Avoid these 10 photo editing mistakes as a beginner photographer

Photo editing mistakes are something nearly every beginner photographer makes. From over-editing to forgetting simple corrections, these errors can hold your images back. To help, we asked professional photographers to share the most common photo editing mistakes they see beginner photographers make—and their advice on how to avoid them.

1. Not getting it right in-camera

“One of the most common mistakes that I see in beginner photographers’ work is a lack of planning,” the Chilean-based photographer Ronny Garcia says. “Take the time in pre-production to think about what you want to do, how you want to do it, and what you need to realise your idea. These days, we have access to digital programs, like Affinity, that can do incredible things, but it’s a mistake to assume that everything can be corrected in post-production.

“Image processing programs help us get the best out of our photos, but only if the image is already well-exposed and has a good composition. The most important thing is ensuring you create the best photo possible in-camera, before editing it.” In other words, post-processing won’t “save” a mediocre photo—it can only enhance a great one. When possible, take multiple exposures to get it right in-camera on location.

2. Over-editing

“One extreme I sometimes see with photographers beginning their creative journey is over-editing,” the English photographer Dan Baker tells us. “The brightness, colour tones, saturation, sharpness, or exposure is often pushed too far, and that ultimately detracts from the photo. The viewer becomes blinded by heavy-handed editing and unfortunately loses sight of the image itself.

“I believe that every edit should give flavour and gently enhance the scene to the point where the image and edit work in harmony. To do this, exercise restraint when editing and enhancing images. By applying small changes, you can create balanced photos.” Glancing at your histogram is a quick way to check your progress and avoid clipping in the shadows or highlights.

3. Only making global adjustments

To get the most out of your images, once you’re happy with your global adjustments, start working with masks to apply filters and edits only where they’re needed. For example, using a shadows/highlights adjustment to lift detail in one area might clip the highlights in another. By masking the adjustment layer to a selected area, you can avoid this problem.

4. Not checking your work

“A simple tip that I often employ is to step away from editing and come back later with fresh eyes,” Dan continues. “It’s amazing how many times I think something looks good in the moment, but once I have wandered off to get a drink and returned to the monitor, I can see how far I have overdone it. There’s no rush. Taking your time and using restraint can be powerful tools in your creative journey.”

5. Blurring skin on portraits

In portraits, skin can easily become over-edited unless you keep a careful eye on it. “My ultimate ‘post-processing pet peeve’ is over-smoothing of skin,” the fine art photographer and portrait artist Laura Ferreira explains. “I have destroyed many a pore in older photos, and I cringe at myself. It’s something that makes my eyes uncomfortable and ruins an otherwise great portrait.

“It comes down to knowing the correct technique. Before I knew about frequency separation or dodge and burn, I was slapping a blur on a selected area and then fading it to get a hint of pore texture. I got away with it sometimes, but other times, it was horrendous.

“If a model has great skin, you’re good to go with simple cloning of a few things here and there, but if you’ve got to balance out tones or marks, your easiest technique is using the Frequency Separation filter in Affinity Photo. Please avoid using anything under ‘Blur’ when editing skin; it is not a good look.”

6. Forgetting to straighten the horizon

Images often come out of the camera with a slightly crooked horizon, but this is easily fixed by straightening the photo. You can also use the Crop Tool to refine your composition using the rule of thirds or the golden ratio.

7. Not developing their own style

“When we first start as photographers, we tend to copy editing techniques and styles we see other photographers use,” the Malaysian-based photographer Rafiq Farhan tells us. “Don’t get me wrong: it is good to learn from other photographers when you are a beginner. But if you stay in the same place for too long, you’ll start to stagnate.

“Over time, you need to develop your own post-processing style and tastes. It took me quite a long time to create my style of editing, and I made countless mistakes along the way, but I can say that I’m quite happy seeing my work today. In my opinion, post-processing is the most important and fun part of photography.” Downloadable presets are great, but don’t forget to experiment with your technique as well.

8. Editing only for web, not for print

“When I started as a photographer, I didn’t think about selling prints,” the Paris-based photographer Emilie Mori says. “My images were very small, and I processed them mostly for web use and smaller prints. As time went by, I started getting requests for larger formats, and I had to adapt my editing process.

“I now work on all my images in a very large format right from the start. I also print my photos after retouching to avoid any surprises. The effect is sometimes very different on paper than it is on a screen. Some photographs look better printed than on a screen, and others are the opposite, so you have to tailor your editing based on the end result.”

9. Not adding metadata

When working with larger numbers of photos, it’s important to keep them organised using searchable keywords. You can also add details like copyright information and captions to the metadata for easy access.

10. Forgetting to have fun

In the end, editing is about expressing your creative vision, so don’t be afraid to break the rules. “I’m not a technical photographer or editor, and I like to let go and play as much as possible,” the Romanian fine art and portrait photographer Cristina Venedict tells us.

“I’ve always been inspired by painters as much as photographers: Degas, Picasso, Toulouse Lautrec, to name just a few. Later, I discovered the work of Maggie Taylor, who uses editing to create her own dream worlds.” Not every edit needs to be realistic—so experiment and push the limits to see what you can create. Just be sure to keep your edits non-destructive so you can revisit them later.

Conclusion: Avoiding photo editing mistakes as a beginner photographer

Every beginner photographer makes a few photo editing mistakes along the way. The key is to recognise them, learn from them, and keep improving. By avoiding these common pitfalls, you’ll build a stronger editing workflow and grow faster as a photographer.

About the contributor

Feature Shoot showcases the work of emerging and established photographers worldwide, highlighting those transforming the medium through compelling, cutting-edge projects, with contributions from writers from all over the world.