Before
After - with suggestions
This is a sharp and engaging photo of a badger! To make it even better, here are some suggestions for improvement:
1. Improve Exposure and Lighting
The photo has slight shadows around the face and under the eyes. Brightening the mid-tones or using a dodge tool selectively can make the face pop more.
Adjust exposure slightly to make the fur details stand out.
2. Boost Contrast and Texture
Increase the contrast and use a texture-enhancing tool like Clarity to bring out the fine details of the fur and facial patterns.
Apply subtle sharpening to the eyes and nose to make these features more engaging.
3. Enhance Colors
Slightly increase the saturation and vibrance to make the earthy tones of the fur and the green leaves in the background richer.
Ensure the white and dark fur contrast is prominent but natural.
4. Background Refinement
The blurred green leaves and earthy tones are fine, but cleaning up small distractions or over-sharpening background details can help. You can subtly blur or darken the background more to emphasize the badger as the subject.
5. Crop for Composition
If needed, crop in slightly tighter to bring more focus to the badger's face, aligning it using the rule of thirds for better composition.
Keep a natural framing while removing unneeded space at the edges.
6. Eye Enhancement
Brighten the badger's eyes subtly to add life and focus. A tiny amount of sharpening and increased catchlight reflection will make the photo more engaging.