Making basic photo corrections automatically

If you are not sure what adjustments to make to a photo, you can apply either the One Step Photo Fix command or the Smart Photo Fix command and see if you like the results. The One Step Photo Fix command automatically applies a predetermined set of color balancing and sharpening corrections to your photo — all you need to do is select the command. If you want the option of fine-tuning the same corrections before applying them, you can use the Smart Photo Fix command.

You can use the One Step Photo Fix command to improve the exposure and color balance of images quickly and easily.

The Smart Photo Fix feature gives you control over the amount and type of corrections applied to an image.

The advanced options of the Smart Photo Fix feature let you adjust color balance by identifying the neutral areas in the photo (black, gray, and white), which are used as sampling points. The advanced options also let you modify the darkest and lightest pixels of the photo without affecting the photo’s color balance.

Neutral sampling points identified by using the advanced options of the Smart Photo Fix command

To apply basic corrections with One Step Photo Fix

Edit workspace

•

Choose Adjust

One Step Photo Fix.

After a brief pause, several basic corrections are applied to your photo.

The corrections applied are identical to what would be applied by accepting the suggested settings of the Smart Photo Fix feature.

If you are not satisfied with the changes made to your photo, choose Edit

Undo. Then, choose Adjust

Smart Photo Fix, and adjust the available settings. You can also try using other Adjust menu commands, such as Brightness and Contrast

Curves or Brightness and Contrast

Levels.

To fine-tune basic corrections with Smart Photo Fix

Edit workspace

Choose Adjust

Smart Photo Fix.

The Smart Photo Fix dialog box appears. In the upper portion of the dialog box, the Before pane shows the original photo. The After pane shows how the photo would appear after applying the suggested set of basic adjustments.

Perform one or more tasks from the following table, and click OK.


To	Do the following
Brighten or darken the photo	In the Brightness group box, type or set a value in the Overall, Shadows, and Highlights controls, or adjust their corresponding sliders. Note: Positive settings brighten the photo, and negative settings darken the photo.
Increase or decrease saturation	Type or set a value in the Saturation control, or adjust the slider. Note: Positive settings make colors more vibrant; negative settings make colors less vibrant.
Sharpen the edges of the photo	Type or set a value in the Focus control, or adjust the slider.

You can reset all settings to their initial values by clicking Suggest Settings, or to null settings by clicking the Reset to Default button

To use advanced settings of the Smart Photo Fix feature, mark the Advanced Options check box.

To use the advanced options of Smart Photo Fix

Edit workspace

In the Smart Photo Fix feature dialog box, mark the Advanced Options check box.

Additional controls appear in the dialog box.

Perform one or more tasks from the following table, and click OK.


To	Do the following
Use sampling points for color balancing	Mark the Color Balance check box. The photo’s neutral areas (black, gray, and white) are identified in the Before pane. Note: Some photos have no black, gray, or white areas, so no sampling points are identified.
Ignore the photo’s sampling points	Unmark the Color Balance check box. Re-marking the check box restores the sampling points.
Add sampling points	Click areas in the Before pane that should be black, gray, or white. The After pane is updated.
Delete a sampling point	Click the sampling point in the Before pane. Both the Before and After panes are updated.
Darken the darkest pixels in the photo	Drag the Black slider to the right, or specify a value in the control beside the slider.
Lighten the lightest pixels in the photo	Drag the White slider to the right, or specify a value in the control beside the slider.

To avoid introducing errors in color balance when you add sampling points, do not click any color other than black, white, or gray (for example, do not click a region that you know is blue). Click only the points that you know should be black, white, or gray.

Sampling points cannot be dragged or moved.

The histogram is for display only — you cannot drag or adjust any part it. The gray portion represents the original (Before) photo, and the red overlay portion reflects the adjustments. The black triangle moves in tandem with the Black slider, and the white triangle moves in tandem with the White slider. For more information about the Histogram, see Adjusting brightness, contrast, and clarity.