The Quick Drink-Photography Edit in Photoshop

Without over complicating the drink and image.

This guide explains a simple way to edit a food photograph in Photoshop.

The process helps make food and drink images brighter, clearer and more attractive without making the edit too complicated.

Crop

Start by cropping the image. Cropping removes empty space and gives the main subject more focus.

Try different crop sizes until the image feels balanced. An 8×10 crop can work well for a portrait-style food photograph.

Cropping improves the composition and gives the drinks more focus.

Sharpen

Next, sharpen the image using Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen.

Sharpening makes details look clearer. It can help bring out the texture of the glasses, drinks and other important details.

Sharpening makes the details in the photograph clearer.

Adjust exposure

Adjust the exposure to control the brightness of the image.

A small increase can make the drinks look lighter and help them stand out from the background. Avoid making the image so bright that detail is lost.

Exposure is adjusted to improve brightness and make the subject stand out.

Increase saturation

Increase the saturation to make the colours stronger.

Food and drink photographs often benefit from extra colour. The aim is to create a bright, appealing image while keeping the colours believable.

Increasing saturation gives the drinks a stronger and more appealing colour.

Balance colour

Use Colour Balance to make small changes to the overall colour of the image.

This adjustment can help create the desired mood. It can also correct colours that look too warm, too cool or slightly uneven.

Colour Balance fine-tunes the mood and overall colour of the photograph.

Remove distractions with AI

Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to select an unwanted area of the image. Then use Photoshop’s Remove tool to clean it up.

The tool can fill the selected area so that it matches the surrounding background. This can be quicker than using the Clone Stamp tool for small distractions.

The selected area can be removed to create a cleaner background.

Before using an AI removal or generative feature, check the rules for the intended use.

Some photography competitions allow objects to be removed but do not allow new content to be created.

Make the main subject stand out

Selective edits help guide the viewer’s eye to the main subject.

Select the liquid in the front glass and copy it to a new layer. Increase its exposure so it becomes slightly brighter than the rest of the image.

The main subject is placed on a separate layer for a targeted adjustment.

Use the Eraser tool to remove any brightness that falls outside the selected area. This keeps the adjustment neat and natural.

The edges of the adjustment are cleaned up so the change stays on the drink.

The tray can also be made darker if it competes with the main subject.

Darkening a supporting object can keep attention on the main subject.

The simple process

The complete process is:

Crop → sharpen → adjust exposure → increase saturation → balance colour → remove

distractions with AI → make the hero stand outwith selective edits.

Small changes can make a big difference. The goal is not to change every part of the image. The goal is to make the main subject clearer, brighter and more attractive.

For anyone new to Photoshop, the process can be followed one step at a time with a single photograph.

If you want to see me walk through how to create this image on YouTube, then head to my channel The Food Photography Show to watch the whole episode and for more practical food photography tips and tutorials. While you are there, don't forgot to subscribe!