Things You'll Need:
- Photoshop software (Elements is recommended version)
- digital photos
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Step 1
Obtain Adobe Photoshop if you don't already have it. Many computer manufacturers bundle a version of Photoshop called "Photoshop Elements" with their computers, so you may come pre-installed on your PC. Be aware that there are several versions of Photoshop costing up to thousands of dollars, but if you're going to be making quick improvements you really only need the Elements version, even though it lacks many features of the more expensive versions. It can be purchased through the Adobe website (see Resources below).
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Step 2
Crop the photo to focus on the subject. The most basic and sometimes the most stunning way to improve a digital photo is by cropping. Removing the other elements of a photo that draw the viewer's eye away can turn an OK photo into a great one. To crop a photo in Photoshop, use the Photoshop "Crop Tool" on the toolbar or press "C." This will allow you to box in on the area you want to keep.
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Step 3
Correct brightness. Depending on your camera, the time of day the photo was taken and lighting your photo might look washed out, too bright, too dark or have lost some detail in the darker regions. To correct this, click on Enhance -> Brightness/Contrast -> Levels. In this dialog, move the sliders to get the appearance you want. Be careful not to make the photo too bright or too dark. You can also click on "Auto Levels" and Photoshop will create an approximation of would look good.
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Step 4
Correct color. Taking photos of something very colorful in full daylight can often result in washed out colors and make everything look slightly gray. Alter the Saturation and Hue levels; it's similar to how you altered the Brightness and Contrast levels. Click on Enhance -> Color to bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog. Move the Saturation slider until the photo looks correct.
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Step 5
Resize for printing, emailing or posting on the web. When you're editing your photos, you'll want to keep them at the highest resolution you can, but sending high-resolution photos over the Internet isn't often practical. To resize the photo for the web or email, click on Image -> Resize -> Image Size.
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Step 6
Select a workable image size like 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768. If you're resizing for photo printing, first find the aspect ratio of the type of prints you want and crop the image to that aspect ratio. If you're printing with a photo printer,resize the image to match the dpi setting of your printer.
