How to make a transparent background in Paint? How to remove or change the background in Paint? PAINT Tutorial Change color saturation.
I often see good photographs, informative, clear, beautiful, but..... with a gray background! Those. I understand that the photograph was taken on white, but the photo is gray! A white background shows the work much better. So I decided to make MK for people like me - people who are not capable of mastering Photoshop, but want to post beautiful photos.
(No advice on mastering Photoshop, please! I’ve been periodically trying to learn how to work with it for 3 years, but I can only figure out something by constantly looking at MK and online manuals on FS, and when I need to process 10-20-30 photos, it’s unrealistic - I’ll have to sit for a week, because... If I don't look into step-by-step FS tutorials, I start to get lost )
So, I photograph 50/50: with light from a window at the brightest time, or under a lamp, which I adjust so that it gives even light to the surface being photographed. In 90% of cases, the techniques shown in this MK are enough for me to process photos.
This MK shows how to improve photographs in which objects are located on a white background or the photographed objects themselves have large “spots” of white.
Every computer on which Microsoft Office is installed has a photo processing program, Microsoft Office Picture Manager. (Note - in the version for Win. 7 the program is called "Picture Manager")
1) Open the photo by right-clicking on the photo through the Microsoft Office Picture Manager program.
2) In the window that appears with the photo at the top, click on the button that says “change picture”
3) A menu appears on the left with photo editing options
4) in this menu click on the inscription “color”
5) in the submenu that opens there is a button “improve colors” - just click it
6) After clicking this button, when you hover your mouse over the photo, instead of an arrow, we see a “sight”. This is the whole point of processing!
7) On the background (or on the product itself - on its white part) select the lightest place - i.e. the point where visually the light source gives the most of this same light. We point our “sight” at this area and click. The program automatically equalizes the white balance so that at this point inside the sight the color becomes pure white and, accordingly, automatically equalizes the colors throughout the photo, adjusting them to the new conditions - this is the most “lightened” area.
8) If we don’t have enough lightening and want to lighten it more, select the area next to the whitest (i.e., slightly noticeably non-white) and click on it with the crosshair. The photo brightens a little more.
8) If you aimed the sight somewhere in the wrong place and the result did not suit you, you can always press either the “back” arrow (signed “1” in the photo) or select Edit--Cancel in the top menu.
In 5-6, maximum 8 “poke” I always manage to get a pretty decent white background. This process takes about 3-4 minutes at most. If we are satisfied with everything in the resulting lightened photo, click the return button in the left menu (indicated “2” in the photo)
10) After trimming, click “ok”. If you have cut off too much or just want to “re-crop” - the “back” arrow or Edit--Undo will return the photo to the “uncropped” view.
Here, for example, is what the photo looks like before and after such processing, which took me 3 minutes of time:
I hope this MK will help those who do not own FS make photographs of their works more pleasing to the eyes of our customers.
P.S. - the rest of the photo editing capabilities in this program are quite poor, so apart from the capabilities shown in MK, the rest are not even worth trying.
The Adjustments menu in Paint.NET contains various commands for adjusting the color content of an image. There may be more commands in this menu depending on the number of connected external plugins for Paint.NET. The figure below shows a minimal view of the Adjustments menu as it looks in a newly installed Paint.NET editor.
To illustrate the effect of each command from the "Adjustments" menu item, we will use the image below. This is the original image. The description of most of the commands on this page will give an example - a drawing obtained from the original one by using one or another Paint.NET command from the "Correction" menu.
Auto-leveling color levels in Paint.NET
Menu item "Auto leveling" in the "Correction" menu of the Paint.NET graphic editor is designed to align the color of the image. Too dark or, conversely, too bright areas of the image will be displayed in the normal range. This command has no parameters. The result after applying level alignment to the original image can be seen in the image below. This command is equivalent to the "Levels" correction with the default parameters and the "Auto Level" button pressed.
Adjusting the Brightness and Contrast of an Image in Paint.NET
Menu item "Brightness and Contrast" is intended to make the colors in the drawing darker or lighter, or to make them more contrasting. The dialog box for this function has two parameters: "brightness" and "contrast", respectively.
This is what the original image will look like if you make it brighter.
This is what the original image will look like if you make it more contrasty.
And this is what the original image will look like if you make it brighter and more contrasty at the same time.
Size an image to fit the window in Paint.NET
Team "Fit to window" scales the image so that it fits completely into the work area. This is convenient for large images so that you can see the entire drawing. However, executing this command does not increase the image scale by more than 100%, which can be seen when using it on a small image.
Adjusting Color Curves in Paint.NET
The "Curves" command is intended for visual control of color in the form of curves. A separate instruction page is devoted to this “Curves” menu item.
How to make an image black and white in Paint.NET
Menu item "Make it black and white" provides an easy way to cancel the colors in a picture and make it grayscale and black and white. An example of applying this correction to the original image can be seen in the figure below.
Changing the hue and saturation of a drawing in Paint.NET
Team "Hue and Saturation" used to change the saturation of colors in an image or change their shades. In addition, using this command you can also change the brightness of colors. However, it is to change the brightness that you should use the special “Brightness and Contrast” command described above, because The results from using this function may vary.
If you apply the Hue and Saturation command to the original image? with the value of the "hue" parameter 88 and the "saturation" parameter 158, then the result will be the same as in the figure below.
How to Make a Photo Negative in Paint.NET
Team "Invert colors" Its effect is similar to turning a photograph into a negative. This command replaces the colors with the opposite ones. So, if you apply this command to an image twice, you will get the original image again. If we apply this command to the source image from our example, the result will be the same as in the figure below.
Gamma and color range of an image in Paint.NET
The Levels command is used to change the color gamut and range of colors in an image. The "Levels" command has a separate page dedicated to it.
Coarsening image colors in Paint.NET
The Roughen command allows you to reduce the number of available colors used in an image. Typically, there are 256 possible values (from 0 to 255) for each color channel: red, green and blue. Using the Coarse command in Paint.NET, you can limit this value to between 2 and 64, per color channel. Reducing the number of colors gives the image the effect of an artificially aged or retro picture. Using the Roughen command for our example will give the following result.
How to Create a Sepia Effect in Paint.NET
The Sepia command first turns the image to black and white and then adds a sepia tone. From history, one of the meanings of the term "sepia" is paint. Natural sepia was made from the ink sac of cuttlefish. This paint was used by artists in the mid-eighteenth century when painting pictures. Natural sepia was used to tint photographs brown. The effect of sepia in photography is the transformation of silver into sulfide, which becomes more resistant to fading. That's why many old black and white photographs are brown, so they have a better chance of not fading and surviving to this day. The application of the Sepia command to our example can be seen in the following figure.
Correction
Auto levelingallows you to bring colors to the average value, that is, very light colors will become darker, dark colors will become lighter.
Invert colorsallows you to put an additional color for each color instead of the color that is there. If you have the original drawing as shown below.
Then after completing this mode the next one will appear.
Curves allows you to lighten or darken a drawing according to the schedule. The following window will appear on the screen.
Shown here is a curve (a straight line in the figure) to which the color corresponds, that is, light will correspond to light, dark to dark. Now let's change the shape of the curve. To do this, move the cursor to the line, click on the left mouse button and, without releasing the button, move the cursor to another place. Let's assume that the shape of the curve becomes as shown in the figure below.
Then the original drawing (shown in the previous mode) will become the following.
If you change the curve as shown in the figure below.
The drawing will be as follows.
Moreover, the curve may have an intricate appearance.
And the drawing too. The option of changing the brightness was discussed above, but you can change it by RGB scheme.
Moreover, according to this scheme, you can change the primary colors separately from each other.
In order to do this, check the Red box and remove the checkmarks in other colors. Then we move the red curve to the right place. Then we will do the same for green and separately for blue. We get different curves for different colors (and the picture shown below).
Note that the starting point can be moved from bottom to top (for this, when moving, the cursor must be slightly to the left of the graph border). Accordingly, the right point can be set lower.
Roughening allows you to make the color more or less saturated. Uncheck the option Synchronization and change the position of the sliders.
As a result, the original drawing
Will be next.
Hue and Saturationallows you to change the hue, saturation and lightness of the picture.
Make it black and whiteallows you to remove colors, as shown in the image below.
Sepia allows you to apply shades to a black and white image. If you apply this mode to the black and white drawing shown in the picture above, you will get the following picture.
Levels Allows you to set color levels. When you enter this mode, a window with histograms will appear on the screen. You can change the level for all primary colors (check the boxes to the left of the color name, where R – red - red, G – green - green, B – blue - blue). But you can set the level for an individual color (by leaving a checkmark next to its name only, and unchecking the others).
Unfortunately, amateur photographs are not always pleasing to the eye, but you really want to capture unforgettable moments of life in them. However, often such photographs turn out either too dark, or, on the contrary, too light. Or the colors on them turn out to be completely unnatural (this happens especially often when using cheap color film): trees turn poisonous green, gray asphalt for some reason takes on an intense blue color, the sky turns from blue to a greenish tint, slightly tanned skin turns red, as if the shooting took place in a sauna, and not in a cozy cafe, etc. It’s no less disappointing when an interesting shot turns out to be blurry and blurry and doesn’t make the right impression, or the most beautiful architectural structures in the photo acquire a lot of geometric and optical distortions, or due to a bad angle When shooting, most of the photograph is occupied by unimportant details, and the main subject is somewhere to the side. In addition, many cameras produce red-eye when using flash, and when scanned, images often become darker and blurry. A special discussion these are old or not quite old, but already faded photographs that I would also like to “revive”. In addition, there may be dust and scratches, emulsion peeling, development and printing defects, etc. The reasons for all this include a lack of professionalism, bad shooting time and inappropriate weather conditions, as well as the use of cheap and low-quality cameras and appropriate film.
As a result, in most cases, photographs have to be edited, so photo correction functions are provided in almost all modern graphics packages. We will devote our today's lesson to the Paint Shop Pro package, whose automatic correction tools can significantly improve pictures even for non-professionals. However, the arsenal of capabilities of this package also includes tools designed for professional photographers and designers, which allow them to achieve phenomenal results. And within the framework of this article, we will focus on correction tools that are available to the general public and do not require any additional professional knowledge.
To correct photos in Paint Shop Pro, use the toolbar Photo(Photo) opened by the command View=>Toolbars=>Photo(View=>Toolbars=>Photography), all the main options for improving images, designed for amateurs, are collected here. In addition, there is a command in the command menu Adjust(Adjustment), which gives access to both commands from the panel Photo(Photography), and to a whole range of more complexly implemented, but no less useful correction methods. Tools are just as necessary. Straighten(Straightening) and Perspective Correction(Perspective Correction) from the Tools toolbar.
Each of the customizable correction options has a preview mode; as a result, all changes made immediately become visible on the corrected image or on the selected area. In addition, in many dialog boxes you can use the button Save Preset(Save Settings) to save adjustment settings so that they can be applied to other images later.
Elimination of geometric distortions
Geometric distortions can be divided into perspective and optical, created by the lens due to its imperfection.
All lenses introduce optical distortion, or distortion, to one degree or another. Distortion manifests itself in the fact that the scale of the image in the center and at the edges is not the same. Professional photographers, keeping this in mind, resort to various tricks, but in the end they also have to eliminate optical defects from photographs, since they cannot be completely prevented during shooting.
As for perspective defects, the most easily corrected defect of this kind is the tilt of the camera during shooting, which manifests itself in the fact that the objects in the photograph turn out to be located at a certain angle. This is a problem for many inexperienced hobbyists, and Paint Shop Pro solves it extremely simply thanks to the presence of a special tool.
Correcting perspective distortions in large panoramic photographs and photographs of architectural structures requires much more effort. The fact is that in the absence of special equipment, in order to photograph the entire building, you will have to use the widest possible lens and tilt the camera upward (otherwise half the frame will be taken up by the asphalt) as a result, there will be a sharp convergence of vertical lines in the photographs. To eliminate this phenomenon, perspective correction is necessary.
Correcting distortion
There are two main types of distortion: Barrel Distortion(Barrel distortion), in which objects in the image appear swollen (Fig. 1), and Pincushion Distortion(Pincushion distortion), when the extreme verticals and horizontals are concave inward (Fig. 2).
It should be noted that Paint Shop Pro is the only graphics package where distortion correction is implemented extremely simply (in Adobe Photoshop this is achieved in a much more complex way). Here are the commands for this purpose Barrel Distortion Correction(Correction of barrel distortion) and Pincushion Distortion Correction(Correction of pincushion distortion). They can be called either from the command menu Adjust=>Lens Correction(Adjustment=>Lens Correction) and from the toolbar Photo(Photo).
For an example, open Fig. 3 with obvious barrel distortion, click the button Barrel Distortion Correction(Barrel Distortion Correction) and set the parameter values Strength(Strength of influence) in this example, the value taken is 85 (Fig. 4).
Straightening the Image
If, due to the inexperience of a novice photographer, the objects in the photograph turn out to be located at a certain angle, then they can be easily straightened using a tool Straighten(Straightening). In essence, this will be a regular turn, but unlike it Straighten(Straightening) provides maximum convenience when straightening an image, since everything is displayed on the screen, happens within a second and guarantees one hundred percent results.
For example, take a suitable image in this case, Fig. 5 with a clear tilt of the photographed objects to the right. From the toolbar, select a tool Straighten(Straightening) the result will be the appearance of a horizontal segment in the photograph, limited by markers (Fig. 6). Move and slightly rotate the segment so that it extends parallel to any part of the image, which should be located strictly horizontally (Fig. 7), and click on the button Apply(Apply) the image will be rotated by the angle you specified (Fig. 8). Now all that remains is to take the Crop tool and trim off the extra background parts of the image that appeared as a result of straightening the photo (Fig. 9 and 10).
Rice. 8. The result of straightening a photo with the Straighten tool
Perspective correction
We have previously talked about optical distortions that are possible when shooting. Now let’s look at the perspective distortions that occur when photographing architectural structures. Thanks to Paint Shop Pro's advanced correction capabilities, this operation is no longer a difficult task and even a non-professional can handle it. For horizontal and vertical correction, you can use the commands Effects=>Geometric Effects=>Perspective-Horizontal(Effects=>Geometric effects=>Perspective horizontal and Effects=>Geometric Effects=>Perspective-Vertical(Effects=>Geometric effects=>Vertical perspective). And in more complex cases, you should turn to the tool Perspective Correction(Perspective Correction), which provides the user with functions of keystone and other perspective distortions of an image area.
Let's try to correct the image shown in Fig. 11, where there is both a distortion of perspective and a clear tilt of the image. Therefore, first we will straighten the image with the tool Straighten(Straightening) (Fig. 12 and 13).
Now let's move on to the forward correction. First, we will carry out vertical correction with approximately the same parameters as in Fig. 14, since in some cases this is enough to correct perspective. The obtained result is shown in Fig. 15. Next, you just need to crop the photo, but in our case, unfortunately, vertical perspective correction alone will not be enough; you will have to use the tool Perspective Correction(Perspective Correction) and perform keystone perspective correction. Activate the tool Perspective Correction and limit the perspective contours in accordance with Fig. 16 the result obtained is shown in Fig. 17. Crop the image with the Crop tool (Fig. 18), and then increase its contrast using the command Enhance Photo=>(Photo Enhancement => Automatic Contrast Enhancement) from the Photo toolbar with the parameters shown in Fig. 19. The result of the correction is shown in Fig. 20.
Now let’s look at a more complex example (Fig. 21), where both optical and geometric correction will be required, as well as image straightening. In such situations, distortion is always corrected first; in this example, you need to use the command Barrel Distortion(Barrel distortion) with the parameters shown in Fig. 22. Then you should use the tool Straighten(Straightening) to straighten the image (Fig. 23 and 24) and only then proceed to the perspective correction tool Perspective Correction(Perspective correction) in accordance with Fig. 25 (Fig. 26) and crop the image (Fig. 27).
Removing Red Eye
As a rule, when shooting with flash, an undesirable effect of light reflection from the retina of animals or humans occurs - the so-called red-eye effect (in practice, this is similar to the eyes of a cat glowing in the dark, only here the eyes glow not green, but red). It is not possible to avoid this situation one hundred percent, although modern camera models make it possible to reduce this effect to a minimum.
Therefore, the ability to eliminate the red-eye effect is available in a variety of graphics packages, and in Paint Shop Pro it is implemented extremely simply and is carried out almost instantly, allowing you to get rid of the red-eye effect in both humans and animals. The command is intended for this purpose Red-Eye Removal(Red-eye reduction). It can be called from the command menu Adjust(Adjustment) and from the pop-up list Enhance Photo(Photo enhancement). Note that the command Red-Eye Removal It can also help in cases where it is simply necessary to change the eye color of a person in a photograph.
Let's try to use this opportunity using the example of Fig. 28. After opening the Red-Eye Removal window, you first need to select one of four methods for shaping the pupil and iris of the eye: Auto Human Eye(Automatic eye formation for human), Auto Animal Eye(Automatic eye formation for the animal), Freehand Pupil Outline(Drawing the outline of the eye freehand based on a rectangular area) and Point-to-Point Pupil Outline(Drawing the contour of the eye point by point in the form of a closed broken line). The latter two options can be used to remove red-eye for both humans and animals, but the first two methods are generally more convenient because they remove red-eye faster and have more options. The last two options are intended for non-standard situations, when the shape of the red-colored pupil is very different from round and therefore the first two methods cannot successfully eliminate the red color.
In this case, the situation is simple, so let’s focus on the method Auto Animal Eye(Fig. 29). On the list Color(Color) we will determine the appropriate color of the eye, form a contour around the first eye to do this, simply draw a rectangular contour in the usual way, adjust its size and position, trying to make the contour match perfectly with the iris of the eye. Then, if necessary, configure other parameters: Pupil lightness(Pupil brightness), Glint lightness(Flash brightness), Glint size(Flash size), etc. We will carry out a similar procedure with the second eye (Fig. 30). The obtained result is shown in Fig. 31.
Rice. 31. Final image appearance after red-eye removal
Now let’s try to eliminate the red-eye effect using the example of a photograph of a child (Fig. 32). From the menu Adjust(Adjustment) select the command Red-Eye Removal(Red-eye removal), in the window that opens, set the option Auto Human Eye(Automatic eye formation for humans), listed Hue(Shade) determine the eye color in the list Color(Color) select the desired shade of the iris. Then, as in the previous case, we will form the required contour around the first eye, trying to eliminate the red-eye effect. Here, if necessary, we will adjust the shade and size of the eye and pupil. We will perform a similar operation in relation to the second eye (Fig. 33) the result obtained is shown in Fig. 34.
Rice. 34. Final image appearance after red-eye removal
Color correction, brightness, contrast, saturation and sharpness adjustment
As we have already noted, the photographs that come into our hands are not always ideal in color; due to unsuccessful shooting, the colors are often unnatural. When shooting in the dark, certain fragments of a photograph may appear unclear or not be visible at all, an interesting frame will be blurry or not sharp enough, or will have excessively blurred contours of objects. In addition, images are often blurred during scanning, colors in photographs may fade over time, etc. And Paint Shop Pro provides the ability to quickly automatically correct many defects of this kind found in photographs.
Photo correction in one step
The easiest and fastest way to correct an image is to use the command One Step Photo Fix from the popup list Enhance Photo(Photo enhancement). As a result, color balance, brightness, contrast and saturation will be automatically and simultaneously adjusted. This option does not give good results for every image, but it never hurts to try.
Let's take Fig. 35, where photo correction in one step helped us significantly improve the appearance of the image (Fig. 36).
Rice. 36. Image appearance after automatic photo correction in one step
Adjusting contrast and saturation
Since lack of contrast and saturation in a photo is one of the most common defects, and in Paint Shop Pro both can be corrected automatically in a matter of seconds, this topic requires more detailed consideration.
Pay attention to the photograph shown in Fig. 37, where the contrast is clearly insufficient. To fix the situation, open from the menu Adjust=>Brightness and Contrast(Adjust=>Brightness and Saturation) command Automatic Contrast Enhancement(Auto Contrast Enhance) or select Automatic Contrast Enhancement(Auto Contrast Enhance) from the pop-up list Enhance Photo(Photo Enhancement) with the parameters shown in Fig. 38. As a result, the contrast will clearly increase, and the photograph will take the form shown in Fig. 39.
Rice. 39. Image appearance after automatic contrast adjustment
Now, using a specific example, let’s see what results can be achieved simply by automatically increasing saturation and contrast. The original photograph (Fig. 40) was taken in a cave in clearly insufficient lighting; as a result, many spectacular natural elements are simply indistinguishable. Try using the command (Automatic increase saturation), adjusting the parameters in accordance with Fig. 41. The command can be selected both from the command menu Adjust=>Hue and Saturation(Adjust=>Hue and Saturation) and from the pop-up list Enhance Photo(Photo enhancement). The picture will look like in Fig. 42.
Rice. 42. Image appearance after automatic saturation adjustment
Increasing the contrast with the parameters shown in Fig. will help further improve the appearance of the image. 43. The result obtained is presented in Fig. 44.
Tone and color correction of unsuccessfully taken photographs
Before you begin color and tone correction of an image, you need to determine which colors are represented in excess and which ones are clearly not enough. This is not at all easy for a non-professional to do, so we will focus on the simplest color correction options.
Automatically changing the color balance is the easiest and fastest way to eliminate yellow or blue light in the image that appears if the photo was taken under artificial lighting. It is also useful if it is necessary to increase the balance of the named colors, for example, if shooting in the dark is unsuccessful. And sometimes this feature is beneficial during photo editing, when you have to adjust the shooting time.
Pay attention to the photograph of Nicole Kidman (Fig. 45), in which the imbalance of yellow color is clearly visible. Let's try to improve the situation a little by at least partially eliminating the yellow flare of the image. Use the command Adjust=>Color Balance=>Automatic Color Balance(Adjust=>Color Balance=>Automatic Color Balance) or select command Automatic Color Balance from the popup list Enhance Photo(Photo Enhancement) and adjust it as shown in Fig. 46. The resulting image will look like in Fig. 47.
Rice. 47. Image appearance after automatic color balance correction
Let's consider the third of these situations and try to change the color balance for the photograph in Fig. 48, where I would like to emphasize the pink tint of the mountains visible in the distance in the rays of the setting sun (in fact, the sun had almost disappeared, and the photo was taken a little later than desired). Select the Automatic Color Balance command from the Enhance Photo pop-up list and configure its parameters as shown in Fig. 49. The result will be rice. 50.
Rice. 50. Image appearance after automatic color balance correction
In more complex cases, you have to resort to correcting all color shades, which is possible using the command Color Balance(Color balance) command Adjust=>Color Balance=>Color Balance(Adjust=>Color Balance=>Color Balance). Let's try to use it using the example of Fig. 51, where we would like to restore white to the church gables and reduce the amount of blue throughout the image. Open the command window Color Balance(Color Balance) and consistently adjust the color balance for the light areas of the photo Highlights(Fig. 52), mid-tones Midtones(Fig. 53) and dark areas Shadows(Fig. 54). Don't forget to check the box Preserve Luminosity(Keep Brightness) to save the photo's brightness values. The result of the transformations is shown in Fig. 55. To improve the image, it’s also a good idea to increase the saturation of the command Automatic Saturation Enhancement(Auto Saturation) from the pop-up list Enhance Photo(Photo enhancement) with the parameters shown in Fig. 56. The resulting image is shown in Fig. 57.
It happens that in the pictures you take, especially when shooting with flash, all or some of the colors look unnatural. And automatic color correction in such cases usually does not give the desired effect. In this case, manual color correction can help out Manual Color Correction, which provides a more powerful alternative to automatic color correction. It makes it easy to improve the quality of even the most complex images while ensuring that any critical colors are accurately reproduced.
Let's take Fig. as a starting point. 58 in this case, the skin tone of the face looks clearly unnatural (too much red), which is most likely due to the fact that flash photography was taken from too close a distance. Let's try to correct this shortcoming. To do this, carefully select the contours of the face with the tool Freehand Selection(Freehand selection) by setting it to Edge Seeker with the following parameters: Feather 0, Smoothing(Smoothing) 0, checkbox Antialias enabled, checkbox Sample Merged turned off (Fig. 59). Let's take a tool Dropper(Pipette) and remember (or better yet, write down on paper) the parameters of the unnatural dark reddish skin tone as the initial color (Fig. 60).
Then click on the button Manual Color Correction(Manual Color Correction) toolbars Photo(Photo). In the window that opens Manual Color Correction click on the color Source(Source) and enter the parameters of the remembered color. Let's highlight the switch Preset Target Color(Specified color), select the option Skintones(Skin Tones), open the color block with a list of shades and select the option Indian Skin Light(Indian skin is light) (Fig. 61). Let's turn on the checkbox Preserve Saturation(Original Saturation) and leave the checkbox unchecked Preserve Lightness(Initial brightness) (Fig. 62). Let's abandon the selection by command Selections=>Select none(Selection=>Nothing selected). We get the result shown in Fig. 63.
Rice. 62. Final version of the Manual Color Correction settings
Rice. 63. Appearance of the image after finishing manual color correction
Manual color correction is good not only for eliminating photographic defects; it can also be used simply to give one or another image element the desired shade. For example, let's open Fig. 64, featuring a unique white gold ring with pearls from Gruosi. Let's try, using the manual color correction mode, to turn white gold jewelry into yellow. Select the ring (Fig. 65), click on the button Manual Color Correction(Manual color correction) and adjust the color correction in accordance with Fig. 66 (please note that the list Preset Target Color(Specified color) options selected Metals and Gold). The result is shown in Fig. 67.
Enhance Dark Photos
If you've ever scanned photographs, you've probably had to repeat this procedure more than once because the photo turned out lighter or darker. Another situation is also possible, when due to unfavorable shooting conditions, for example when shooting in the dark, the photographs turn out to be too dark. It is useless to print such photographs, since most of the objects simply will not be visible on them.
In principle, any of these photographs can be corrected and given an acceptable appearance. There are many ways to work with such photos in Paint Shop Pro and it is quite difficult to offer any single solution.
Let's look at the simpler of these methods.
If you need to greatly lighten a photo in order to see hidden details, then the easiest way is to use the command Histogram Equalize(Histogram equalization). It redistributes the brightness levels of the active layer and can improve an image that lacks contrast or is too dark. Let's try to apply this using the example of Fig. 68. Let's open the menu Adjust=>Brightness and Contrast(Adjust=>Brightness and Contrast) and select the command Histogram Equalize(Histogram equalization). The obtained result is shown in Fig. 69.
Rice. 69. Appearance of the photo after exposure to the Histogram Equalize command
However, this method does not always provide the desired result, since the colors in the photo may become unnatural. You can try to go the other way. For example, let's open the source image (Fig. 70) and first perform automatic photo correction in one step by selecting the command One Step Photo Fix from the popup list Enhance Photo(Photo enhancement). As a result, hidden dark fragments of the image will appear, but it will be clear that the overall tone of the photograph is unsuccessful, since there is a clear excess of blue in it; this especially affects the girl’s skin color (Fig. 71). To correct the situation, use the automatic color balance correction mode by selecting the command Automatic Color Balance(Automatic color balance) from the pop-up list Enhance Photo(Photo Enhancement) toolbar Photo(Photograph) and reduce the amount of blue as shown in Fig. 72. As a result, the photo will not be so dark, and the color shades in it will look more natural (Fig. 73).
Rice. 71. Image appearance after automatic photo correction in one step
Now let's see what we can achieve with histogram correction, which allows us to adjust the full range of available color intensities for use in a single image, controlling the balance between shadowed and illuminated parts of the image. The unique benefit of this option is the ability to balance the placement of intermediate tones on the scale between dark and light. For example, let’s open the image shown in Fig. as the source image. 74. Click on the button Histogram Adjustment(Histogram Correction) toolbar Photo(Photo) or call the team Adjust=>Brightness and Contrast=>Histogram Adjustment(Adjust=>Brightness and Contrast=>Histogram Correction). Let's configure the histogram parameters in accordance with Fig. 75. The main thing here is not to overdo it, since for most images real improvement in quality is only possible when increasing the gamma correction no higher than 30% at higher values the pictures will look faded. As a result, the photograph will become noticeably lighter and many initially hidden details of the image will appear (Fig. 76).
There is another way - adjusting the levels. Typically, this option is resorted to when the above methods are ineffective and only lead to unnatural lightening of the image, without revealing temporarily hidden darkened details. This situation also occurs in the photograph shown in Fig. 77. In particular, attempts to adjust her histogram do not give the desired effect, and we, for example, absolutely need to highlight the contours of a girl for photomontage. So let's use the command Adjust=>Brightness and Contrast=>Levels(Adjust=>Brightness and Contrast=>Levels). Let's set the level parameters approximately in accordance with Fig. 78 the essence of the actions when lightening a photograph is what is necessary at the level Input Levels(Input levels) move the gray slider to the left. After this, the photograph will also become noticeably lighter and many initially hidden details of the image will also appear on it (Fig. 79).
Approximately the same result can be obtained by simply using the command Brightness/Contrast(Brightness and Contrast). Let's take as the original image the same photograph shown in Fig. 77, and use the command Adjust=>Brightness and Contrast=>Brightness/Contrast(Adjustment=>Brightness and Contrast=>Brightness/Contrast) by adjusting the parameters according to Fig. 80. The result obtained is presented in Fig. 81.
Restoring old and faded photos
Over time, photographs age, fade, and become faded. The mode is designed to restore the color gamut and optimize it in faded photographs. Fade Correction(Fading Correction), which is the easiest way to restore the lost look of photos: it restores, corrects and balances the colors of images, and also automatically adjusts brightness and contrast.
For example, let’s open a rather faded photograph (Fig. 82), click on the button Fade Correction(Fading Correction) in the toolbar Photo(Photograph) and experimentally establish the correction value (for example, as in Fig. 83). The colors will be restored, and the image may look like in Fig. 84.
When restoring old photographs, which often have bends, cracks, scratches and other similar defects, things are much more complicated. If these defects are present, it is necessary to painstakingly retouch the photograph using the cloning method, which we learned about in one of the previous lessons. But the techniques we discussed in this lesson can significantly speed up the work and ensure a better result. True, there are no standard techniques here, and for each old photo you will have to select your own ways to restore it.
Quite often, in such situations, photo correction in one step can help at the first stage, allowing you to quickly restore color balance, brightness, contrast and saturation. Let's open Fig. as an example. 85 and use the command One Step Photo Fix(One Step Photo Correction) from the pop-up list Enhance Photo(Photo enhancement). The result obtained is impressive (Fig. 86). To some extent, the situation can be improved by adjusting the levels. To do this, use the command Adjust=>Brightness and Contrast=>Levels(Adjustment=>Brightness and Contrast=>Levels) and adjust the levels parameters approximately in accordance with Fig. 87 as a result, the picture will be slightly brightened and it will be possible to make out part of the inscription in its lower part (Fig. 88). Now you need to improve the clarity of the image. The most convenient way to do this is using the command Clarify(Clarification) Adjust=>Brightness and Contrast=>Clarifi(Adjust=>Brightness & Contrast=>Clarify), which allows you to enhance your photos without the contrasting details common to sharpening effects (Figures 89 and 90). This command is very convenient for restoring both old blurry photographs and photographs taken in poor or diffuse lighting. And then you will have to act manually and remove scratches and traces of dust and dirt.
Rice. 86. Image appearance after automatic photo correction in one step
Now let's look at another situation (Fig. 91) - here we will have to take a slightly different path. First, we will also, if possible, restore the color balance, brightness, contrast and saturation with the team One Step Photo Fix(Fig. 92). And then, in order to somehow clarify individual details of the image, we will increase its contrast using the command Automatic Contrast Enhancement(Auto Contrast Enhance) from the pop-up list Enhance Photo(Photo Enhancement) with the parameters shown in Fig. 93. The result obtained is presented in Fig. 94. If after this you apply again One Step Photo Fix, then the clarity of the lines will increase even more and individual fragments of the icon will become more distinct (Fig. 95). The only thing that can still improve the situation and make the picture of the icon more legible is increasing the sharpness of the image. There are three commands you can use in Paint Shop Pro for this purpose: Sharpen(Sharpen) Sharpen More(Aggravate more) and Unsharp Mask(Sharpness Mask) from the menu Adjust=>Sharpness(Adjustment=>Sharpness). In this case, after using the command Adjust=>Sharpness=>Sharpen(Adjustment=>Sharpness=>Sharpen) the picture took the form shown in Fig. 96.
Rice. 92. Image appearance after the first automatic photo correction in one step
Rice. 94. Image appearance after automatic contrast enhancement
Rice. 95. Image appearance after the second automatic photo correction in one step