So recently I had a chance to go down to the local Arboretum to take a few shots of their orchids. One of you asked if I could hurry up and make a tutorial already on how to edit flower pictures...yaaay flowers! anyways, so if you don't have photoshop, hopefully whatever you're using has the capability to edit the tonal curve of the image.
STEP 1: I make sure to take a well/evenly balanced picture (USE YOUR HISTOGRAM) so that I could spend less time correcting, and more time editing in post. Here's the stock picture
STEP 1: I make sure to take a well/evenly balanced picture (USE YOUR HISTOGRAM) so that I could spend less time correcting, and more time editing in post. Here's the stock picture
STEP 2: Right off the bat I added a vignette effect using a brush to add a little contrast and to also make the orchids stand out a little more from the already blurred background.
Step 3: I then changed the color balance in the mid-tones of the picture in order to make certain colors pop, and to also make the colors a little more vivid, not saturated.
Finally, I adjusted the curves to give the picture an overall dramatic look, but not too much.