A PhotoImpact 10 Tutorial

PhotoImpact 10 lets you edit photos before printing or emailing.

The PhotoImpact 10 program is a photo editing software that lets you change various properties of any given image file, whether it's a family photo or an image downloaded from the Internet. The sheer number of options available in PhotoImpact 10 may seem daunting at first, but even a novice computer user is capable of mastering the program. Editing photos becomes a breeze once you know how to navigate the software.

Instructions

1. Open the PhotoImpact 10 software. Click "File" and choose "Open." Double-click the name of the image file you want to edit.

2. Click the "Photo" option at the top of the window and choose "Express Fix" if you want to change common problems with pictures taken on digital cameras. Click "Overall Exposure" to automatically fix the contrast and brightness level in the entire image.

3. Click "Color Cast" and drag the slide bar toward either "More" or "Less" to make the hue of each color in the image appear warmer or colder. Click "Focus" and drag the slide bar toward "More" or "Less" to make the image appear either sharper or softer.

4. Click "Beautify Skin" if you want to remove blemishes or change the skin tones in the image. Select the "Complexion" drop-down box and choose the color to use for all detected skin tones in the image, such as "Heavy Tan." Click up or down on the "Level" button to change how heavy the colors appear.

5. Choose "Reset All" to return the image to its original properties, or choose "OK" to save the changes to the image. Return to the "Photo" menu and click "Levels" to change the levels of various properties in the image.

6. Click the up and down arrows of the first "Input Levels" drop-down box to change the level of black color found in the image. Use the second and third drop-down boxes to change the level of overall brightness and white color in the image, respectively.

7. Choose "OK" to save your changes to the image. Return to the "Photo" menu and choose "Enhance Lighting" if you want to change the lighting levels. Click and drag the "Fill Flash" slide bar to increase or decrease the level of total brightness.

8. Click and drag the "Enhance Shadows" slide bar to make the shadows appear more distinct or less distinct. Click "OK" to save your changes.

9. Choose "Photo" and click "Blur" if you want to add a blur effect. Click anywhere in the "Angle" circle to create the angle of the blur. Click up or down on the "Moving Offset" menu to increase or decrease the level of blur. Choose "OK" to save your changes.

10. Click the "Clone Paintbrush" button in the toolbar at the left side of the window if you need to clone one portion of the image into another portion of the image. Press "Shift" and click the beginning of the area to clone. Drag the mouse to the end of the area to be cloned.

11. Click and drag over the area where you want the cloned portion of the image to appear. Click "File" and "Save" to save your modified image.

Tips & Warnings

• PhotoImpact 10 includes a "Basic" mode that has larger icons and only displays the options for the most frequently used features. Click "Workspace" in the top file menu and choose "Basic" to switch to basic mode, or choose "Standard" to switch back to standard mode.

• The "Paintbrush" option in the toolbar at the left end of the screen lets you draw directly on the image. Click the "Paintbrush" option and click the "Paint Color" box at the top of the screen. Select the color you want to use. Click anywhere on the image and drag to another point to draw lines.

• Change the size and shape of the various brush tools in the toolbar by navigating to "Panel" and "Tool Settings." Click the brush to modify and select the size and shape you want to use.

References

• Ulead: Photo Impact Manuals

Resources

• Ulead: Photo Impact System Support Center