Photo Editing Basics

Cropping
When you crop a photo, you're reducing the size of the photo by cutting out parts of the image that you don't want. Most basic photo-editing software allows you to crop files by using a selection tool to determine what parts of the photo you want to keep. Once you select the photo as you want to display it, you can select the "crop" feature from your photo editing menu to remove the parts of the photo outside your selection box. Cropping can be great if your photo is off-center, includes too much ground or sky or contains features that you don't want to include in your finished product.

Resizing
Photos scanned at high resolutions are often very large, so you'll want to resize your images for Web or e-mail use. You may want to use an image in an application that only permits a certain number of pixels. Most editing software includes a "resize" tool where you can select the size in inches, pixels or a percentage of the original size.

If your image can only be a certain size in pixels, you can use the pixel-resizing tool to ensure your image complies with the rules. If you want your photo to be a specific size in inches, the inch-resizing tool is an easy way to manage the change. If you just want your photo to be larger or smaller, you can use the percentage resizing tool to reduce your photo to 50% of its current size, or you can expand it to 200% its current size. When you're using the pixel- or inch-resize options, you may have to select the "Maintain aspect ratio" checkbox in order to avoid having your photo stretched out of proportion.

Resizing is also a good way to reduce the file size of an image, since smaller images take up less drive space. Caution should be used when you're resizing. As a general rule, you can't increase the size of an image by more than 5% to 10% without making it blurry or exaggerating the pixels. When images get smaller, fine details are lost and text often becomes unreadable.

Contrast and Color Management
Contrast and color management are two of the more advanced features in basic photo editing. Most photo-editing software includes options that allow you to adjust the brightness and contrast in your photos. If your photos look washed out, you can reduce the brightness or increase the contrast to make them look more true-to-life. If your photos are too saturated with one color (if they look too red, for example) you can use color management to adjust the hue and saturation of your photos. Always save your photos before adjusting contrast and color management, as these can result in drastic changes to your photo. If you're not comfortable adjusting contrast and color yourself, most photo-editing software includes an "auto correct" option that makes those changes for you, based on the computer's calculations.

When you're adjusting contrast and color, it's generally a good idea to get a brightness level first, then work on contrast and color management. The performance of colors in digital imaging can change radically as they become brighter or darker.

Red-Eye Reduction
Some photo-editing software includes an option to remove the red eye caused by flash bouncing off the eye's retina. This is usually a simple feature, with no advanced settings to worry about. All you have to do is select the red-eye reduction feature to remove red-eye from your photos. Be sure to check the photo carefully after reduction, as some filters will remove or desaturate all reds in the image.