Photography & Media

Photo Editing for Beginners

Meets Thursdays · 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM · on Zoom Fall 2026 · registration open Free to audit

This class runs in the Fall 2026 session. Registration is open now; lessons, materials, and the class discussion board are posted before it begins.

This class is for anyone who takes a lot of photos and never does anything with them afterward. If your good pictures just sit on your phone, come fix a few of them with me.

We work hands-on. Bring your own phone or laptop and edit your actual photos, not mine. We'll start with the crop, which honestly is the most powerful edit and nobody uses it enough, then move into exposure fixes, color and white balance (I call it the blue-picture problem), and knowing when to stop.

We use free and low cost apps the whole way. You don't need to pay for anything to get started.

You'll leave able to make a mediocre photo look like somebody meant to take it. 😊

What you'll learn

Crop photos to remove clutter and straighten horizons
Adjust brightness, contrast, and color balance confidently
Fix common issues like dark, dull, or blue-tinted photos
Select and edit your own personal photos each week
Export and share edits without losing image quality

Lessons

Starting Where You Are
We get set up, pick a free app, and talk about what editing actually is before touching a slider.
The Crop
The most powerful edit there is, and the one nobody uses enough, so we start here.
- What a crop actually does to a photo15 min
- Cutting the junk off the edges20 min
- Straightening a crooked horizon15 min
- Cropping the parking lot out of the soccer photo20 min
Fixing the Light
Exposure, brightness, contrast, and the trick of walking away and looking again.
The Blue-Picture Problem
Color and white balance, or why your indoor photos come out looking wrong.
Knowing When to Stop
Most photos need less editing than people give them, so we practice restraint.
Doing Something With Them
We put your edited photos to use, and I admit what this class does not cover.

Class discussion

The class discussion board opens when the class begins this fall. Auditors and enrolled students ask questions and share work here once the session starts.