I’m sure you’ve taken several digital photos and have wished they could have been better if only they weren’t so dark or if you had just cropped that crazy looking guy out in the background.
My goal in this article is to help you learn a few of the basic tools and filters in Adobe Photoshop that will help you take a decent digital photo and make it great. For a quick background on me, just so you know that you’re getting advice from an “expert” and not just a kid off the street, I have worked as a Graphic Designer for an advertising agency for over five years and have worked with Photoshop for over ten years. I’ve also been into photography for as long as I could pick up a camera. It’s one of my passions and joys in life. So here you go:
1. LEVELS: (Image >Adjustments >Levels)
The Levels option in Photoshop is used to move and stretch the brightness levels of an image histogram. It can adjust brightness, contrast, and even the tonal range by simply specifying the location of the three sliders you’ll find below the histogram. The three sliders control three ranges of tone—the complete blacks (black triangle), the midtones (gray triangle), and the complete whites (white triangle).
Keep in mind that each photo has its own unique histogram, so there’s never going to be one exact way of using the Levels option. By moving each slider, you’re going to redefine the image’s histogram. So, if I were to move the complete black slider from the left to the right, my image is going to take the darkest areas of the photo and make them even darker the further I move the slider.
An image usually looks best when using the full range of the blacks and whites are used. Take a quick look at your image and find areas that should be completely black or completely white and move the sliders to get that look. Also, give the Auto button a try located to the right of the window and see how well that works for you. Sometimes it’s right on, and other times you’ll have to do it manually.
QUICK TIP: You’ll see three eye-droppers on the right, below the buttons. These can be used to point out areas on your photo that should be completely black or completely white. Click on the black dropper and then click anywhere in your photo that should be completely black, and vice versa for the white one. Once you do this, it will automatically adjust your levels to match the tone being used.
2. CROPPING: (Tools window >5th one that looks like two boomerangs overlapping)
The cropping tool is probably one of the easiest tools to use in Photoshop. It does exactly as it says and takes a photo and simply “crops” out the parts of the photo you’d rather not show. The tool is used by clicking in one corner and held to create a box around the area you wish to keep. Once you let go of the mouse button, you can then adjust the box further to your specifications (you’ll also notice that the “soon-to-be-cropped-out” areas are slightly shaded to help you see what your final crop will look like). Once you’ve adjusted the tool, simply double-click (or hit ENTER) to finalize your cropping. If it’s not to the desired look you can crop it further or hit CTRL+Z (APPLE+Z on a Mac) to go back to the original size.
QUICK TIP: Think of the picture as that of just one side of a Rubix cube showing nine smaller boxes. Photographs are generally better photos if the points of interest are located at the four points in which the nine boxes intersect each other. So when cropping, try and get your main focus of the photo to fall on those points. Also, if taking a landscape picture, make sure the horizon is straight across. You can use the cropping tool and take your mouse to one of the corners (once you’ve made your first box) and actually rotate the box to become parallel with your horizon.
