I cannot scrapbook without editing my photos. It has become such a problem that I now have to cart a little photo printer with me whenever I go to a crop! (Or I have to do some serious pre-planning. But, I probably spend between two and twenty minutes per photo). I do all the usual things, like cropping and resizing. But, I also like to play with the curves, levels, colors, etc.
Here are some examples of what you can do in Photoshop:
Here's a simple change from color to black and white. Just use the "desaturate" feature.
You can see in this example that I blurred the background to bring the focus to the couple in the photo. There are many ways to do this, but I like to select the background (using the magnetic lasso tool) and then use the "Gaussian Blur" filter to create the blur.
Here, I've used a "Cooling Filter" - found under "Photo Filters" - and it gives the photo a crisp, clear edge.
On the other end of the spectrum is this "Warming Filter." I think it gives the photo a nostalgic, vintage feel. Almost a little bit sepia.
By far my most used photo editing choice is "Curves." I like to blow out the photo a bit (it's a look I like and is usually flattering to the subjects) and create some contrast.
You can also monkey with the photo using the "Exposure" settings. It really helps boost the color in the photo and strengthen the contrast.
This one is subtle. I've changed the background to black and white and left the couple in color. If you'd like to try this one out, I've got an ancient tutorial (one of the first I ever made) right here.
In this final example, I've gone super Photoshop with the woman's face and neck. Look back and forth between the two photos. I got rid of her wrinkles and blemishes, evened out her skin tone, whitened her teeth, and even added some makeup to her face.
From quick and easy changes to super detailed re-dos, Photoshop is a great resource for making the most of your photos! My favorite of these edits is #6: Exposure. How about you?
xxoo Julie
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