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How to Fix a Flaw for Photos

It can be frustrating to upload a series of pictures you took while on vacation only to discover that they are marked by countless flaws. Excessive grain (called noise in digital photos), dust marks, red eye and underexposed or overexposed results can turn otherwise great shots into forgettable files. There are a variety of image editing programs which can help fix these annoying problems and produce the polished, high-quality result you imagined while pressing the shutter.

Things You'll Need

Image editing software

Instructions

- 1
  Open your image(s) in the editing software of your choice.
- 2
  Compensate for poor framing with the "Crop" tool. Select it from the software's toolbar and drag your cursor over the part of the image you wish to preserve.
- 3
  Correct distortion or vignetting, commonly caused by wide-angle lenses, using a lens correction filter. This option can be accessed by clicking "Filter" from the software's top drop-down menu.
- 4
  Smooth excessive grain or noise with the Noise Reduction filter. A scrollbar will appear, allowing you to choose how smooth the resulting image should be.
- 5
  Adjust the brightness and contrast of the image if it is too bright or too dark. In most programs, select "Image > Adjustments" to access these tools. Move your cursor along the scrollbar that appears to increase or decrease brightness and contrast.
- 6
  Remove specks of dust, a facial blemish or other unwanted details from your image with the Clone Stamp tool. This tool works by sampling a portion of the image and pasting it over the area you wish to cover up. Hold the "Alt" key, click the sampling area and release the key. Paint over the dust or blemish.
- 7
  Eliminate retina reflection, often caused by an on-camera flash, using your software's Red Eye Removal tool. This feature automatically detects eye location and allows you to choose the size of the pupil and the color of the surrounding iris.

Photography