Instruction manual

81
your editing program’s automatic features in the rare cases where they will be
useful. Just don’t overdo it; each adjustment involves data loss.
The automatic enhancement features of an photo editing program can fix
many problems quickly. Auto enhancement functions of one type or another
are included in nearly every photo editing application. There's no harm in
trying them often, as the “Undo” function allows you to reverse the last editing
action you performed.
Below is a short list of the most common auto enhancement features. As
you try out these features, improving some pictures and having little or no
effect on others, you'll begin to get a feel for diagnosing image quality ills and
prescribing editing cures.
Check your editing program to see which specific features it offers; they
will often be named something similar to the descriptions below. Remember,
don’t be shy about trying an adjustment; if it doesn’t work, just reverse it with
the “Undo” command (and you have previously saved an untouched version
of the photo, haven’t you?).
• Auto brightness and contrast/auto levels. Use auto brightness and
contrast (and the similar auto levels) to fix underexposed (too dark)
photos, as well as ones and with too little contrast which will look dull
and muddy. You can also try it with overexposed photos or those
with too much contrast, but it's a lot less effective for those problems.
• Auto color correct/color cast removal. Use this feature to correct color
casts, such as the overall blue tinge that can afflict a photo taken in
the shade, or the yellow cast of pictures taken indoors without flash.
Auto color correction is less reliable than auto levels, but that's mostly
because color correction is inherently tricky. One of the trickier
aspects of color correction is the fact that some of the most
spectacular pictures look best with their color cast left intact, or even
enhanced. Automatic color correction may remove the warmth of the
color, when the warmth is what makes the picture look its best. Not
all pictures are meant to be free of color casts; the trick is to judge
whether a picture appears most pleasing with its color cast retained or
removed.
NOTE: One more reliable way to adjust colors is by setting the white
point in an image, as long as your photo contains something that is
gray, white or black. In Photoshop Elements, go to Enhance > Adjust
Color > Remove Color Cast. Click on a part of the image that is
clearly gray, white or black and see the automatic result. If it works –
fine; if not, just cancel.
• Auto color enhance/auto hue and saturation. This command
increases the saturation, or vividness, of your picture's colors.
Sometimes the results are great, sometimes not. This is one feature
where the "try it out, undo it if it looks bad" strategy really applies. As
a general rule, you can pump up the vividness of colors the most
when the picture is to be viewed on-screen only. If the picture is to be