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When it comes to photo editing software, Adobe Lightroom is one of the most well-known programs. Whether you want to crop and adjust family photos or produce professional-grade images for publication, Lightroom can do it all.

In this beginner’s tutorial, we’ll cover 10 Lightroom editing tips you can use to improve your photo editing skills. These tips apply to every version of Lightroom, including Lightroom Classic, Lightroom CC, and the Lightroom mobile app.

Table of Contents

1. Understand the Basics of Lightroom

If you’re new to Lightroom, check out our Lightroom beginner’s guide on how to get started. After that, these basic post-processing tips will help you progress in your photo editing journey:

Use auto-tone.

If you’re new to Lightroom, you can use the auto-tone feature in the Basic panel of the Develop module. This will allow Adobe Sensei — Lightroom’s artificial intelligence (AI) — to adjust your image to what it thinks are good settings. While this won’t be a finished product, it can help get you closer to it.

Use auto-

white balance

Just like auto-tone, you can select the

Auto

button under the White Balance section, too. Lightroom will adjust your white balance to what it thinks is right. This won’t always be perfect, but it’ll usually be closer than the original (if you used the wrong settings in camera). This means you won’t have to play around with the Temp and Tint sliders.

Press reset.

If you don’t like your edit, but you’re not sure exactly what went wrong, you can select

Reset

. This simple button takes your photo back to its original state, letting you start again.

Compare to the

original image

When editing, you can press the keyboard shortcut “” to view the photo in its original state. Toggling between edited and original states, you can easily see what you like about the photo and what you don’t.

Pro tip: Set your camera to produce RAW files rather than JPEGs. RAW files contain more data, letting you manipulate the image more than you can with JPEGs. This is especially helpful if you don’t expose your images correctly, as it gives you more leeway to rescue the light and dark areas.

Dodging and burning is when you apply exposure tweaks to small areas of your image, rather than applying global adjustments. “Dodging” is when you increase the exposure (or lighten the image) and “burning” is when you decrease it (or darken the image).

Lightroom includes several selection tools, from brushes to radial filters to automatic subject selection tools. The most common way to apply dodging and burning is to make local adjustments using the Brush tool.

To do so:

In the

Develop module

, select

Masking

(or press

Ctrl

Choose

Brush

. If using a mouse, you can expand or contract the size of your brush using the mouse wheel. On Lightroom mobile, use the size slider. You can also adjust the feather, flow, and density.

Any settings you activate under

Effect

will be applied to the area you brush. To dodge, increase the exposure. To burn, decrease it.

Pro tip: Use the “Auto Mask” feature to assist your brushing process. Applying a brush to specific, finely defined areas (like hair or birds) can take a lot of time. Auto Mask lets Lightroom try to find the edges of each object automatically. This way, when you use the brush, it won’t apply masking to the area it doesn’t think is part of the object.

When you use masking, there’s a handful of ways to tell Lightroom to only apply that mask to particular parts of your image inside the mask.

To do so, press Masking then select Range and choose either Luminance Range or Color Range. Alternatively, if you already have a mask, you can press Subtract then Luminance Range to remove that luminance value from your mask.

Each of these will give you power over what to include or remove from your masks. However, range masking gives you even tighter control by letting you tell Lightroom which colors or luminance values you want to focus on.

Choosing Luminance Range will open up a new slider that lets you control both ends from 0-100. Play around with the sliders to see how your mask changes. To target dark values, move the right-hand slider towards the 0 value. To target light values, do the opposite.

Choosing Color Range opens up a similar slider. Use the dropper to select the color you want to remove, then use the slider to refine your selection.

You’ve probably noticed that several of your photos have a frustrating green or purple fringe to objects in harsh light. This is caused by something called “chromatic aberration”, an unavoidable optical phenomenon that occurs because of the way light reaches your camera sensor through your lens.

Luckily, Lightroom has a built-in tool to remove this. In the Develop module, scroll down to Lens Corrections. Here, you can choose either Profile (automatic) or Manual.

Profile

, select

Remove Chromatic Aberration

to allow Lightroom to automatically try to remove the fringing.

If this doesn’t work, select

Manual

then select the

Dropper tool

Hover over the fringing until the right color appears (in the example below, purple).

You can use Lightroom’s grid overlays to crop and compose your photos exactly how you’d like. There are several overlays, from the rule of thirds to the golden ratio spiral. These can help you compose your photo according to several well-known aesthetic “rules” of composition.

To select your composition aid, press the

Crop

button in the

Develop module

When the crop overlay appears, press

on your keyboard. Keep pressing

to cycle through the different options. On Lightroom for mobile, tap the

three dots

in the upper-right corner, then tap the

Grid icon

. Choose

None

Halves

Thirds

, or

Golden

You can find the histogram in the top-right corner of the Develop module. This complicated-looking graph shows your image’s tonal values and color distribution.

The red, blue, and yellow sections represent how concentrated those colors are in the image. Green areas are where blue and yellow overlap, and turquoise areas are where green and blue overlap. The gray areas are where all three colors overlap.

The left-hand side of the histogram represents the darkest parts of your image, and the right-hand side is the brightest. So if most of your peaks are on the left, your image may be underexposed (and vice versa). A well-exposed image will generally have most of the histogram toward the center of the graph in a single peak.

Pressing the J key will show you where your image is clipping. Clipping is where your highlights or shadows have reached the point where no information is being shown anymore — it’s just white or black pixels.

If you press J and then play around with the exposure slider, you’ll see red areas where the highlights are clipping and blue where the shadows are. This can help you get the perfect exposure.

When it comes to photography, dust spots are an annoying part of the process. Changing lenses often introduces dust to your camera sensor, which can appear as distracting black smudges in your photos.

Lightroom now features a spot removal tool that can help you remove these (and other) distracting objects from your photos, speeding up your editing workflow because you no longer need to switch to Photoshop to get rid of them.

To remove dust particles:

In the

Develop module

, press the

Healing

icon (it looks like a bandaid).

Using the healing tool, hover over the section you want to fix. You can increase the size with your mouse’s scroll wheel or by adjusting the size slider.

Press and drag the healing tool over the area you want to fix, then let go. Lightroom will automatically replace that section of the image with similar pixels.

If you have a series of similar images you want to edit the same way, you can apply batch editing to speed up your editing process.

To do so:

Edit your image manually or apply one of the Lightroom presets.

With the edited image selected, hold

Ctrl

(or

Command

on Mac), and select all other images you want to apply the edit to.

Make sure every setting you want to apply is ticked, then press

Synchronize

When you’re applying sharpening and noise reduction, you’re able to selectively choose which parts of the image you want to affect. To do so

Use the sliders to apply as much sharpening or noise reduction as you’d like.

Press and hold the

Alt

key (or

Option

on Mac), then move the

Masking

slider. Your image will turn to black and white. The areas in white are where the sharpening or noise reduction will apply. Everywhere that’s black will be ignored.

Color grading is one of the hardest skills to learn, but with a lot of trial and error, you can hone your eye and learn to make beautiful images.

In Lightroom, colors can be manipulated in several ways:

In the

Basic panel

, the

Saturation

slider enhances all colors, while

Vibrance

enhances colors in low-intensity areas.

In the

Tone Curve

panel, each color channel can be manipulated by changing its tonal values individually. To do so, choose the

color,

then select and drag the

curve

In the

HSL

panel

, you can adjust the hue, saturation, and luminance for each color individually.

In the

Color Grading

panel, you can adjust color wheels for your Midtones, Shadows, and Highlights. Moving the dot to a particular color will tinge those tones correspondingly. The further you move the dot to the circle’s edge, the more saturation will be applied.

Finally, in the

Calibration

panel

, you can adjust the Tint, Hue, and Saturation of the major colors to achieve the exact look that you want.

Becoming adept at photo editing can take time. There are dozens of editing tools, and it can be hard to know where to start. But with these photography tips, you should be well on your way to using the Lightroom photo editor like a pro.

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How To Use Crop Overlays In Lightroom To Improve Your Photos

When cropping a photo in Lightroom, crop overlays can provide a helping hand. Cropping a photo often plays an important role in the final product, from finding the perfect composition to getting just the right size for printing or posting. Luckily, Lightroom has an easy-to-use tool that will help you crop your photo precisely according to your needs.

A crop overlay in Lightroom helps to improve the composition of a photo by providing guidelines to suit different styles of framing. By accessing the Crop Tool within the Develop Module, a crop overlay will appear over your photo. You can change this overlay by pressing “O” on your keyboard.

Crop overlays come in handy for a number of reasons. First, they can act as an excellent guide when cropping and editing photos for publication or print, as you might require a particular aspect ratio (more on that later). Second, playing with overlays can also help you fine-tune your composition, which, as we all know, is one of the most complex yet important elements in photography.

This is the default overlay. A simple grid can help you make sure elements of your photo are perfectly straight.

The Thirds overlay helps arrange your photo according to the rule of thirds, a popular composition style that can help balance the image and draw the viewer’s eye to specific areas.

The Diagonal overlay can also assist with composition, particularly in photos with diagonal elements or multiple distances. You can position your subject in the center, for example, to see how the elements behind and in front of it line up.

Struggling with where to place your subject? Try positioning it in the intersection points of the different triangles in this Triangle overlay. Each triangle shows where the eye travels naturally. Other elements can go in the other triangles to create balance.

Often found in nature, the golden spiral is said to lead the eye comfortably through a photograph. Follow the golden spiral by placing your most detailed or busy elements in the spiral. This overlay can prove especially helpful if your photo contains natural curves or lines leading to your subject.

Aspect ratios serve the important purpose of providing specific dimensions commonly required to print or post photos. In addition, these overlays help you keep the important parts of your image from getting cut-off when printing or publishing.

This will bring up a box that allows you to add different aspect ratios, such as 1×1 (helpful for Instagram posts) and 8.5×11 (the common dimensions of printer paper). Here, you can select the ones you’d like to see in your photo.

Crop overlays are a deceptively simple way to have that extra bit of control over how your photo looks. For me, using a visual guide allows more freedom to play around with different types of composition. It’s a simple trick, but who knows? This could be the key to taking your photo from good to great. Now to help you level up your cropping skills in Lightroom, check out this next tutorial on how to crop and straighten images like a pro!

Happy Editing!

10 Tips For Leaders To Improve Their Self

Self-awareness is the ability to monitor your own emotions and reactions.

Studies show that people who have great self-awareness are better leaders because of it.

There are many ways to improve self-awareness, like setting boundaries and practicing self-discipline.

This article is for leaders who want to improve their self-awareness.

What is the most important characteristic of a leader? Some might say it’s integrity. Others might say it’s being a good motivator. But psychologist and author Sherrie Campbell, author of Loving Yourself: The Mastery of Being Your Own Person, believes self-awareness is the key factor in leadership success.

Self-awareness is the ability to monitor your own emotions and reactions. It lets you know your strengths, weaknesses, triggers, motivators and other characteristics. Being self-aware means taking a deeper look at your emotions, why you feel a certain way, and how your sentiments could turn into reactions.

Tip

Learning how to identify emotions as they happen increases your self-awareness.

Practicing self-awareness allows you to react better to situations or people who might set you off, which is a healthy skill to cultivate – especially as a leader. When you’re aware of your emotions and how you handle them, you’re better equipped to process and work through them, avoiding unnecessary conflict. This will also help you set a good example for your team and make them more comfortable approaching you with questions or concerns. Even if you’re not where you want to be as a leader, developing self-awareness and acknowledging areas you need to work on is the first step.

Without self-awareness, leaders can appear arrogant. If you cannot be personable, or know when you are crossing a line, how can you lead a company?

The need for self-awareness extends to other business situations, too. Think about how crucial self-awareness is in giving sales pitches or handling feedback, for instance; if you are not aware of how you will react or do not have a way to prevent a negative reaction, you could get yourself in trouble.

Did You Know?

Coping mechanisms developed in childhood can prevent you from achieving goals. By becoming aware of these automatic reactions, you can opt out of using them when they provide no benefit.

Self-awareness is also helpful for presentations. Many people get nervous when delivering pitches, speeches or even notes at a meeting. Self-awareness can help. If you use too many filler words during presentations, practice your presentation and have someone clap every time you use a word you want to avoid. If you tend to sway or pace around while presenting, limit your ability to move by sitting at the table with your client or using a podium.

In addition to being aware of your own emotions, self-awareness involves knowing how you will react to others.

“Self-awareness keeps us grounded, attuned and focused,” said Campbell in her book. “When leaders are grounded, they can be efficient and deliberate in staying on task and being attuned to those around them. Leaders who can control their minds and emotions help to guide those around them to develop their own self-knowledge and success.”

These are some important self-awareness skills:

Empathy: When you fine-tune your self-awareness abilities, you will become more empathetic thanks to heightened emotional intelligence.

Adaptability: If you know how you will react, you could avoid a tough situation by taking a walk or just taking a few deep breaths.

Confidence: By accepting and even embracing your flaws, needs and strengths, you will increase your ability to be vulnerable, which allows for stronger relationships in the workplace. Maintaining confidence is key to success.

Mindfulness: When you’re self-aware, you become more mindful of the present moment, allowing yourself to take situations as they happen rather than dwelling on the past or projecting into the future.

Patience: While your immediate reaction might be to scold an employee for a mistake or let your frustrations out on your team, self-awareness will help you practice patience, even in the face of conflict.

Kindness: This is achievable when you put aside your own feelings to support another person. Even if you’re having a bad day, being self-aware and realizing your workers are also human beings with similar struggles can help you be more sympathetic.

Key Takeaway

Self-awareness rarely happens immediately. It takes time, commitment and practice.

Learning to be aware of yourself isn’t always easy, but it can help you become a more effective leader. Here are 10 tips for improving self-awareness.

Keep an open mind. When you are able to regulate your own emotional world, you can be more attuned to others’ emotions. To be a successful leader, you need to be curious about new people and all they have to offer. This shows that you can be a team player and don’t need to be Number One all the time. The more open you are to others, the more creative an entrepreneur you will become.

Be mindful of your strengths and weaknesses. Self-aware individuals know their strengths and weaknesses and can work from that space. Being mindful of this means knowing when to reach out for assistance and when you can handle a situation on your own.

Stay focused. An important part of being a leader is making connections, but you can’t do that if you’re distracted. Train yourself to focus for long periods of time without getting sucked into social media, emails or other small distractions to improve your productivity.

Set boundaries. A leader needs to put strong limits in place. Be warm toward others, but say no when it’s needed. Be serious about your work and your passions, and keep your boundaries firm to maintain the integrity of your goals and the work you put into them.

Know your emotional triggers. Self-aware individuals can identify their emotions as they are happening. Don’t repress your emotions or deny their causes; instead, bend and flex with them, and fully process them before communicating with others.

Embrace your intuition. Successful people learn to trust their instincts in decision-making and take the risks associated with those choices. Your instincts are based on the survival of the fittest and the need to succeed. They will tell you what to do next, so learn to trust your intuition.

Practice self-discipline. Good leaders tend to be disciplined in every area of their lives. This trait provides them with the enduring focus necessary for strong leadership.

Consider how your actions affect others. We often act without thinking first, focusing only on our own needs. While self-awareness requires acknowledging your emotions, you must also identify how you handle those feelings and how any subsequent actions impact those around you. Being more considerate of others will help you navigate difficult situations.

Apologize when necessary. Mistakes happen, but self-awareness will help you recognize when your slip-ups require apologies. Maybe you lashed out at your staff, or perhaps you’ve been difficult to reach lately. Whatever your mistake was, saying you’re sorry (and meaning it) and then changing your behavior is the best way to move forward.

Ask for feedback. While being self-aware means understanding yourself without input from others, it takes courage (and self-awareness) to ask for honest employee feedback. Doing this acknowledges your natural biases toward yourself (which we all have), and helps you gain a more objective view.

Nicole Fallon contributed to the writing and research in this article.

5 Practical Tips To Improve Email Abandonment Campaigns

Ideas for improving Basket Abandonment Emails that are relevant to other types of email follow-up

On a recent webinar, a question was posed that I thought was worth a second look:

‘On an abandonment programme, sending a discount to encourage a purchase may not necessarily be a good idea, so what would be a good hook to get their interest peeked again?’.

This touches on another subject; the inevitable decline in response rates for basket abandonment emails. Some argue against this, but it is inevitable. I consider basket abandonment emails as just another product and therefore they will inevitably follow the same path as any other product, as illustrated in the classic graph below.

So, what can you do to ensure that your results do not decline?

Please excuse me for mentioning this, but have you got the basics right? Does your basket abandonment email include the products from the basket? Does the email link straight back to the saved basket? Are you using standard personalisation (e.g. Dear Matthew).Honestly, you’d be surprised how many mailers don’t, or aren’t able, to do this. If you fall into the former, then seriously, get another supplier, you will double conversion rates.

To be fair, this could easily fall into the basics. But whilst getting the basics right is as much to do with set-up as anything else, optimising your basket abandonment emails is post set-up and on-going. An untended basket abandonment email will wilt, mainly because your best customers, intrigued by the first one, will simply get used to receiving them.So what constitutes optimisation of behavioural email? Well, start by testing the usual suspects ( subject line, time sent, copy, creative) to get the best performance. I believe testing is even more valuable with trigger and behavioural email, because the learnings will benefit you for months to come.

Another very simple way to improve conversion rates is to send one, sometimes 2 follow-ups. Working on the basis that 50% of the recipients won’t open the email, and approximately only 5% will go onto purchase, a cleverly crafted follow-up should achieve 40% of the performance of the initial send

But I emphasis ‘cleverly crafted’… don’t bang out the same email to people who have opened, that is the way to turn relevant email into spam.

Or should I say ‘don’t rule out offers’. Firstly, decide what type of customer you want to encourage with an offer. Many online retailers focus on the 2nd sale, aiming to increase the repeat purchase ratio. Perhaps use offers here, and also use business rules on your database to make sure that customers only ever get an offer once.

Alternatively, cross sell with an offer, e.g ‘the item of clothing you left in your basket looks great with these shoes, 20% off’ or ‘people interested in this also looked at this…’. Product recommendations are also useful when seeking to increase engagement with basket abandonment emails. It may be that the abandoner did not find what they were looking for.

Once that is all in place, one thing to remind you of is that it is the communication itself that is the primary hook. The email is a reminder, a prompt, or even a disruptive influence on the decision-making process… remember the cliché – don’t ask, don’t get. The simple fact is that if you craft your emails carefully, then performance will improve.

Top 10 Accessories To Take Your Mobile Gaming Skills To The Next Level

While we are on the cusp of 5G and the next generation of network speeds, one can only guess how big the gaming industry is going to grow in the coming decade. The competition is getting tough out there, with the eSports industry fetching a prize pool of around $10 to $15 million on average. Hence, it is no surprise that every gamer out there is doing everything and anything possible to improve their mobile gaming skills.

And, thanks to the growing support for gaming controllers, you can enjoy ergonomic and tactical feedback from your controls rather than the usual tap on a glass surface.

There are tons of different gaming accessories that are available on the market and we have created a comprehensive list of each one of them. If you have been on the hunt for viable and useful mobile gaming accessories then we have the perfect guide for you.

Let’s get started.

The Steelseries Stratus Duo is one of the most popular and highly reviewed game controllers on the market that is currently available for Android. The controller is also compatible with Microsoft Windows which allows you to seamlessly switch between your mobile device or PC.

Additionally, the company has also made sure that the controller is also compatible with modern-day VR accessories like the Oculus GO and the Samsung Gear VR. Stratus Duo supports Bluetooth connectivity as well as wireless connectivity over the 2.4GHz band frequency.

Ideally, if you are considering this controller for mobile gaming then I would recommend getting the $10 mobile clip accessory that lets you attach your smartphone right against the face of the controller.

Stratus Duo is also Steam enabled which makes it compatible with over 6,000 game titles that are currently available on the platform. Additionally, the controller also comes with wired gameplay support with plug and play functionality which eliminates the need for any proprietary software.

It has a wireless range of 12m and comes with a built-in lithium-ion battery that provides it with over 20+ hours of gameplay time. The controller is modeled after your traditional XBOX controller alongside a few performance upgrades that include the likes of magnetic triggers and a more ergonomic design.

Magnetic triggers have a better lifespan than your traditional spring-loaded triggers that are found on most controllers nowadays. They provide excellent performance in FPS shooters while maintaining high accuracy in racing games.

The controller can also be charged while it is in use which is rare for controllers that are currently available on the market at this price point.

Pros:

20+ hour battery life

BT connectivity & 2.4ghz wireless connectivity

Easy toggle to switch between connections

Plug & play functionality

No additional software required on mobile devices

Ergonomic design

Magnetic triggers

Durable analog sticks

Cons:

Drivers required on windows platform

No haptic feedback

The Raiju Mobile from the house of Razer is a premium mobile gaming controller that comes with tons of features and durable, ergonomic design. The controller is compatible with all major platforms including Android and Microsoft Windows.

It uses both wired and wireless connectivity to switch between different compatible devices. The Raiju Mobile requires Android 6.0 or higher and comes with its own proprietary app to control different functions of the controller.

Additionally, the controller also features a hair-trigger mode that activates mechanical stop switches. This significantly reduces the travel distance for the actuators in your triggers which will allow you to enter rapid-fire mode with a single tap.

It also comes with an adjustable in-built phone mount that can tilt up to 60o which provides the perfect viewing angle for gaming. Additionally, the controller has mecha tactile action buttons and comes with a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides battery backup of up to 23 hours in a single charge.

Pros:

Ergonomic design perfect for large hands

Top of the line build quality

4 remappable multi-function buttons

Trigger locking functionality

BT & USB-c compatibility

Up to 23 hours of battery backup

Adjustable phone mount

Hair-trigger mode

Dedicated mobile application

Adjustable clutch sensitivity

Cons:

Fragile design prone to damage from minor drops

USB wire needs to be carried separately

No interchangeable d-pad or thumbsticks despite premium pricing

The 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ is my favorite all-around controller to carry. It is not only portable but also compatible with all major platforms that are currently available on the market. The controller features wireless Bluetooth connectivity alongside wired compatibility with a USB-C connection.

The 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ also allows you to individually map every button on the controller which allows you to create the best-personalized gaming experience according to your preferences. The thumbsticks feature a customized and textured design which results in higher accuracy and precision.

Additionally, the 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ also allows you to control the haptic feedback of the controller and even comes with a removable 1000 mAh battery pack. This means that you can buy a spare one and keep it as a backup in your backpack for emergency in-game challenges.

You might think that these features are enough but the 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ packs a surprise with its 6-axis motion sensor that allows you complete motion control in racing games.

Pros:

Compatible with Windows, Android, macOS, Steam, Nintendo switch & Raspberry pi

6-axis motion sensor

Removable 1,000 mah battery that gives 20 hours of game time with a 4-hour charge

Textured thumbsticks, triggers & buttons

Available in three color schemes: classic, all black & off white

Wired USB-C compatibility

Completely remappable controls

Triggers with customizable actuation

Modifiable vibration settings

Cons:

Need to buy smartphone clip separately

Rumble feedback inaccurate for some games

The Newseego finger sleeves are an excellent budget choice for any mobile gamer. They come in a sleek fancy design and are made from premium anti-sweat fabric that helps keep your fingers dry during long gaming sessions.

This is the upgraded version of the original finger sleeve by Newseego and features reduced thickness and the ability to use it from all sides. They are made from wire fabric which is more breathable and conductive when compared to its cotton and polyester counterparts.

This allows you to game for hours without any risk of hand or finger fatigue. The outer fabric of the finger sleeve is made from anti-oil and non-slip material which ensures that you have an excellent grip at all times while making sure that the sweat build up in your fingers does not create smudges on the screen.

If you were looking for a cheap option that would help you improve your grip during FPS games on your mobile, then the Newseego Finger Sleeves are an excellent choice for you.

Pros:

Cheap price

Multiple options

Anti-slip & anti-sweat construction

Oil-proof & smudge protection

Compatible with all games & mobile platforms

No-risk of ban in games like PUBG

Highly conductive wire mesh fabric

Both sides operational

Elastic construction to fit all finger sizes

Cons:

Not ideal for narrow fingers

Lack of tactile feedback might be regressive for some players

The HyperX Cloud earbuds from the house of Kingston are an excellent choice for any gamer that is on the hunt for a great pair of wired headphones. They come in an aggressive design which helps them stand out from the crowd while the proprietary shape of the silicone ear tips ensures that your buds always stay in place.

Additionally, this proprietary design helps block out ambient noise for a more immersive audio experience. The earbuds feature tangle-free cables and a 90o angled 3.5mm jack which allows for easy cable management when you are on the go.

It has a frequency response range of 20Hz to 20,000Hz which helps you hear faint distant noises during competitive gameplay like the footsteps of your enemy, leaves rustling, gunfire in the distance and much more. Their ability to create a surround sound experience also works in your favor by allowing you to judge the direction of the in-game audio.

The Kingston HyperX Cloud earbuds come equipped with large 14mm neodymium drivers that produce clear and crisp highs alongside deep and punchy bass. This makes them a great contender for everyday use as well. Lastly, the earbuds are also equipped with an inline mic that is bundled with a multifunction button that can be used to perform various functions like change track, play/pause, answer calls and more.

Pros:

Tangle-free cable

14mm neodymium drivers

3x extra ear tips included in the package

90-degree angled 3.5mm jack

Aggressive styling

In-line mic with the multifunction button

Patented silicone ear tip design for maximum comfort & portability

Two-year warranty

Cons:

In-ear design not for everyone

Bassy sound not ideal for rock, pop & jazz fans

Sub-par mic audio quality

Another pair of headphones on our list, this time we have the Razer Hammerhead BT. This pair of wireless headphones come in a black and green color scheme which gives it an understated look while providing enough styling to help it stand out from the crowd.

The headphones support BT 4.1 connectivity which means that they rely on the aptX codec. This helps them produce excellent crystal clear audio at all volume levels without experiencing any distortion. Additionally, the Razer Hammerhead also comes with a built-in in-line mic that features onboard controls to perform various functions including the likes of answering calls, changing tracks and more.

Pros:

8-hour battery life

2 hour charge time

30ft wireless range

Custom tuned neodymium drivers

BT 4.1 with aptX codec support

In-line mic with controls

Sweat-resistant design

Cons:

10mm drivers

LED light can not be turned off

Heavy in terms of its weight

No magnetic connection to hold the buds together when not in use

The Turtle Beach Battle Buds are our choice of headphones for gamers that play co-op games which require you to constantly chat with your teammates. What sets this pair of wired headphones apart from the competition is the inclusion of a removable unidirectional boom mic that provides you with unmatched mic-audio quality at this price point.

This makes it an excellent choice for amateur streamers that are looking to upgrade their existing audio setup with better audio quality without straining their budget too far. The earbuds come with 3 extra silicone ear tips which enables you to find the perfect size according to your ear canal. They also feature in-built ear hooks that ensure a secure fit and prevent your earphones from falling off in case of long gaming sessions.

The excellent audio quality of the Turtle Beach Battle buds is a result of their 10mm neodymium drivers that help produce punchy bass alongside crystal clear mids and highs. Additionally, the controller also features a multifunction button which will allow you to perform various tasks like answering calls, changing tracks, play/pause and more.

Pros:

Removable unidirectional boom mic

Lightweight construction

Extra 3x silicone buds

In-built ear hooks

In-line mic & multifunction remote

Dedicated volume wheel & mic mute button

Cons:

Only 10mm neodymium drivers

Non-braided cable

Distortion at the higher volume in some units

The MiWorm Mobile Controller is another budget gaming accessory that will help you enhance your in-game skills in FPS shooters. This contraption is compatible with all major smartphones that are currently available on the market and does not require any OTA connection to your phone be it Bluetooth or wireless.

Pros:

Mechanical operation

Perfect for fps shooters

Eliminates the risk of banned accounts

Flexible design to incorporate volume rocker & lock button

Minimal design does not cover up the screen

No external power or driver installation needed

No wireless connection required

Cons:

Might not be compatible with newer smartphones

Will cover screen on smartphones with infinity display

Might cause scratches on screen (tempered glass recommended)

Not compatible with phone cases

Just like finger sleeves and mechanical triggers, these modular joysticks are an excellent passive gaming accessory for your smartphone that do not require any external power to operate.

These joysticks have been designed to take over the ‘movement’ and ‘look’ toggles in today’s FPS shooters in order to provide better tactile in-game control. The joysticks feature a waterproof construction which makes them an excellent choice for long hours of gameplay.

These modular joysticks are equipped with a smudge-free adhesive which helps keep your smartphone screen clear and scratch-free. If your phone constantly keeps slipping from your hands during high-pressure situations where you are trying to move around and aim at the same time, then the Modular Joysticks are a perfect gaming accessory for you.

Pros:

Completely passive operation

No-risk of permanent bans

No additional requirement of software, drivers or bt connection

Waterproof & sweatproof

Can be removed & restuck several times

Cons:

Incompatible with frosted or matte screen guards

Adhesive wears out after a few weeks

Now if you’re a mobile gamer, then you’re probably tired of having to sit near a power outlet to charge your smartphone while gaming. Well, to solve this issue, it is necessary to have a power bank in order to avoid sitting for hours near a power outlet while playing games on the go.

The Anker Powercore is an ultraportable power bank that will help you solve this problem as it has a total capacity of 26,800 mAh. This allows the Powercore to charge modern-day phones up to 6 times in a single charge and tablets 2 times. The power bank has 3 different USB outlets and is equipped with Anker’s proprietary PowerIQ and voltage boost technology.

This allows the power bank to charge 3 devices simultaneously at a faster pace than traditional chargers. But unlike other offerings on the market, the Anker Powercore takes only 6 hours to recharge thanks to its dual micro USB input which cuts down its charge time in half.

Additionally, the power bank also comes with a travel pouch for easy portability and on the go gaming.

Pros:

Sleek minimalistic design

3x USB output ports

Dual micro USB input (20w)

Only 6 hour recharge time

26,800 mah capacity

Power IQ & voltage boost for faster charging times

18-month warranty

Cons:

Power IQ & voltage boost can glitch out sometimes and increase charge times

Not waterproof or shockproof

Not compatible with Qualcomm fast charge

Some more…

Pros:

Premium construction

Custom made VR lenses

110°FOV (field of view)

Compatible with corrective spectacles

Compatible with all major smartphone brands

Interchangeable face contact foam

Ipd optical settings

Cons:

Face contact foam is rigid out of the box

Not compatible with older smartphones

Have you ever heard about a gaming keyboard for smartphones? Well the Gamesir Z1 is actually that, and more. This mechanical keyboard has a one-handed layout that allows you to customize your gameplay experience according to your in-game preferences.

The Gamesir Z1 also has RGB lighting that supports up to 16.8 million different colors for your own custom-built color scheme. The keyboard comes in an ergonomic design with aggressive styling alongside a removable wrist pad which allows you to customize your typing and gaming experience according to your own preferences.

Pros:

Compatible with android & windows

4 programmable macro keys

RGB lighting

Aggressive styling

Removable wrist-pad

Anti-ghosting keys with full n key rollover

Mechanical switches

Built-in remapper

25 remappable tactile keys

2000 mah rechargeable battery

Onboard USB port to connect mouse or charge smartphone

Cons:

Wireless functionality does not work with pc

High learning curve to learn typing

Our last choice is the massively popular passive trigger technology from the house of Flydigi. This is the only passive trigger on our list that requires external power but does not require any wireless connection with your smartphone.

The triggers use CapAir mapping technology which sends passive pulses to your smartphone in order to simulate a tap. The triggers are made from premium ABS plastic and come in an attractive color scheme that helps it stand out from the crowd.

Pros:

Ergonomic design

Easy installation

Compatible with all smartphone sizes

120 hours of battery life

Onboard charging indicator

Compatible with cases

Cons:

Not ideal for curved displays

Extending mechanism loses tension with regular use

Not waterproof or shockproof

Left and right triggers sold separately

8 Best Photo Editing Tips For Google Pixel 7 Series

Let’s commence with the Photo Unblur feature. As the name suggests, it helps you to fix accidental motion blur that hampers the photo quality. The best part is that it works on any picture be it shot on the Pixel 7, or with any other phone. The only requirement you need to meet is, that your picture has to be blurry in order to sharpen it and enhance the quality of the picture. Here’s how it works:

1. Open your Google Photos app and open the picture that you find a bit blurred.

2. Tap the Edit button, and you will get the option to unblur in the Suggestion menu.

3. Alternatively, switch to the Tools submenu, to access the unblur option.

4. Tap the Unblur button, and adjust the slider from 0 to 100, with 0 being the lowest or no changes and 100 being the highest or giving you the best unblur effect. You can slide and check what works for you.

There are two ways to use Magic Eraser:

The Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro can automatically detect unimportant objects in a photo and suggest for removal, or,

You can manually select and remove objects.

Follow the steps given below to know how to use it:

1. Open Google Photos and pick a photo that you want to use Magic Eraser on.

4. Tap on Magic Eraser, and the Pixel will suggest prompts to remove unwanted objects from your photo.

6. Within seconds the selected part will be erased from the picture.

Sky filters can be an interesting option if you are looking to give your photo a new look. It comes up with multiple filter options to choose from like Luminous and Stormy. Let’s find out what are the available options and to what extent can they improve your photo.

1. Open Google Photos and tap the edit option.

2. You will find the different sky Modes listed under the Suggestions tab. To have better control over intensity switch to the Tools tab and find the Sky option there.

3. You can experiment with different sky modes until you find your favorite one.

Ember Sky: Ember completely changes the mood of the pic to a sunrise. You can compare the original and filtered picture below.

Vivid: Vivid feels the most natural amongst all. It increases saturation and pumps up the blueness of the sky. Compare the pictures below to notice the difference.

Radiant Sky: The effect is somewhat similar to vivid but works best with sunset and sunrise images by changing their colors to dramatic tones.

Luminous & Stormy: If you enjoy the darker mood in pictures with a bit of murky effect then set these two modes to 100 and you can turn your image into a gloomy and doomy one.

This is designed to enhance a selfie or a picture that has been already taken. Have you ever taken a picture and realized later that there is something in the background that is distracting or affecting your experience? Now you can have the solution to that problem by adding portrait effects to your picture, months after it was taken. You can either use the auto portrait or you can also manually set the intensity on your own. Follow the steps given below to learn how is Google One photo editing feature works for free on Pixel phones.

1. Open Google Photos, and under the Edit option navigate to the Tools tab.

2. There tap on the Portrait Blur option, and adjust the slider to tweak the blur and depth intensity.

The Portrait light feature, adds a dramatic feel and gives life to the picture, as you can adjust the light source to enlighten one side of your face and add a shadow on the other side. With the help of an onscreen circle, you can drag it to get the right look, and there’s a slider to adjust the intensity too. Although it is a Google One feature, you get it for free on Pixel phones, and you will be amazed by looking at the pictures after using the effect. Let’s find out how you can use it:

1. Open the Google Photos app, and under the Edit option navigate to the Tools Tab.

3. You can adjust the intensity from the slider, and position the circle to set the light source.

Color Pop is yet another one of the most exciting and my personal favorite feature. It keeps the subject colored and turns the background to black & white. Although this is a Google One-specific feature with the Pixel 7 series you can enjoy it for free. Let’s find out how you can use it:

1. Go to the edit photo option, and navigate to the Suggestions tab.

3. A simple tap will desaturate the background, and turn it to black and white. You can see the original and edited pictures below to compare.

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, where the range defines the light and dark tones of the picture. It allows the user to take bright photos with a wide gamut of colors and greater contrast. This is also a ‘Google One’ feature that can be used for free on the Pixel 7 Series.

1. Go to the Edit menu and you will find the option of HDR option under the Adjust Tab.

2. You can use the slider to adjust the intensity of the effect.

Dynamic is yet another innovative effect found on a Pixel phone. Below are the two images captured in Day-Light and night ambiance. Compare the filters to check the effect in both artificial light and bright light conditions. For non-pixel phones, it is locked behind the Google One subscription.