Emil Pakarklis – iPhone Editing Academy – iPhone Photo Masters
Take your iPhone photos to the next level…
How To Use Photo Editing Apps To Make Ordinary Photos Look Spectacular
From: Emil Pakarklis
RE: Why Are Some Photos So Great?
Let me ask you a question…
What separates a good iPhone photo from a great masterpiece?
Let me give you a hint… When you’re looking at the photos of the best iPhone photographers, for some reason they don’t really look the same as the photos taken by your iPhone.
Maybe the colors in your photos look different. Maybe they don’t create the same kind of mood or feelings. Or maybe they just don’t make the kind of visual impact you’d like them to make.
And honestly, I’m not surprised. Because not too long ago I felt the exact same way.
You see, I didn’t always run the world’s largest iPhone photography website with over a million monthly readers. And not too long ago, I was struggling to make an impact with my photos.
And I couldn’t really understand why.
Of course, not all my photos were great back then. Honestly, not all of them are great today.
But some of them were pretty good. And I’m still proud to look back at these photos today.
But even my best photos failed to make the kind of impact I wanted them to make…
I Was Doing Something Wrong, But I Couldn’t Find The Missing Piece
When I started interviewing the best iPhone photographers in the world, I was really surprised that 99% of the photos they publish don’t come directly from the iPhone camera.
Sure, they often take great photos to begin with.
But their images would never be complete without the editing that was done afterwards.
When you’re looking at the work of the best photographers, you’re never just looking at their photos alone. You’re looking at the combination of the original photo AND careful editing.
And by editing I don’t mean applying a quick filter on Instagram or in any other beginner app.
What I mean is serious photo editing. That means carefully fine-tuning your photos to help them make a stronger visual impact while also maintaining the original image quality.
If you’re good at editing, you can improve even your best iPhone photos in a matter of minutes.
But if you don’t edit your photos, they’ll never look as good as they should. Here’s why…
The iPhone Camera Is Intentionally Set Up To Take Poor Photos
But why would Apple do that?
Well, it actually makes sense if you think about it…
The iPhone camera has to work well with different light, different colors, different subjects and even different photography genres. It doesn’t know what kind of photo you’re trying to take.
Since it has to work well in such different conditions, it gives you an average photo that’s most likely to work for many different purposes. And that works out just fine most of the times.
But the iPhone camera will almost never give you amazing results without editing.
Let me show you what I mean with an example…
This photo was taken on an early spring day in Yellowstone National Park. The light was soft and subdued. The turquoise thermal waters stood out against the white snowy landscape.
But unfortunately, that’s not what you see in this photo.
This image has a bluish tint, making the snow look blue. There’s practically no contrast between the thermal waters and the blue sky. The composition isn’t strong. The horizon isn’t straight…
But all these problems can be easily fixed in a quick 3-minute photo editing session!
Now, this photo is much closer to how this place felt in real life. It’s also more beautiful.
Of course, this is just one example. Not all your photos have problems like this.
But the truth is that…
Your Photos Will Never Look Perfect Directly From The Camera
And it’s true whether you use your iPhone or an expensive DSLR camera.
Let me show you this beautiful iPhone photo I took in the Grand Canyon last year…
I think it’s a great photo. It’s sharp and well-composed. And the evening light is stunning.
While the original is great, the edited version looks even better! The colors are much stronger and the shadows are deeper. The setting sun on the canyon walls stands out a lot more.
And if you look closely, you’ll even see that the canyon walls now feature a lot more detail.
It only took me 3 minutes to dramatically improve this photo using just one editing app.
And while the original photo was great, the edited version looks so much better!
But unfortunately, that’s not what happens when most people start editing…
Most iPhone Photographers Completely Ruin Their Photos Through Editing
The last time I checked there were 50 thousand photo apps on the App Store.
The availability of cheap and free editing apps comes with a cost… And it’s not pretty.
I hate to say this, but most people completely ruin their photos with editing apps. Just because you can add powerful effects to your photos doesn’t guarantee that your photos will improve.
Facebook and Instagram are flooded with heavily edited photos with questionable aesthetics.
These edits are usually done so poorly that they dramatically reduce the quality of that photo.
This is something I hear all the time… Someone creates an edit that looks great on the screen of the iPhone, but when they look at the same image on their computer, it’s a total mess.
And frankly, most iPhone photographers don’t even know what they’re doing wrong…
So How Can You Make Sense Out Of This?
I’m good with technology. But it still took me years to fully understand photo editing.
And this wasn’t just a hobby. I was working full-time to grow iPhone Photography School.
So unless you’re a computer genius, it will probably take you years of hard work to become really good at photo editing. That’s what I had to do, and in the end it worked out for me.
But you shouldn’t spend hours and hours trying to figure out photo editing on your own.
Your time is better spent elsewhere, such as with your family or taking more photos.
So why spend countless hours trying to figure out photo editing on your own?
There’s an easier and smarter way to learn everything…
Introducing iPhone Editing Academy
iPhone Editing Academy is an online course that reveals how to use photo editing apps to make ordinary photos look spectacular. It’s designed for both iPhone and iPad.
You’ll find out how to use the most powerful photo editing apps to create beautiful high-quality photos. Even the most advanced features of these apps will no longer seem intimidating!
The App Store itself will no longer be overwhelming. You’ll know which apps to use for editing each of your photos. And you’ll understand what each effect in these apps actually does.
You’ll also develop a creative vision for your editing. You’ll know exactly how you want to edit your photos. And you’ll be able to turn the vision that you have in your mind into reality.
You’ll be editing photos with confidence, knowing that the final results will always look great.
So when you open your edits on a large screen (or when you print them to put them up on the wall), you’ll be just as happy as you were when you were looking at them on your iPhone.
And you won’t be spending hours working on your images.
The techniques that you’re about to discover are quick and relatively simple. But they’re also extremely powerful. So you’ll get extraordinary results without putting in hours of work.
You Don’t Need A Computer Science PhD To Become A Photo Editing Expert
If you’ve struggled to learn software before, you’re definitely not the only one.
I still remember how hard it was to understand everything when I first started editing.
That’s why this course starts from the very beginning without assuming any prior knowledge.
So by the time we get to advanced techniques, you’ll already be comfortable with photo editing.
I explain all technical topics in everyday English. I try to avoid unnecessary jargon as much as I can. And when I have to use technical terms, I don’t assume that you already know them.
All videos feature a screen recording of my iPhone so you’ll see exactly what I do. But I won’t just show you which buttons to press. I’ll also explain the reasons behind everything I do.
It’s unlikely that you’ll ever get stuck in my course. But just in case you need any help, you can always ask any questions under each video. One of us will definitely get back to you!
What’s Covered In iPhone Editing Academy?
The short answer is EVERYTHING.
Everything that improves the look and feel of your photos is covered in this course. I’ve spent years editing photos on my iPhone. This course covers all the techniques I use regularly.
If you can do it on the iPhone, I’ve done it. And if it works well, it’s in this course.
Here’s just a small sample of the things you’ll discover:
- 7 simple sliders that will improve any photo you’ve ever taken (I call these sliders the backbone of photo editing because all my edits go through this quick process)
- My favorite editing workflow for creating tack sharp, crystal clear photos every time
- The hidden power of histogram (and how to interpret this simple graph to guide the editing process so you can avoid over-editing or under-editing your photos)
- The worst photo editing mistakes (any one of these mistakes will ruin your photos)
- The perspective secrets behind the best architecture photos (and how to create flawless geometry in your own iPhone photos – even if they were taken from the wrong angle)
- How to “uncrop” your photos to expand them outside the frame of the original image
- Step-by-step workflows for creating stunning landscape, portrait, architecture, sunset and black & white photos (this is how I edit my best photos with thousands of likes)
- The Selective Adjust tool: how to apply your edits to only one color of the image
- Simple technique to blur the background in portraits (and how you can make any person appear 10 years younger while still maintaining the natural look of their skin)
- How to quickly pick the best techniques and style for editing each of your photos
- Everything you need to know about masking (this advanced technique will forever change your photography as you’ll be able to apply any edits to specific areas only)
- How to remove unwanted objects from your photos (it’s easier than you think)
And best of all, this course will also help you bring new life to your old photos. If you have any old photos that are important to you, they’ll finally get the professional look they deserve!
Here’s What My Students Are Saying…
“iPhone Editing Academy teaches you how to maximize your photographs. The easy to follow, step-by-step instructions provide a deep understanding of what makes an excellent photo, what effects are available (image treatments you may have seen in magazines and on TV but never knew how they were created) and what to do in order to achieve a specific visual goal. All on your iPhone – which is amazing!”
Emil’s iPhone Editing Academy opened my eyes to ways to improve my photos that I didn’t know existed. I had a slideshow of recent travel with pix from my iPhone and folks with $5-10K cameras were in awe. They did not believe me when I told them what “equipment” I used!
So How Much Does It All Cost?
Now, you’re probably wondering about the cost of this course.
But first, I’d like to ask you a question…
How much is your photo library really worth to you?
Think about your photos of family reunions, weddings, vacations, pets, children or grandchildren growing up…
If you’re like me, these photos mean EVERYTHING to you.
But unless you’re really good at editing, they’ll never look as good as they should.
You won’t feel proud of them. And you certainly won’t be excited to show them to others.
By making a small investment in your education today, you’ll finally give your iPhone photos the professional look they deserve. They’ll look so great that your friends will beg you for prints!
But like all great things in life, it will only happen if you take action before it’s too late.
iPhone Editing Academy – iPhone Photo Masters by Emil Pakarklis, what is it included (Content proof: Watch here!):
- Light
- Exposure
- Sharp photo
- Composition
- Architecture
- Still life
- Abstract
- Photo review