By doing a little research, you’ll find out that the selfie isn’t a brand-new thing. A man named Robert Cornelius possibly took the first ever selfie back in 1839. Of course, he used a Daguerrotype, an ancestor of the modern camera. So, if he wanted to fix how he looked after taking the photo, there wasn’t much he could do.
Fortunately, when you take selfies nowadays, you have a thousand ways to make them better. You’ve got apps and computer software dedicated to editing photos to adjust the lighting, change colors, or completely alter how a person looks. That makes photo-editing fun, yet it also poses a challenge to those prone to going overboard with their edits.
There’s nothing wrong with editing your selfies since almost everyone does it to showcase their best features. However, there is somewhat of a limit to how many alterations you can make to avoid looking like a different person. Keep reading to learn how to give your selfies the appropriate changes.
1. Tweak Minimally
If you have a selfie where you don’t look like you’re giving the expression you want, a bit of editing can change all that. But you must be careful with your edits, or else you could turn a normal-looking smirk into something bordering uncanny valley. Big, bulging eyes and Cheshire cat-like grins will make others stop and stare for the wrong reasons.
Many new photo-editing apps usually have a feature that automatically retouches your face thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Thus, they’re excellent tools for perfecting your smile or evening out your skin tone normally without much effort. Despite that, you’re free to manually make edits on your own if the app allows it.
Start small, like altering the contrast or exposure. Odd lighting and shadow may be the cause of an unflattering selfie. If the light in the photo is acceptable, you can tweak your facial features sparingly to improve your expression without making yourself look like an animated character.
2. Only Edit Evident Imperfections
More often than not, selfies look pretty okay at the first few shots unless you take them with a shaky hand. In most cases, there’s nothing much you need to change. People only edit their selfies when there’s something obvious to cover up, like a skin blemish. Some editing can do the trick if there’s a part of your photo that you want to hide.
It’s okay to tighten up love handles or blur pores captured by your camera. Professional photo studios often do that, too. Some people overdo it, though, and sometimes add what’s not needed, such as a six-pack that’s not there. Other times, they reduce too much, like trimming down naturally thick legs. Doing this often turns you into a different person in your selfie altogether. So, it’s best to edit out only the glaring issues that bother you.
3. Choose Appropriate Filters
Photo filters are unnecessary, but they’re great for changing up the mood of a selfie. Classic filters like sepia or grayscale play up the old-timey feel and subtly hide flaws like uneven skin tone. Meanwhile, others provide a similar effect to AI face retouching, so you can instantly smoothen skin or whiten teeth with the tap of a button.
When choosing a filter, think about the feel you want your selfie to have. Most pre-installed filters in your phone’s camera app or another photo editing app usually have names that evoke a specific mood. Just be wary not to pick something that heightens contrast or increases the intensity of colors. You could have a very red or orange face with unflattering shadows in your selfie.
If you regularly take selfies, you’ll eventually upgrade your smartphone photography and master taking photos without realizing it. When this happens, your newfound skill will find situations and locations to take better selfies that you won’t need to add filters.
4. Keep Some Flaws
Some filters are so good at editing imperfections that they almost make a selfie feel quite unnatural. Hence, sometimes it’s better to keep a few flaws in the photo to showcase a genuine-looking human.
A person’s ‘flaws’ make them unique, like freckles on their cheeks or a birthmark under their eye. Overediting and over-filtering can remove your distinguishing features. Thus, even if your hair looks wild and curly in your selfie, leave it be. And erasing a couple of loose strands is acceptable, but making your hair in the photos extra smooth and perfect can make the edits all the more apparent.
Keep some of the imperfections in your selfie. It’s one way to retain your natural good looks even after making a few minor changes here and there.
5. Mind The Background
Unless you’re taking your selfie next to a naturally wavy Ultrafragola mirror, specific edits on photos may distort your background. When this happens, you could look stunning, but the window or door behind you may appear unusually bent or curved. These odd features are clear signs of overediting on your face or body.
When editing your selfies, try to avoid retouching the background as much as possible. No one notices that part as long as you’re in the photo, but they will if they spot something off. If you need to edit the background, do it minimally. Most of the time, you don’t even have to alter anything. You’re the subject of the selfie, after all. Leave the background as it is. Otherwise, people will pay attention to it and won’t let you hear the end of it.
Conclusion
Everyone desires to look amazing in photos, but various factors can hinder that. Luckily, you can easily edit your selfies to make them appear more flattering. It’s just a matter of making appropriate edits. After all, looking natural is the main point of the ever-popular selfie photo.