[dropcap]D[/dropcap]id you take a lot of photos on your trip to Aspen or the Rockies? Did you want to share some of them on Instagram, but felt they didn’t come out just right?
Don’t worry. You can easily edit your travel photographs to impress your friends.
No, Editing Your Photographs Isn’t Dishonest
Lots of people feel uneasy about editing their photos. They feel that they are basically “lying” to their friends, because they aren’t showing them what their trip was really like.
Gary Arndt, a travel photographer with 10 years of experience, insists that nothing could be further from the truth. He points out that no camera is as reliable as the human eye. When you see a beautiful mountain while traveling through the Midwest or a beautifully dressed woman in Luvr in Paris, you want to capture their essence.
Unfortunately, it won’t come out so well with your camera. Even the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, which is arguably the best camera in the world, won’t take pictures that live up to what you saw up close and personal.
You simply need to edit your pictures a bit. Don’t worry, there are a lot of great photo editing tools out there.
Photo Editing Apps that Don’t Cost an Arm and a Leg
If you really want to create magnificent pictures, Photoshop is probably your best bet. Unfortunately, a fully licensed version of Photoshop costs $1,706.62. This may be fine for professional photographers, but regular travelers should look for a cheaper option.
I used to recommend Picasa, because it was a free image editing tool that was easier to learn than Photoshop. Unfortunately, it has been retired. Picasa was a free photo editing tool that is available on both Mac and PCs.
The good news is that there are a number of Photoshop and Picasa alternatives you can look into. Here are three I recommend.
Photolemur
Unfortunately, this tool isn’t free. However, the functionality is definitely superior to Snapseed and The Gimp. If you want high resolution images, but can’t fork over the money to buy Photoshop, then Photo Lemur is a nice compromise.
Photo Lemur uses an advanced artificial intelligence algorithm to analyze millions of pixels a second. It easily identifies distinguishing features and adjusts them as necessary. You can purchase Photo Lemur for only $29, which is a steal compared to most other premium photo editing tools.
The Gimp
Don’t be confused the by the politically incorrect name. The Gimp is actually the best free alternative to Photoshop I’ve ever come across. It is an open-source tool and has many of the same features available with Photoshop. It is available on the following operating systems:
- Windows
- Mac OS X
- Linux
- BSD
- Unix
- SkyOS
It is very quick and easy to edit photographers.
Snapseed
Snapseed is a great photo-editing tool for pictures taken on mobile devices. It is available on both iOS and Android devices, so you can get it for free on Google Play and the App Store.
Don’t Be Afraid to Edit Your Travel Photos
Most people edit their photos before sharing them on Instagram or Pinterest. You should do the same. The important thing is to create great photos that your friends will love.
Ryan Kh is an experienced blogger, digital content, and social marketer. He is founder of Catalyst For Business and contributor to search giants like Yahoo Finance, MSN. He is passionate on covering topics like big data, business intelligence, startups and entrepreneurship. Connect with him on Twitter @ryankhgb.
