Can knowing how to edit your food photography take your pics to the next level? These five apps make it easy-peasy, lemon squeezy.
One hundred years ago, our ancestors probably couldn't have imagined taking a photograph from their telephones. Today, we can take, edit, and share photos from most digital devices. When it comes to food photography, what are the best editing applications to have handy?
I swear by five staple apps when it comes to editing my photos. Each has a different feature I like and lets me keep my process simple while still adding depth and dimension to my images. Some are made specifically for food and others are great for photography in general.
Read on for my top five favorite apps that make food look its best!
Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, which may provide me a small commission for each sale. This allows me to keep providing helpful resources (such as this post). All opinions expressed are my own
1. Lightroom
Lightroom is the main application I use to edit my photos. I love how I can count on it for consistency across all platforms, whether it be my computer or phone. It's simple, easy to save photos, and even allows you the ability to sync saved photos across devices.
Pros Who Know
Sarah Crawford has a great video and post that can walk you through the basics of editing food photography in Lightroom:
Favorite Feature
When I'm getting bored or burned out with my editing techniques, I love being able to download presets. You can find these on Etsy and other online marketplaces as well. Essentially, presets are settings that other photographers have already set-up to give your photos that "look".
Here are some of my favorites for food photos:
Light & Bright Preset Pack by Foodtography School
Minimal Food Lightroom Presets by PrimeLayers
Foodie Blogger and Food Lovers artmyhouse
Bright Food by DigitalVibes
2. Afterlight
Image courtesy of Afterlight Collective.
Afterlight has a very rustic and vintage feel. It's great for photographers with a more homestyle, farmhouse feeling to their photos. With filters like "sugar", "nectar", "berry", and "wine", it was practically meant for food photos.
Favorite Feature
You can create your own "fusion" filters, which is similar to making your own preset in Lightroom. It allows you to create your unique set of adjustments. The double exposure is probably my favorite to play around with because it allows you to overlay two photos.
I also think the "clarify" tool in this app makes any photo look better instantly. I would consider this one of the most user-friendly and straight-forward photo editing apps. An additional advantage is that the app has two golden ratio settings for cropping to make sure you find that perfect proportion.
3. Foodie
Foodie is an app made especially for food photos. I love the option to save a "recipe". It's a very basic app, but perfect for beginners and those who want the most minimal set of tools specific to food photography.
Favorite Feature
I love how the app recommends certain filters for you. It's almost always right for me! It also keeps track of your favorite filters for later use.
4. VSCO
VSCO is one of my favorites because it's a great app for sharing techniques. It has a media feed all its own, so you can explore what other editors are up to, too.
People often share what preset they used to edit an image. For example, the image above was processed with the c6 preset. Presets in the VSCO app are usually coded by a letter and then a number.
Favorite Feature
Presets starting with the same letter (i.e. a4, a5, and a6) often pair well together! This app can be great for those with a minimal editing style or those who want a uniform look across their photos. It's an easy way to edit your photos with the touch of a button.
5. Your Photo App
Don't neglect your own photo and gallery apps! Most phones come with a basic set of adjustments you can make.
Favorite Feature
Many times, you can apply a filter to the photo in the same app you took the photo in. Some devices let you apply the filter to the photo you are taking. This makes it easy to save, send, or share from the same place.
Learn more about photography fundamentals by reading 4 Food Photography Fundamentals! This will help you more easily navigate the different settings on your phone or computer.
Do You Want Tasty Food Photography?
Being proud of your food photos is absolutely possible. These five favorite apps are great for taking your photos to the next level. Another awesome tool is the Tasty Food Photography eBook.
Why Buy the "Tasty Food Photography" eBook?
Dietitians and food bloggers see exponential growth as their food photos improve. More than 13,000 people have used Tasty Food Photography to up-level their work. Pinch of Yum, who created this resource, saw her site views grow as her skills improved.
Image courtesy of Pinch of Yum.
Having a growing audience means you are constantly challenged to create at your best level.
As a food photographer myself, I know how challenging it can be to find affordable resources. It seems that everything is in the hundred or thousand dollar range.
Tasty Food Photography eBook is just under $30, making it a great investment for beginner photographers and editors.
Here's an preview of the helpful editing advice you can find inside:
Video courtesy of Pinch of Yum.
The Final Word on Editing Apps & Guides
You can take the best food photos, but without the editing apps there's nothing to enhance your masterpiece. Think of it this way -- a great frame and good lighting brings out what already existed in the art gallery. Utilizing these editing apps and tools like Pinch of Yum's Tasty Food Photography eBook can help your food photos stand out.
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