Here is a photo I took the day after a devastating apartment complex fire near our home in Burnsville (fortunately, no one was hurt). Even though it was a sunny morning the photo is really dull with a gray color cast and the portion of the security fence detracts from the photo.  Here are the few simple steps to follow to create the photo on the right.

Before and After photo editing with Photoshop Elements and iCorrect OneClick Color

Elements Cropping Tool

After you open Elements and select the picture to edit click on the cropping tool on the left task bar. Another menu bar will appear at below the main menu at the top of the Elements window where you can select the aspect ratio (photo ratio, 3×5, 4×6, etc.) of the cropping window. In this example I selected Use Photo Ratio (this is the same 3×4 ratio of the chip in most cameras). Expand the crop window over the desired area and either click on the little green arrow (lower right under the crop window) or hit Enter to save the cropped area.

Photoshop Elements Cropping Tool

Fix the color with iCorrect OneClick Plug-in

Assuming you have purchased and installed iCorrect OneClick in the Elements Filters Folder simply click on Filter on the main top menu bar and select iCorrect OneClick from the pull down window.

Select iCorrect OneClick plug-in from Elements Filter menu

The OneClick window will open. Find an area in the photo that is neutral (white, gray, or black—not beige) and click on it. OneClick automatically removes any color cast, corrects the tonal range, adjusts the overall brightness, and makes any photo more vivid and life-like.

PictoColor iCorrect OneClick Color Correction-Click on Neutral for auto color correction

OneClick Enhancements.

For most photos the OneClick is all that is required. However, if the photo would benefit from a little more tweaking click on the Enhancements button and the enhancements window will open where additional adjustments to brightness, contrast and saturation can be made.

iCorrect OneClick Enhancements may be used for tweaking color

Summary

Edited photo-Photoshop Elements and iCorrect OneClick Color Plug-in

I talked to Burt after he installed iCorrect OneClick into Elements and walked him through the above procedure and he was delighted that it was really easy to crop photos in Elements and that the OneClick plug-in was just like the OneClick Color correction in CorrectPhoto.  He is really proud to share his photos with friends and when they comment on how good his camera is he acknowledges that it is OneClick Color and not the camera that Makes the Color Right.  So, if you have Elements don’t be intimidated by all the tools and features. Just add iCorrect OneClick plug-in and use the cropping tool to crop and OneClick to fix the color and you too will be proud to share you photos with others.

Wayne www.correctphoto.com. www.pictocolor.com/oneclick.htm www.oneclickcolor.com

Yesterday morning we were treated to one of those beautiful winter spectacles called Hoar Frost. (Frozen dew that forms a white coating on a surface. It is also called white frost.). I took the above shot out of my car window (I did stop the car) on my way to the store.  After cropping (16×9 TV format) and color correcting the photo I clicked on the sepia tone button in CorrectPhoto to create the above image.

Here is the color version for comparison. You can decide which version you prefer.

Snow photo was cropped and color corrected using CorrectPhoto Editor.

Here is another example of a snow shot that was cropped (4×6 portrait), color corrected, and converted to a sepia tone photo.

For the most part, snow photos are pretty dull color wise.  So, turning a few of your favorite shots into a sepia tone images might just make them a bit more interesting. And, it is easy to do.

It seems that much of the US has been blessed with snow and bad weather over the past few weeks. Maybe taking a few photos and applying some creative touches to them will ease the problems the weather has created.

Wayne http://www.correctphoto.com/index.html

15 Star Flag at Floyd Monument, Sioux City, IA

This past weekend my wife and I took a little road trip from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls, SD by way of Sioux City, IA (Nebraska and SD).  Why? Well, when our trip to a friend’s cabin in Spearfish Canyon, SD was cancelled we decided to take a couple of days and see the eastern part of South Dakota. And, another friend suggested we go to Sioux City where South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska join.  So we did and that is where we learned about Sergeant Charles Floyd. Don’t feel bad if you don’t know who he is. No one I ask, even those who grew up in SD and IA, know who he is either.

Sergeant Floyd’s Claim to Fame—He Died!
That’s right. Sergeant Floyd’s claim to fame is that he was the only person to die on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Quite remarkable that only one person died on that famous trip across the US. Here is a link if you are interested in learning more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Floyd_(explorer)

The 15 Star Flag—The Digital Photo Lesson
The flag flying over Floyd’s Monument has 15 stars representing the 15 states comprising the US when Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Trying to capture the flag to show all of the stars turned out to be a challenge, however. But, as I have said before, one of the benefits of a digital camera is that you can take lots of shots to get a usable one. This is the best of about 10 shots I took.  Even with the multiple shots I still needed to edit the photo with CorrectPhoto. Here is a before and after comparison.

The Floyd Monument-The First National Historic Landmark

Sergeant Floyd was a busy guy after he died and had trouble settling into a final resting place. He actually moved four times before arriving at his final resting place, the Floyd Monument which was completed in 1901. And, in 1960 the monument was recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior as the first National Historic Landmark. For more information on the Floyd Monument go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant_Floyd_Monument

Floyd Monument-Photo Edited with CorrectPhoto & Titled with ImageTitler

Take a Bunch of Shots
I like the above shot (it was cropped and Color Corrected in CorrectPhoto) but, that was just one of about ten shots I took of the Floyd Monument. Here is a sampling of a few of the other shots I took.

Floyd Monument Photos

And that’s the point of this post—take a bunch of shots and then pick the ones you really like and toss the rest.  If you only take one or two you will most likely be disappointed after you get home and start editing your photos. It is a long way back to Sioux City or wherever you were to retake the photo. With a digital camera the extra shots are free. 

Lessons for Today
First– the history lessons. We learned who Sergeant Floyd was and why there is a Floyd Monument in Sioux City, IA, and that it was the first monument to receive the National Historic Landmark designation by the US Department of Interior in 1960. The US had 15 states at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Second–the photo lesson. Take multiple shots of subjects. This is true when you are on a vacation trip, at an event or around the house.  You most likely will not get another chance to shoot the same object again. And, remember it is free with a digital camera.

Wayne www.correctphoto.com

Which Stangl Hummingbird would you buy?

UseMultiple Views for Greater Sales Impact
One of the benefits of digital photography is that you can easily take many shots of an item making it easier for the prospective buyer to make a buy decision. Taking mutiple photos of an object is real easy once you have the photo setup. Here is a composite of photos of the bird from different angles. (Note: the composite photo is for illustration only. You will want to show individual photos in your listing.)

Use Multiple Photos to Show Off Your eBay Listing

Photo Editing Required
Wouldn’t it be nice if my original photos were just like the ones shown above. Alas, that is not the case. My photos, as will yours, require editing. They need to be color corrected and cropped. This process can be easy or difficult depending on the photo editor you use as will the quality of the edited photo. In this post I will show you how to edit the photos using CorrectPhoto with OneClick Color. In a future post I will describe the process using Photoshop Elements for those of you who have it.

CorrectPhoto Editor
There are several reasons I use CorrectPhoto for most of my editing (I do use Elements when I have to.). The main reason is its simplicity. This is the tool bar of available editing functions.

CorrectPhoto Editor Easy Tool Bar

For editing the bird photos I used the cropping function and OneClick Color correction function. The second reason is the OneClick Color correction. And, the third reason is the AutoRez algorithm in CorrectPhoto’s cropping function which maintains the original resolution of the photo after cropping. These features combine to make it not only easy, but extremely fast to edit photos. It took less than 5 minutes to color correct, crop and save the seven photos in the composite example shown above.

OneClick Color Correction

CorrectPhoto OneClick Color Correction-Click on Gray Background for Auto Color

As I previously mentioned, I recommend using a gray background because it doesn’t detract from the object and it is the ideal background for OneClick color correction. If you have a GretagMacbeth Gray Balance Card (this is the mini version) I suggest you use it. Just place it such that it can be easily cropped out of the photo. When opening the photo in CorrectPhoto the OneClick Color is activated. Simply click on the gray card or the gray background (if it is truly gray) and the color cast will be removed and the exposure, contrast and saturation will be fixed. If you want to tweak the color a bit more use the Enhancement function to adjust the brightness and saturation as I did in this example.

Crop to Size

Crop photo to highlight the object

 The next step is to select the cropping format (i.e. variable,  3×4, etc.) and position the box over the selected area. Click Apply and you are done. Here is the Before/After view. The AutoRez feature in CorrectPhoto will automatically re-scale the photo to the original resolution to maintain quality. This really is an important feature when you are doing close cropping and subsequent re-sizing for upload to eBay and will guarantee the highest quality image.

Final Crop of Hummingbird compared with original photo

Crop Close to Show Detail
To show the quality of the item you are selling it might be helpful to show a small portion of the object. In the Stangl Bird collectors world there are a lot of bird beaks that have been repaired over the years. So, to show that my bird’s beak is a really good beak (how is that for a statement?) I did a close crop of the flower and the beak.

Crop close to show quality of the item you want to sell

Creating Better eBay Photos is a Simple Process
Creating better eBay photos is really a simple process. It starts with the right photo setup, using a neutral background, taking multiple photos of the item, and editing the photos (crop and color correction). CorrectPhoto makes it easy and fast. If you have Photoshop Elements it might take a little longer but with iCorrect OneClick Plug-in the color correction will be as easy and the OneClick in CorrectPhoto. I will go through the Elements process in another post.

Wayne  www.correctphoto.com