Aug 17, 2007
Digital Photos 101
Newsletter #32
Newsletter

Hi,

We're definitely in the dog days of summer...in fact the only time I can even walk my dog right now is around 6am, while it is still cool enough, or her tongue is hanging after just a short distance.

Now that we are deep into August, you've probably accumulated lots of vacation, picnic and barbeque photos, etc. So now it's time to get them organized, edited and printed. If you went on a sightseeing vacation and took pictures of interesting or historic buildings, or even caught part of your beach hotel in your shot of the sand and palm trees, you may have some photos that appear distorted. That, is buildings that look rounded at the sides, or a flat brick wall that looks curved. Lens distortion is a common problem when taking architectural photos. You can easily fix distortion with your Photo Editor. I'll tell you how below.

And, if you're confused over which Photo Editor to get, I have compiled a chart of features to help you out. You can read more about it below..

I don't like printing my photos at home because I go through so many ink cartridges. I find it easier to just upload them to an online service and get them delivered in a few days. Snapfish, Shutterfly and Photoworks have free shipping deals right now, as well as other discounts. See the list of photo sales/discounts below on the right.

If you didn't like the way your summer pics turned out, maybe it's time for a new digital camera. You can get some great cameras with high mepapixels and zoom for under $300. Check out my list of top rated point-and-shoot cameras below.


Top Rated Point-and-Shoot Digital Cameras
Photo Tip of the Month: Correcting Lens Distortion
Compare Photo Editing Software Features
Digital Camera & Equipment Sales
Digital Photo Software Sales/Promos
Hot August Photo Printing Services Sales & Promos

Have a great weekend.

Valerie
www.digitalphotos101.com
How to get the best from your digital camera

To access prior newsletters: Click on this link.

top rated digital cameras If you're in the market for a new point-and-shoot digital camera, you may want to consider one of these cameras, all rated as Editor's Choice by PC Magazine:

Canon Powershot SD1000 - 7.1 MP, 3x optical zoom, 105mm telephoto and 2.5 inche LCD screen

Canon Powershot A630 - 8 MP, 4x optical zoom, 140mm telephoto and 2.5 inch LCD screen

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 - 7.2 MP, 10x optical zoom, 280 mm telephoto and 3 inch LCD screen. This camera takes excellent photos and has a powerful zoom lens - plus it's compact. I own the Panasonic DMC FZ7, also a super zoom but a little bigger, and I love it. Panasonic makes great cameras but doesn't get the buzz that Canon does.

You can find all these cameras at Amazon.com or Ritz Camera, where you can get free shipping and pay no sales tax.


Having trouble figuring out which photo editor to buy? The most important issues to consider are:

  • How much you want to organize your photos? Do you want to rate them and categorize them to make it easier to find certain images, or just keep them on your computer in a file folder by date or general topic?
  • Do you want to do a lot of editing and enhancing or make quick fixes like red-eye removal and cropping?
  • What do you want to do with your images when you are done? Just print them, or create fancy slide shows, calendars and photo books?

All editors are pretty good at the basics, but if you want special enhancer/ correction tools, advanced organization capabilities, or a bigger variety of options for distributing or sharing your photos, such as calendars, slideshows or web site creation functions, there may be certain programs that will better fit your needs than others. I've put together a comparison of some popular photo editors to help you figure out which best suits your style.

Good question. In fisheye distortion, straight lines appear to curve, especially at the edges of the frame, like it is wrapped around a sphere. With barrel distortion the photo appears to bulge outwards from the center. In pincushion distortion the photo appears to shrink inwards toward the center.

To correct distortion:

This example is with Photoshop Elements 5

Under the Filter menu select Correct Camera Distortion function. The Correct Camera Distortion tool opens your image with a full-screen dialog box with controls for distortion, vignette and horizontal and vertical perspective control. Set the options as described below, per your photo:

Remove Distortion - Drag the slider to the left or right to remove lens distortion.

Vignette - You can eliminate the shadowy corners caused by a lens or lens hood by sliding the Vignette amount up or down and darker or lighter).

Perspective Control

Horizontal Perspective - Drag the slider to the left or right to identify the center of the image on the horizontal axis.

Vertical Perspective- Drag the slider to the left or right to identify the center of the image on the vertical axis.

Angle - Drag the slider to the degree where your image appears straight.

Show Grid

Select this option (at bottom of dialog box) if you want to display a grid over the photo while you correct distortion. This is helpful if you want to see whether objects in the photo are straight.

 
 


Shutterfly.com

 

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