Extreme cropping, underexposing because of ISO, over-the-top “slider pushing,” or shooting only in JPEG. It may sound harmless—but these small details are often the reason a photo doesn’t look as good as it could. In this video, we’ll show you the 5 most common mistakes photographers make and explain why it’s worth avoiding them.

Are you making these mistakes as well, or have you already learned how to avoid them? Take a look at more articles on Learn Photography, where we cover these and many other photography mistakes in detail.

Overedited Photos: High Saturation and Clarity Ruin the Natural Look

One of the most common mistakes in photo editing is overdoing it with the sliders. This typically involves Saturation, Clarity, or extreme contrast adjustments.

Oversaturated colors look kitschy, while too much clarity creates unnatural microcontrast and unwanted artifacts. However, the opposite extreme isn’t a solution either—pulling down shadows too much can result in a loss of detail and texture.

A good photograph usually doesn’t need extremes. Edits should enhance the atmosphere of the image—not draw all the attention to themselves. Read the article 6 Most Common Editing Mistakes and How To Avoid Them and discover other pitfalls you should steer clear of.

Shooting in JPEG vs. RAW: Differences in Quality and Editing Options

Shooting in JPEG is not wrong in itself. The problem arises when you treat a JPEG as if it were a RAW file.

JPEG is a compressed format with a smaller dynamic range. With stronger adjustments, you may encounter color artifacts, broken gradients, or loss of detail.

If you’re planning more significant edits, RAW gives you much more room to adjust exposure, shadows, and colors. And if you shoot in JPEG, keep your edits subtle. In the article RAW vs. JPG: The Eternal Struggle. When Is It Best to Shoot to RAW?, you’ll learn when to use RAW and when JPEG is sufficient.

More Beginner Photography Mistakes to Avoid

In the video, you learned about some beginner mistakes—but there are many more. After watching the video at the beginning of the article, you can continue with 6 Beginner Mistakes and How to Fix Them, where we summarize additional missteps that new photographers frequently make.

Don’t be afraid of mistakes! They help you learn continuously and move your skills closer to perfection.