Hi,

Here's hoping you're not snowed under! But if the weather has you stuck at home, might as well make the best of it and and catch up on your photo projects. I wanted to share some tips on getting better focus with your photos and fill you in on the best photo service sales.

If you are debating which photo editing and enhancing software to buy, I recommend that you take a serious look at Corel's new Paintshop Photo Pro X3. It offers tons of editing and enhancing tools, it's easy to use and it costs only a fraction of the price of Photoshop without the steep learning curve. Read more about my impressions of Paintshop Photo Pro X3 here.

Top Photo Sales:

Snapfish.com is offering free shipping on everything except prints thru 2/19 with coupon code PRESDAY and Shutterfly.com has free shipping on orders $30+ thru 3/3 (coupon code SHIP30) plus 25% off photo books with coupon SWEET25 thru Feb 17.

Shutterfly is also offering up to 60 free prints if you:
• Create a new Share site (get 30 free prints) or
• Post a video to a Share site (yours or one that you’re a member of -- get 30 free prints) between Feb 9 and March 10, 2010. Creating share sites and posting to them is free.

Kodak Gallery is offering 150 4x6 prints for $15 and 10 cent prints above that thru 2/16. No coupon needed.

More photo sales are listed below.

Tips for Getting Better Focus

Did you take what you thought was a bunch of great photos only to discover when you downloaded them to your computer and saw them full size that many of them appear blurry and out of focus? It happens to all of us. Here are a few tips to help you get better focus.

1. Use the Shutter Half Press - cameras use the half-press to auto-focus the image and set the exposure. If you press the shutter release button halfway down, your camera will look for areas of contrast to focus on, as well as calculate the proper exposure. When your camera has achieved focus you will usually see a green light or an icon indicator. Then go ahead and press the shutter all the way down and take your shot.

2. Use a tripod when possible. This is not always convenient and you might not even own one.
Next best is to set your camera down on a solid surface or brace it against a wall. This will help you avoid camera shake. You can also enable your camera's image stabilizer mode if available.

3. Try to avoid using digital zoom. Photos taken with high digital zoom often have a grainy appearance and "noise."

4. Preview you images on your camera's LCD. Be sure to zoom in when you're in preview mode to double check your focus. All images usually look good when small, but when you get a closer look you may find some are not as sharp as you thought and you can try again.

Corel Paintshop Photo Pro X3

Lots of Image Enhancing and Editing at a Fraction of Photoshop's Cost

Corel Paint Shop Photo Pro X3 was released in January 2010. I think it is easier to use than the popular Photoshop Elements (although not everyone may agree) and it offers more image adjusting and enhancing options. It even offers several features that aren't available in the costly Photoshop (approx $700) for less than $100! There is a comprehensive "help" section to walk you through common photo fixes and enhancements.

I love the one-step Photo Fixer and the tools for adjusting color and exposure. There is also a very good image organizer. Among the new features and options in this release is HD capability, which will be appreciated by SLR camera users who can shoot in HD video. PSP can perform the same photo adjustments as Photoshop Elements and Photoshop, can output in CMYK color and it accepts Photoshop plugins.

While most professionals will still want the power of Photoshop, for the rest of us, Paintshop Photo Pro 3 is an excellent choice.You can read my full review and get more info on Paintshop Photo Pro 3 here. Right now it is on sale at Corel for only $69.99.

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Have a great President's Day Weekend!

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

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