You've taken the photos and installed an image editing application on your computer... no it's time to get to work. This article is aimed to get you through the basic functions of a photo editing application. There are a lot of such applications available on the market, from basic programs which include features like removing dust, scratches and red eye or adjusting brightness and color, to more sophisticated ones that let you use special effects, combine several images etc. Some companies offer you a free trial to make sure the software responds to your needs.



Viewing pictures

You can work on a single photo at once or bring in several photos.Working on two or more photos at once is particularly useful if you want to combine them in the end. Most applications include a browser which lets you see the pictures as thumbnails and double-click to open. You can also do this from the file menu, which opens a dialog box and lets you search for the file through your computer.

Resizing the image

Resizing may be needed for printing pictures or uploading them on the web. In case you want to print a photo, bare in mind to take it at a higher resolution. In case you are scanning it, make sure it is at least 150 dpi. This way you can enlarge it with your photo editing software. Images you want to upload on the internet have to be resized at a smaller size and resolution, like 72 or 96 ppi.

Rotating or flipping the picture

This is a very easy to use feature which allows you to rotate the image if, for example, you scanned it upside down. With a couple of mouse clicks you save all the work of rescanning the photo again.

Retouching

There are functions that enable you to make small corrections to the image, such as removing dust, scratches or red eye or unwanted background objects, improving color balance or making the picture brighter.

Color and contrast

Playing with color and contrast can be very entertaining. You can create interesting changes, such as turning a color photo in black and white or adding some color to a black and white photo. There are also more subtle changes you can make to improve the image.

Basic tools

Just getting used to your software is a good start. Don't let yourself overwhelmed by the high number of features available. Take baby steps instead, learning a little bit at a time.

Hand a zoom

The hand feature lets you move the image around the screen while keeping the same zoom level. Zoom allows you you to zoom in a lot, which is good for working at small details, such as making corrections with a small brush. Then you just zoom out to see the whole picture.

Selection tools

There are several types of selection tools you can use, allowing you to make adjustments on just a section of the picture. For example, if you have a photo you like but a portion of it is to dark, you can select that portion and increase its brightness. This way you avoid brightening the whole picture when there's no need to. You can also use selection tools to cut something out of the photo.

Rubber stamp (clone)

This is a very useful tool which you are likely to be using a lot. It allows you to pick color and attributes from one part of the image and paste them somewhere else. For example, if you want to take an object out, you can pick the attributes from the area next to it and gradually stamp them over it. You will need to zoom in and zoom out to see how the picture turns out like and use different brush sizes. Check if the area you are cloning is solid or gradient color. You may need to work on the transparency level of the clone tool so that the area you covered doesn't look patchy.

Text tool

You can use this tool to insert a text box into the picture. You can choose from the true type fonts available or insert artistic text, which in turn has a range of different fonts, but also lets you apply filters, stretch or manipulate the text the way you want.

Montaging and overlaying

Some photo editing applications allow you to combine several images to make a collage or overlay two or several images (similar to multiple exposure in film camera). From now on your creativity can go wild.

Hope this were some useful tips that will help you getting used to your photo editing software. Good luck!