Most photos can benefit from some simple photo edits. From cropping the image to adjusting its brightness you can easily improve the look of your favorite photos using photo editing software.
Most photo editing software has tools for the fixes we will be looking at. We’re using paint.net which is free and which can be downloaded from paint.net. In last month’s newsletter we covered the process of downloading and installing this program.
This month we’ll look at some tools in Paint.net that you can use to improve your photos.
If you captured your photo with your camera turned sideways you may find it is laying on its side when you open it in Paint.net. To rotate it so it is upright, choose Image from the menu and click Rotate Clockwise or Rotate Counter-Clockwise. If you rotate the wrong way, choose Edit and click Undo and try again.
Most photos will look better if they are cropped to focus more closely on the subject. To crop your image, click the Rectangle Select tool in the Tools palette. Drag over the area of the photo that you want to keep. To remove the unselected area click the Image menu and click Crop to Selection.
If your photo is too dark you can lighten it. Start by opening the photo and choose Adjustments and click Brightness/Contrast. Drag the Brightness slider to the right to lighten the image. If, in the process, you lighten the darker areas too much, move the Contrast slider a little to the right to compensate. Click Ok when you are done.
If you think that the colors in the photo look a little dull you can increase their saturation. Choose Adjustments, click Hue/Saturation and drag the Saturation slider to the right to make the colors more saturated. If desired, you may also experiment with adjusting the Lightness slider. The Hue slider changes the colors and produces unreal results so it is best left untouched. Click Ok when you are done.
