Sometimes a photo just isn’t working and it can be impossible to tell why. It might have perfectly fine colours, composition, tone and focus but still not work.

Don’t give up in this situation, just get the creative thinking cap on an apply an effect to add interest. In issue 83, we provide five ideas for how you can pep up a photo. Check out one of them below, showing how a simple blend mode can make all the difference.

Overlay colour

Add a moody depth to your image by creating a layer of colour. Select a new layer and choose Vivid Light, then inject some colour by using the Eyedropper tool to select a shade that appears in the image and apply it with the Paint Bucket. At first the effect may be harsh, but the Opacity slider on the Layers palette will bring this down and blend the layer with the original image, keeping things natural and easy on the eye.