Hi Erin here with a new pocket scrapbooking post. One of the things l love about Pocket Scrapping is the emphasis it puts on the photos in my layout.  So it makes sense that one of the first things I think about when starting a pocket page is what kind of photo treatment I want.

When I first started scrapping I did not think about that at all, but these days I rarely leave my photos ‘as is’ on my pages.  I tend to prefer light and airy looking photos when possible so I usually tweak them before adding them to my pages.  That tweaking may be as little as raising the brightness and contrast, or as in-depth as running several different photo actions back to back, it just depends.

It depends on the kit I plan to use, on the feel or personality of the photos, on what kind of day I am having, oh the list goes on for me.  For example, if I plan to use a bold, multicolored kit I might opt for black and white photos that will contrast with the color and pop right off the page.  But, if I am using a kit with colors that match perfectly to my photo I might just brighten the photo to highlight that cohesive feel.

One thing that has really helped me in making this decision is to identify my photography style (or in other words, what kind of photo treatments I like and am drawn to).  The easiest way to do that is to browse through Pinterest or a photo gallery and see which kinds of photos call to you.  For me there are about 6 basic styles that I tend to gravitate towards. I also like to experiment, so there are plenty of times I stray off into unknown territory, but for the most part (and looking back at my pages this becomes obvious) I tend to use one of the following six treatments on my layouts.

(These are just names I have given these treatments which are just a combination of commands in Photoshop, they are not a particular program or action set.  There are many Photoshop Action sets and Lightroom Presets available on the web, let me know in the comments if you would like some suggestions)

There are lots of other treatments out there, and tons of actions and programs you can buy (some are pretty cheap too), but these are the ones I tend to use most often.  This is helpful for those moments when I am just not sure where to start with my photos.  Maybe they are really poor quality, or the lighting was not so good, whatever, I can start with these six treatments and see which helps the photo the most.  Some treatments only work with certain types of photos, and others work pretty well with just about any photo (hint – those are good fall backs for those really bad photos we all take sometimes!)  Experimenting and playing with your photos helps you to find those differences, and helps you to see where you gravitate in your own preferences.

This week I was working on a layout using the Scoop Winter Woods.  I knew which pictures I wanted to use, but I was not sure which treatment would be best.  I was leaning towards either sepia or dreamy – since both have a subdued feel that went well with the wintery photos and wood heavy kit. As I worked I came across one photo of a snowflake that I knew I had to use, and as I played with the photos I suddenly saw which treatment would be best.

The sepia treatment really washed out the delicate details of the snowflake while the dreamy treatment maintained them while softening the photo just a tad.  This photo alone led me to decide on using the dreamy style to finish my page.

Credits: Life Captured October Templates, Winter Woods

I really like how the dreamy treatment kept the colors for this page, softened the photos and helped to tone down the bright red of the one jacket.  It makes me feel cold just looking at them.

If you have not played with your photos before, I encourage you to go for a photo walk through the internet and see what inspires you.  Manipulating photos has become one of my favorite parts of the process, and I think you might like it too!  It really does add so much character to your scrapbook pages.