38 comments

The Fashion Blogger’s Guide to Editing Photos Like a Pro

Have you been to a blog that had 10 large photos of the same thing? Did you find it overwhelming? Are you posting multiple photos because that's what everyone else is doing?

When it comes to taking photos, the editing process is just as important as the photo-taking process. Selecting the right photos, resisting the urge to over-do it in Photoshop, and publishing them in an order that tells a story can take just as much work as crafting the right words for a post.

But don't worry! Even though it can be hard to decide which photos are the right ones, if you have guidelines in mind it makes it easier. These five tips will help you deliver a more concise and powerful post to your readers, leaving them wanting more!

Make sure your photos are different from each other

pick one photo

See these photos? They're all pretty much the same.

No one is going to say, “If only I could see another picture of Jennine standing in a different way, THEN I would know what this outfit looks like.”

A picture is worth a thousand words. Would two pictures of the same thing be two thousand words? Nope. Still a thousand. Be sure to select the very best photo of a certain subject and share that. If you have two photos of the same subject and one is good, and the other one is also good then pick one. We don't need to see multiple angles of the same thing.

If you need to show a certain feature, like, say a detail or a closeup of your accessories, that's technically a different subject.  Get creative with your photographing so you can have a better selection to edit from.

Select as FEW images as humanly possible

My rule of thumb is if you can't think of what to write about a particular photo that's different from the other photos, it shouldn't be in there.

Some people will argue with me on this, but I think the optimum number of photos is three for an outfit post.

  • One head to toe shot
  • One accessory or detail shot
  • One shoe shot

For trend posts that number goes up, for example with slide shows, but that's because the photos are very different from each other. Even so, housing a whole collection in a single post can overwhelm readers.

Get creative with your cropping

angular crop
One thing that isn't utilized enough in the fashion blogosphere is the crop tool. Cropping can really help make a photo more dynamic by simply cropping at an angle, or reveal more about the story you want to tell by focusing your reader's attention on a particular detail. If you are taking your photos in high resolution, you should have ample space to crop creatively.

Photoshop: Less is more

Last week we talked about common Photoshop disasters in the blogosphere. The beauty of Photoshop and other editing programs is you don't have to be a whiz to breathe a little life into your photos. I generally increase the contrast a smidge, perhaps boost the saturation or use a gentle warming filter on my photos. Maybe blur my hands or skin if I'm feeling they look scaley.

Optimize your photos for the web

Slow loading time is one of the biggest reasons why people bounce out, unsubscribe and generally do not come to your blog. When posting your photos, make sure they are a web-friendly and they aren't massive. Generally no bigger than 1000 pixels wide, but I would go down to 600 or 750 pixels. Every photo editing service allows you to size your images in pixels, so make sure they are the right size for your blog.

Don't know what a pixel is? Check this out.

Place your photos in an order that tells a story

Some bloggers are great at taking shots of their environment, and things that inspire their world. A cup of tea, a blossoming tree, a chair, and it adds to the ambiance of the post. When you're writing your post there is an order to it, be sure to apply that same logic to your photos to simultaneously tell a story in words and photos.

What photo editing tips do you use for your blog? Do share!

 

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38 Responses

  1. Nasreen

    Love the tip about cropping. Sometimes the first thing we think (well I) is “make sure the photos straight!” instead of thinking of different angles! thanks 🙂

    http://lazyobsession.blogspot.ie/2013/05/blogging-hiatus-and-stripes.html

    Reply
  2. Leslie

    Great tips! It’s amazing how different the crop at an angle photo looks from the original. And yes, I think 3-5 photos is plenty for an outfit post. Any more and it’s just repetitive. I also could not agree more on the pixels. I always just close out a blog that takes forever to load.

    Leslie
    Southern Flair

    Reply
  3. Alyssa

    Oh I totally agree; I have left blogs simply because there are 10-15 photos of the same outfit! So glad you posted this. I crop often and every now and then use black and white if it works with the theme of the post. (ie; nostalgia, vintage, black and white trend, etc.)
    Thank you again for another relevant and useful post!
    A

    Reply
  4. Brooke

    Great tips!! I just started my blog and am a little nervous to publish my first ‘outfit’ post! Check out the rest if you’d like! Thanks for sharing!
    http://thenewmrshamilton.wordpress.com/

    Reply
  5. Erin @ Loop Looks

    Space the photos out and intersperse them with text! Don’t lump all the photos together or string them one after another so that I have to SCROLLLLLLLLLL to get to anything other than them.

    Reply
  6. Laura C.

    Love the idea of cropping photo’s at an angle! minimum work foe maximum effect.
    Laura. xx

    www.stylishvue.blogspot.com

    Reply
  7. Jacqueline

    These are great tips. I know when I go to other blogger’s websites, I won’t scroll through multiple posts if they post more than 5 pictures in a post. It becomes redundant and annoying. I always try to keep my posts to 4-5 photos absolutely max. Sometimes less is more though, same goes with editing.

    Great tips & advice!

    Jacqueline
    www.purelypeanut.com

    Reply
  8. Juliana Bui

    I post quite a few photos on my blog, especially for DIY projects, so this really helped with finding ways to make my posts look a bit more interesting. Thanks for sharing!

    – Juliana

    http://cocoandpicasso.blogspot.ca

    Reply
  9. Mo @Who is that girl Mo?

    I’ve never posted 10 photos but 8 is close so it’s the same thing. I thought that’s what you were supposed to do. I was following other bloggers. I’ve limited my pictures to between 3-5 for my most recent posts after reading another article. The crop at an angle is a great tip. 🙂

    Mo

    Reply
  10. Kristian

    I tend to use collages, so the photos I use are a little higher in number (I like to include backdrop photos to take advantage of living in Wyoming), but in a collage they are merged into one photo. That helps me keep the photos at 3-5. I also don’t mind seeing a sitting and/or back photo of people’s outfits.

    Reply
  11. Ashley "Ashe" Robison

    Yes, yes, yes!

    I think the 10 photos came from some of the larger bloggers, Rumi or Kelly, who post 5+ photos… but they’re all different. They each tell a story. Now I see some of my favorite sites posting 5-10 photos of their outfits and think, I GET IT. YOU’RE KILLING MY LOAD TIME.

    I typically strive for 3-5, simply because sometimes I want to express something NOT fashionable… my personality. If there’s a photo that expresses a side of me people don’t get to see, I want that to showcase.

    The tip about cropping is so great– it’s amazing the difference on little trick can make!

    Reply
  12. Liveinamagazine

    Thanks for the post! I never realized how anoying too many pictures can be. And I guess I did went a little overboad with photoshop. Taking it easy now. 🙂

    Reply
  13. April

    I’d love to forward this to some bloggers. (Think they’d get offended??)

    But seriously, when someone posts those many pictures, they should be asking if they themselves like looking at those number of pics elsewhere. To me, when I see that many pictures, it’s a complete turn off.

    Maybe instead of forwarding…I’ll just tweet!

    April

    Reply
  14. Elaine C

    Thanks for the tips as usual IFB! Definitely will help with my outfit posts as well as non-fashion posts! I really dislike ginormous photos because I rather seeing all of it then let’s say a crotch shot while I’m scrolling. LOL.

    Reply
  15. Deborah Posey

    Great advice. Please visit my blog and give advice on how I can design and promote my blog.

    Reply
  16. Angel

    I agree on the “pick one” tip. Unless it’s a creative filmstrip thing or a gif, it’s pretty mundane. I actually really, really enjoy photos. Three photos for an outfit post is definitely not enough for me. Besides close-up’s on accessories, I love detail shots of little things like that amazing print on the blazer that looks even better up close, the unique, cute cut-out on the back of that top, the cool, edgy backpack that we can’t see from the front, etc. But sometimes there are outfits plain enough where two photos would suffice.

    As for the cropping tip, it never came to me to change the angle of a photo. I only thought of changing the angle while taking the photo, haha. But with this specific photo of the ankle boots, the print and the background are enough elements. The tilt of the angle tips off the linear aspect in the background, plus the zoom-in, makes it look a little cluttered to me. Awesome post! Pleeease keep them coming!

    Reply
  17. Kenneth Jacobs

    I think a great way, if you have extra photos that you like and you don’t want to post all of them on your blog, is to post them on instagram, pinterest, or lookbook (maybe even socialbliss if you use it). It’s a great way to still use your photos and benefit having the world see them. OR if you want, you can save the photos for later and do a #tbt.

    Kenneth

    Reply
  18. SACRAMENTO

    Brilliant post, Jennine, and sooooooooooooooooo right.
    I never stop learning with you.
    Love, and admiration ALWAYS.
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    Reply
  20. Sarah Harman

    I’ve been struggling with the editing (and the taking if i’m honest!) of my photos ever since i started blogging. I use to usually only keep my posts down to 5 images each (I started off with around 3) but my latest post i just went a bit crazy. To be fair all the images were totally different from each other! And I was taking photos in and around mountains so the scenery was to die for. I don’t think my images are too over whelming now because of the way I edited them in my own style (with illustrations thrown in) and they’re kind of small too.
    Anyway, great post! I like the idea of cropping photos to be a bit edgier, may incorporate that into my next post 🙂

    Sarah x
    sarahloves.co.uk

    Reply
  21. Jodie

    Great tips 😀 For a blogger that’s just starting out this is really helpful! Other bloggers I’ve seen put so many photos on and I’ve been thinking that I need to do the same and have less focus on the words (which is the bit I like making the most in my posts!) Now I realised that I don’t need to do that!

    Thank you so much! x

    Reply
  22. WendyB

    OMG, thanks for saying this: Have you been to a blog that had 10 large photos of the same thing? Did you find it overwhelming?

    But the term you’re looking for isn’t “overwhelming.” It was “fucking boring.”

    Save me from those outfit posts, please! This should be mandatory reading!

    Reply
    • Jennine Jacob

      Hahah, it would be funny to open the post like that, but alas, I’m not as skilled at humorously pointing out things are you are! I wish there was a way to make this mandatory reading! 😉

      Reply
  23. Precious

    That’s very true never really thoughts about these things before. Thanks for sharing .

    Reply
  24. Jeanine Marie

    I think when it comes to outfit pictures, less is more. I lose interest when there are a ton of pictures of the same post, pictures taken too far away to see detail or out of focus.

    Reply
  25. Hepsi

    I am not new to logging per se but new to posting pics on my blog. Thats a great tip about cropping at an angle. 🙂

    Reply
  26. Michelle

    I couldn’t agree more that 4-6 pictures is enough. I’ve visited really nice blogs and really bad one that have had at least 10-15 and someone even had 23. At that point you have to wonder what the blogger was thinking. IF you have to scroll for a full two mins just to see you posing 20 times I don’t want to come back. In most cases these are fashion blogs and we are hear to see what sort of style you have, not the poses and endless photos with different filters and editing.

    Elle

    Reply
  27. Sophie

    I find it really frustrating when outfit photos are so large that you need to rapidly scroll the page up and down to see the entire the outfit because it doesn’t fit in the space of my screen. I like to see the the outfit in its entirety.

    Reply
  28. Tsvetelina

    Great article, I’m trying to tell a story with my pictures. Thank you for the great advice.

    Tsvetelina

    Reply
  29. Imperfect Perfectionist

    The cropping on the shoes I’m obsessing over! It adds a whole different twist on the photo! But forget that, the shoes themselves I love, love, LOVE! Soo adorable! Everyone needs a little cheetah print to spice up

    Reply
  30. alexia

    Hello everyone, amazing post. I’m kind of different when it comes to photos. I like using 10 (and sometimes more). My posts have rich content, though, I don’t let the pictures just talk. I’ve noticed that many of the readers just want something to fill their free time or their break while being at work. By posting more than 10 pictures (all of them professional-like) I offer my readers the chance to have fun and take a look at a girl having fun while posing and wearing chic outfits.

    I’d never limit my pictures to less than 8! I find them as important as the post itself!

    Reply
  32. Mejba uddin biplob

    I very much enjoyed this article/interview, as well as your images. I also own all of the Topaz products, but Adjust is definitely my “go-to” as well. It’s always interesting to see how others work…it inspires me to try things that I may not have thought of before.

    Going now to check out your blog. Thank you for taking the time to help others; one of my biggest “peeves” is all of the photographers I meet these days that are just plain nasty and rude and get offended if you ask how they created a particular image. It’s so nice to see someone who is a “giver”.

    Many blessings on continued success.

    Thanks
    Mejba uddin biplob
    Clipping Path Asia!

    Reply
  33. Dan Marks

    Loved how you changed the perspective when you cropped and re-arranged the shoes. That’s quite a way to address fashion retouching. Great!

    Reply
  34. Lallie

    Awesome guide to bloggers! This is a great stuff to be followed by fashionista wanna-be.

    Reply
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  37. Shirley(clipping path)

    Great job here.  I really enjoyed what you had to say.  Keep going because you definitely bring a new voice to this subject.  Not many people would say what youve said and still make it interesting.  Well, at least Im interested.  Cant wait to see more of this from you.

    Reply