- Enhancing and Editing Photos
- Using Common Photo Editing Tools Built in to Smartphone and Tablet Apps
- Using the Photo Editing and Enhancement Apps On Your Device
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Using the Photo Editing and Enhancement Apps On Your Device
Now that you know what’s possible using some of the more common photo editing and enhancement tools, let’s take a brief look at the Photos app that comes preinstalled on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, so you can see where these and other tools are located, and how to access them. (The information included here can be adapted to Windows Mobile devices.)
Edit with the iOS Photos App
To begin using the Photos app on an iPhone or iPad (running iOS 8.2) to edit or enhance an image, follow these steps:
Tap the Photos app from the Home screen.
Select the album that contains the photo you want to work with.
Tap on the image you want to work with to view it on the iPhone or iPad’s screen.
Tap on the Edit option displayed in the top-right corner of the screen to access the app’s photo editing and image enhancement tools.
Tap on the Enhancement tool to enable it and see its effect. (When the feature is turned on, the Enhancement tool icon turns blue.)
- Tap on the Crop tool icon to access the Crop tool, Image Straightening tool, Rotation tool, and Aspect Ratio menu. Notice that a white frame appears around the image.
- To use the Crop tool use your finger to adjust the corners or sides of the frame.
- To use the Straightening tool, place your finger on the Straightening dial below the Crop Frame and slide it sideways, left or right. For demonstration purposes, this image has been adjusted by 20 degrees.
To rotate the image 90 degrees at a time, tap on the Rotation icon.
To adjust the Aspect Ratio of an image, tap on the Aspect Ratio icon, and then select an option from the pop-up menu displayed (not shown).
- Tap on the Filters icon to add an optional special effect filter to your image. The nine filters built in to the Camera app are also available in the Photos app, and one can be added to each image, but the intensity of the filter effect is not adjustable using the Photos app.
Tap on the icon that represents the filter you want to apply to your image, or select the None filter option.
- Tap on the Editing Tools icon to access any of the Photos app’s other editing tools.
Tap on the Light menu option.
Use your finger to move the slider to increase (right) or decrease (left) the intensity of the colors in your image.
Tap the Color menu option.
Use the slider to adjust the color usage in the photo.
Tap on the B&W option to remove the color and create a black-and-white image instead of keeping the image you’re working with in full color.
- Tap on the B&W Menu icon to manually adjust the Intensity, Neutrals (shown), Tone, and Grain tools, one at a time. Each has a slider associated with it.
- Tap on the More icon to access any third-party filters or apps you might have installed that work with the Photos app.
Tap Done when you’re finished editing or enhancing the image to save your changes. The image, with all your edits or enhancements, is saved in whatever album the image came from and, by default, replaces the original version of your image.
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Using the Photos App on an Android Smartphone or Tablet
Android’s Photos app has an array of different tools you can use. This section explores some of the most useful tools. To begin using the Photos app on an Android-based smartphone or tablet to edit or enhance an image, follow these steps:
From the Apps screen, tap on the Photos app icon to launch the app.
From within the albums stored on your mobile device, find and select the image you want to edit or enhance. The single image you select is displayed on the screen.
To edit the image, tap on the pencil-shaped Edit icon.
- Tap the More icon to see its menu options.
From this menu, tap the Revert command at any time to remove all the edits you’ve added to an image and return to its original appearance.
- Tap the Before/After icon after applying a new edit or enhancement to an image to compare the altered image to the original version.
- Scroll horizontally with your finger along the bottom of the screen to view all the editing tools available to you: Auto, Crop, Rotate, Looks, Tune Image, Selective, Details, Vintage, Drama, Black & White, HDR Scape, Retrolux, Center Focus, Tilt Shift, and Frames.
Tap on the Auto Enhancement tool.
- Tap Off, Normal, or High to select a level of enhancement. The High setting uses stronger adjustments than the Normal setting, while none shows the photo without any enhancement.
Tap the check mark icon to save your changes and return to the previous screen.
Tap on the Crop tool.
- Tap and drag on the corners of the frame that appears around the photo to adjust the amount of cropping.
Tap the check mark icon to save your changes.
If you want, tap the Rotation tool to rotate your image 90 degrees.
Tap the clockwise or counterclockwise rotate icons to rotate the photo 90 degrees in that direction.
Tap the check mark icon to save your changes.
- Tap on the Looks tool to apply one of 15 image filters built in to the app. You can only add one Filter to an image.
Tap on the Tune Image tool to change the photo’s Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Shadows, or Warmth. (To adjust these settings place your finger near the center of the image and drag it downward.)
To apply edits or enhancements to one particular part of an image, tap on the Selective icon. Next, tap on the plus-sign icon, and tap on the area of the image you want to work with (such as the focal point of your image.)
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