Digital Cameras - Unlock the marvels your software promises you
With the ease of use and remarkable effects that digital technology offers, it is no surprise to find an ever-growing segment of photographers turning to digital cameras and photo-editing software with every passing day. While the key elements which converge to create flawless images do remain the same, digital tools do make it a lot easier to correct any blemishes that you may have overlooked when capturing the image while also letting you create marvelous effects with just a handful of tools. but when it comes to the actual process of re-touching your images, your efforts are not just limited to choosing the most appropriate editing software, but also ensuring that you do not spend unnecessary hours toiling over the most basic of functions and lose out on the more elaborate, and also more attractive, ones.
The first thing to bear in mind when editing your images is to ascertain that you have a copy of the original saved. That way, even if you do end up making your image appear completely unlike what you had envisioned it to be, you still have the original to start afresh. You can copy your image by first opening it with your photo-editor and then use the ‘Save As’ option to retain a copy. And it is on this fresh copy that you have created, that you begin to experiment with the various options that your editing software allows you. And if you unintentionally make a change that doesn’t quite match up to the final effect you’re looking to create, you can undo the last change, or couple of changes, depending on what version of software you are using.
Being a pro when it comes to maneuvering around the image is vital to how quick and easy your editing process is. A popular navigating tool is the ‘Hand Tool’ or the ‘Pan Tool’ which allows you to work your way up and down the image, without making any inadvertent changes to it. You can also choose the zoom options to be more accurate in your editing process which are represented by the ‘Magnifying Glass Tool’. This tool displays a plus sign as you draw in to make the necessary changes and the negative sign as you zoom out to assess the effect of your changes to the overall image. While most types of software let you left click on the image to zoom in or out, many versions also let you right click on the image to proceed in set increments.
Although your image may appear unclear and hazy when you zoom into it, it does not mean that the final image that you create will appear quite that way. This distortion appears only because the pixels of your image get separated and hence, more distinct, which also gives you more precision. You can even use the ‘Eyedropper’ tool which lets you select only pixels in a specific color, without having to worry about skipping a minute part of your image when you are in the process of editing it.
Your software will also comprise of what are known as ‘Marquee Tools’ which let you trace squares, circles and even ellipses around the specific parts of the image you wish to highlight. For images which are irregular in shape, you can use the freeform tool by holding your mouse button down as you trace around the image, or simply plot points around it and connect all of them by clicking on the first dot again. Once you’ve made your selection, the appropriate part of the image will be highlighted by a flowing dotted line, informing you of your selection.
Once you’re comfortable with selecting and navigating around your image, you can then move on to creating effects and augmenting your image with the enhancement tools. This can be as simple as cropping your image to draw attention to only one specific part of the image, or even using filters to tint your photograph. You can also make use of the brush and airbrush tools to paint over your image, much like you would with a conventional painting. This tool lets you add color to your image and even paint out minor flaws in your image, to reveal spectacular results.
Modern-day editing softwares can be as effortless or as complicated as you want them to be. As a rule of the thumb, remember that the more experimental you get, the easier your navigation and use of the software will be. And nothing works quite as well as practice does. Once you have these fundamental basics mastered, you’ll find it a lot easier to learn your way around those more sophisticated features and very soon, you’ll realize that photo-editing software isn’t quite the enigma you make it out to be!
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