Editing Photos in Photoshop

First - Save all of your images to the desktop that you are working on. If they are in your backpack, on a jump drive, CD, E-mail, whatever, save them to the desktop you are working on first. If you work off of any of those different media then you will increase your chances of problems down the line.

Second - Open Photoshop by clicking on the icon on your computer's dock.

Third - THROUGH PHOTOSHOP, Click File > Open, then find your image that you have saved to the desktop. If you just click on the image then it will open in Preview and not Photoshop.

NOW

After you have your photos open, you can edit the photos how you see fit. Some photos will need more work than others, it is a total judgment call on your part. I will walk you through the way I edit photos for my paper.

1. The first thing I do is change the image size. (Click Image>Image Size)
When this box opens, first make sure that Constrain Proportions and Resample Image boxes are both checked (Constrain Proportions won't be available until you check Resample Image, so click the Resample Image box and the Constrain Proportions box will light up)

Make sure the options under "Document Size" are set to inches.
As for dimensions, your magazine cover is going to be a resolution of 300. As far as your newspapers go, you have to figure out how big you are going to run the photo on the layout but somewhere between 5 and 7 inches should suffice.


2. Levels
Click Image > Adjustments > Levels
Herein lies one of your first judgment calls as far as editing your photos will go. On the top drop down menu you can select any of the colors (Red, Green, or Blue) or you can use the mix bar that says (RGB). Using the individual color lets you control the amount of each color that is in the picture. Using the RGB selection regulates the colors proportionately.
Select the color mode you want to edit in and use the arrows under the diagram to add/subtract the color. Use the middle arrow to control the midpoint.

3. Curves
Click Image > Adjustments > Curves
When the box opens, make sure the Preview box is checked.
This is one way you can control the brightness of your photos. If they are dark, pull the curve more to the light side. If they are light then you can pull the curve more to the dark side. A good edit usually looks like an S curve on the diagram box that opens up.

4. Brightness/Contrast
Click Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast
When the box opens, make sure the Preview box is checked.
This is a simpler way of doing the same idea as curves.

* This is all you should really have to do to correct your photos. If you have anything unique you want to do, ask myself or Meriam or Jillian for help.


After you are done editing your photos, Save them back to the desktop and then you can move them onto whatever device you are using to transport your project.