The background of the photo is too dark. This is commonly caused by too much foreground lightingThe brightness, contrast, and levels of a picture. when taking the photo.Adjust the brightnessThe amount of light that an image appears to emit. and contrastThe difference between the lightest and darkest parts of a picture. of the entire photo. This increases the lighting of the entire photo.Increase the background lighting in specific areas of the photo by using the dodge and burn brushA touchup brush used to darken or brighten areas of a picture.. This increases the brightness and contrast of specific areas of the photo.Adjust the levelsThe intensity of the shadows, midtones, and highlights of a picture across all color channels. of the photo. This adjusts the intensity of the highlights, midtones, and shadows. You may need to fine-tune the brightness and contrast after adjusting the levels.

For suggestions on how to take better photographs, see the Companion Guide and the MSN Photos Web site.

Key to icons:

Available in Picture It! Express
Available in Picture It! Photo
Available in Digital Image Pro