Photo Software Adds Spark to Your Pix
You don’t have to be a genius to work Merlin-like magic with your photographic images. If you have a computer, even a basic knowledge of computer hacking can net you some fantastic digital results. Here’s how.
   Just slip a photo CD-ROM into your computer’s player and call up your favorite photographic image. Then click on the edit menu and examine your options. The free software included with your photo CD ROM is powerful enough to allow you to crop your photos—cutting out those "dead" areas of the scene you hadn’t wanted to include in the first place. It will also allow you to touch-up red-eye (that annoying problem that comes from shooting people with electronic flash), lighten or darken the overall photo, change or intensify colors, and even sharpen overall focus!
   Then, once your photos are exactly the way you want them, make them even better by adding appropriate captions, dates, and comments. You can even incorporate cute graphics and borders—whatever you choose--from the software’s library.
   Finally, feel free to "play" with your imaging. The software will allow you to bend and stretch your images, make multiple images (called photomontages), and even turn your images into classic-looking sepia-like creations. For more advanced editing options, check out Adobe’s PhotoDeluxe or Corel’s Photo-Paint 8.
   And remember: it’s as easy as checking a box on your next photo order when you take your film to your local photo processor.
   With just a little practice, you’ll soon be the creative photographer you always knew you were.