Beginners Guide to Editing Your Photos

Do you have digital images that just don't look right? Pictures often get faded, or gain a greenish or bluish hue. You can fix these imperfections simply using editing software like PaintShop Pro. After reading these steps, you should be a pro at applying simple editing effects to your own digital images.

1- Lets get your settings in place. Once you have opened up Paint Shop, you will see a gray bar that spans the width of your software window (under the choices for 'File', 'Edit', etc). Right click on this gray bar and scroll down to the option "Toolbars". To the left of "Toolbars" will be choices for which tools you want to have open in that gray space. Click on "photo", and those editing options should appear. To find out what each icon in the toolbar does, just hover your mouse over the icon.

2- Make sure your image is rotated correctly! It's really hard to edit a photo when you don't have the right perspective on what it is. The easiest way to do this is to open the image that needs to be rotated. On your top tool bar you will find three icons in a row containing blue and white shapes, with arrows directing which way they are being rotated. These are your rotation tools. Just click on the direction that your image needs to be rotated. You will keep your image open for the rest of the editing process.

3- Next, let's take a look at your contrast/brightness. No one wants a photo that looks faded or soft. To make you images look more crisp, you will want to adjust the Contrast/Brightness of your photo. The Contrast/Brightness tool takes the blacks and whites in your images and enhances them. The icon is of a triangle, where the top is a light blue, and the bottom of it is black. Click on the icon, and a window will pop up requiring you to fill in numbers for both the contrast level, and the brightness level. If your image is really dark, start out by setting your levels both to 10, then press 'OK'. Repeat until you get your desired results. If the brightness of your picture is fine, but you just want it to look a little more crisp, set your contrast number to 10, and your brightness number to 0. Again, you will want to press 'OK' and repeat until you attain your desired results. To preview what your effects are going to look like, just press the icon that looks like an eye, which is in the 'Contast/Brightness' window. If you like what you see, press 'OK'. If you don't like the selections you've made, simply press the eye again, which will hide the preview, and re-configure your settings.

4- Now we are going to focus on color. There are several ways to adjust the color on your images, but this technique is a manual tool where you can choose exactly what you want to be applied to your picture. The 'Adjust Color Balance' tool is a triangle that is light blue on top, and black on bottom, with a halo containing red and blue squares on the tip of the triangle. Click on this icon, and a window will pop up. Set your 'Tone Balance' to 'Midtones', and check the box beneath to 'Preserve luminance'. You will find that there are three scroll lines to adjust the color. You can either manually enter numbers in the white boxes, or you can manually move the cursor left or right to select how much you want to adjust a certain color. For instance, if your image has taken on a reddish hue, you will move the cursor between the choices 'cyan' and 'red' to the left, towards 'cyan'. This will add more cyan hues to your image, decreasing the amount of red that appears. A lot of color balancing is trial and error. To preview what your effects are going to look like, just press the icon that looks like an eye, which is in the 'Adjust Color Balance' window. If you like what you see, press 'OK'. If you don't like the selections you've made, simply press the eye again, which will hide the preview, and re-configure your settings.

Now your image looks as good as new. Have scratches, wrinkles, or writing on your images? You will need to use the 'cloning' tool to fix this, which is a whole other ball game! Check out tutorials on using the clone tool in PaintShop to make your editing skills complete.

Don't want to edit your own photos? Larsen Digital offers digital editing and restoration to bring your pictures back to life. Visit http://www.larsendigital.com/ for more details

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Black and White Photos With Your Digital Camera

Most digital cameras allow you to take your photos in black and white if you wish. Some digital cameras have such a feature built in that will allow you to convert photos to black and white within the camera. Also, most cameras now come with some sort of editing software. If you take the photo in color you can adjust it to black and white with that software. Doing it this way, you have the option to use the photo either way.

There is a huge difference in the quality of black and white that you can create depending on the quality of the software that you use. If you are serious about your photography but don't want to spring for Adobe Photo Shop then Adobe's Lightroom is an excellent choice. I find it very intuitive. Much less costly particularly if you are a student.

If you have come into photography in the digital age then you may never have worked with or used black and white images. A couple of clicks can transform a photo from a simple recording of a place or an event into a work of art. (If you have a friend that has an old film enlarger or the availability of one at a school or some such, try your hand. It is a lot more work but real magic.)

If you have been just taking color pictures it is time to take things up a notch:

Pick ten photos that you have taken in the last 2-3 months. Open your software editing program. You will likely have gotten one with your camera purchase. If you don't have it available or don't like it then there are several free programs online. One such is PhotoScape. Quite simple to use and has a few interesting filters. There are only three different 'black and white' settings that are available but it gets one started.

With whatever software that you are using take your first photo and convert it to black and white. Save it as a separate file. Now you can make it a little more interesting by using the Brightness/Contrast settings. Make a couple of adjustments and then save that one to a different file name again. Open both photos and the color one and compare.

Don't be afraid to experiment. As long as you save the photo to a different file name than the original then you will be OK. Try some with people/portraits so that you can see what happens with skin tones and then some with landscapes or even a beach or sunset shot. You will be amazed - hopefully, in a good way. This exercise will also help you to pay attention to certain things next time you are shooting that particular type of subject. For example, if you want more detail in a portrait shot, you will likely try to change the light or settings next time.

While you are experimenting play with the brightness and contrast buttons. Try some extremes to see the what effects that you can create. There are many sophisticated photo editing programs but something like PhotoScape will give you some experience to see what you like and don't like. From there you can research to see the best software for your purposes.

If you are going to take photos that you are intending to convert to black and white note that colors will come out various shades of grey. Ideally one wants the full range from white to black in most finished photos. If you are shooting in very bright sunlight, when you convert you may end up with just white and black. If that is your intention it can be accentuated by using the Brightness/Contrast buttons again.

The most useful thing to do as with anything is to try it out as you are learning. Keep that balance. Don't try to study it all first but take one thing at a time and try it.

M Glyn authors the website http://www.photo-photo.com/ A photo website with tips and tricks on photography.

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How To Take Photos Of Food

If you want to take food photos, it's most certainly a skill that needs to be learned over time. If you look at food magazines and cook books, you may think it's very easy to grab shots of your food by simply pointing and shooting. That's not the case.

These are very gentle shots that need to be handled with extreme care. When taking food photos, take into consideration the lighting, the camera angle as well as the composition and other things that may cause the quality of your images to suffer.

Check out these tips if you're thinking of taking food images.

Get the lighting right- Be sure your lighting is correct as it relates to the kitchen or the area in which you'll be taking your photos. Be sure to get a feel for the lighting in advance that way when you start your session, you will not have to take time away from taking shots by making adjustments to the lighting. If your area is too dark, try to use portable fluorescent lights to brighten the room up.

Your tripods- When taking pictures of food, every photo is a close up shot. Shots taken up close are extremely sensitive to any sort of movements. Movements while doing an up close shot can cause the shot to turn out in poor quality. The use of a tripod makes focusing on the subject much easier because of their stability.

Presentation is everything- If you want the picture perfect look similar to the cookbooks, be sure to cut the food using geometric shapes. Be sure the food is well positioned that way you can show off the details of the food. Adding garnishing always adds to the presentation of the food.

From boring to vibrant- if you want to liven up boring food images, be sure to adjust the field of depth of your camera. This will enhance any dull photo. If you don't have a manual focus feature you can depress the shutter halfway to lock the focus at a specific depth. If your camera is automatic, you'll most likely not have depth of field.

There are many filters and other tricks that one can apply when trying to take great images of food. This, like every photography medium takes time and practice to master. The best way to master anything is to do it over and over. Anytime you get to take a photo of your food, shoot. This will help you to develop your technique for taking great photos.

About The Author

Keith S. Black has many different photography methods. He is a successful photographer and makes a full time living as a photographer. To find out about one of the best cameras to use for your photography you can visit: http://reviewdslrcameras.com/nikon-reviews/ to read one of Keith's Nikon Reviews and get more information.

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Take Your Own Christmas Card Photos

Going to a professional to have your Christmas card photos taken can sometimes be a waste of time and money. For amateur to professional photographers, taking your own Christmas family photos may just be the perfect way to go!

Get Out Your Camera

In order to take your own Christmas family portraits, you must first and foremost have some sort of a camera to take the pictures with. Most people have a basic point and shoot digital camera. With today's technology, most digital cameras are able to offer decent quality photos. For quality professional like photos, D-SLR cameras are the way to go. D-SLR cameras allow you to control the many different settings, which yield better photos. Manual D-SLR cameras are slightly pricey, but a camera in between a point and shoot digital and a D-SLR are also great options to look into! For those who are not familiar with how to work a D-SLR camera, it is best to spend some time prior to your photo shoot to understand the basics of lighting, aperture, ISO, and f-stop. This may seem a bit daunting at first, but you will get the hang of it after a few shots! If not, you always have the option of taking the photo in Automatic.

What to Wear

Depending on what theme you want for this holiday, have the family wear clothing that goes with a theme or a color scheme. This doesn't mean everyone has to wear the same color, wear matching Christmas sweaters, or look like the Partridge Family (unless you want to). Having the family wearing clothes that match usually conveys a sense of unity and cohesiveness. From a photographic artistically point of view, colors that mesh well will result in better looking photos. So plan ahead and pick out your outfit beforehand! As a side note, try to stay away from wearing reds. Red is a popular choice for Christmas, but it is a color that does not photograph well.

Location, Location, Location

The next important factor is where you choose to take your picture. Pictures have the best quality when there is natural light. Natural light works the best with our skin, creating soft and healthy looking subjects. Check your weather forecast to see if there is an optimal day where the sun is out and the weather is agreeable. Some great locations to take pictures can be as simple as in your yard, in a nearby park, or a local attraction. If you are planning on taking your pictures inside, make sure there is enough artificial light. Remember, the more light, the better the quality and the less grainy your pictures will come out.

Patience and Tweaking

An important thing to remember is to be realistic when taking your own Christmas card photos. Depending on the size of your family, number of young children, and photo knowledge, you might need to take a few hundred of shots before you have 10-20 shots that you can choose from. Keep in mind that even professionals have to take at least 10-15 shots to have one good one. Even after getting some quality shots, it is within your best interest to tweak them by changing the contrast, color, and other features by using any Photoshop or any basic photo software.

Taking family Christmas card photos can be great for family bonding. Have some silly pictures that you can share within your family. Have some embarrassing pictures for blackmail. Just remember to have fun with it!

Emilie lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She enjoys blogging about random holiday tidbits such as photography for Christmas photo cards.

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Make Art From Your Memories With Photos On Canvas

Even a frankly average canvas print can have a high impact on the decor of a house. This is mainly down to the nature of canvas itself, the fact that it is an organic material and thus emits a unique warmth and classic aesthetic which has resulted in it being the medium of choice for artists going back very many centuries. Over and above this, however, the choice of image which is represented on the canvas will be the thing which says the most about the kind of person you are and the type of image you want to portray to the rest of the world. Many people opt for canvas photo prints or photo calendars to decorate their walls, on the basis that they offer a combination of the classic and the modern which will fit in with almost any type of decor.

The key to selecting art for your own home, however, is a desire to mark yourself and your living space out as something very different, and the selection of photos on canvas which is available mean that this can be very difficult indeed. Even if you find something which you like, and which you think chimes in with your life, the knowledge that it is mass produced will take away from any satisfaction you derive. After all, as you hang it on your wall, you'll be keenly aware that very many other houses throughout the country are boasting the very same picture, which rather defeats the aim of purchasing art in the first place. One answer to this conundrum is to create your very own art but, for most people, this really isn't an option. After all, production and framing them is a specialized job requiring both training and expensive equipment, and is therefore well outside the reach of the average person. Or, at least, this used to be the case.

The development of digital photography has altered things to the point where it is now incredibly easy for absolutely anyone to produce photo canvas prints. The trickiest part of the entire process may well end up being making the choice of which image you wish to turn into a work of art. It could be a favorite picture of your children, one which captures the fun and spontaneity of family life, but which will be blown up to gallery size and framed on canvas in the manner of a professional gallery. If not that, you may wish to enlarge a fantastic shot of a special beauty spot, or a large scale group shot of your whole family together at a special event.

As stated, making this choice may well be the trickiest part of all, since, once you've opted for an image, you merely have to upload it to the website and then choose the size and shape of the finished print. Once this has been done the canvas prints will be produced on canvas which is wipe clean and will not fade through exposure to sunlight. Mounted on a strong wooden frame and featuring a gallery style 'wrap around' effect, it will be a fantastic object fit to decorate any home, or to give as a once in a lifetime bespoke gift.

Your pictures are precious to you, and this means that you want to share them. One of the most effective means of doing so is to turn your favorites into photo canvas prints. Not only will you have a great piece of art, but you'll have one which is unique, personal and deeply meaningful.

Capture a master piece a work of art on canvas print or photo calendars online that Albelli offers.

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How Can I Sell Photos Online? - Make Extra Money Selling Your Photos Online

Making money working for yourself has become a very accessible task nowadays. With all the new business opportunities the Internet provides, it is almost hard not to find a business model that suits you. One of these opportunities is selling digital photos on the Internet. You might be wondering: How can I sell Photos online? I am not a professional photographer, nor do I have an expensive digital camera.

Well, as a matter of fact, these are not crucial requirements anymore! Anyone (and I really mean anyone) can earn money from photography; there are no special skills required. You will need a digital camera that takes nice photos and a will to succeed. I myself use a 8 MP camera from BenQ, nothing fancy, and see great results day after day! And I am not an expert photographer or anything.

As a matter of fact, I stumbled upon this opportunity after a trip to Thailand during which I took about 4000 photos, with the purpose of selling them afterwards. I was already familiar with the concept, earning a few dollars now and then, selling photos taken around my city. But the photos taken in Thailand brought me a little more than $10,000 in just a couple of months!

But enough about me already! How can you sell photos online? Where can you start from?

The truth is that there is a whole bunch of opportunities to sell your photos online, but you will have to do a little filtering yourself and choose the ones that work best for you. Probably the best known way to make money from photography is selling your work on specialized stock photo websites. Here, you will basically upload the photos you have taken, set your prices, depending on the size and quality of the photo, and wait for buyers. This method is actually responsible for the biggest part of my income.

A different approach that works well is advertising your photos to people that are in need of fresh content, such as bloggers, website designers or magazine writers. Just by performing a Google search, you will be able to find lots of forums that gather together a significant number of such people. Make an account, participate in discussions and make your offer to people who might be interested (Do not to spam!). The best part of this approach is that a good percentage of buyers coming from forums will eventually come back to you after a while, willing to buy more photos.

One more way to earn some cash from your photos is printing them out as posters and selling them on websites like EBay. I myself don't use this method since it is more demanding, but it can be a great little earner if used correctly.

There is no reason why you shouldn't give this a try. I didn't have any experience at all when I started, but still managed to make it in this industry. All you need to do is try and not give up!

When it comes to complete beginners trying to make money selling photos online, I can mention my friend Jessica and her quest to making $3000 per month. She started a few months ago and already managed to make a little more than $2000 a month, so her journey is coming to an end. At How to How to Sell Your Photos, you can find a report of her progress and learn a lot from her experience. Make sure you check it out!

Gilbert Robinson is a professional photographer making a living out of his passion.

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Where to Sell Photos on the Internet - Can You Make Money Selling Photos Online?

Being alive at this very moment is the greatest opportunity anyone has ever had. The expansion of the Internet offers a lot of possibilities to make money online, one of which consists of selling your own photography. Some of the most common questions tackle the issue of where to sell photos on the Internet and why anyone would spend money on photography, when using a digital camera is extremely simple.

Let's start with the first issue. Where to sell photos on the Internet? You might be surprised to find out how many people are actually looking to buy photos online. Bloggers, freelancers, magazine writers, they all prefer to just pay regular people for their photos, instead of doing the work themselves.

Probably the best known way to make money selling photos online is through specialized stock photos websites. This is actually how I first started in this business. I was earning a few dollars here and there selling stock photos, but after a trip to Thailand, during which I took about 4000 photos with the sole purpose of selling them, I truly discovered the real potential of this. By selling those photos, I managed to earn a little more than $10,000 during the next two months!

You can find this kind of websites by performing a simple Google search for "stock photos", but you will have to do a little research yourself in order to find the ones with the best payout. All you have to do is upload your photos (which can be taken with a simple digital camera), set your prices, depending on the quality of the photos and wait for buyers to show up.

Another way to go when trying to sell photos online is advertising your work on your own. You can post messages in forums, contact bloggers and website owners and introduce them to your work. Some will say no, some will actually be excited. Contacting people you don't know might seem hard at first, but no actual harm can come from doing this. Just go out there and get those buyers!

You cannot accomplish anything by just sitting on a sofa and watching TV, can you? Selling photos on the Internet is a little time consuming and takes some trial and error to really get the hang of it, but the reward is amazing, especially if you don't make thousands of dollars per month from your day job.

By doing some math, we can calculate how much money selling photos on the Internet could earn you, depending on the amount of time spent taking photos. After having been making a living selling pictures for more than two years now, I can say I get about $2.5 per photo I sell. Now, how much time would you be willing to invest, knowing that you will make this kind of money? Let's say you chose to spend 2 hours a week taking photos. Could you take 100 photos during 120 minutes? Absolutely! That means 400 photos per month, which can bring you $1000.

It took me some time to get to this stage, but the journey was totally worth it. And if I was able to do it, so can you!

When it comes to complete beginners trying to make money selling photos online, I can mention my friend Jessica and her quest to making $3000 per month. She started a few months ago and already managed to make a little more than $2000 a month, so her journey is coming to an end. At How to How to Sell Your Photos, you can find a report of her progress and learn a lot from her experience. Make sure you check it out!

Gilbert Robinson is a professional photographer making a living out of his passion.

Original article

Best Sites to Sell Photos - Where Can I Sell Photos Online?

You have probably heard of people earning extra money by selling photos online, or even making a living from this. Whether you tried doing this yourself or not, you might be wondering what the best sites to sell photos are, so you can maximize your profit.

But first, let's spend some time discussing why anyone would pay for photos taken by regular people with their digital camera.

Considering the constant expansion of the Internet, just like the Universe itself, it can be clear to anyone that new content is always in demand. And "new content" does not only refer to written content, like most people would assume, but photos, too. Thousands of new websites appear each day and a good part of them need original content. This is why website designers, bloggers, business owners and even online magazines need fresh photos. And you would be surprised to find out how many of them are actually willing to pay good dollars for suitable photos, instead of taking them themselves.

Now back to the main point: what are the best sites to sell photos?

In order to give an answer to this question, we must make it clear that there are different types of websites that can earn you money this way. There are blogs, forums and specialized stock photos sites.

In order to sell your photos to blogs, you will usually have to contact the owner of the blog yourself. I like to find blogs that are updated frequently and post a lot of pictures. Most of these have a contact form or an email address, so all you have to do is send a polite email to the owner asking about any potential needs they may have regarding photos. I like to include a link to a website of mine, where most of the photos are available.

Some bloggers will not respond at all, some will politely refuse and some will be interested. If 3 out of 10 emails bring you costumers, you are already earning some good money!

Another way to go is to advertise your work in forums. There are not a lot of buying/selling photos online forums out there (and the existing ones will usually bring you little to no money at all, since everyone there is looking for a bargain), buy you can go another way. Who might be in desperate need of photos? People who need to design a website and are working on a schedule, with a deadline approaching, right? And where can you find these people? On forums about web designing, of course!

A quick Google search will find dozens of such forums, all filled with people willing to pay for a nice looking photo. Be polite, do not spam, and buyers will come.

The last type of websites you can use to sell your photos is stock photos websites. These are actually responsible for the biggest part of my monthly income and are a delight to work with. Shutterstock.com, istockphoto.com and fotolia.com are just a few of the websites I use to sell my photography.

Every photo earns me, on average, $2.5. Knowing that you could make this king of money, how many photos would you be willing to take during a month? One hundred? Five hundred? Do the math yourself and figure out how much money could that bring you! And you don't need to be a professional photographer or anything! I make a good living selling photos online and I didn't take any photography lessons ever and I was a complete beginner when I started.

When it comes to complete beginners trying to make money selling photos online, I can mention my friend Jessica and her quest to making $3000 per month. She started a few months ago and already managed to make a little more than $2000 a month, so her journey is coming to an end. At How to How to Sell Your Photos, you can find a report of her progress and learn a lot from her experience. Make sure you check it out!

Gilbert Robinson is a professional photographer making a living out of his passion.

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