Quick Photo Editing Tip in Photoshop

I learned a photo editing tip a long time ago. I don't even remember where I learned it. I think maybe I learned it from my hubby, who used to know more about Photoshop than me. That's right, I know more than him now. ;)

I usually try to use RadLab before I place my photo in a digital scrapbook template but sometimes I'm in a hurry, or sometimes, after I've placed papers and elements on the page, I find that the photo needs a little something more. That's when I hit Ctrl+M and this little window pops up:

I'm not going to pretend that I know what "curves" are....because I don't. All I know is that they easily help me adjust the brightness and contrast on my photos. If you want to know all the techie details I found this blog and it seems to explain it pretty well....although I will admit, it's a little over my head. I'm also using Photoshop CS3. Adjusting the curves in Elements will be a little different.

Once this screen pops up I'll use the mouse and click on that diagonal line. Usually, at this point, I just want to brighten up my photos and I'll go to the top part of the diagonal line and just move it a bit like this:

Each photo will be different but this is where I usually start. Make sure you have the Preview box checked and you should be able to see your photo as you are adjusting it. Once you have what you like just hit OK.

Here's a close up of the before and after of the photo I adjusted:

Looks pretty good for a quick photo edit, huh? Sometimes I also play around with the bottom of the curve if I need more contrast. Just play around with it and you'll be amazed at what it can do for your photos.

Here's a before and after of the digital scrapbook page I made.

The above page shows the bunch of pictures on the right unedited. After scrapping them with bright bold colors I felt like the photos needed to pop a little more. That's where adjusting the curves came in.

Template from September Template Challenge (just posted yesterday) and Life is Good by Bella Gypsy Designs

Hope this helps!

-Liz