Editing a portrait in five minutes
You do not need hours at a desktop to finish a portrait. These five steps work in any phone editor, and together they take about five minutes.
1. Straighten and crop
Fix tilted horizons first. Then crop to remove distractions at the edges and to place the eyes near the top third of the frame. A tighter crop often helps more than any filter.
2. Set the exposure
Lift or lower the overall brightness until the face looks natural. Then pull the highlights down to bring back sky detail and lift the shadows a little so dark clothing does not turn into a black shape.
3. Correct the white balance
Skin is where wrong colors show most. If faces look orange, cool the image a little; if they look grey, warm it. Compare with a white or grey object in the frame when there is one.
4. Add a little contrast and clarity
A small amount of contrast adds depth. Be gentle with clarity and sharpening on faces: too much makes skin look rough and older than it is.
5. Stop early
The most common editing mistake is doing too much. When the photo looks like the moment you remember, stop. Save a copy, look at it again tomorrow, and you will usually find it needs less than you thought.