how do i make my photos look like have been taken properly like on a photo shoot i want tu alter the pics like add sum tan n tints n stuff buh how????
How to learn how to alter-change-modify my photos on the computer
How I did it: I remember about 18 years ago I paid something like $500.00 dollars for a photo session at Glamour Shots. Those were the MOST EXPENSIVE photos of my life! And back then, five hundred dollars was a HUGE amount of money, so I always wondered how to achieve that look without having to spend so much money again!!
Enter:
Personal computers,
Internet,
Digital Cameras,
Programs like Photoshop and PaintShop Pro.
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The Photo attached to this entry was my gift for a couple who got married in their backyard, and I was lucky to attend.
I wanted to give them a photo that was romantic and different from everything they had as a memory of their wedding day. They couldn't afford a large ceremony or professional photographer, so I figured this would be perfect for them!
I removed everything surrounding them, people, plants, tables, etc, and placed them in a place surrounded by clouds, a castle and the radiant sun. Also, above and below is part of the blessing used during the ceremony.
A small border in black and white added a bit more of elegance.
Finally, I changed the photo to a black & white, being more romantic than the original.
Lessons & tips: First thing first:
You have to loose the fear of computers!!
Your computer is not going to explode, you are not going to ruin it, and it is not the end of the world!!
It is actually really easy for ANYONE to learn how to do small adjustments to photos!
Become familiar with your computer, be adventurous!
Star with an easy to use program like PAINT SHOP PRO!
Paint Shop Pro is a very "User Friendly" program that costs just a fraction of what other more advanced programs like PHOTOSHOP would cost you and can achieve amazing results!!
With PSP (Paint Shop Pro) you can adjust lighting, color tone, red eye, blemishes, whiten teeth, and even do more advanced stuff like remove backgrounds and remove or add people, items, make someone skinnier, add make up, trim eyebrows, etc to your photos!
It is easier to work with photos that are in digital format, because otherwise, you would have to gather your 35mm photos, have them scanned and then work from there!
The beauty of adjusting photos on your computer is that if you don't like something you did or make a mistake, you can always just do a small click on a few keys and VIOLA!! you just Undid the last step, or the last 10 steps!!
You can also make a copy of the original photo, work on that one and then save your work on the copy, that way you can always compare the original with the finished product!!
PSP allows you to do this and more!! And because it is not a super high end program, the learning curve is not as steep as with other programs like Photoshop.
Don't get me wrong!! Photoshop is THE BEST program to do photo manipulation, but if you are a beginner, the only way to start is with a smaller program and then move into the big guns!!
Not only is PSP easy to use, but there is a HUGE community of PSP users all over the world who are happy to share their knowledge with you for FREE!!
Just type PSP Tutorial in any search engine and you will come up with THOUSANDS of free tutorials to teach you how to do pretty much everything!! There are hundreds of Yahoo groups where you can go to get advice and get your questions answered and all the help and support you need!!
Once you feel confident enough, move on to bigger and better things and you will see a whole universe just waiting to be explored and a huge playground for you to have fun in!!
Don't approach photo manipulation as a daunting task, see it as something fun and this will allow you to learn faster and do more in a shorter ammount of time!!
Learn the basics of the program first and then explore on your own, try new things and play with images until you feel confident enough to do it with your own photos!! Pretty soon everyone around you will ask you to help them look like a Hollywood star in all their pictures!
As a side note, I would like to recommed that you try older versions rather than jump in with the latest. Most people love version 7, or 8. I find version X (10) a pretty good one, and pretty much everyone agrees that newer versions are more complicated and require more resources out of your computer! In other words, you will need a faster processor, more memory, etc. So begin with a simple, more easy to use version, and move from there!
Resources: Internet,
Yahoo Groups,
Personal Computer,
Paint Shop Pro (Version X)







