Using Effects in MS Photo Editor

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Using Effects in MS Photo Editor
Technical Demo 1 Library 165 Winter
Quarter Holly Maxim
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Microsoft Photo Editor is found in Microsoft
Office 97. It is a basic photo editing program
for use with the other programs associated with
Office 97 like MS Word, MS Excel, or MS
PowerPoint. My purpose is to demonstrate the
tools within this program which are likely to be
available in other photo-editing programs. My
audience will gain some orientation to the
process and effects that can be used to alter or
modify, in some way, a photo for your own
purposes. Though you may not use this particular
program you will likely run into many of these
features.
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Whatever program you use to edit your photos, the
most important thing to remember is the Undo
button. Working with graphics of any type
requires a lot of trial and error. If you try an
effect and it does not work the way you expected,
look for the Undo button. However, in many
graphics programs the undo button will only go
back one step, to the last task. If you have
performed several changes to your photo and do
not like it, there are other ways to get back to
the original photo. Unfortunately, you do not
want to start all over. So do some planning
about what you want to accomplishand try to get
a picture in mind. Following are two ways to
save the original photo
the Undo button becomes your lifesaver. The
buttons below will light up the minute you do
something to the photo.
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1. Never save anything until you are absolutely
sure it is as you want it. That way you may
return to the original photo at anytime. 2. The
second option is to open the photo as a copy.
You can do this by opening the original and
saving it with a different name like Test or
Practice. When you the photo is just as you
want it, you can save it with the name of the
original file. A box will pop up telling you
that file already exists. Then it will ask you
if you want to replace that file, to which you
answer yes or whatever is appropriate to
replace the file.
This is a handy photo my brother-in-law took with
his digital camera. For our purposes here this
photo will be the subject of multiple changes.
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The open desktop of MS Photo Editor without the
toolbar looks like this
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The open desktop for MS Photo Editor looks like
this with the toolbar on. Notice only a few
items are lit up.
The editor is easier to use with the toolbar as
the buttons act as shortcuts to functions found
in the Image and Effects drop-down menus.
To add the toolbar, click on the View drop-down
menu, then click on Toolbar.
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When you open a photo the desktop will look like
this. Now look at the toolbar - the items are
ready to be used.
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200
Zoom This is especially helpful when working
closely with pixels. Most photo formats treat
photos as a giant organization of colored pixels.
It is at the level of touch-up and alteration
that you would use the zoom at 200 to 800.
600
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The Rotate tool will turn the entire picture a
quarter-turn clockwise with each push of the
button. Examine the two pictures closely and
guess how many turns this picture has been
rotated to give it a different presentation.
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The dialog box shows the color you have selected
and its color composition. It gives options to
erase only that color or to grab colors that are
similar in color composition within a percentage
as shown below. Another option allows you to
adjust the percentage of transparency. Compare
the two boxes. Notice also that there is a
difference between the two colors.
(The cursor turns into the tool as seen above.)
Set Transparent Color tool is a complex tool
that works automatically at the pixel level with
colors. It samples color wherever you place it
and then allows you to erase it from you canvas.
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Original
Using these settings
Results notice the color that is removed. Now
notice the background. The checkerboard only
shows up on the screen for practical purposes.
Transparency is used for situations where you may
want to use an image in a WEB page and want the
image to take on the background of the WEB page.
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TheImage Balance tool allows beautiful changes
to occur for enhancement by 3 settings. Brightness
The Brightness control changes the amount of
white in all colors and shades of gray.
Contrast The Contrast control changes the
difference between adjacent colors or shades of
gray. Gamma The Gamma control changes the
contrast in the dark areas of the image. Play
with them and see what you come up with.
Using these settings
Before
After
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The Sharpen Brush increases the difference
between adjacent gray values as the brush is
dragged across the image. It is best used only
where the subtlest of change will enhance the
graphic. In the Effect pull-down menu is a
Sharpen option. This will be covered later.
The Smudge Brush smears or blends adjacent
colors as the brush is dragged across the image.
Right-clicking both the Sharpen and Smudge
buttons brings up the same dialog box to adjust
the tools. Look at the difference after minor
touches with the Smudge brush below.
After
Before
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On the toolbar, click Zoom.To zoom in, click
the area you want to enlarge. To zoom out, hold
down SHIFT while you click. Zooming this way
allows you to focus exactly where you want to
work. Look at the difference in what you can see
at 50, 100, and 200.
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To select part of an image, click Select on the
toolbar, and then drag over the area you want to
select. This tool can be used to crop a photo,
a very common task when preparing a photo for use
in a document.
Next, click the Image drop-down menu button,
then click Crop.
Now a dialog box pops up with many options.
Notice the new picture that has been created
using the Select tool and the Crop tool.
Using these settings
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Here are different settings producing an oval.
Using these settings
(The internal frame visible in the photo above is
from the Select tool.)
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The Image menu has a number of helpful things to
use Crop Resize Rotate Balance AutoBalance We
have looked at items in red on the tool bar. You
may review those at your own convenience.
Before
After
AutoBalance allows the program to balance the
color in the photo for you. This is a good tool
to use unless you want a special effect. Then you
use the Balance tool.
This is the special effect I got from using the
Image Balance Tool. You may review the dialog box
to see the settings.
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Lets have a look at the Resize item in the
Image menu. I have set the parameters you see in
the dialog box below. Notice the difference in
size and how the picture holds its integrity.
The box allows you to scale the picture into a
different standard Inches Centimeters Pixels
Original The size of your picture may be a
printer issue or an email issue. And, you can
use this tool just to find out how big it is.
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Click on the Effects drop-down menu. Now click
on Sharpen. Below is what the pop-up dialog
box looks like.
After
Before
Using these settings
Click the Negative button and see the the
dialog box. Notice the results from both effects
on the original photo.
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Click on Edge. Using the setting below notice
the result. It has a heathery look.
Now try Chalk Charcoal. This dialog box
offers a preview so you can adjust in the box
before applying the effect. Unless you want a
special default effect this may not be used very
often.
These effects are extraordinary compared to the
original photo.
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One of my favorite effects is Emboss. The
effect brings up the same dialog box you saw
with Chalk and Charcoal. Again, use the preview
button while you make adjustments until you find
the settings you like. The settings you see in
the above dialog box have achieved this look.
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This effect is called Graphic Pen. Graphic
Pen uses the same dialog you have seen before.
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Notepaper
Watercolor
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Stained Glass
Stamp
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The last of the items in the Effects drop-down
menu on MS Photo Editor is called Texturizer.
Notice that this dialog box is different. In the
Effects Control you will find textures
like BrickBurlapCanvasSandstone
Notice some of the other differences in the
dialog box. Using these settings brings this
result
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The End