by John Demar
Frequently, digital camera owners will take numerous photos to capture memories of their recent events only to be dissatisfied with the results of their snapshots.
In the past, due to the cost of film processing and alterations, photographers would settle for these mediocre results and continue taking pictures that were less than ideal.
The advent of digital photography hasn’t resolved this problem – nowadays, it’s easier than ever to take tons of poor photos and still feel stuck with them.
Time for image editing tools to come to the rescue!
With the magic of a personal computer and software like PhotoShop, PhotoShop Elements, PaintShop Pro and Fireworks, it’s easier than ever to get rid of imperfections in photos and enjoy what might otherwise be throwaways.
Here are five common methods for ridding unwanted elements.
- Dodge and Burn tools are used to lighten and darken parts of an image. Poor lighting, over-exposure and poor foreground/background contrast make objects or people in photos difficult to see. Dodge and burn are similar to increasing and decreasing the exposure of a photo in a darkroom.
- Blur and Sharpen tools affect the focus of the image. Blurring is often used to blur the focus of various elements, much like how a photographer would control the depth of field. Contrary to the Blur tool, the Sharpen tool is useful for repairing scanned or out-of-focus photographs.
- The Replace Color tool offers the ability to repaint areas with new colors. This tool is can be useful for correcting lighting problems, removing or enhancing shadows, and blending unwanted colors with surrounding colors.
- The Rubber Stamp tool is great for eliminating unwanted artifacts within textured areas. This tool is useful for removing logos from clothing or products, removing or adding birds from a sky scene, removing carpet stains or brushing out imperfections in a background.
- Magic Wand and Eraser tools are great for eliminating large areas of like colors and creating transparent backgrounds. Use these tools with the tolerance and edge settings to sharpen or soften foreground objects.
Mastering these tools will go a long way toward improving the quality of the pictures you take and the quantity of pictures that you’ll be proud to put in scrapbooks, photo albums, or in next year’s Christmas cards.