You've taken the photos and installed an image editing application on your
computer... no it's time to get to work. This article is aimed to get
you through the basic functions of a photo editing application. There
are a lot of such applications available on the market, from basic
programs which include features like removing dust, scratches and red
eye or adjusting brightness and color, to more sophisticated ones that
let you use special effects, combine several images etc. Some companies
offer you a free trial to make sure the software responds to your
needs.
Viewing pictures
You can work on a single photo at once or bring in several
photos.Working on two or more photos at once is particularly useful if
you want to combine them in the end. Most applications include a
browser which lets you see the pictures as thumbnails and double-click
to open. You can also do this from the file menu, which opens a dialog
box and lets you search for the file through your computer.
Resizing the image
Resizing may be needed for printing pictures or uploading them on the
web. In case you want to print a photo, bare in mind to take it at a
higher resolution. In case you are scanning it, make sure it is at
least 150 dpi. This way you can enlarge it with your photo editing
software. Images you want to upload on the internet have to be resized
at a smaller size and resolution, like 72 or 96 ppi.
Rotating or flipping the picture
This is a very easy to use feature which allows you to rotate the image
if, for example, you scanned it upside down. With a couple of mouse
clicks you save all the work of rescanning the photo again.
Retouching
There are functions that enable you to make small corrections to the
image, such as removing dust, scratches or red eye or unwanted
background objects, improving color balance or making the picture
brighter.
Color and contrast
Playing with color and contrast can be very entertaining. You can
create interesting changes, such as turning a color photo in black and
white or adding some color to a black and white photo. There are also
more subtle changes you can make to improve the image.
Basic tools
Just getting used to your software is a good start. Don't let yourself
overwhelmed by the high number of features available. Take baby steps
instead, learning a little bit at a time.
Hand a zoom
The hand feature lets you move the image around the screen while
keeping the same zoom level. Zoom allows you you to zoom in a lot,
which is good for working at small details, such as making corrections
with a small brush. Then you just zoom out to see the whole picture.
Selection tools
There are several types of selection tools you can use, allowing you to
make adjustments on just a section of the picture. For example, if you
have a photo you like but a portion of it is to dark, you can select
that portion and increase its brightness. This way you avoid
brightening the whole picture when there's no need to. You can also use
selection tools to cut something out of the photo.
Rubber stamp (clone)
This is a very useful tool which you are likely to be using a lot. It
allows you to pick color and attributes from one part of the image and
paste them somewhere else. For example, if you want to take an object
out, you can pick the attributes from the area next to it and gradually
stamp them over it. You will need to zoom in and zoom out to see how
the picture turns out like and use different brush sizes. Check if the
area you are cloning is solid or gradient color. You may need to work
on the transparency level of the clone tool so that the area you
covered doesn't look patchy.
Text tool
You can use this tool to insert a text box into the picture. You can
choose from the true type fonts available or insert artistic text,
which in turn has a range of different fonts, but also lets you apply
filters, stretch or manipulate the text the way you want.
Montaging and overlaying
Some photo editing applications allow you to combine several images to
make a collage or overlay two or several images (similar to multiple
exposure in film camera). From now on your creativity can go wild.
Hope this were some useful tips that will help you getting used to your
photo editing software. Good luck!
Mr.
D. usually writes in the field of image resizing for the company
Reshade. The firm targets picture processing and offers a free to use
online photo resizing software. Also it provides a
picture enlargement software application.