Digital Cameras - Master your software, one step at a time
Capturing picture perfect photographs has never been quite as easy as digital photography makes it. Of course, you still have to pay attention to those essentials like choosing the right light conditions, the theme and everything that comes along with it. However, with digital technology, you still have the room to edit out those unforeseen errors and can allow yourself that extra bit of space which is invaluable if you aren’t quite the wiz with your digital camera. But even though you may have spent hours selecting the editing software that is most conducive to your level of skill and requirements, it still isn’t much good if you have to spend ages laboring over the bare essentials you need to give your images that much-needed makeover. And hence, it is vital that you master these few basics before you move on to handling those complicated maneuvers that will eventually aid you in re-mastering your images.
Before you set out to edit your image, always make sure that you have a backup copy of the original with you. That way, even if you do make a complete disaster of the image, you still have the original to get back to, and rework from scratch, if need be. To do this, you first need to open a copy of your image with the editing software, and then click on the ‘Save As’ option, which will copy a replica of the original to a convenient part of your computer. You can begin to experiment with the copy of the image, once you’ve ensured that the original is intact. Almost every photo-editor encourages you to be as experimental as you can, with the ‘Undo’ option close at hand if you need to erase any changes you’ve made. Some, more advanced versions even allow you multiple undo options to save only the changes you want to and discard the rest.
Your ease with using your photo-editing software also depends on how comfortable you are with working your way around the image. One of the most basic and most commonly used tools is the ‘Hand Tool’ which is also referred to as the ‘Pan Tool’. As the name suggests, this tool is shaped like a hand, which you can use to maneuver around the image without the fear of altering it. To ensure more accuracy, you can also zoom into your image to make specific changes and then zoom out again to view the overall effect. To do this, you need to use the ‘Magnifying Glass Tool’ which will display a plus sign when magnifying and a minus sign when drawing out of your image. Many types of software will also let you right click on your image to zoom into it in set increments while others are designed to let you left click to zoom in and out.
When zooming into your image, you may also find that it appears blurred and indistinct. However, this is only because the pixels, which make up the image, disperse when you close in and thus separate. This lets you work on minute details on your image and then zoom out again, to view a clearer picture. It also makes it a lot easier on your eyes while saving you the effort of squinting at the computer screen to get a closer look. You can even use the ‘Eyedropper Tool’ to select sets of pixels which are of a particular color, without worrying about missing on even the minutest spot.
Your editing software will also be enabled with what are known as ‘Marquee’ tools, which let you trace basic shapes like rectangles and circles or even ellipses around your image. You can also use the freeform tool for drawing around unsymmetrical shapes which do not fit into the rectangular or circular frames. This freeform tool lets you trace around the image by holding your mouse button down or clicking around the image to create a series of dots which will automatically connect to each other, once you click on the first dot again. And once you’re through with your selection, a flowing dotted line will appear around the highlighted portion of your image.
Once you’re comfortable with selecting and navigating around your image, you can then move on to creating effects and augmenting your image with the enhancement tools. This can be as simple as cropping your image to draw attention to only one specific part of the image, or even using filters to tint your photograph. You can also make use of the brush and airbrush tools to paint over your image, much like you would with a conventional painting. This tool lets you add color to your image and even paint out minor flaws in your image, to reveal spectacular results.
How easy or difficult it is for you to use your software all depends on how systematic and well-versed you are with all the options you are granted. The more creative you get the larger number of tools you use This also means that you are conversant with many more features than if you restrict yourself to the conventional stereotypes. And before you know it, you’ll be well on your way to creating one-of-a-kind works of exquisite art!
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