How to make photos brighter?

bazingaboom

I know this might seem like a stupid question to some of ye but all my photos come out so dull and id really like to fix it. I play around with contrast but that doesnt seem to help that much and just makes it really obvious that the photos are edited.
I really like some photos I take but id really like to make them pop if you know what I mean.
Here are two examples of the kind of photos that I take and that Id really like to know how to make look better!
Thanks
[IMG][/img] IMG_2317 by bazingaboom, on Flickr


[IMG][/img] IMG_2285 by bazingaboom, on Flickr

SdoowSirhc

http://www.gimp.org/ download GIMP editing software for free and use the colour curves or the automatic colour enhance, it's extremely easy to do once you download it

Ben D Bus

Shoot RAW.

Then you can tweak exposure, white balance, contrast, brightness, colour saturation much easier.

bazingaboom

Thanks Il download Gimp as soon as I have time and see if it works!

@ Ben d Bus both those pictures are shot in Raw, I just didnt know how to edit them after!

Kenny Logins

bazingaboom wrote: »

Thanks Il download Gimp as soon as I have time and see if it works!

@ Ben d Bus both those pictures are shot in Raw, I just didnt know how to edit them after!

Your camera should have come with software for making adjustments to the RAW files, they usually do need a boost in contrast and saturation etc., something that is automatic (in camera) when set to JPEG.

Try shooting RAW + JPEG for comparison.

Rainbowsend

If you are shooting RAW and not doing any post processing,
then your shots will look dull and flat, you have to process
them to get the best from them. The earlier suggestion of shooting
in RAW + Jpeg is a good idea, you will see instantly the differences.
Nearly all RAW files need contrast/exposure/colour adjustments.

Lots of tutorials online on how to process RAW files.

bazingaboom

I have been processing them, as I said in the first post. I just think they come out look really obviously processed.
Started using Gimp there and it looks a lot better than what I was using but I still cant get it right

5uspect

bazingaboom wrote: »

I know this might seem like a stupid question to some of ye but all my photos come out so dull and id really like to fix it. I play around with contrast but that doesnt seem to help that much and just makes it really obvious that the photos are edited.
I really like some photos I take but id really like to make them pop if you know what I mean.

Contrast makes the shadows darker and the already bright highlights brighter. This isn't going to make your images brighter. Your RAW editor probably has an exposure slider which you should use.

In general you need to read about the image histogram and how to manipulate it.

Pete67

Your 1100D should have come with software called Digital Photo Professional (DPP). DPP actually does raw processing very well - just open your raw file, hit CTRL T for the tools palette and on the RAW tab you can quickly adjust brightness, contrast, white balance, saturation and even adjust the highlights and shadows separately if required. It's very powerful. You can then convert to jpeg from the file menu.

Promac

bazingaboom wrote: »

I have been processing them, as I said in the first post. I just think they come out look really obviously processed.
Started using Gimp there and it looks a lot better than what I was using but I still cant get it right

Have a go at Photoshop Lightroom:
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom.html

You can install the full product and use it for a month. It's the only way to go really if you want to save a load of work in GIMP/Photoshop and just want to dramatically increase your overall satisfaction levels with your finished images.

It doesn't cost that much either and is well worth it.

FoxT

I'd recommend you try Raw Therapee for RAW processing.
http://www.rawtherapee.com/

It is free, is much easier to use than GIMP, and has a pretty good manual as well. With a little practice I giot some results I was quite pleased with.

GIMP is excellent too but is a much more complex product.

Lightroom is OK but you have to pay for it!

I shoot mainly in jpeg & I edit most of these in Picasa. It is not as good a photo editor as some others, but it gets me 90% there. & for 99% of my photos, that is OK with me, because it is free, quick, & easy.