Once you've taken that digital image, you don't just have to clean it up in your editing software and print. Have fun! With these simple steps, you can turn a basic photo into a masterpiece to share with family or hang on the wall.
You don't have to be Van Gogh to deliver quality art prints. Software programs out there make it downright easy to alter your photos. With a little practice, you can add cool effects, paint on the photos and do other great tricks.
If you’re like me, you like to give some of your photos as gifts. Maybe someone you know is having a birthday or anniversary. And you know, grandparents always love new photos of the grandchild. Giving your photos as gifts can be a lot of fun and you’re able to release and show some of your creative ability.
There are a lot of different software programs out there that can help you make your photos into works of art. Adobe Photoshop Elements is a nice program for beginners. It's easy to use, and it has plenty of photo editing options. There are also several other programs that include special effects and other handy options.
Here are the steps to transorming your pictures into artwork:
- Be absolutely sure you keep your original intact. Before you even open the image, find the file on your harddrive and copy it with a new name that is clearly different than the original. The last thing you want is to lose an original and replace it with some unattractive effect while you were goofing off with the software.
- Take that copy and open in your photo editing software. Play and experiment with the effects. Your original is preserved, and you can always undo an effect you don't like. Most software programs also give you a preview. If there are options for the effects, try dragging the button to both extremes. Sometimes your first glance at an effect looks awful, but if you change the settings a little it is great.
- One of the things I love to do with my photos is make them appear older. Turn them into black and whites, usually with a "remove color" or "grayscale" type of command, and add a little noise with a dash of "film grain." To see the results, click on the photo at the top right for an example of this effect.
- Try pairing other effects. For instance, the third image when you click at the top right shows Bordeaux Cathedral again. This time, I clicked on "find edges," and then solarized. You can stop with one effect, but sometimes a second effect adds just the right pizzaz.
- You can truly make your photo appear like art with certain artistic effects, such as varying brushtrokes, charcoal pencil effects, and so on. These can especially need fine tuning, so experiment heavily to find the right settings and the right effect.
- Don't be afraid to just paint that image. You can set the paintbrush for any opacity you want. You could turn a photo black and white, then put a sheer color, for instance, over the eyes, lips and hair.
- There are also several affects that distort, change the lighting or add some sort of tiles or mosaics to images. These can be especially useful with very colorful images, such as nature pictures of photos of flowers.
So have fun, and try whatever you feel like. If the first image doesn't turn out the way you like, keep practicing. Maybe you'll be known as the picture Picasso in your family!
