed-up it is rather than the subject of the photo.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Use Photoshop's Liquify Tool to Make Yourself Look Skinnier
      How to
      Remove an Item from an Image in Photoshop: Complete Guide
      Convert an Image into a Line Drawing: Easy Photoshop Tutorial
      How to
      Rotate an Image in Photoshop
      How to
      Add Sunlight in Photoshop: 2 Step-by-Step Methods
      How to
      Make or Convert images to Vector Graphics in Photoshop
      Simple Ways to Create Clouds in Photoshop
      How to
      Morph Pictures in Adobe Photoshop
      How to
      Create a Water Ripple Effect in Adobe Photoshop
      How to
      Resize an Image in Adobe Photoshop
      How to
      Put Two Pictures Together
      How to
      Use Photoshop to Retouch Facial Photos
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://colesclassroom.com/how-to-enlarge-an-image-in-photoshop/
      2. ↑ https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/increase-resolution.html
      3. ↑ https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/hub/guides/sharpen-image-high-pass-filter.html
      4. ↑ Adam Kealing. Professional Photographer. Expert Interview
      5. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/apply-brightness-contrast-adjustment.html
      6. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/using/adjusting-color-saturation-hue-vibrance.html
      7. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/adjust-shadow-highlight-detail.html
      8. ↑ http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2224031&seqNum=2
      9. ↑ http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/rule-of-thirds
      1. ↑ https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/13703/how-do-you-use-the-redeye-tool-in-photoshop-cs5
      2. ↑ http://planetphotoshop.com/removing-objects-with-content-aware-fill-and-patch-in-photoshop-cc.html
      3. ↑ http://planetphotoshop.com/removing-objects-with-content-aware-fill-and-patch-in-photoshop-cc.html
      4. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/adjustment-fill-layers.html
      5. ↑ https://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-editing/two-ways-to-open-jpeg-files-in-adobe-camera-raw/
      6. ↑ http://layersmagazine.com/editing-jpegs-and-tiffs-in-adobe-photoshop-camera-raw.html
      7. ↑ https://www.itg.ias.edu/content/editing-batch-images-photoshop

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      Working with a dull or blurry digital photo can be frustrating, but luckily, Photoshop can easily improve the look of your pictures. If your image looks too dark or flat, use the brightness and contrast sliders brighten it up and make the shadows and highlights more vivid. To fine-tune the lighting even more, use the shadows and highlights controls to separately adjust light and dark areas. You can also bring out or correct the colors in the picture with the hue and saturation controls. To fix a blurry image, use the “Sharpen” tool or shrink the image to make blurring and pixilation less obvious. Keep reading for tips on how to improve image composition with the “Crop” tool!

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 569,824 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Aditya Sethi

        Jun 15, 2017

        "Very nice and useful tips for beginners."
        Rated this article:
      Share your story

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement