by JuliannaKunstler.com
The basic photo editing techniques should be available in all editing programs.
Pixlr is a Photoshop clone. It offers plenty of basic tools and settings to enhance a photograph.
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Open an image in Pixlr X.
Before you consider editing it - what is a purpose of the image in your design? Is it going to be a stand-alone image, or a background, or maybe a focal point?
Based on the intent - choose appropriate settings for the image editing.
Double check your horizontals and verticals. Unless it was your intention to angle the camera as you were taking the picture - have your horizontals horizontal and verticals vertical.
I'm not saying that you cannot have an angled image, but if it is slightly off - it creates tension because it feels like there is something wrong with it. That's something we don't want. If you want angles in your shot - exaggerate it!
So straighten the horizon line if you have it in your photo.
By cropping a photo you can remove background clutter and focus the viewer's attention on the object of interest. You can also improve the composition and make the format fit your design idea.
Color correction involves adjusting the colors to make them as accurate as possible.
It's a crucial part of photo editing since your camera doesn't always capture the hues of a scene the way it should. If a blue sky turns up purple in your image, you'll need to make some adjustments to make it appear natural.
Color temperature is the relative warmth or coolness of light.
If you have taken a photo that looks orange or blue, the temperature needs adjusting.
In photography, the terms color temperature and white balance are often interchangeable. Our goal is to adjust the colors so that the whites are not tinted.
Color saturation is the intensity of the colors in an image.
Higher the setting - brighter and more vivid the colors are.
Lower the number - less colors you see in your image. Eventually all color information can be removed, leaving just the values. All you will see is a black-and-white photo.
Brightness is simply how dark or light a picture is.
The contrast of an image refers to the difference between the light pixels and dark pixels. Contrasted photographs look more professional, unless they are mood photos.
Be careful with contrast settings. Too much contrast and you will loose some details.
If you want your image to look sharper, you need to add edge contrast.
There are three main reasons to sharpen your image: to overcome blurring or to draw attention to certain areas and to increase legibility.
This function does not perform miracles. Rely on your eyes as you experiment.
Filters are used in photography to achieve a specific effect that would help enhance the look of an image.
