boost – Learn Picasa and Google Photos!

The Picture your Camera Captures vs. the Picture Picasa can Give You

Oct 022014

Here is the picture my camera captured:

After Crop, Boost, Increase Shadows, and Graduated Tint, here is the picture that Picasa can show me:

It’s a subtle difference, but it makes all the difference. The second picture is what I remember seeing. The beginning of a crimson sunset, with the dramatic Morro Rock in the distance and the natural beauty of green grasses and and other dune vegetation in the foreground.

Watch this 3 minute video to see just how easy this transformation is with Picasa.

You can undo any editing feature that you use, so don’t be afraid to experiment. That’s the beauty of Picasa, you can try as many of the editing buttons as you want and see which ones you like. Don’t like it? Just Undo.

As part of our Geeks on Tour Learning Library, we have nearly 100 tutorial videos on all aspects of Picasa. Here are links to just a few. Notice the ones that say “free” anyone can watch. To watch them all, you need to be a member of Geeks on Tour.

Give your pictures a little Boost

Edit/Improve Photos, Picasa 1 Response »

Feb 062014

Have you ever played with the tools on Picasa’s last tab? There are a lot of fun effects here. The first one is called Boost. Just a single click will make your picture pop! Actually, it may pop so much it hurts your eyes! So, we recommend toning it down a bit by using the slider. When you first click on Boost, it increases color and contrast to the 50% mark on the slider. If you drag it back to 15 or 20% we think you’ll get a much more reasonable effect.

Too Much Color and Contrast

Take a look at this picture, it’s a bit overdone don’t you think? This is what you get with just one click of the Boost button. Notice the image of the slider, the strength is set right in the middle.

Too little Color and Contrast

This is the Original:

Just Right Color and Contrast

Now, here’s what it looks like if you click on Boost, but just back off on the Strength Slider a bit. I think this picture is just right. The grass is a luscious green, the sky is a sun-drenched blue and the shadows of the palms are more distinct. It makes the original look a little muddy by comparison, yet it doesn’t look too unreal. Just click Apply, and you’re done!

There are lots more fun and easy editing tools. If you are a Geeks on Tour Member, you can watch these videos that will demonstrate all of the editing tools:

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Geeks on Tour is a membership website with hundreds of Tutorial Videos on topics of interest to travelers, such as managing digital photos with Picasa, using Smartphones, Route-Planning with Streets and Trips, and sharing your travels with a website using Blogger or with friends on Facebook. You can subscribe to our free e-newsletters, or become a paid member and be able to view all of the videos in the Learning Library.