When To Stop Editing Your Photos

Knowing when to stop editing your photos is a common issue in photography. We want our photo to be the best it can be. We want everyone to like it (an impossible goal). So, we keep tweaking and editing the photo trying all kinds of options. We’re in constant pursuit of that impossible goal of perfection. When do we say enough is enough, I’ve done all that needs doing? When do we reach the point of saying, “Put a fork in it; it’s done.”?

Actually, this is fairly easy but yet we can also say it is hard to accomplish. Resolving this dichotomy takes time, patience and effort. It is, however, worth the effort.

Over-Processing Vs. Over-Editing

Before we discuss how something can be both easy yet hard to do I think we need to clarify a couple of terms often used when discussing this topic. They are over-processing and over-editing. At first impression, they seem to be synonymous. As a result, they are often used interchangeably which I believe is a mistake. There is a subtle difference between the two terms.

These may not be the officially sanctioned definitions but the following represents my perception of these two, that in my opinion, are vastly different. For me, over-processing is taking an editing step or process to the extreme such that it becomes a distraction. Common examples would be over-sharpening, over-saturation or dodging or burning something to the point of looking unnatural within the scene. Basically, over-processing is a flaw that pulls attention away from the subject. As with all flaws, we should always avoid over-processing.

On the other hand, over-editing is not a flaw in the photo but in our process. It is the endless creation of options, each valid and good, but we cannot seem to be able to choose just one. It represents our inability to declare the photo as “done”. This post is about overcoming over-editing rather than over-processing.

The Easy Part

To know when to stop editing your photos, all you have to do is still your mind and listen to the photo. Just let the photo absorb your mind and it will tell you if more is needed. You’ve done this many times. Just think of the times you’ve looked an someone’s photos and thought this is fantastic, I love it. That’s the photo telling you it’s done. Other times you think, “oh that’s nice, but they need to …”. That’s the photo telling you it needs more editing. It’s as simple as that.

But It’s Not Easy When Looking At My Own Photos

Looking at other people’s photos is one thing but many find it hard to “hear” what their own photos are saying to them. It’s not that your own photos aren’t speaking to you. Rather, it’s that they are being drowned out by the other voices in your head. Other voices? I’m referring to those voices that tell us we’re not good enough; we have to follow the rules; we don’t have the right equipment, and, others won’t like it. These are the voices of self-doubt and they can be quite loud. Loud, that is, if we let them. Fortunately, there as some things we can do to stop these voices of self-doubt from over-powering what our photos are trying to tell us. It takes time and practice but you can take control.

1. Marinate

I’ve written before about letting our photos marinate. This is simply the process of stepping away from your photos for a while to let the excitement and your emotions about the photo die down. This helps us to see them more objectively much as we see other people’s photos.

2. Quick Glances/ First Impressions

When I’m editing a photo and getting close to the final point, I will show it full-screen on my monitor and then walk away. This is also a form of marinating. When I happen to pass by my office, I’ll take a quick glance at my monitor. In that quick second I’ll think about what that photo was trying to tell me before the voices of self-doubt chime in. This little trick allows me to get numerous “first” impressions about what I really think of the photo.

3. Have Some Specific Questions In Mind

As I progress through a series of quick glances and make any appropriate edits, I also make a list of questions. These would typically be questions like, “Is the subject clear?” or “Does this one aspect of the photo distract from the subject”. The quick glances help me create a punch list of needed edits and once I complete them, I no longer have to obsess over them. I can move on to declaring, “It’s done!”