Although photo editing programs nowadays seem to have all the basic (and advance!) editing tools a man needs, you have to keep in mind that not all the tools you see on the interface are beneficial. One of which is the cropping tool.
Before you start cropping all your images, you have to ask yourself, “Will the photo look better if I crop it?” If you answered no, then don’t. Sometimes, cropping results to a “cramped” photo. You have to keep in mind the nature of the photo’s subject. Sports photographers, for example, seldom use this tool because they feel the need of their photos to “breathe”. The action is not focused on the ball (in basketball for example) only but all the players surrounding the offensive player are vital.
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7. So, you have no idea when to shoot horizontally and vertically? If you have been practicing with your camera for quite some time now, deciding how to shoot will come naturally. However, if you’re just starting, you have to keep in mind that should the subject’s height be higher than the width, you have to shoot vertically.
8. Are you guilty of saying “cheese!” every time you click your camera? You might want to change your style. Saying “cheese” sometimes forces the people to smile so big that it looks awkward.
9. Look around you. Is there a glass surface at your subject’s back? If you see one, then better shift your position if you plan to use the flash. You wouldn’t want light reflecting back, don’t you?
Photo taken from http://www.flickr.com
4. No matter what, you have to know the features of your camera. Experiment if you need to. If it’s an analog camera, splurge on films. It is best if you know what your gadget’s edge is.
5. Do not be afraid to move. Move in closer to your subject if you feel that you’re too far. Also, do not trust much on zooms. There are times that the zoom blurs out the photo, so again, make sure you know your camera’s features.
6. For you to have that masterpiece like photo, refrain from putting your subject in the center of your photo. Aside from the fact that it’s boring, you will make your subject look like a pole in the picture.
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Some people do get amused with fantastic pictures to a point that they want to try things out. They want to see how they will fair with shooting their own photos, if they have the knack for it. But before you start shooting, keep in mind these things:
1. You have to be particular about the background. Photos with unnecessary objects floating around the subject are not really nice to look at (not unless that object has a purpose).
2. If you have the chance to shoot outside, then, by all means, do. Nothing beats the sun as your light source. A person’s skin color also looks natural when outside (compared to the inside shot, wherein various shadows and skin discoloration may appear).
3. Even if you’re outside, always remember to use the flash. The sun can create various shadows on your subject, so use the flash to counter it.
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7. Manual cameras (analog) do require for your expertise when shooting photos. However, if you feel that your photos are quite dark or too bright for you to see the subject, then you can make some adjustments using your choice of photo editing program.
8. If you intend to share your photos, you should first take note the purpose of sharing. If you are posting those online for the public’s view (and hopefully, for a photography expert to see), you might want to increase the resolution of the pictures.
9. When you try to import your photos, it is best if you edit all the file names for easy access. I bet you’ll have a hard time remembering file names such as “226456485424.jpg”.
Photo taken from http://www.tasi.ac.uk
4. Make sure that you straighten your uploaded photos. There are times that when you scan pictures, the photo on the screen looks like it’s tilted about a degree to the left. Most photo editors now do have a straightening feature which allows you to adjust photos to certain degrees.
5. Digital photos sometimes are tricky: the photo you took with your camera sometimes doesn’t look the same when you upload it on your computer. What you can do is to crop the photo so that the subject is at the center of the frame. Use the crop feature if you wish to delete unnecessary background too.
6. If your photos have people in it, make sure they don’t have the red eye. Lucky you because most photo editing programs do have the red eye remover.
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So you’ve taken pictures with your precious camera. Even if you are not a professional photographer, of course, you would want to share your photos with everyone else. There is nothing more satisfactory than having an audience stare at your photos.
Here are some of the basic of photo sharing. Make sure you follow everything by heart.
1. You have to be organized with your shots. Having everything in one folder does not seem to be a good idea. You can group pictures according to theme or by date, whichever you prefer.
2. It is best if you keep a copy of the images you took before you start editing them. Sometimes, as you edit a photo, you have no specific outcome in mind. The problem starts when you suddenly get tired of how you edited the photo, but the original copy is gone.
3. Rotate your photos. You wouldn’t want your audience to get a stiff neck because they’re looking at your pictures sideways, don’t you?
Photo taken from http://web1.shutterfly.com
If you are a new in photo editing and ask any professional what program to use, perhaps he or she will recommend you to use Ulead. Ulead is a very powerful tool, minus the complexity of the interface. Its latest program is the Ulead PhotoImpact and has received a lot of praises from photo editing gurus. The program has two editing modes: ExpressFix and Full Edit. ExpressFix is the tool for starters. With just a few clicks, you can edit a photo to your desired outcome. The Full Edit feature has three categories, namely enhancements, portrait touch-ups and effects. Ulead PhotoImpact interface is so easy to follow that you can edit like a pro in just a few minutes of familiarizing with the buttons.
Photo taken from http://www.malavida.com