Photo Editing
Photo Editing
Using Photo Impact and GIMP
There are many different kinds of photo editing software on the market. Many professional photographers use expensive software like Adobe PhotoShop, but there are less expensive versions of software (PhotoShop Elements, Ulead Photo Impact, etc.) and there are some free versions of software that can do many of the main tasks that a student or amateur photographer might want to do (Paint.net, TuxPaint, GIMP, etc.)
When using an photo retouching software, there are many tools that will be universally available, even though their location in the different programs may vary. Some of these basic tools and what they do are listed below: Tool | What we use it for | Layers | Any photo software worth using will have the ability to create layers. They are the building blocks of complex photo editing. Think of a layer as a cropped copy of a photo that sits on top of the original section that was made. Once a layer is created, you can make changes to that layer (like re-coloring it) that do not affect the background, or you can make changes to the background that do not affect the layer on top of it. | PaintbrushPI GIMP | This tool creates digital ‘paint’ strokes on a picture or blank canvas. Options that can be customized in this are usually the size the brush, the shape of the brush, the color of the paint and the intensity of the color. | Lasso (PS, PI) Free Select (GIMP) | The lasso tool allows the user to draw a line around a portion of a photo that is to be placed on its own layer or touched up separately from the rest of the photo. | Magic Wand (PS, PI) Fuzzy Select (GIMP) | This tool is somewhat tricky to use. You use it to try to select a portion of a photo based on similar color, so that you can create a layer with it, or re-color it, or change it in some way. For example, I have a photo with a tree with a lot of blue sky behind it, I can use the magic wand tool to select all of the sky and recolor
Using Photo Impact and GIMP
There are many different kinds of photo editing software on the market. Many professional photographers use expensive software like Adobe PhotoShop, but there are less expensive versions of software (PhotoShop Elements, Ulead Photo Impact, etc.) and there are some free versions of software that can do many of the main tasks that a student or amateur photographer might want to do (Paint.net, TuxPaint, GIMP, etc.)
When using an photo retouching software, there are many tools that will be universally available, even though their location in the different programs may vary. Some of these basic tools and what they do are listed below: Tool | What we use it for | Layers | Any photo software worth using will have the ability to create layers. They are the building blocks of complex photo editing. Think of a layer as a cropped copy of a photo that sits on top of the original section that was made. Once a layer is created, you can make changes to that layer (like re-coloring it) that do not affect the background, or you can make changes to the background that do not affect the layer on top of it. | PaintbrushPI GIMP | This tool creates digital ‘paint’ strokes on a picture or blank canvas. Options that can be customized in this are usually the size the brush, the shape of the brush, the color of the paint and the intensity of the color. | Lasso (PS, PI) Free Select (GIMP) | The lasso tool allows the user to draw a line around a portion of a photo that is to be placed on its own layer or touched up separately from the rest of the photo. | Magic Wand (PS, PI) Fuzzy Select (GIMP) | This tool is somewhat tricky to use. You use it to try to select a portion of a photo based on similar color, so that you can create a layer with it, or re-color it, or change it in some way. For example, I have a photo with a tree with a lot of blue sky behind it, I can use the magic wand tool to select all of the sky and recolor