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Foolproof Ways to Enhance the Fall Colors in Your Photos

Autumn. Suddenly the air feels cooler, and you bundle up with a cozy sweater, a mug of hot beverage in hand, the sound of a crackling fire in the back. Of course, the whiff of pumpkin spice in everything. That’s how you know fall has arrived.

The fields of green at your nearby park have turned into shades of oranges and red. It’s the perfect temptation to dust out your camera and take some outdoor portraits or shots of landscapes documenting these golden hues.

Not many photos look good raw and without edits. After looking at that photo you just snapped, you realize the colors don’t nearly give it the justice it deserves. This is where Pixlr comes in!

In this article, learn how to enhance and emphasize those rich fall colors using Pixlr.

1. Adjust the Vibrance

Vibrance intensifies muted colors in a photo, making it the perfect tool to enhance a photo you took where the color of the leaves doesn’t look as vibrant as they do in person. 

Also important to note that Vibrance is different from Saturation. Saturation will intensify all the colors of the image, possibly blowing the colors out of proportion. Thus, turning it into an unflattering pile of oversaturation.

On Pixlr, Click on Adjustment > Vibrance

Here’s a before and after:

Autumn road with cars on dirt road in golden sunlight. Seasonal nature landscape with mountains, forest and hills in the background. Autumn forest landscape with dirt road, evergreen coniferous forest in sunlight. Adventure road in alpine valley. Car on the road in fall season.

Original Image by
merc67123RF. Edited in Pixlr E.

Playing around with the Vibrance really helped bring out the oranges and yellows on the trees.

2. The hues of autumn

If the color of leaves doesn’t look quite as right, or perhaps autumn isn’t in full swing yet, another way to emphasize the fall colors in your photo is to adjust the hues. There are countless hues and shades in a color. During fall, it ranges from burnt oranges to buttery yellows. By adjusting the hue, you can achieve the exact look you want. 

Click on Adjustment > Hue & saturationAdjust the hue to your desires.

Female feet in autumn fashion boots standing among fallen golden leaves on anle park. Top view high angle with copy space. Fall or winter season concept. Fashion female feet in high sport boots standing on ground in autumn park. Close up side view with copy space. Anle leaves and fallen leaves background.

Original Image by rangizzz123RF. Edited in Pixlr E.

This photo is edited with -9 on the Hue slider, along with some adjustment on the Brightness & contrastHighlights & shadows.

3. Color temperature

autumn woman on leafs in park

Original Image by yellowj123RF.

Any self-respecting photographer knows the importance of lighting. Color temperature is what we call the warmth and coolness of light. Those varying temperatures emit a different feeling. 

During cloudy days, the photos you took might look much ‘colder’, so you’ll want to add warmer tones to really bring out that golden fall lighting and maximize those fall vibes. On the other hand, you can also make the image cooler-toned for a cozy look if that’s the style you’re aiming for!

4. Play with color balance

Without getting too technical and delving into the explanations of CMYK and RGB. The color balance sliders are used to decrease or increase the amount of red, green, or blue in a photo’s shadows, mid-tones, or highlights

To use the color balance sliders, click on Adjustment > Color Balance.

Multl generation multl women having fun at autumn park. Parents and children enjoying pleasure with their grandchildren. Family portrait on white background. Beautiful multl generation family man and woman having fun walking in autumn park. Two beautiful grandparents walking on yellow grass. Family having fun on sunny day.

Original Image by jovanmandic123RF. Edited in Pixlr E.

For example, the photo is edited with color balance adjustments on the mid-tones (Red +11, Blue -13) and some added vibrance.

BONUS:  Adding fall leaves

Happy girl throws up autumn leaves in the park for a walk outdoors

Original image by evgenyatamanenko123RF.

It’s difficult to resist a pile of autumn leaves. Your inner kid just wants to pick the leaves up and toss them. It also makes for a great photo opportunity! Fall leaves in mid-air add some movement and an interesting element to the photo.

After countless tries, you just can’t seem to get the shot. Perhaps the wind isn’t working in your favor, or maybe your camera can’t capture the action quick enough. Don’t worry about it! You can always add them in post-production using Pixlr.

Open up an image of autumn leaves on Pixlr, then use the Magic Wand tool (found on the left sidebar) to remove the unwanted background.

Next, go to the top bar and select Filter Details Motion Blur. Motion Blur is used to create that realistic movement of the leaves. If you want to play with adding leaves in the foreground to add depth, use Blur. Adjust the slider based on your preferences!

Get out there and start doing photoshoots!

Go out there, snap some photos and start editing! The autumn hues only last for so long. To have a beautifully edited photo, incorporate all those steps and adjust those hues and color balances according to your photo! 

We hope these tips and tricks help take your photo editing up a notch. Have fun creating, and don’t forget to be part of our Pixlr community on our social media platforms!


Fallen for fall? Here are this season’s most amazing falltastic images to welcome in the season on your blog or social media feed! Find out more on 123RF One-Click Editing Tools here

This article was first published on https://blog.123rf.com/foolproof-ways-to-enhance-the-fall-colors-in-your-photos/