32 IDEA TO IMAGE
Jump into Easy Image
Enhancements
Question: Do you know the difference between a professional photogra-
pher and an amateur?
Answer: A pro never has to show his or her outtakes.
Although that photographer joke is mostly true, I thought I’d share one of
my outtakes with you, with the goal of illustrating how easy it is to turn an
outtake into a keeper.
My original shot of a horse and rider has a few
problems: It’s lopsided, there’s too much dead
space, the colors are dull, you can’t see the
rider’s face clearly, and the dark horse looks,
well, too dark (
Figure 2.1). Other than that, it’s
a great shot!
I made a copy of the original so I could work
on the copy. My fi rst step was to crop and
straighten the image (
Figure 2.2).
In Photoshop, an easy way to straighten an
image is to go to Filter> Distort > Lens Cor-
rection and then rotate the Angle (by clicking
the line inside the wheel) until your image is
straight (
Figure 2.3).
In the same window, you can also straighten an
image by using the Straighten tool. Select the
tool, drag it along a level line in the scene, and
then release your mouse (or stylus) (
Figure 2.4).
If you’re working in Camera Raw (which I
always do fi rst), you can use the Straighten tool
(press A: Mac or Win) in the same manner just
described. Doing so crops and straightens the
image.
쑼 FIGURE 2.1
Tech info: Canon EOS 1D
Mark II, Canon 28-105mm
lens @ 50mm. Exposure:
1/500 sec. @ f/8. ISO 400.
FIGURE 2.2