Photoshop® Elements 8 All-in-One For Dummies®

Chapter 2. Correcting Lighting, Color, and Clarity

In This Chapter

• Understanding the Histogram panel

• Adjusting lighting, color, and clarity

• Working with the Smart Brush tools

If you've tried the quick automatic fixes on your photos but they didn't correct them to your satisfaction, this chapter should be of some help. Fortunately, Elements offers multiple ways and multiple levels of correcting and enhancing your images. If an auto fix doesn't work, elevate to a manual fix. Chances are that if you can't find the tools to correct and repair your images in Elements, those images are probably beyond salvaging.

Using this chapter and the information provided in Chapter 1 of this minibook as your jumping-off points, try to employ some kind of logical workflow when you tackle the correction and repair of your images. Personally, we're partial to the following series of steps:

1. Crop, straighten, and resize your images, if necessary.

2. After you have the images in their proper physical state, correct the lighting and establish good tonal range for your shadows, highlights, and midtones in order to display the greatest detail possible.

   Often, just correcting the lighting solves minor color problems. If not, move on to adjusting the color balance.

3. Eliminate any colorcasts and adjust the saturation, if necessary.

4. Grab the retouching tools, such as the healing tools and filters, to retouch any flaws.

5. Sharpen your image if you feel that it could use a boost in clarity and sharpness.

6. Apply any enhancements or ...