Print This PageFixing Digital Pictures
The days of film are all but over. And back in those days, if there were special things you wanted to do to your pictures, such as lighten or darken them, or even remove blemishes, you had to spend hours in the darkroom.
But no more! Welcome to the new world of the “digital darkroom“. Right here on your computer, using software called an image editor, you can not only fix pictures that have problems, but you can take ordinary pictures to the next level in some very amazing ways.
In this section of the DiscoverSkills site, we offer up articles and tutorials specifically about working with your pictures and making them the best they can be.
We also encourage you to leave comments or questions in the Comment Box below the articles, or drop us an email (jlortz@DiscoverSkills.com) if you have any ideas for future articles.
Do Your Pictures Look Their Best?
When I was a kid, photography fascinated me. And although I grew up in a small farming town of only 600, I was lucky because the local high school science teacher was into photography and willing to teach me all he knew about working in a darkroom. I spent many an hour with those smelly chemicals, agonizing [...]
Click to Read Entire Article...
Working with the Photoshop Element Side Panel
In a recent Photoshop Elements class at the Lincoln Computer Education Center, I discovered (along with the class) that the side-panel area of Elements tends to have a mind of its own when it comes to opening, closing, sizing, and positioning bins. After spending some quality out-of-class time with the side-panel, I think I finally [...]
Click to Read Entire Article...
De-emphasize a Photo Background Using Photoshop Elements
In a lot of pictures you take, the background can seem to get in the way. If you are someone who enjoys photography and has learned the ins and outs of camera aperture, you know how to tone-down the background by reducing the camera depth-of-field (which is done by opening the aperture). But if you [...]
Click to Read Entire Article...
Customizing the Windows Background with a Picture
Microsoft Windows has always allowed you to change the desktop background (we sometimes call “wallpaper”) to different colors or even fill it with a picture. But what about adding your own picture(s), and the placing those pictures strategically so that they don’t interfere with your desktop icons? In this video we show you how to [...]
Click to Read Entire Article...
What is a JPEG? Learning about the most popular picture file type...
The JPEG picture file type is the most common and popular (at least for now) photo file type around. But what exactly IS a JPEG? In this learning video, we give you an inside look at what a JPEG is and what makes it different from other picture file types. FREE eNewsletter Subscription Wondering who [...]
Click to Read Entire Article...
Fixing an Old Picture with Photoshop Elements
No doubt you probably have shoe boxes full of old photographs, many of which have become priceless to you over the years. The problem is, as good as Kodak use to make their papers and films, over time, photographs can start to fade, yellow, and crack. The good news is, you can scan in your [...]
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I am trying to figure out which photoshop program to purchase. I am just starting to organize my photos and fix them.
Hi Elizabeth…
In all of our classes at the Landing, we use Adobe Photoshop Elements which is currently at version 9.0 (although we still tell folks that they can go back all the way to version 6.0 and still have all the tools they would need).
Although Photoshop Elements (PSE) is a commercial program, and costs between $59 and $99 (depending on where you purchase it), for those wanting to seriously start working on fixing their pictures, I really think it’s the way to go.
FYI… we have classes at the Landing that cover using PSE, starting with an introductory one called “Photoshop Elements Basics”, that also teaches you how to get started in working with digital pictures.
I’m also working on a series of online, video tutorials (I call “OnDemand classes” that cover editing with Photoshop Elements.
Anyway, I hope that helps. Please let me know if you have any more questions, and thanks for posting!
John Lortz