correctmyphotos

Every Digital Photo Can Be Improved

If you have read previous posts in this blog you have heard my mantra before: “Every digital photo needs to be fixed.” Or, stated another way, “Every digital photo needs at least two fixes: cropping and color correction.” This past week I have been writing a script and assembling some example photos for a new promotional video for CorrectPhoto. As I was going through a bunch of my photos I was struck as to how true that mantra is. At least it is true for my photos and my guess it is true for yours, as well.  Some just require a little tweaking and some are worth tossing except there is a portion of the photo that is really good. So, I decided to share a few examples of how cropping and color correction can, in many cases, turn a so-so snapshot into a great shot–or at least make it much better.

Kathryn and her dog-Crop and color correction improves this photo

 Making Kathryn and her dog the focus of the photo turns this otherwise cluttered shot into a great photo. Make a print and give it to Nana to tape on her refrigerator.

A portrait of Emily

 This photo really wasn’t that bad although the color was a little flat.  I couldn’t resist turning it into a portrait of Emily. I simply cropped it using the 4/6 portrait format and corrected the color.

Turning a bad photo into a great shot of Grandma D and Joey

 The above photo shows how and otherwise un-usable shot taken on a pontoon boat watching fireworks into a great memory.

Fixing color will improve chances to make a sale on e-Bay.

 If you plan to sell something on e-Bay the color better be right.  Sometimes all you need to do is fix the color.

If you can't get close to the subject you can bring it closer by editing

 My sister-in-law’s dog was visiting us the other day and he knew there was a toy on the credenza that he couldn’t have (he destroys them in seconds).  I couldn’t resist taking the shot of this little weiner dog standing on his hinders, but I could’t get too close.  My editing brought tears to my sister-in-law–well, what can I say.

Pat doesn't drink Vodka

 This photo was fixed out of self defense. It is a great photo of my wife, but she didn’t appreciate the Vodka bottle in the photo with her. She really doesn’t drink Vodka–only a glass of wine on occasion. So, with a little cropping and color fix I have a great photo of Pat.

I could go on forever, but that is enough to illustrate my point that every photo needs a little fixing and in many cases you can turn a not so good snapshot into a great shot.  And, it is really easy to do with the right tools and a little bit of time. If you have and know how to use Photoshop Elements then use it. I would suggest getting iCorrect OneClick Color to make the color right. It is a plug-in filter that works in Elements. If Elements is too complicated or you don’t have it you might want to try CorrectPhoto. It is really easy to use and has OneClick Color built in.

You don’t have to be a pro to take great pictures. The best thing about digital photography is that anyone can make their photos look like a pro took them with a little editing. For more information on editing, cropping and color simply click on the appropriate link under Categories on the right.