Digital Image Improvement Tips
By Nancy Cheng: Dec. 1, 2004
Only
edit strong images with flattering lighting and viewpoint, uncluttered
background.
Scanning
produces much better images than digital cameras. Central Reprographics on 5th
street can scan large rolled drawings in black and white quickly and cheaply.
(Use
Irfanview for Windows freeware or Graphic Converter for Mac shareware to
quickly delete, rotate and Batch rename files)
Save
all images as TIFF or top quality JPG.
Images with few colors, such as computer renderings, can also be saved
as GIF without degrading color.
See video on how to adjust photos!
1. Rotate image to align horizontal
lines.
Use
Measure tool (under Eyedropper) to drag out a orthogonal line in the image
Crop if necessary
2. Improve perspective geometry,
View
menu, Rulers
Drag
blue guidelines from Rulers to vertical edges
Select
menu > All, then Edit menu > distort.
Pull on corners of photo to make vertical lines straight.
3. Even out lighting with an adjustment
layer
a. In Photoshop's Layer palette, drag on the
black arrow in the upper right corner, select
New Layer, Mode: Linear Dodge, check
"Group with Previous Layer"
b. Set
the background color to black
c. Set
the foreground color to dark grey
d. Use
the gradient tool to fill from the dark areas to light areas, adjusting the
direction of the fill, selection area and type of gradient.
For
further layer adjustments, save the image as PSD, otherwise save as a different
filename.jpg
4. Improve
contrast:
Image
menu > Adjustments > Levels
For color images, individually choose
each channel, starting with Red
For each color, move black point and
light point to beginning and end of distribution curve
For overall contrast adjustment,
select RGB and adjust arrows.
5. Correct minor blurriness:
Filter
menu > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask
Keep
small Radius (.5 to 3 pixels) and Threshold (1 to 5 levels)