Step 10 - saturation and contrast
Instantly give your photos a boost by altering the
saturation and contrast. Using the two simple slider controls found under
Tools>Adjust Color, experiment and see how your image is improved. Remember
to keep the effect subtle to look realistic!
Step 10
Step 11 – tinting with the eyedropper
Correct minor colour casts with the Tint slider in the
Adjust Color palette. To ensure the colour is applied naturally, click onto the
eyedropper icon next to the Tint slider, click onto a natural colour within
your image then move the slider a small amount.
Step 11
Step 12 – colour conversion
Convert your photos to black and white or sepia using the
sliders in the Adjust Colour palette. To convert to black and white, first
desaturate by moving the Saturation slider left then boost the Contrast slider.
Play with the Sepia slider for a traditional effect.
Step 12
Step 13 – magnifier tool
Zooming in and out of images and checking their quality can
quickly get boring, but in Preview there is a fast way to do this. Go to
Tools>Show Magnifier and move this circular zoom tool around to view
details. To hide, simply click Tools>Hide Magnifier.
Step 13
Step 14 – opening RAW files
The newer your Mac OS X, the more RAW file formats it can
open. Newer cameras may not be supported with older versions of Preview. With
files open go to Tools>Show Inspector and all of the file information will
be shown, including camera model used.
Step 14
Step 15 – extract an object
To extract an object from its background, click the Select
drop-down menu. You can select by drawing around an object with the Lasso or
Smart Lasso, or follow our guide on p56 to using Instant Alpha. You’ll be left
with an active selection – just hit delete.
Step 15
Preview in detail - fine-tune your photographs
Preview contains a great selection of the most useful
photo-retouching functions that people new to editing require
Contrast
Moving this slider right a small amount will boost the depth
of your photo for great results
Exposure
Fix your under or overexposed photos by adjusting this
simple slider
Histogram
Under the histogram sits three pointers, slide these to
alter the Levels within the photo
Auto levels
Auto correction saves time, however it’s not as accurate as
your own eye
Saturation
This feature can remove or boost colours in a photo. A quick
and simple way to convert to black and white
Sepia
A traditional effect still used by many. Try it out on
portraits or wedding photographs
Temperature
This tool adds a warm or cool tint to your whole image,
perfect for summer snaps
Tint
Banish colour casts by sampling a neutral colour in the
photo with the eyedropper
Reset all
If you’re unhappy with your edits, this button will revert
back to the original photo
Sharpness
Improve the quality of your image with this slider. Small
tweaks make a big difference
The Instant Alpha tool – use this simple technique to delete unwanted
backgrounds
Step 1
Click the select button located in the toolbar and from the
drop-down menu choose Instant Alpha. This tool works by selecting pixels of
similar tones and placing them into an active selection.
Step 1
Step 2
To select pixels, click onto the background and drag over a
tiny area, you may want to zoom in closer for better accuracy. An active
selection will appear with some of the background in it.
Step 2
Step 3
Hit delete and the background will vanish, repeat the
process, dragging the tool over small areas of pixels and hitting delete. Zoom
in and work slowly around the edges of the object.
Step 3
Create slideshows in preview
Preview has an in-built slideshow feature and it allows you
to use images that you have stored in your iPhoto library or from elsewhere on
your computer. Open up the images you wish to display proudly, then it’s as
simple as pressing a button and watching the show.
Step 1 – set your preferences
Before opening any images, open up the program and click on
Preview in the top bar, then go to Preferences. In this dialog window check ‘Open
all files in one window’.
Step 1
Step 2 - Open you files
Go to File>Open, then in the sidebar of the dialog box go
to Media>Photos. Here you can select images from iPhoto. Cmd + click which
images you want to open and hit Enter.
Step 2
Step 3 - View your photos
With your images open, there’s no need to highlight the
photos, just go to View>Slideshow and watch your photos display full-screen.
Play around with the controls to suit.
Step 3
