Summary:
- Photo editing is not “cheating” but an essential part of photography. It helps correct camera limitations, restore how a scene truly looked, and enhance clarity, emotion, and storytelling with just seconds of simple adjustments.
- Accessible modern editing tools and AI features – on both phones and computers – can fix common issues like exposure, colour, distractions, crooked horizons, and soft details, enabling anyone to produce more intentional and visually consistent images.
- Thoughtful editing preserves memories more authentically, elevates everyday photos, and enhances personal legacy, while also recognising that some candid or documentary moments are best left unedited for their raw emotional truth.
My passion for photography constantly draws me to Singapore’s fascinating places: hawker centres during meal times, the futuristic Gardens by the Bay, the wild edges of Coney Island, and the sleek Punggol Digital District, among many others.
I shoot both at organised photo walks and solo jaunts, stopping whenever something catches my eye. At group meetups, the energy is infectious – everyone shoots with genuine passion and hunger to capture that perfect moment.
Then comes the sharing part. Photo after photo goes straight to Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp. No adjustments. Just raw files.
Faces buried in shadow. Noisy night shots. Flat food photos. Group shots where half the people are squinting into the sun. Everyone hits “share” anyway.
Here’s what I keep wondering: why settle for “good enough” when 30 seconds of editing could make it exceptional?
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The great photo editing debate
Purists might say: “But photo editing is cheating! Photography should be pure!”.
But here’s the truth: your camera doesn’t capture reality. It never has. Whether you’re shooting on a phone or a full-frame mirrorless, your camera captures what its sensor and algorithm interprets reality to be. And sometimes it gets things wrong. Hawker centre lighting renders completely off. Your char kway teow looks like brown mush. Your family gathering looks subdued instead of celebratory.
When Ansel Adams spent hours in the darkroom dodging and burning his photos, was he cheating? When Steve McCurry adjusts colour and contrast in his iconic portraits (like his award-winning Afghan girl portrait in National Geographic), is he less of a photographer? Post-processing has been part of photography since day one.
Here’s what might surprise you: every photograph you see has been edited. That wedding photo your friend shared? Edited. The casual iPhone shot on Instagram? Edited by Apple’s computational photography before you even pressed the shutter. That “natural” sunset on your favourite photographer’s feed? Definitely edited.
The only question is whether you’re controlling those edits, or letting your camera’s automatic processing decide for you.
After I started seriously editing my work, something fundamental shifted. People didn’t just look at my photos anymore – they engaged with them. They asked questions. They wanted to know what time and how I shot it, what I did in post, what I was thinking. These photos aren’t just phone snapshots. They’re intentional visual statements that reflect how I actually experienced the moment – vibrant, clear, emotionally resonant.
And here’s what deliberate editing can do for your photography:
1. It fixes technical limitations you can't control
Let’s be real. Even with great gear and technique, sometimes you can’t get the perfect exposure in-camera. Maybe you’re shooting into the sun or the dynamic range exceeds your sensor’s capability. Post-processing recovers detail from shadows and highlights that would otherwise be lost forever.
2. It restores the scene as you perceived it
That bowl of prawn noodles at the hawker centre? When you were there, it glistened under warm light. Your camera rendered it pale and cold. Proper white balance and saturation adjustment brings it back to life. Not fake life, but authentic representation.
3. It removes visual distractions
I captured the below image during the Orchid Show at Gardens by the Bay. There were several people captured in frame, so I cropped it tighter, pushed the colours and exposure, used the object removal tool, and voila! Distraction gone. Now the image communicates what I intended.
4. It refines your visual language
The more you edit thoughtfully, the more you develop a consistent aesthetic. You start understanding light, colour relationships, and composition on a deeper level. This makes you a better photographer, not a worse one.
Reality check: Common problems we all face
Here are some real examples of actual photos I’ve taken which showcases the exact problems many of us encounter before learning proper post-processing workflow.
Example 1: The Dim Sum Disaster
- Before: Underexposed, muddy colours, can't see the translucent skin of the har gow.
- After: Properly exposed, appetizing, you can see the shrimp texture better through the wrapper.
- What I did: Lifted shadows by 40%, increased exposure slightly, enhanced vibrance and contrast.
- Time taken: 25 seconds.
Example 2: The Backlit Portrait
- Before: My niece’s face is completely silhouetted against the bright dawn sky, her facial features rendered invisible.
- After: Face and blanket properly exposed, expression clearly visible, sky more vibrant and colourful, just like how I saw it.
- What I did: Adjusted shadow/highlight slider, increased exposure slightly, pushed colour saturation a little and applied minor local adjustments to her face, while maintaining mood.
- Time taken: 25 seconds.
Example 3: The Blown Highlights Recovery Challenge
- Before: I took this photo of the late Pope Francis in Singapore. His white vestments and the white vehicle canopy are completely blown out – just featureless white. I exposed for the crowd and security detail, which meant everything white got blown out.
- After: The whites are less blown and even the vehicle insignia is visible now. And you can see the crowd, the security team looks sharp, and the moment is preserved.
- What I did: Dropped highlights to -100 in Lightroom and tried every recovery trick I know. The blown areas stayed white, but at least it’s better now. Gave up on the impossible and worked on what I could: lifted shadows, added contrast to the suits, adjusted colour balance.
- Time taken: 1 minute praying, 5 minutes editing.
- The lesson: It’s tough fixing over-blown highlights. When the sensor hits maximum capacity, that information is tough to retrieve. Sometimes you just have to accept that an imperfect photo of an incredible moment is better than no photo at all.
Example 4: The Out-of-Focus Group Shot
- Before: Common problem with group photos, camera focuses on the front few while ignoring those behind, rendering them out-of-focus.
- After: Overall cleaner, and everyone’s faces are now in focus.
- What I did: Used Selective tool in Snapseed, tapped on each blurred face, increased Structure (+40) and Sharpness (+30), adjusted circle size to cover just the face, repeated for all background people.
- Time taken: 1-2 minutes for 4-5 faces.
- Reality check: Only works if faces are slightly soft, not completely out of focus or motion-blurred. You can't create detail that wasn't captured by the camera in the first place.
Example 5: The Crooked Horizon
- Before: Due to the rocking boat in choppy waters off Bali, it was difficult to maintain a level horizon. With the horizon line tilting about 5 degrees, it makes the ocean look like it's spilling out of the frame.
- After: Horizon perfectly level, increased exposure and contrast. The entire composition now feels balanced and professional. Did slight cropping due to frame realignment.
- What I did: Used straighten tool in Lightroom mobile, aligned to horizon line.
- Time taken: 15 seconds.
The most I spent on editing was 5 minutes – more than that and you’re probably over-thinking it. Best part is, none of the editing made the images look artificial or “over-processed.” They just made them look like what I actually saw and felt when I pressed the shutter.
Getting started: It's easier than you think
If you can navigate your phone’s camera app, you can edit photos. Modern editing tools are designed for accessibility. You don’t need to understand sensitometry curves or colour theory. You just need to understand basic visual principles and tap a few sliders.
The critical importance of level horizons
Before we dive into editing workflows, let’s talk about one fundamental principle: your horizon line must be level. Always.
Think about hanging a picture frame at home. If it’s even slightly crooked, it bothers you every time you look at it. Same principle applies to horizons in photographs.
A tilted horizon creates visual tension and discomfort. When you stand at the beach looking at where the sea meets the sky, that line is always perfectly horizontal. A crooked horizon in a photograph disrupts the viewer’s sense of balance. Instead of engaging with your subject, the beautiful sunset, the laughing faces, the dramatic clouds, they instead fixate on the tilt. Once they notice it, they can’t unsee it.
The psychology is simple: humans are hardwired to recognise level planes. When the horizon tilts, our brains interpret it as instability. The image feels “wrong” even if the viewer can’t articulate why.
The good news? Straightening a horizon is one of the easiest corrections in post-processing. Most modern apps have automatic levelling tools that handle it in seconds. Just select the straighten tool and align to the horizon line.
Pro tip for shooting: Enable the grid overlay in your camera settings. Most cameras and phones offer a 3×3 grid (helps with rule of thirds) and/or a level indicator. The horizon should align with one of the horizontal grid lines. This eliminates the problem before you even need to fix it in post.
Editing tools you can use right now
- On your phone (Android and iPhone)
Google Photos (Free; already on Android devices)
This is where most people start their editing journey, and honestly, it’s still where I do about 60% of my mobile editing. It’s integrated into your device, syncs across platforms, and offers surprising capability for a free tool.
Essential features:
- Auto-enhance button: Analyses the image and applies intelligent corrections (exposure, contrast, colour balance).
- Light/Colour sliders : Granular control over exposure, shadows, highlights, saturation, warmth.
- Crop and rotate : Essential for composition refinement and straightening.
- Portrait mode blur : Computational depth-of-field effect (available on supported devices).
Snapseed (Free; Android and iPhone)
A personal favourite of mine when on-the-go, Snapseed’s interface may seem intimidating, but it’s actually intuitive once you understand and take the time to study the gesture-based workflow.
Essential features:
- Healing tool : Content-aware fill for removing unwanted elements
- Selective adjustments : Control-point based editing to adjust specific areas independently
- Structure and sharpening : Detail enhancement that doesn't look over-processed
- Perspective correction : Fix converging verticals and lens distortion
- Rotate and straighten : Precise control for levelling horizons
Adobe Lightroom (Free; Android and iPhone)
Adobe’s mobile powerhouse brings desktop-grade editing to your smartphone, and while the interface might feel overwhelming at first glance, it becomes second nature once you grasp its cloud-sync workflow and professional toolkit.
Essential features:
- Presets and profiles : One-tap transformations with customizable preset collections
- Selective edits : Masking tools including radial, gradient, and AI-powered subject selection for targeted adjustments
- Raw capture and editing : Shoot and edit DNG files directly within the app for maximum image quality
- Advanced colour grading : Professional-level HSL sliders and colour wheels for precise tonal control
- Cloud sync across devices : Start editing on your phone and seamlessly continue on your tablet or desktop
- Geometry tools : Powerful perspective correction with guided upright adjustments and lens profile corrections
Apple Photos (Free; built-in for iPhone)
If you’re in the Apple ecosystem, don’t overlook the native Photos app. Apple’s computational photography and machine learning make the auto-enhance remarkably effective – often superior to Google’s algorithm in my experience.
- On your computer (PC and Mac)
Before downloading anything, check what you already have, as your computer’s native photo app might be all you need. And if you’re ready to dive deeper without spending money, there’s a powerful (if challenging) open-source option worth knowing about.
Photos App (Free; Windows/Mac)
Both Windows and macOS include surprisingly capable photo editors that many photographers completely ignore. Just double-click any image, hit “Edit,” and you get access to all the basic adjustments you need for 80% of edits.
Canva (Free with premium option)
While known for graphic design, Canva has become a legitimate photo editor with its Affinity integration. The free tier gives you solid editing tools with an intuitive interface that’s much friendlier than traditional photo software. Perfect if you want something more capable than your native photo app but less intimidating than professional software.
GIMP (Free, but complex)
This is the open-source alternative to Photoshop. Full disclosure: it’s not beginner-friendly. The learning curve is steep. I’m mentioning it because it’s free and genuinely powerful, but I’d recommend starting with simpler tools and graduating to GIMP only if you need advanced features.
The 6-step editing workflow
This process works for approximately 90% of photographs. Once you internalise it, it takes 30-45 seconds per image. Depending on the complexity of your edits, it may take longer.
Step 1: Check and straighten the horizon
This is non-negotiable. Before touching anything else, verify your horizon is level. In Google Photos or Lightroom, open the crop tool and look for the straighten slider. Adjust until horizontal elements align properly. Most modern apps include auto-level functions, so use them. This single adjustment transforms amateur-looking shots into polished images.
Step 2: Apply auto-enhance
Let the algorithm do the heavy lifting first. Tap “Auto” or “Enhance” and let the software analyse and adjust exposure, contrast, and colour. Sometimes this is sufficient after straightening. Other times, it’s a solid starting point for manual refinement.
Step 3: Refine exposure
If faces or important elements remain underexposed, adjust the shadows slider or overall brightness. If highlights are blown out, pull down the highlights slider to recover detail. The goal is balanced exposure across the frame where every important element is visible.
Step 4: Adjust colour temperature and saturation
Correct the white balance if the image looks too cool (blue) or too warm (orange). Then add a subtle boost to vibrance or saturation to make colours pop. Keyword: subtle. If it starts looking oversaturated or garish, dial it back. You want “enhanced reality”, not “cartoon”.
Step 5: Crop and straighten composition
Remove distracting edge elements. Improve composition by applying the rule of thirds or centre your subject appropriately. This is where you refine visual hierarchy: what do you want the viewer to look at first?
Step 6: Sharpen and save
Add a touch of sharpening to enhance detail and texture. Not too much. Over-sharpening creates ugly halos and artifacts. Then save/export. Most apps automatically save a copy while preserving your original file.
Golden rule: If it looks unnatural, reduce the effect. Less is more. Your goal isn’t to win awards, it’s to create clear, compelling images that communicate effectively.
When does paying make sense
I used free tools exclusively for my first two years of serious photography. Then I subscribed to Adobe Lightroom (S$16.07/month). Here’s why some photographers choose to invest in paid tools.
No advertisements
Free apps interrupt your workflow with ads. When you’re in a creative flow state editing a special moment, you don’t want intrusive marketing breaking your concentration.
Cloud synchronisation
All edited images sync across phone, tablet, and computer. Start editing on your phone during lunch break and finish on your desktop at home with your edits preserved.
Advanced AI capabilities
Paid tools offer superior machine learning for complex tasks – object removal, face enhancement, noise reduction, and sophisticated lighting corrections.
Presets and profiles
One-click looks that establish consistent aesthetic across your portfolio. Create a “golden hour” preset that warms tones and enhances glow. One tap, done. This is huge for maintaining visual consistency.
Other paid options worth considering:
- Canva Pro (S$165/year) : Excellent for creating photo collages, presentations, social media graphics
- Pixelmator Pro (One-time S$69.98 on Mac) : Professional-grade tools without subscription model
- TouchRetouch (One-time S$2.98) : Specialised tool for removing unwanted objects, excellent algorithm
Think of it like investing in good glass versus a kit lens. Free tools work fine, but if you’re serious about photography, spending a few dollars monthly for better tools isn’t unreasonable. That said, free tools are absolutely sufficient for most photographers.
Artificial intelligence in photo editing
This is where contemporary editing gets genuinely exciting. Modern apps and programmes now incorporate machine learning features that would have seemed impossible five years ago. And much of this AI capability is available even in free tools.
Here’s what AI can do for your photography.
Remove unwanted objects
Photobombers, trash bins, power lines, cars, even entire people. Content-aware fill algorithms analyse surrounding pixels and intelligently reconstruct what should be there. This image I took at the Shibuya station in Tokyo had the people removed so that the focus was on the amazing architecture.
Enhance detail in soft images
AI can analyse a slightly soft image, reference learned patterns, and enhance sharpness beyond what traditional sharpening achieves. It’s not magic, but it’s impressively effective within limits.
Automatic face detection and enhancement
Identifies faces in your frame and selectively brightens, smooths, and enhances them while leaving the rest of the image untouched. Particularly useful for group shots with mixed lighting.
Stack multiple frames to capture motion
AI can combine a burst of photos to show an aircraft’s path across the sky in a single image. This was taken from my study room during the RSAF Open House two years ago. I shot rapid-fire as the plane crossed my frame, then used stacking software in Photoshop to layer them together, revealing the aircraft flipping at multiple points along its trajectory. The AI aligned the stationary background while preserving each instance of the moving plane, creating that iconic “multiple exposure” effect without complex manual editing.
Convert colour photos to black-and-white
Black and white photos eliminate the distraction of colour, forcing viewers to focus on composition, light, contrast, and emotion. This image was taken during the General Elections in May and is an example of this premise. Black and white excels for portraits (emphasising expression over outfit), street photography (timeless and dramatic), high-contrast scenes (harsh shadows become intentional), and bad lighting (weird colour casts disappear). It adds an artistic quality that makes even smartphone shots feel more intentional.
Background removal and replacement
Extract your subject from one image and composite into another background. Useful for creative projects, product photography, or correcting distracting backgrounds.
Intelligent editing suggestions
Some apps and programs analyse your image and recommend specific adjustments. “This image needs +20 shadows”, it might prompt, or “Try warming the temperature,” etc.
Here’s my perspective: AI isn’t cheating. It’s leveraging computational tools to execute your creative vision more efficiently. You’re still making aesthetic decisions. AI is just handling the technical execution you’d rather not do manually.
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Beyond correction: When editing becomes creative
Once you master basic corrections, photo editing transitions from problem-solving to creative expression. This is where it becomes genuinely enjoyable.
Text and captions
Add dates, locations, and context to photos before printing. Twenty years from now, you won’t remember if that hawker centre was in Tiong Bahru or Toa Payoh.
Collages and layouts
After a weekend trip, create a 6-9 image grid summarising the entire experience. Far more effective than posting 30 individual images that overwhelm your audience.
Custom greeting cards
For holidays and celebrations, design personalised cards with your photographs. Add decorative elements, typography, and seasonal borders. Much more meaningful than generic forwarded messages.
Before/after comparisons
Document change over time. Photograph your balcony garden in 2020 and again in 2024. Place them side-by-side with dates. Instant visual narrative.
Photo books and albums
Use editing to create visual consistency across a collection. Establish a colour palette or tonal quality that unifies disparate images into a cohesive story.
Some photographers I know have “editing sessions” where they review the week’s work, process the best images, and curate shared albums. It becomes a meditative ritual. They revisit moments, refine their vision, and preserve memories intentionally.
Editing isn’t just technical work. It becomes part of your creative practice.
When NOT to edit (yes, really)
Not every photograph needs or should receive extensive editing. Some moments are perfect in their rawness.
Candid moments
Your grandchild laughing mid-sneeze. Your friend caught off-guard making an absurd expression. Or even this image of kids finally paying attention. These images have charm precisely because they’re imperfect and spontaneous.
Documentary photography
If you’re capturing something for historical or evidential purposes, whether it’s a cultural event, a changing neighbourhood, or a moment in time, try to minimise editing. Preserve authenticity over aesthetic.
Emotional authenticity
Sometimes weathered hands, grey hair, and age lines tell important stories. Not every portrait needs smoothing and beautification. Character and history have their own aesthetic value.
Intentional imperfection
Sometimes grain, blur, or odd colour contrast contribute to the mood you want to convey. Breaking “rules” intentionally is different from breaking them accidentally.
At the end of the day, balance is essential. I edit about 70% of my photographs. The remaining 30% stay untouched because they’re already communicating what they need to say, and editing would diminish rather than enhance that communication.
Your photos, your legacy
Photography isn’t just about capturing moments – it’s about preserving them in a way that honours how they felt, not just how they looked.
When I review edited photos from my niece’s wedding, I don’t see “manipulation.” I see her face radiant with joy, the way it appeared in person. I see the moment as I experienced it, not as an automated camera algorithm processed it.
These photographs will outlive us. They’ll be what our children show their children. And they need to be clear, vibrant, and emotionally resonant – not dark, muddy, and technically compromised.
With Christmas gatherings and Chinese New Year celebrations just around the corner, you’ll be taking dozens of photos – family dinners, reunion meals, the grandchildren in new clothes, festive decorations. Why not make sure they look as wonderful as those moments feel? Practice now on a few recent photos, and you’ll be ready when it matters most.
You don’t need to become a professional photographer. You just need to spend less than a minute after pressing the shutter to refine what you captured.
If you can use Instagram, you can edit a photo. And if you can edit a photo, you can ensure your memories look the way you experienced them – vivid, clear, and worth remembering.
