GIMP Tutorial: Top 5 Photo Enhancement Techniques

In this tutorial, I'll show you 5 of my favorite photo enhancement techniques that you can use in GIMP to make your photos look great! I'll show you color correcting with the color tools, creating an even complexion with the quick mask tool, whitening teeth and enhancing lips, using a contrast mask to brighten your subject, and enhancing the eyes.

I use GIMP 2.9.8 in this tutorial, which is essentially GIMP 2.10 (it was the development version that came out prior to the latest stable release version).

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Download the photo I use in this tutorial and follow along (This photo is for educational purposes only and may not be downloaded and reused for commercial purposes):

What are your top photo enhancement techniques in GIMP? Let us know in the comments!

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Twitter: @DaviesMediaDes

#PhotoEditing #PhotoManipulation #GIMP

[DaviesMediaDesign]

Thanks to everyone who helped this video hit 100, 000 views!

[RareTechniques]

*_Enhancement Techniques 101_*


1) How to use the Color Tools
- *Color Channels* and *Color Curves*
- *Hue*
- *Saturation*
- Practice using the *Free Select Tool* in order to adjust specific elements of an image


2) How to define complexion of subject
- Practice using *Layer Masks*
- Gaussian Blur


3) How to whiten teeth and kiss.. I mean, ENHANCE the lips
- *Free Select Tool*
- Adjust *Levels*
- Increase *Saturation* to kiss.. enhance the lips
- Use *Colgate*
- *Overlay* effect with white color and increase Opacity


4) How to make your subject *stand out*
- Using *Contrast Mask*
- *Overlay, Overlay, **_Desaturate_*


5) How to enhance the eyes
- Draw out the eye-lids
- Select Irises
- *Saturation*
- *Exposure*


_Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time!_

[ffrxkqg]

It is amazing how much this old video is still applicable. Thank you for making it

[Windsorsillest]

Just want to say thank you! I almost gave up trying to learn how to edit photos in GIMP, then Voila your video pops up on my FYP. Appreciate your time and effort.

[Antheraws]

Second Tutorial I did through you and man as hard as Graphic Design is to pick it up I must compliment you on how well you direct a tutorial and your voice is so positive and upbeat it took away a lot of the stress while following along.

[garethanthony]

One of the best tutorials where you can find different techniques all in one place :)

[SimoneTVGF]

Wow, I wish I had learned this sooner. I went for years just using Gimp without any teacher. This is amazing my brain is jumping for joy and doesn't want to sleep anymore before I figured out all the functions. Shhh brain ! lol, thanks so much. I also got your course on Udemy.

[johncouper]

Although much of this is beyond my knowledge set, you explain it so clearly that it helps me learn something new afterwards... keeping notes and pausing makes it much more productive. Also, there's always room to explain more but you do much more than most to show/tell what it's about-- thanks. Nice job and many thanks for offering these.

[KifKroker]

Next time, can you explain why you do certain things ? like you are changing colors, but what for is kind of missing to me. Make the gras look greener, the girl cuter, ... you clearly know what you are doing, would be useful if you told :)

[viktorweber]

Thank you for these great tutorials, they are awesome! Sometimes it's difficult for me to see the effects of the single steps - it would help me, if you could either explain the effect a little bit more or if you would overdue them a little bit to make the effect more visible. E.g. I could not see any change in the picture when you worked with the layer modes hue and saturation.

[SSS-iemh]

Amazing. How did you manage to make the image look exactly the same after all those transformations??

[shakysugars]

Thanks for the tutorial, maybe to help make these easier to make your cursor bigger and to make slower mouse movements. I just slowed down the video to .75 and it helped alot for everyone yet to use this tutorial. Took me several hours. But i can at least say after this video i have learned a lot. Just takes some time and getting a sense for it. Good luck everyone!

[nicholasphillips]

Excellent. Repeated viewing necessary but of huge benefit to all. Well done sir.

[CTRL_SMarcos]

Excellent video. A little tip. In min.20:53 to show the before and after, press Shift+left button on the eye of a layer and all others will be turned off. Thank you so much for your help with these videos.

It would be better to have shorter videos focused on one single photo enhancement technique, and explaining why and when to use that technique.

[shihan]

Great vid, thank you. Just starting out in image manipulation; looks like lots to learn

[grassrootedgal]

I love your channel. Thank you so much! One day I will absolutely support ya with a contribution for all the help!

[manoj]

Thank you very for the video, I learnt something new from this video and I practiced it along the video!!

[raidersize]

This is still very useful, thanks man.

[only_spencer]

Thank you for this. The first retouch I did doesn't look the best but I'll keep practicing it.