Week One - Quick Photo Fixes

[Kayla Lamoreaux]

Photos From Good To Great Using Photoshop Elements 6.0

With photos being so central to scrapbooking, it is time well spent to learn a few quick tricks to help you make your photos the best they can be. Don’t worry – I know you don’t have hours to spend at your computer becoming a Photoshop guru. Whether you scrapbook traditionally or digitally, today I am going to share some quick tips on improving the quality of your photos. Those of you thinking about all the time this is going to take will be pleasantly surprised to learn that you can take your photos from good to great in less than a minute per image – really you can!

Photo editing really doesn’t have to be monumental – and before you think that you don’t have time or you don’t want to do anything digital, I want you to think about this: your photos are going to be around for decades or even centuries telling your stories. Don’t you think it is worth your time to spend just a moment improving them?

For those of you saying you aren’t computer savvy and couldn’t possibly do anything so technical – in the video below I am going to take you step by step through the process, you can literally sit and look over my shoulder at what I am doing on the screen. You can pause and play the video, practicing on the photos and duplicating my results. In the process you will learn how to edit your photos quickly and efficiently – hopefully you will feel it is time well spent.

We are working in the software program Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 – you can download the support materials here - and if you don’t have Adobe PSE 6.0 on your computer, you can download a free trial of the latest version here.

***You may want to pause the video for a few moments after hitting the play button (bottom left corner of video) to allow the video to fully stream to your computer before you start watching*****

PSE 6 Commands to Remember:

Quick Fix – Enhance>AutoSmartFix (shortcut: ALT-CTRL-M)

CTRL-J – Duplicates your Photo Layer and adds it on the top layer – makes it easy to get rid of changed you don’t like.

Make a Photo “Pop” – (You first need to add an editable layer using the CTRL-J command) then Enhance>Adjust Color>Adjust Color Curves>Increase Contrast – Click ok and then adjust the opacity of the top layer to your liking.

Correct Color and White Balance – Enhance>Auto Color Correction (shortcut: Shift-CTRL-B)

Convert Photo to Black and White – Enhance>Convert to Black and White (shortcut: ALT-CTRL-B) > Choose Style in bottom left corner > Adjust intensity on sliders if needed> click ok.

Sepia Tone – Drop down the Effects Palette on the right side of your screen >Choose the third icon and then scroll down and click the sepia toned apple > Choose apply.

[Renae Downey]

I'm so excited! The QP page I just did for class was my very first layout! Tyvm

[Kayla Lamoreaux]

So glad you are enjoying the site. Hope you have a wonderful Sunday.

[Melissa]

do these same commands work in CS?

[Kayla Lamoreaux]

Depending on the version you are working in they are a bit different - I will put a CS tutorial for this on my list! :)

[Melissa]

I have the first version. Thanks let me know when its up!

[Donna Chomichuk]

Thanks so much for another great tutorial - I have been wanting to play with my photos but really didn't know where to start.

[Susan Smith]

Fantastic, quick tutorial! So many digital scrapbookers don't realize what a dramatic difference a miniscule amount of time can make to their pics. I've used levels and contrast in the past, but this material adds a huge amount to my knowledge.