How Color Theory Can Help You Improve Your Photos

We spend a lot of time working on all sorts of techniques and ideas to improve our photos, including things like composition, editing techniques, settings, and a lot more. However, one thing that gets a bit overlooked is color theory, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you how you can apply it to your own images to improve their quality. 

Coming to you from James Popsys, this great video tutorial will show you how to apply color theory to your photos to create more eye-catching images. This is something that I think gets overlooked quite a bit, particularly at the point of capture. We spend a fair amount of time working on color toning in the editing process, and that can definitely be a great way to add a professional touch and infuse your photos with your personal style. However, you can only reasonably push colors so far in post, at least not without a huge commitment of time and effort, and taking the time to consider your color palette before you press the shutter can make your editing life a lot simpler while also improving your work. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Popsys.

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
2 Comments

Can you mail or send a link of high res image of colourwheel so that can be kept handy print always with me.

Color theory is more or less arbitrary, a mixture of aesthetic and scientific approaches. There are many different approaches, which differ greatly. The video obviously refers to Goethe's color circle. But not much is left of his theory. At the end is the color theory of Harald Küppers. The differences are striking.