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Advanced photo editing tutorial |
This tutorial shows you how to correct problems with exposure and composition. The tutorial uses the same sample photo and follows the same steps as the Advanced Photo Editing Instructional Video. It is not necessary to watch the Instructional Video before you start the tutorial, but you may find it helpful.
This tutorial covers:
Browse to the directory in which you installed Digital Image Pro, and then select the \Tutorial\beachday.jpg file.
The default folder location is c:\Program Files\Picture It! 7\Tutorial\.
Click Open.
Beachday.jpg opens in the workspace.
On the File menu, click Save As, and then save a copy of the photo to work on.
In this tutorial you must save the sample photo with a new name before you make any changes. The sample photo is in read-only format; you cannot save any changes to the original. In general, saving a copy of a photo is useful because it preserves the original for other projects.
In this lesson, you learn how to increase the intensity level of each color with the help of a histogram. The histogram is a graphical representation of the number of pixels at each color intensity. Correcting the color intensity levels adds depth to an otherwise flat and cool photo.
The sample photo is too dark, creating a flat, cool color intensity, which makes details hard to see. You will correct this using the adjust levels tool.
On the Touchup menu, click Adjust Levels.
The Adjust Levels task pane displays a histogram. The narrow, dark peak in the histogram corresponds to the boy's dark clothing. The flat, light segment represents the lightest colors in the photo, such as the sea foam, the sky reflecting on the water, and the sunlit part of the beach ball.
Drag the Highlights slider to the left until the yellow bar on the histogram touches the right side of the gray peak. The number in the box beside the Highlights slider reads about 180.
This increases the intensity of the highlight (lighter) colors in the photo, making the colors "warmer" and the details more visible.
Note
In many photos, you will need to adjust the Shadows and Midtones sliders to balance the tonal range of the darker colors. In the sample photo, this is not necessary since the dark orange bar is already touching the left side of the black peak.
In this lesson, you learn how to add flash to lighten the darkest pixels in a photo. The flash effect increases the amount of light in the foreground. Use the add flash effect when the foreground objects you want to emphasize are too dark.
Although the colors are "warmer" after adjusting the levels in the sample photo, the subject is still obscured by foreground shadow. You will fix this using the add flash tool.
Drag the Add Flash slider (until the slider reads about 40) to increase the amount of light on the boy.
This increases the brightness and makes the boy's face, hands, and shirt more visible, simulating the effects of using a flash while taking the photo.
In this lesson, you learn how to brighten a small area of a photo that is too dark. Use the dodge and burn brush to reduce the glare on a window, or correct other similar lighting problems that affect a small area of a photo.
In the sample photo, the boy's face is still shadowed. You will correct this using the dodge and burn brush.
Using the zoom tool, zoom in on the boy's face (to about 150%) so you can more easily work with the dodge and burn brush.
The photo is magnified so that you can see details more easily.
Set the Brightness slider to about 8.
This ensures that you don't increase the brightness too much. Typically, you will need to experiment to find the right amount of brightness for each photo you adjust.
Select the largest brush size, and then drag the brush across the boy's entire face until you are satisfied with the brightness.
This brightens the boy's face just enough to make the details more visible.
In this lesson, you learn how to remove a distracting object from a photo. You can remove anything that draws attention away from the main subject of your photo. Use the clone brush to copy color and texture from one area of a picture to another.
Using the sample photo, you will use the clone brush to cover the beach ball with sand, effectively removing the beach ball.
In the photo, click in the middle of the area of sand next to the ball.
A crosshair appears where you click, and the cursor becomes a circle. The crosshair defines the area of the sand that will be cloned over the beach ball.
Drag the cursor over the beach ball until the beach ball is gone.
The crosshair and circle both duplicate the motion of the mouse, copying the area beneath the crosshair (sand) to the area beneath the circle (beach ball).
If the first attempt is not satisfactory, click Set new start position on the task pane, and then repeat steps 3 and 4.
Using the clone brush takes practice, so it may take a few tries before you get your photo just right.
