Step-by-Step Guide: Editing Travel Outfits With Photography Hacks

Vacations are magical! You can relax, do fun activities, and take a lot of cool photos for your social media channels. But the magic only lasts until you’re back home, checking the photos. This is when you realise your outfit wasn’t quite as Instagram-ready as you hoped. Maybe the lighting didn’t do justice to that gorgeous dress, or perhaps the lighting was too low or bright. The scenarios are endless and we’ve all been there.

But here’s the good news: with a little photo editing, you can turn your photos into the showstopper you thought they were in the first place.

If you’re new to photo editing, I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to worry. With today’s tools and a bit of guidance, there’s almost nothing you can’t do. In today’s post, I’m here to provide guidance for basic outfit edits and a few tool ideas for you to try.

 

Clean Up Creases

It happens – you’ve sat down somewhere, and your beautiful dress looks like the map of a mountainous country. The great thing about photo editing is that you don’t have to whip out the ironing board! You can smooth out those pesky creases with a few clever tricks. 

Most editing tools (free or premium) offer features like ‘smooth’ or ‘refine.’ Use these sparingly to soften wrinkles while keeping the fabric texture intact. Focus on small areas instead of trying to fix everything at once – a heavy hand can make things look unnaturally flat.

For deeper creases or tricky folds, use spot-correction features. These allow you to select just the wrinkle itself and subtly blend it away without affecting surrounding details.

 

Brighten Up Fabrics

Outside lighting is not always your friend. Strong sunlight can make the colour of your outfits look too harsh, while the dim light of the evening will make them look faded and dull.

Of course, there’s also the case where the fabric’s colour is flat in real life. Luckily, you can make colours pop and breathe life into those outfits with just a few simple adjustments!

Start by tweaking the brightness and contrast features of your photo editing tool. Increase brightness slightly to give fabrics a fresh, clean appearance, then bump up the contrast to add depth without making colours look flat. 

If the fabric looks too washed out, move on to the vibrance slider. This one enhances colours subtly without turning them neon. For whites or light tones that appear greyish in poor lighting, gently adjust highlights until you like what you see. 

 

Layer Backgrounds Without Losing Realism

Sometimes, the background in your holiday photo doesn’t do justice to your fabulous outfit. It might be too busy, dull, or not quite the postcard-perfect view you remember. 

This is why you always need a reliable, professional background remover!

This tool allows you to isolate yourself and remove everything else in the background. Once you do this, you can play with the empty space by adding a new landscape, turning it monochrome, or filling it with colour.

When adding new backgrounds, adjust brightness and contrast so it blends naturally with the subject. You don’t want to look like a sticker slapped onto another scene. Adding a slight blur to the backdrop also helps maintain focus on your outfit while creating depth that feels authentic.

 

Change Colours Like Magic

Ever looked at a photo and thought, ‘If only that top were blue instead of orange’? 

Not everyone knows what colours work best with their complexion, but it’s pretty easy to tell when a certain shade doesn’t suit you (especially if the lighting isn’t too flattering).

I recommend a colour analysis to figure out this conundrum once and for all. 

To change the colour of clothes during editing, select the specific area you want to change and gradually adjust the colour to keep it believable. Overly dramatic shifts might look out of place next to natural surroundings.

We know this feature can get a bit addictive, so refrain from overdoing it. Stick to edits that complement your existing style rather than transforming outfits into something unrecognisable.

 

The Power of Cropping and Angles

More often than not, the best edits don’t involve fancy tools or filters; they’re all about framing. Cropping and adjusting angles can instantly turn a decent photo into a professional-looking one that showcases your outfit in just the best way. 

Cropping helps you remove distractions like an awkward passerby or a bird photo-bombing you. It also works on rubbish bins that mysteriously made it into your background or any other noise that takes the eyes from the main subject – your gorgeous outfit.

Angles, like a slight tilt, can make lines straighter and create more balance. If you were photographed from above, straightening helps avoid that ‘shortened legs’ effect. Or try rotating for creative shots that add energy while showing off flowing fabrics or fun textures.

 

Wrap Up

Editing doesn’t have to be stressful! Embrace the fun of it and use tools and techniques that you can master without too much effort. With a bit of work, every shot can shine!