| Before you start editing, make sure that you have a | | | | very bright elements unchanged. Curves is even more |
| good image work flow. This means saving originals in a | | | | flexible, where you can describe a very sophisticated |
| separate place to prevent you from damaging or | | | | transformation of the original image's characteristics. |
| destroying the original image. And get familiar with your | | | | Both of these tools can also be used to excess, and |
| program's UNDO capability - usually the Ctrl-Z key is a | | | | the result is often surreal or abnormal in appearance. |
| shortcut to undo the most recent image change. Don't | | | | Clone/Rubber Stamp. This tool lets you remove items |
| forget SaveAs, which allows you to save a copy of | | | | from the image or otherwise retouch the image. For |
| the image with another name so you don't disturb the | | | | example if you have a telephone pole in an otherwise |
| original. | | | | perfect rural image, you can use this tool to duplicate |
| Crop. This tool allows you to remove some of the | | | | the part of the picture next to the pole and paint over |
| image. Generally you shape a rectangle around the | | | | the pole with that section. With some practice, you can |
| area you want to keep and the rest is removed. The | | | | edit out glare on glasses, braces, background objects |
| area inside the rectangle becomes your new image. | | | | and much more. Related tools include Scratch |
| Related to this tool are the rotate and straighten tools. | | | | Remover and Object Remover in some programs. |
| Rotate allows you to rotate the image, and Straighten | | | | Eraser. This tool lets you remove sections of an |
| does a similar task, allowing you to specify a horizon | | | | image. This leaves behind a blank spot or hole. It's |
| line or reference point. I recommend to rotate first and | | | | useful to isolate an object to place on another image, |
| then crop after you have the proper orientation. | | | | for example, to cut out a person so you can drop |
| Brightness and Contrast. This tool lets you increase or | | | | them into a location that was not in the original image. |
| decrease the relationship between brights and darks | | | | A variant of this tool is the Background Eraser. |
| (contrast), and increase or decrease the overall | | | | Layers. Learning to use layers opens up an entirely |
| brightness of the image. Combinations of brightness | | | | new world in editing. Basically you create two or more |
| and contrast settings can have very dramatic impact | | | | overlays that can have varying amounts of |
| to your image, adding extra "punch" or softening the | | | | transparency so that you create a new image |
| visual impact. It can also add emphasis to sunsets and | | | | combining parts of these layers. You can specify how |
| other scenic shots. If your image appears flat or dull, | | | | the layers interact with each other, so that one may |
| this is a good tool to try. | | | | enhance the color of another. That feature is called |
| Saturation. This tool is used to increase the color of an | | | | the "blend mode". You can also use layers to |
| image. Used to excess, the result can be artificial, and | | | | superimpose items on each other, for example to put |
| skin tones can be made to look unnatural. But for floral | | | | your subject in a new location. |
| and outdoor images, this tool can be used to sweeten | | | | Sharpen. This tool lets you increase the edge contrast |
| the color impact of an image. | | | | of the image, which makes small features stand out |
| Resize. This tool is used to change the size and | | | | more. You will generally sharpen only as a last step |
| number of pixels, or image dots, in an image file. When | | | | after resizing, because sharpening emphasis will |
| sending something to a website for instance, you may | | | | change with the image size. You can selectively |
| want to reduce the image size so that it does not take | | | | sharpen parts of the images, such as eyes, to draw |
| too long to load. When sending an image to be printed | | | | attention to them. You can also apply a sharpening to |
| on a large size, you may want to size it larger. Many | | | | the overall image. The Unsharp Mask will let you |
| programs will try to fill in the missing spaces if you | | | | specify just how small and how much to apply the |
| attempt to resize an image beyond its original pixel | | | | sharpening effect. |
| dimensions. Called interpolation, this program can deliver | | | | Channel Mixer. This is a tool that allows you to change |
| mixed results if you are trying to increase the images | | | | the amount of red, green and blue in the image. But its |
| size too far beyond its original dimensions. Combined | | | | real value is in being able to tailor a black and white |
| with Crop, this is a good way to preview and prepare | | | | conversion to include specific amounts of red, green |
| an image to be printed in a specific paper size. | | | | and blue. If you choose "monochrome" as the output, |
| Color Temperature/Color Adjust. This tool lets you | | | | you can mix the red green and blue channels to bring |
| adjust the image's color temperature. If your camera's | | | | out features that a straight black and white conversion |
| white balance was not matched up to the color | | | | will not be able to do. The defaults include 33% each |
| temperature of the predominant light source, the | | | | of red, blue and green. Experiment with 80%/10%/10% |
| resulting image can have a color cast that is | | | | of various modes and see how elements like bricks or |
| undesirable. Using this tool, you either choose a color | | | | blue sky or green leaves will change from dark to light |
| neutral selection (white or grey) in the photo and let the | | | | in relation to other objects in the image. |
| tool shift the color balance to match, or you tweak | | | | 1-Step Fix/Smart Fix. This tool often combines much of |
| some settings or sliders to make the image "warmer" | | | | the above tools into an easy to use dialog that will let |
| or "cooler". It's better to get it right in the camera, but | | | | you play with many things at once to improve an |
| this tool can help rescue photos that otherwise have | | | | image. Even if you use this tool most of the time, |
| improper color casts. | | | | remember that the individual elements above can be |
| Curves and Levels. These tools are a more | | | | utilized individually to create image enhancements that |
| sophisticated verion of the Brighness and Contrast | | | | the simpler tools cannot provide. |
| tools. Levels allows you to change the white, mid and | | | | Want to learn more? Take a handful of images that |
| black points of an image and it will shift the image | | | | you are not totally pleased with, and spend some time |
| accordingly. It is useful in pushing darks darker, whites | | | | using each tool to see how you can expand your |
| whiter, and adding some lightness to midtones. It is | | | | creative and editing skills to produce truly great works |
| useful to bring up skin tones on faces while keeping | | | | of photographic art! |