<p>Improve 5 Photos (that YOU have taken during this class) using any combination of the following techniques but use at least 5 different techniques. Save both the original and the improved versions in a folder labeled “improve.” Remember, everything does not work for every photo. </p><p>If necessary, crop your photo using the CROP tool on the left tool palette. This can help remove a distracting background. Remember the composition rules.</p><p>*Things to try for color balance: click on IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > AUTO LEVELS. Once you have done that, back to adjustments and this time select AUTO CONTRAST. And again, under adjustments, run AUTO COLOR. *Under the image menu, CONTRAST and BRIGHTNESS may improve the image if it only needs a small change.</p><p>*To lighten or darken specific areas, use the BURN and DODGE tools on the left palette. Generally, the larger the brush, the more naturally blended it looks. Be sure to specify the brush exposure and choose shadows, midtones, or highlights.</p><p>*After you have tried these, bring up the curves palette with Ctrl+M or open CURVES through the image menu. Drag the diagonal line until you get the balance that you like. Be careful. It is easy to go too far.</p><p>*On your main image layer, click the FILTER menu. Open the SHARPEN sub- menu and run UNSHARP MASK. 100%. choose one to two pixels and two to ten threshold levels to make your images look much sharper. You can probably only do this once, before the image becomes too pixelated. Sharpen can only do so much.</p><p>*Use Image > Adjustments > Curves (Ctrl-M) and click the Auto button (this finds the lightest part of the selection/layer and makes it white and finds the darkest part of the selection/layer and makes it black). Further contrast can be added by creating an ‘S’ shape out of the curve. </p><p>*To save a seriously underexposed photo, make a duplicate layer. From the menu in layers, choose screen. To save a seriously overexposed photo, make a duplicate layer and from the layers menu choose multiply.</p><p>Don't overdo it. Sometimes adding too many effects to a photo can ruin the photo completely. Don’t torture it. The viewer will be focused on the effect(s) rather than the subject of the photo. </p>