Easy Editing with iPhoto
By Kathryn Duncan
Apple’s iPhoto program is a powerful and useful tool that comes preloaded on every Mac computer. With a little practice, anyone can learn how to take a mediocre photo and turn it into a beautiful piece of art with this amazing program! Follow these simple steps to learn to do it yourself:
1. Load and organize photos: When you plug your camera into the computer, iPhoto will automatically open and start to upload your photos. You’ll have an option to either upload all the photos on your camera, or manually pick the photos you want. After uploading, iPhoto will organize all your photos into “Events” by date. You can choose to combine events, or even separate existing events if you have more than one photo opportunity in one day (for example: a wedding luncheon and reception). iPhoto automatically enters a date for the photos, so make sure you name each event so it’s easily identifiable – “My Birthday,” “Christmas Eve Dinner,” etc.
Apple’s iPhoto program is a powerful and useful tool that comes preloaded on every Mac computer. With a little practice, anyone can learn how to take a mediocre photo and turn it into a beautiful piece of art with this amazing program! Follow these simple steps to learn to do it yourself:
1. Load and organize photos: When you plug your camera into the computer, iPhoto will automatically open and start to upload your photos. You’ll have an option to either upload all the photos on your camera, or manually pick the photos you want. After uploading, iPhoto will organize all your photos into “Events” by date. You can choose to combine events, or even separate existing events if you have more than one photo opportunity in one day (for example: a wedding luncheon and reception). iPhoto automatically enters a date for the photos, so make sure you name each event so it’s easily identifiable – “My Birthday,” “Christmas Eve Dinner,” etc.
2. Edit photos: When you open an event, you can enlarge each photo with a single click. To edit that particular photo, click “edit” (with the pencil icon) in the bottom left corner. At any time, you can zoom in on your photo using the drag bar at the bottom right corner.
A. Red eye: Red eye is very simple to use. After clicking “Edit,” you’ll see a button saying “Red Eye” toward the center of the bottom navigation bar. Click it, and you’ll have the option to either use iPhoto’s automatic Red Eye feature or to fix it manually. With the manual option, you can choose the exact size of the red eye fix (using a drag bar again), and the exact placement (zooming in makes it easier!).
A. Red eye: Red eye is very simple to use. After clicking “Edit,” you’ll see a button saying “Red Eye” toward the center of the bottom navigation bar. Click it, and you’ll have the option to either use iPhoto’s automatic Red Eye feature or to fix it manually. With the manual option, you can choose the exact size of the red eye fix (using a drag bar again), and the exact placement (zooming in makes it easier!).
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B. Retouch: The “Retouch” tool is one of the most useful portrait editing tools in iPhoto, and personally I think it’s just as powerful as many tools in Photoshop. When you click the retouch button, you can again choose the size of the retouch brush. When you click (or click and drag), it covers the spot (zit, freckle, wrinkle) with the same color and texture from what’s around it. Be careful when editing out blemishes that are close to the edge of the face or hairline – you don’t want to smudge in colors or textures that don’t match! Also, be careful not to over retouch a face… don’t be tempted to erase things like freckles that add personality!
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C. Effects and adjustment palette: The “adjustment” palette is incredibly useful to fix under or over exposed photos, and also to enhance dull or uninteresting photos. Use the “levels” tool at the top of the palette by dragging the three arrows toward or away from the center. This is a similar tool to the “exposure” tool, but it gives you much more control! Also use the contrast and saturation drag bars to make your photos look more rich. I typically bump up both the contrast and saturation on every single one of my photos to make them look far more rich and vibrant! You can play with the other bars, but generally iPhoto does best with the exposure, saturation, and contrast bars (the sharpness bar is okay – but only in moderation!). The “Effects” palette is great for adding little finishing touches to your photos like black and white and sepia, vignettes, and edge blurs. One great feature is that you can play with it as much as you want and always return to the original by clicking on the middle button.
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Demonstrating Effects Palette
3. Print photos: iPhoto offers many intuitive options for printing. You can choose different borders and sizes according to your printer and what you plan to use the photos for. A fun way to display your photos is by creating a photobook in iPhoto. Highlight the photos you want to include in the book, and click on the button that says “Book.” You can choose the size and style of your book, and also a theme for it (these can be changed later too). You can choose the way each photo is laid out, with text, borders, multiple photos per page, etc. It’s extremely powerful, and creates professional and beautiful books!
Photobook Option
When you have a few minutes, just sit down and start to play with the tools I have discussed in this article. Soon you’ll understand that iPhoto is quite simple to use. It is also powerful and intuitive. You’ll learn how to turn your digital photos from ‘just decent’ to ‘striking and beautiful’ in a manner of minutes!
