DECEMBER 2004 MA XIMUMPC 77
CORRECT YOUR PHOTOS
One of the most common digital
camera problems is underexpo-
sure. Underexposure happens when
the camera’s sensor doesn’t detect
enough light from some or all of the
subject. Luckily, you can easily fix it.
In LView , select Color > Histograms.
In the resulting window, your image’s
tonal range is represented as a moun-
tain-like graph known as a histogram;
black image data (shadows, dark col-
ors) takes up the left region, gray data
(shrubs, brick) resides in the middleregion, while white data (white clouds,
light colors) sits on the right side.
To fix your exposure, check the
Image Preview box and then move the
white data slider (the white triangle)
to the left to brighten the highlights to
your liking. Move the gray slider left
to brighten the midrange, or right to
darken it. When you’re satisfied, click
OK. (In the sample image at the right,
we brightened the highlights and then
darkened the midrange a bit to punch
up our picture of the bamboo stalks.)1 ) BRIGHTEN EXPOSURE
Fixing underexposed images is simple
using LView’s Histogram tool.To fix an off-color image, select
Color > Adjustments. In the result-
ing window, select Red, Green,
and Blue to display the RGB slider
controls. Which slider or sliders
you use depends on what colors
you’re trying to alter. The Red slider
alters cyan (move left) and red
(move right), the Green slider alters
magenta (move left) and green
(move right), and the Blue slider
alters yellow (move left) and blue
(move right).To fix, say, a green-tinged
image (like our example), click
the Green slider button to display
the slider and move the nubbin
left until things look better in the
Preview window. Click Apply to
view the change on your real image.
Continue in this manner with other
sliders (if needed). To fine-tune
changes, use any color’s up or down
arrow buttons. Once your color
looks right, click Close.2 ) FIX FUNKY COLOR
It doesn’t happen often, but if you accidentally
shoot an off-color image, you can easily fix it by
toning down the offending colors manually.No matter how kick-ass a photographer
you are, your photos can benefit from a
little photo fix. Whether your images need
major resuscitation or just a light sprucing,
there are plenty of image editors that get
the job done. Here, we show you some
quick fixes to common problems, using
LView Pro 2004, a great (and cheap) all-in-
one image processor. Other image editors
function similarly, but you may have to dig
into the documentation to figure out how
a specific feature works if you use anotherapp. Note: Before you start editing your
photos, create a copy on which you can
practice your touchups. You don’t want to
jeopardize the original.All images benefit from a little sharpening. You
can greatly improve fuzzy images and boost the
detail in images you’re already satisfied with. To
sharpen blurry images, select Color > Filters to
open the Image Filters window.
If your image looks pretty good, select
Sharpen for basic, light sharpening, and click
Apply. If an image is slightly blurry, select
Sharpen More, and click Apply. If your image is
more than a little blurry, select Edge Enhance;
if it’s extremely blurry, select Edge Enhance
More—or bail on the mess and call it art. Then
click Close.3 ) SHARPEN THE FUZZ
Sometimes fuzzy images are a good thing, but most images can use a
little sharpening. To fix up blurry images, use the Sharpen filter.
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