You don’t have to go too far to see online discourse about how every creative aspect will become obsolete because of AI. However, this isn’t entirely true. Manual photo editing won’t disappear, even with AI—and here’s why I think that.
1 – Photo Editors Will Want to Create Their Styles
I’ve edited photos for five years at the time of writing this article, and I started in the same way as many others. I had no idea how to use tools like Lightroom, so I used the Auto tools much more than I should have. This was good for learning how to use the software, but eventually, I wanted to make my pictures look like they were mine.
Since I wanted to make my images look more unique, I learned how to use Lightroom and Photoshop. Yes, AI is still part of my editing process (e.g. straightening and healing my pictures). However, I’d now say that 90% of my edits are my own work.
2 – Not All AI Editing Is Created Equally
Almost every piece of software proudly flaunts its AI features these days. But in my opinion, a good chunk of these tools are simply marketed well. Just because something uses AI doesn’t mean it’s good, it’s the buzzword right now, just like “low-fat” has been overused in the food industry.
Some AI photo editing tools are fantastic. For example, the Noise Reduction feature in Lightroom is well worth learning how to use. However, I think that some tools are a waste of time. I’d recommend trying each AI tool that your preferred editing software has, but at the same time, you should take what’s good and leave the rest.
3 – AI Can Look Obvious if It’s Overdone
If you’re editing photos, you probably want them to look like yours. One of the biggest problems with AI is that many people overdo their edits, and it becomes obvious that they’ve used AI.
A few months ago I used the Denoise tool in Lightroom to get rid of grain in one of my images but synchronized it with another picture that I had taken. However, because I didn’t do my due diligence, parts of the picture became distorted. I then had to restart my edits altogether and spend more time than if I’d adjusted everything manually.
AI editing is fine if done in moderation, but I still think that you shouldn’t rely on it entirely.
4 – AI Editing Is Only a Supplement to Manual Editing
One of the most frequently overlooked points in the AI discussion is that AI is supposed to be a tool, not a replacement. Too many people have drawn the conclusion that throwing AI at anything will solve the problem, but that isn’t true in any field—including photo editing. Human input is still necessary, and manual editing absolutely has its place.
Anyone who takes photo editing seriously will look at AI neutrally. This means that they might use more AI than human editing in some pictures, but they may employ all manual editing and no AI in others. There isn’t a hard-and-fast rule about how much you should use, and even as AI evolves, this will remain true. By adopting this mindset, you can benefit from generative AI as an artist.
AI is one of many tools that you can use to make your images look better, but manual photo editing still has its place and always will. You should master your preferred photo editing software’s manual and AI features to give yourself the best opportunity to create amazing pictures.
