Which image editor?

For those new to digital image editing, we recommend Picasa. Photoshop Elements is the next step up.

• Picasa is free, so everyone who wants can install their own copy.
• Photoshop Elements costs around £50 from Amazon, but if you are interested in trying it, start by downloading the free 30 day trial.
• more on image editors

Golden Rules

ALWAYS make a backup copy on a different drive

If something goes wrong, you can go back to the original.

You may find it useful to rename images before making backups.

Backups must be on a different drive from the originals, otherwise both will be lost when the drive fails, as inevitably it will eventually.

The main options are

• an external hard drive
• CDs or DVDs
• an online backup service

ALWAYS work on a full-size copy of the original image

The editing process makes permanent changes to images. If you make a mistake and have overwritten the original, there is no way back. If you are working on a copy, you can start again.

Picasa automatically manages this aspect, making a copy of any image it edits and restoring the original if the edits are cancelled. Nevertheless, it remains good practice to work on a copy, even if you plan only to use Picasa.

See also how to copy images

Editing Steps

With any image editor, keep to a definite order of adjustments to ensure that nothing is forgotten and to make it obvious what to do next. The following list is a good starting point for basic editing. Omit any steps you don't need.

• Rotate 'Portrait' images if necessary
• Straighten horizon
• Crop
• Correct colour
• Remove blemishes
• Remove red eye
• Adjust tonal balance
• Sharpen
• Add text

Always apply these steps to your best photos.

With Picasa, click 'I'm feeling lucky' for a first attempt. If the result isn't satisfactory, try tuning the result with individual controls.

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