How many times have you taken a photograph and it was not quite level?
The horizon was off a bit for whatever reason: you did not level your tripod properly, you did not hold the camera straight, or (if you experienced what I experienced taking this photograph) a child hugged your leg mid-photo?
In Corel PSP Photo X2, straightening an edge can be simple.
I took this photo quickly on a very cold winter day.
I was rushed in taking the photograph because I had my impulsive two year old son with me and keeping him from running into traffic isn't always easy. But there is something about this scene that I had to have. I find it so interesting to find store fronts like this, apparently frozen in time. I knew that if I could get the photo, it could be made into something great.
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The first thing that bothered me about the photo after the capture was that it was not level.
So I decided to use Corel PSP Photo X2's straighten tool to fix that aspect of the photograph.
Corel PSP Photo X2 Straighten Tool
1.) Open the photograph in PSP Photo.
2.) Click on the straighten tool on the side tool bar. A straight bar appears on the photograph.
3.) Move the bar by clicking in the middle of the bar and sliding it to an area of the photograph that shows an unlevel horizon or surface. Then, using an endpoint on the bar, move the bar to MATCH the tilt of the photograph.
4.) Click the check mark that appears in the tool bar at the top of the screen. The program will level your photograph and crop as necessary. Your photograph is now level.
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The next thing that bothered me about this photo is the distracting nature of the store fronts to either side of Carl's Radio TV.
I want to draw the attention to that store front. Cropping the photograph can easily take care of that problem.
Cropping a Photograph using Corel PSP Photo X2
1.) Click the crop tool on the side tool bar. A bounding box appears. Move the box to the area that you want to keep by clicking and sliding the center of the box. Move the corners or sides by clicking and sliding relative points to where you want them. The area that you don't want in the picture will appear gray. Hit enter.
2.) Your photo is now cropped.
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Finally, the photo looked underexposed as I did not take the time meter properly. Furthermore, Carl's Radio looks like it was straight out of the past, so I thought it would look much better in black and white.
Changing a photograph to Black and White Using Corel PSP Photo X2
1.) Click on Effects, Photo Effects, Black and White Film
2.) An adjustment window will appear. You can change the brightness, clarity and the color filter as necessary. Play with it until you are happy with the way the photo appears in the after window.
Viola. A photo that is truly fitting of the subject. You can use these techniques to make your otherwise blah photos the best that they could be.
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Corina Fiore is a writer, mother, and avid photographer. She will be working diligently to open a photojournalistic style portrait photography business in 2009. You can find more of her down-to-earth writings, sarcastic wit, and photography at Down to Earth Mama.
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