Do I Need a Photo Editing Software Program?
You'll probably get better pictures if you use one, but that doesn't mean you need to buy one.
Why use a photo editing software program at all? There are four big improvements even the occasional photographer can make to their photos:
- Red eye removal
- Cropping- a great opportunity to remove extraneous detail from the photo.
- Setting black and white points - this adjusts the image so we use the full range from black to white. "Dull" photos usually come to life after doing this.
- Remove color casts - we usually don't see them at the time the picture is taken, but there may be a yellow, blue, or green color cast. Getting rid of this makes everything look more real and alive.
Most photo finishing kiosks at camera stores allow you to plug in your camera's memory card, make adjustments as listed above, and print directly. If you're happy with the results, then stick with it! If not, read on.
If these are things you want to do at home, Photoshop Elements is one of many great photo editing packages to start with. Red eye removal and cropping are usually covered very competently in the software packages manual. The manual's coverage of setting black & white points and removing color casts may not be as well done.
See the post about setting quick and dirty black and white points for a simple way to get this improvement.
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