Photoshop Elements 7: The Missing Manual

Chapter 9. Retouching: Fine-Tuning Your Images

Basic edits like exposure fixes and sharpening are fine if all you want to make are simple adjustments. But Elements also gives you the tools to make sophisticated changes that aren’t hard to apply, and that can make the difference between a hohum photo and a fabulous one. This chapter introduces you to some advanced editing maneuvers that will greatly help either rescue damaged photos or give good ones that little extra zing.

The first part of the chapter shows how to get rid of blemishes—not only those that affect skin, but also dust, scratches, stains, and other photographic imperfections. You’ll also learn some powerful color-improving techniques, including the Color Curves tool, which offers a great way to improve your image’s contrast and color.

Fixing Blemishes

It’s an imperfect world, but in your photos, it doesn’t have to be. Elements gives you some amazing tools for fixing your subject’s flaws: Erase crow’s feet and blemishes, eliminate power lines in an otherwise perfect view, or even hide objects you wish weren’t in your photo. Not only that, but these same tools are great for fixing problems like tears, folds, and stains—the great foes of photoscanning veterans. With a little effort, you can bring back photos that seem beyond help. Figure 9-1 shows an example of the kind of restoration you can accomplish with a little persistence and Elements.

Figure 9-1. You can do some amazing repair work with Elements if you have the patience. ...