Whether you are using an image for your logo or a picture of yourself to help customers connect with you, these images should be edited properly for many reasons. The main reasons to edit images are to correct defects and lighting, balance colors, improve composition, meet specific guidelines and to manipulate the image. What you do with your image is up to you, but it should make it look unique and special so that others want to view it and see what your page is all about.
Lighting/Flaws
If you choose a photo or image that you shot yourself, it probably won’t look the best. An image should have proper lighting, but in most cases, that’s not possible. Therefore, by using image editing tools, you can lighten areas that are too much in the shadow and darken areas that have too much light. You can also get rid of flaws, such as red eye and any skin blemishes you would like to have removed.
Color Balance
In most cases, the color you want to achieve will be normal or regular. This could include slightly changing the skin’s color to look more natural or less pasty. This could also include brightening or dulling backgrounds so that the point of interest is sufficiently noticed. This ultimately allows you to take a photo in any light and change it to the way you want it. For example, incandescent lighting will cast a yellow hue to everything. If you would like that removed, add blue or cyan to the color to balance out the yellow.
You can also turn a black-and-white photo into a work of art by strategically placing some color. If you are selling raincoats and umbrellas, taking a black-and-white picture and then adding color to the items you sell is a great eye-popper.