Touching up your photos
Basic editing techniques
Red-eyes, scratches and spots
If your subject looks like a vampire with glowing red eyes, most programs allow red-eye touching up which enables you to re-color a person's eyes. It take a little experimentation to get the right shade but well worth the effort as it saves otherwise unusable images. Scratches and spots from old photos, dust on your negatives or slides, or just a dirty scanner surface can also be easily repaired. This is also a good archival method for old photos as they can usually be restored to their former glory just by scanning it and touching up the digital file, then printing it out again.
Crops and colors
Cropping is an age-old photographic technique used to remove unwanted or distracting details, enlarge small areas or simply make the image more dramatic. Cropping is a great way to zero in on your subject and add dramatic appeal. However, a point to note is that when you crop an image, you are actually removing pixel information from the digital file. So if you decide to enlarge the remaining image, blurring, pixelation and other faults may show. It's always better to shoot images full frame so you don't have to crop them later.
Color changes and toning are also well-practiced techniques. If the subject looks better as a monochrome image, it’s a simple process to discard the color information and render the image as a black-and-white. The color of your choice can then be added to increase dramatic effect. This is also how sepia-toned images are done to create that "old world" feeling.
Watch and learn, dodge and burn
Dodging and burning are actually photographic terms used in the traditional darkroom where the photographer makes certain corrections to the photo being developed. Modern digital tools give the same effect with even greater ease. While you can't completely rebuild the lighting in an image without making it look fake, selected areas of your photo can be significantly lightened or darkened with electronic dodging and burning tools. You can correct glares or remove distracting dark areas in the background in this manner.
Sharpening and un-sharpening
While there's not a grain of truth in the common misconception that you can focus an out-of-focus image with software, it's possible to sharpen the photo within limits.
Devices such as scanners and digital cameras cause some loss in the resolution of an original image, and sharpening filters can correct this. They alter the pixels at the edges of objects by lightening the lighter pixels and darkening the darker pixels to create the illusion of contrast.
Most digital images also contain some blur that can be corrected using a process called "unsharp masking". In fact, the need for this process is so common that many high-end cameras and scanners have embedded software that carries out this task automatically. Unsharp masking filters work by locating edges in the image via pairs of adjacent pixels that have a specified difference in brightness (threshold). The filters then increase the contrast of those pixels by a determined amount. This procedure can make a tremendous difference in photos that you print or post on the Web.
Blurring for clarity
Contrary to popular belief, blurring can be a very useful tool for photography. It is often used as an alternative to cropping. Instead of removing distracting details by cropping them out totally, they can be subdued by feathering or motion-blurring the area around your subject. For example, a close-up image of a sunflower surrounded by a ring of other smaller flowers can be improved by applying a little creative blurring and dodging to the offending flowers. It's a great way to add interest and guide the viewer's eye toward your subject. Other blurring effects can also make a stationery vehicle look like it's moving by adding some motion blurring. Similarly, an oncoming bicycle can be made to look like its charging towards the camera with this technique.
Fun with filters
Many editing software include features called "filters" which duplicate the effects of real filters (used together with the camera lens). Instead of carrying around trays of lens filters, the same feeling can be re-created on the computer. This is one of the most interesting methods to manipulate digital images. Many of these filters, such as the unsharp mask filter that was discussed earlier, are used to enhance or touch up your images.
But there are many others available which can make photos look like paintings, stained glass windows, or hundreds of other objects. For example, if you want your portrait shots to have the same soft, dreamy effect that many studio photographers use, simply select the appropriate filter and let your computer do the rest. If the result is undesirable, just "undo" the action and try another one. Many photo-editing programs come with filters built in, but some applications allow you to purchase separate plug-ins to expand your library of effects. Numerous digital works of art can be created that way.
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