Photo Editing Made Easy

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

03 Aug 2008 12:32 PM

If you shoot with a digital camera you might agree that it is nearly impossible to end up with a bad print. Photo editing can turn even the most oddly framed photo into a visual masterpiece. In addition, the technology can do wonders to compensate for poor lighting.

If you tend to take pictures that need a few minor adjustments to make them print worthy, photo editing is key. The simplest way to improving your digital photographs (without enrolling in a photography class) is to edit them with easy-to-use software.

For example, Google's Picasa is one of the most popular photo editing programs. The tool gives you the ability to adjust your photos' lighting, convert your images to black-and-white, and it also provides you will the opportunity to crop and rotate each shot. Picasa not only allows you to fix your pictures, but it is also great for managing your digital photo library. The software allows you to store images in an online album and it can also search for images that you want printed without making you shuffle through mountains of shots.

The No.1 photo software program is Adobe's Photoshop. There are several versions available with the top-of-the-line version retailing for about $600 (the basic program retails for about $100). However, you can get a free online version as well. Photoshop Express lets you adjust the lighting, crop, rotate, fix red-eye and add cool color effects to your photos.

If there is a negative to this ultra popular program it's that it takes a bit more time to get your pictures into Photoshop Express because you'll have to upload them to the Internet, but once they're there, they can be accessed from anywhere.

Another free online photo editing program which features similar tools (e.g. crop, rotate, fix red-eye, adjust lighting, etc.) is Picnik. It is easier and quicker to use than Photoshop Express and offers a simple way to size your pictures properly for e-mailing or posting online.

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Digital Photography 101: Let's Review---Photo Printing

Digital Photography 101: Photo Sharing

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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