Introduction What is photography? The history of photography What this site will do for you Light: The most important element Why light is important to a photograph The many types of light Controlling light in your pictures The camera The basic function Types of cameras Choosing the right camera Putting the image together: the Lens How the lens bends light: a tutorial A brief introduction to apertures The variety of lenses Choosing a lens Exposure: a film tutorial How film records an image Understanding film speed Print vs. Slide film Film recommendations Taking Pictures Depth-of-field Apertures and shutter speeds Composition and experimentation: the basics Metering: when you can't guess The many types of picture-taking Photography with a point-and-shoot Accessories Tripods: for when you can't stay still Lens filters Post-processing: after development Scanning photos The digital darkroom Photo and equipment storage
After you have a picture scanned, you may feel that it appears to dark, has too much or too little contrast or color. Don’t fret! This is where the image editor steps in. With this digital tool and a little experience, you can make a disaster into a masterpiece.
Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop, from Adobe Systems, is one of the most powerful digital imaging tools in the world. While it costs over $500, its features and flexibility is endless. Many websites, including ours, were designed with Photoshop. Of course, many professional photographers’ photos were retouched in Photoshop. So, what makes this program good for touching up photographs? One reason is that you can completely adjust your photo’s contrast, saturation, color balance, and brightness by simply moving a few sliders. Want your photo to appear as if it were a painting? Select Filer->Artistic->Fresco. Do you want your color photo to be black-and-white? Select Image->Adjust->Desaturate. OK, what if you want to make an illusion of flare on a lens? Easy, select Filter->Render->Lens Flare. So, as you can see, Photoshop is an incredibly powerful, indispensable tool for a photographer and graphic designer alike.
Other image editing tools
If you cannot afford Adobe Photoshop, don’t feel bad. There are many inexpensive, yet powerful tools available. These are is listed in the links area of our site.
With that said, let us move on to learning about how to store your equipment properly. This is also the final lesson in the Photo Guide!