SNAPSEED TUTORIAL

IMPORTANT NOTE: To edit a photo with Snapseed, it is not necessary to apply all
the steps in all the photos nor all the effects at the same time. This tutorial explains what each is.
section and what it is for. Do not apply any excessive adjustments or overload the photo,
never looks good...

This tutorial is only for editing JPG files, the tools for RAW files
they are the same but these have more editing options. The JPG is a file with a lot of
compression, that is to say, it has less information and therefore is more difficult to edit. The RAW
it has less compression and is more manageable.

0. LET'S START!

The first thing is that the photo is worth it, both the content (that we like) and
technically. That the photo is well focused, well exposed (neither too much nor too little light, although
it's better to err on the side of a dark photo than a burnt photo because shadows recover better). If
we have a photo that we like and that is correctly exposed we pass to Snapseed.

The first thing we are going to do is skip the default filters (DESIGNS) and move on.
direct tools. The designs will be useful to us at a certain moment.
to make a quick edit but they won't have our style or personal touch, which they do
we can have applying a manual edit.
Within this section, we also have something very useful which is LAST CHANGES.
This section will apply to the photograph we have selected the edition we made in
the previous photo, very useful to save us from editing two times photos we have taken in
the same session, in the same place and under very similar lighting conditions.

FIX THE PHOTO

TIPS: Tap the photo and hold your finger to see how it was before and release to see the
changes we have made.
We have a button for 'Undo' or 'Redo' changes as well as viewing layers of
edition that we have been making and change them from there (Top right corner, icon)
an arrow with two squares.

The first thing we address within the tools will be ROTATE; Here Snapseed corrects
automatically the rotation angle of the photo as soon as you enter the option, but it is not
Perfect, and sometimes we will have to correct it manually to make it right. We will do it.
sliding your finger up or down and we guide ourselves with the grid that appears.
We can also rotate the photo 180º or flip it in any direction.
Later we can EXPAND if the photo lacks a bit of length or width to be
symmetrical or being centered. Snapseed takes similar patterns from another part of the photograph
to fill the empty gaps, sometimes better and sometimes worse. Recommended for changes
subtle, it won't always look good.

CROP if we want the opposite, we have too much photo and we have to crop part of it.
We can also use predefined size patterns like 4:3 or 16:9 to adjust.
the size of our photo for different uses.

PERSPECTIVE with great care, if we abuse it sings too much to the eye that is made by
software so it's better for extreme cases or very little effect.

In the WHITES BALANCE we can change the temperature of the photo to cool it down.
to heat it, in addition to changing the tone or hue of the color. (See section 2 - Temperature)

Now we use the toolSTAIN REMOVERif we want to remove any object,

person or detail. It is a good tool, but it is not perfect. I recommend pinching
to zoom in and select without straying too far from what we want to delete. No
it will always do well since it takes patterns from another part of the photograph to cover what
let's select. If we see that we don't like how it turned out, we have two arrows to
Undo or Redo changes.

2. BASIC TOUCH-UPS
IMPROVE PHOTO: After fixing our shot, we will move on to improving it. Here
Basically we will adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation to each person's liking (without overdoing it)
never in any, just to clarify, darken or brighten the colors. That is to say, we continue
correcting the photo.

I recommend not to sin either by excess or by defect in order not to spoil the shot.
the environment marks a clear contrast of colors to the right or a clear contrast between
lights and shadows on the left.

We increase or decrease the highlights if we have a very bright area and we raise the shadows.
to create an HDR or we lower them to dramatize the dark areas a bit. Having in
It tells what a JPG file is (Compressed) there will be times when the shadows very
dark areas when clarifying them will have to 'invent them' and the same with the burned areas when
darken them.

Regarding the temperature, I recommend raising or lowering it according to:

A) What we want to convey with the photo

B) What matches the colors in the photo the most

NOTE: If we want to do black and white, we do not do it from the IMPROVE tab.
Reducing the saturation to the minimum, we will do it from the tool itself.
in BLACK AND WHITE noir and there we choose the B&W that we like the most.

In DETAILS, the structure makes everything appear more detailed than it is and accentuates
the general structure of the photo. Do not overuse this adjustment, especially in portraits, as it can
it will greatly mark the traits of the person who appears and never likes to see themselves with wrinkles or
exaggerated spots. It can be used on certain older people to dramatize the photo.

Lanitidez can always be raised a little, especially if we are going to post the photo on
Instagram, since when uploaded it becomes smaller and the sharpness adds a bit of clarity to the
See it on this social network and make it more defined for those who see it on the screen.
telephone.

3. ADVANCED RETOUCHING

In this section, we will look at advanced touch-ups, subtle changes that, when combined,
they will make the difference between any edition and a good edition.

CURVES: It is a professional tool that Snapseed finally has and that makes
You can change the light of the photograph with a curve that goes from highlights to shadows.
I recommend using it manually to all those who know about photography and have used it.
used in Lightroom or any other editor commonly. For everyone else, use the
default profiles, which are very good. Look for one that matches the photo and it
we apply.

BRUSH: The brush is another very professional tool that will allow us to apply a
determined effect (Light and exposure, exposure, saturation, temperature...) in the areas
in which we paint. Simple, right? If we touch the eye icon, we will be able to see where we have
clearly painted (Valid for any other tool in which it appears that
icon.

SELECTIVE: The selective is similar to the BRUSH, with the difference that it allows us
we can restructure in a single area. We touch where we want to apply the effect and it will appear.
an 'A', 'B', 'C'.... If we tap on the 'A' we can increase or decrease the
zone of the effect pinching and change the effect to apply by sliding up or down
down.

CONTRAST TONE: It will be used to change subtle parameters, more for professionals or
retailers. You can fiddle with this option, but in most situations you wouldn't notice a
substantial change in photography except for the midtones, which will greatly define the shapes
from the photo.

4. SPECIFIC TOUCH-UPS

This edition is for predetermined shots, grouping some tools and filters that we
They will help depending on the type of photography we are editing.

PORTRAIT: A great tool that will allow us to lighten the skin of the face, the eyes or
smooth features so that the model or person in the portrait looks good. Additionally
highlight the subject.

HEAD POSTURE: A simple but very useful tool (do not overuse unless you want)
) let's have a laugh) if we want to slightly correct the subject's head posture, the
smile, the eyes...

NOTE:We will only be able to use these last two options if the application detects the
less a face in the photograph.

BLUR: Here we have two options, a radial or circular blur, we apply

the one that best fits our shot. Try to ensure that the effect is smooth, meaning that
Go from less to more and adjust as much as possible to what we want to highlight in the photo.
It can also help us finish tuning a portrait mode photo in which the
the phone software has failed and some areas remain unblurred.

VIGNETTING: To add light or dark borders to the photo, simple. The white vignettes
they usually do not look good unless we put a bit in a 'fantasy' style portrait, photo of
wedding... Specific situations. The black vignette looks better without overusing it.

DOUBLE EXPOSURE: If we want to create an overexposure effect on a photo

on top of another. I recommend looking for a tutorial on YouTube for this technique, as it is
complex and long to explain...

As mentioned, add text to the photo. We have several styles to choose from, even
we can use it to create a watermark of the type 'Manolo García Photography' in
a small corner so that it is known that the photo is of our authorship.

MARCOS: It doesn't require much explanation. I don't recommend using exaggerated frames.
Sometimes a simple white or black border can look good, the rest of the frames usually
ruin the professional look of a photo.

5. EDITING WITH FILTERS

Here we have a bunch of options that at first can give us the feeling of not
knowing what to choose or wanting to apply for a bunch at once. Neither one nor the other. We have
muchas opciones;DRAMA,VINTAGE,GRANO DE PELÍCULA,ILUMINACIÓN
RETRO, GRUNGE, BLACK AND WHITE, NOIR….

Here you have creative freedom, but use it all in moderation and try to seek good taste.
more than the first impression that a filter gives you. In most cases, you can change the
intensity and many other adjustments to lower a filter or add a personal touch.
My favorites are MOVIE GRAIN, VINTAGE, and BLACK AND WHITE, but
Here, the personality and taste of each one are already dominant.

The usual thing, a subtle filter beautifies a photograph, overusing it spoils it.