One of my New Year’s resolutions is to start joining challenges sponsored by local websites and/or retailers. I thought it would be a good opportunity to polish my craft, discover my personal style, and push my creativity a notch higher. Winning any of the prizes isn’t bad either – an icing to the cake.  If I win, I can use the prize to replenish my stocks.  Talk about motivation!

I’ve already created my layout which I thought is pretty good.  I’ve taken a picture of it, but it turned out to be not as good as the actual layout (see We R Layout.jpg). For one, the colors are dull and there isn’t much contrast.  Also, the actual picture is not a perfect square, it shows other elements like part of our wall and the easel on which I mounted the layout for picture taking. For challenges that do not require the actual paper output, how will I increase my chances of winning when my photo does not do it justice? Don’t fret! Photo Filtre is an easy solution to your layout woes.

Step 1:  Take a good picture of the layout – you can use any camera (mine is a digital point and shoot – you don’t need a high tech SLR here)

Some tips:
Take it out of the sheet protector. Turn off your flash and use natural light (go outside as I did in the sample photo, or take a picture near the window). Mount the layout on the wall to avoid an irregular angle – this will make sue you’ll get a perfect square when you crop it later. Use a tripod and make sure the camera is level with the layout – should not be looking down or up your layout.

Step 2:  Crop your photo to a perfect square
Original Photo: We R Layout.jpg – This is my entry to My Little Attic’s challenge. Notice the wall and easel showing in the picture.  These must be taken out.

• Draw a square as close as possible to your layout; or alternatively, use the POLYGON tool to trace around your layout.
• Click IMAGE -- CROP

That takes out unwanted elements in your photo.  If your layout didn’t turn out to be a perfect square, you can blacken the background following these steps:

• Using the POLYGON tool, trace around your layout.
• Click SELECTION -- INVERT (or just click the big I at the bottom rightmost portion of the toolbox)
• Click EDIT -- STROKE AND FILL -- check FILL --choose COLOR -- BLACK –OK
• FILE -- SAVE AS-- WE R LAYOUT-Step 2.jpg.

Step 3:  Improve color, brightness and contrast
Look at your layout and compare with the image in your computer.  Check the differences.  Is your photo lacking in color (saturation)?  Does it need better contrast?  In my case, the colors are a bit dull.  I thought I can still improve the saturation to bring it closer to the actual paper layout.

• Click the SATURATION + icon 2x.  This is the color quadrant icon with a plus sign at the top portion of the screen. Or you can click ADJUST -- HUE / SATURATION -- SATURATION=30% -- OK. Personally, the first method is much easier and you can see results right away.  Just click UNDO if you are not happy with the results.
• Click the CONTRAST + icon 2x.  This is the half black and half white circle with a plus sign.  You can also click ADJUST -- BRIGHTNESS / CONTRAST -- CONTRAST = 30% --OK. 
• If your image is a bit dark, you can also increase brightness by clicking the BRIGHTNESS icon.  It’s the one that looks like a sun.
• FILE -- SAVE AS-- WE R LAYOUT-Step 3.jpg.

Step 4: Resize your image
Resizing your image is an important step for you to upload online.  Most websites have file size limits and you will not be able to upload if your image is bigger than this.  If you took your picture using at least 4 megapixels, chances are your file size is huge.  You only need to follow a few simple steps to reduce your image size.

• Click IMAGE -- IMAGE SIZE -- check PRESERVE ASPECT RATIO -- WIDTH = 600 -- OK. The HEIGHT will automatically adjust because you checked the preserve aspect ration.  Since your image is already a square, the height should be equal or very close to your width.  A small difference shouldn’t matter (Mine is 600 x 598). Also, 600 pixels is a reasonable size.  Check with the website if they would accept a file bigger or smaller than this.
• FILE -- SAVE AS-- WE R LAYOUT-Step 4.jpg.

That’s it!  You are now ready to submit your entries online.  Remember, there is no exact science to photo retouching (at least that’s how I see it!).  For best results, practice, practice, practice.  Trust your instincts.  If it doesn’t look good, UNDO. 

Good luck!