Picture Perfect: Photography Tips
Troubleshooting tips for 9 common problems
If this happens:
The horizon isn’t straight
Try this:
Level it with the Image Rotate Custom (or Arbitrary) tool
If this happens:
You wanted black-and-white, not color
Try this:
Try the Remove Color or Desaturate command. Advanced methods: www.bythom.com/bandw.htm
If this happens:
You need a bigger image than your camera produced
Try this:
Use your editing software’s Resize Image Size command
If this happens:
The images completely disappeared from the card or your hard drive
Try this:
Retrieve the files with PhotoRescue (www.datarescue.com/photorescue)
If this happens:
The pictures don’t look sharp
Try this:
Use the Unsharp Mask tool (from the Filter menu). Try 100, .8, and 0 (or 50, 4, 4) as the values. Advanced methods: www.bythom.com/sharpening.htm
If this happens:
The color never looks right on your computer screen
Try this:
Look at the color management settings for your editing software and make sure that it’s set to “Web” or “sRGB”
If this happens:
The color looks off in the lab prints
Try this:
Purchase a color profile for your lab at www.drycreekphoto.com
If this happens:
The color varies from your screen to your ink-jet prints
Try this:
Assuming you know your screen is accurate, check the settings in your printer’s device driver. Or consult an online forum like those at www.dpreview.com