Don't make your photo hyper-realistic

Friday 4 July 2025, 15:30 by Nando Harmsen | 2,770 views | 2 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

We all want to see detail in the photos we take. It can be very interesting to see those details. But don't overdo it. Don't make it hyper-realistic.

Sometimes I see them passing by. Photos that have been made hyper-realistic. Every detail is emphasised and shown in an exaggerated way in the photo. Shadows are also often lifted so far that no depth remains.

A little dog in the studio. The amount of visible detail makes it look unreal; I call it hyper-realistic
Hyper-realism is caused by excessive sharpening. You can almost see the barbs on the feathers of a bird, or the split ends in the fur of an animal. You see details that you would not even see if you were standing right on top of it with your nose.

If you then also lift every shadow so far that you can see everything clearly there, the photo becomes flat and often uninteresting. Nothing is left to the imagination. Everything can be seen, in more detail than in reality.

A close-up of a white-tailed eagle. There is no need to show it in a hyper-realistic way, like in this photo. You would not even see these details if you were sitting right on top of it with your nose.
If you like it, then don't let me stop you from doing it. After all, it is your photo and your edit. However, your photo may look impressive at first glance, but the realism is nowhere to be found. In the worst case, it looks like a cartoon.

The edits I prefer to see. No excess of detail, but more realism. I only sharpen where it is needed.
I prefer a photo that has been subtly sharpened. It does not need to be a photo with enough sharpening to show a hyper-realistic amount of detail. Perhaps you see it differently. Let me know in a comment below this post.

Share: WhatsApp Facebook

About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

Edit an HDR like a normal photo
by Nando Harmsen
Delete separate photos for HDR and panoramas, or not?
by Nando Harmsen
How many shots do you need for an HDR?
by Nando Harmsen
Got flare in your HDR photo? Remove it with your finger
by Nando Harmsen
How to Photograph Flowing Water Realistically
by Nando Harmsen
Luminar NEO gets a new update
by Nando Harmsen

Show every article in Tips and tricks

home

2 comments

A Terwisscha van Scheltinga wrote on Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 14:52 | reply
The article/writing speaks to me and my photos are certainly not hyperrealistic. Yet I think that when a certain group of people read your article, you are stepping on their toes. They regularly say to me, the photos are not sharp. While I find them realistic and not excessively hyper. Do you understand what I mean?
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 15:15 | reply
Hyperrealistic and not sharp are two different things. You can also have a sharp photo without it being hyperrealistic.

If your sharp photo is not perceived as sharp, then perhaps there is still something that can be improved in the workflow. Especially after resizing to web format. If you put them on social media, then if the dimensions are incorrect, the photo is resized to the correct dimensions for you, which often causes blurriness.
Translated from Dutch.

Have your say

Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.
Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.

Become a better photographer every week

A practical photography tip in your inbox every week.
39,179 photography enthusiasts already receive the tips! More about the weekly mail. Or keep up to date via Facebook. Sign-up secured with Google reCaptcha.

Elja Trum

Photofacts; everything to do with photography!

Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about Photofacts

Photofacts is made possible in part by