IM AGE RESCUE

How to get a better outcome from a quick holiday snapshot

A holida y grab shot taken while walking on the beach has some promise if you do some minor

and relatively subtle editing. For starters, shooting handheld quickly with a short telephoto has meant the image needs straightening, so a crop will sort this. At the same time, I am going to bring the man in red closer into the left-hand corner to make more of the diagonal of the kite surf leading up to the opposite corner.

Shooting in early afternoon means there is a blue cast to the whole scene and a slight haziness that is affecting clarity. A quick play with the White Balance slider will warm the scene up. An Adjustment Brush painted over the towering cliffs allows me to add even more crispness in that area, courtesy of the Dehaze slider at +35 and the Contrast slider at +18.

A second Adjustment Brush over the sea allows me to take some unwanted warmth out from the surf, using the White Balance slider to create a nice contrast between sea and land. Finally I use the Spot Removal Tool to take out the bright kite in that bottom left-hand corner, as it is slightly distracting. Straighten that horizon and tighten the shot up with the Crop Tool. A high sun has create a blue cast to the whole scene, so you want to warm it up. An Adjustment Brush over the cliffs allows you to add some contrast selectively. Take out the white kite in the distance, as it is distracting on the cropped version. This spontaneous shot benefits from some tightening up.