Introduction – Getting Started with Image Editing

Have you ever needed to edit an image on your computer but weren't quite sure how to get started? Perhaps you were
asked to edit a picture for a company newsletter or blog article, or maybe you just wanted to touch up some vacation
photos before sharing them with your friends. The truth is, almost any image can be improved with some slight editing.
While image editing might seem a bit complicated, you don't need to be a professional designer or photographer to
learn how it works. Want proof? Take a look at the images below. We were able to make this photo look a lot better
with a few simple adjustments, and they took less than five minutes to complete.

Whether you need to work with images at home or at the office, this tutorial will cover the basics you'll need to know to
get started. You should be able to apply these techniques in almost any image editing software.
Once you know the fundamentals, you can review some of our other tutorials to learn more about using specific image
editing applications.
Understanding the basics
We see digital image files every day in a wide range of places. Whenever you see a picture on a computer or
smartphone, you're looking at a digital image file. When you take a picture with a digital camera, you're saving it as an
image file. Even the images you see offline, like those in newspapers and magazines, probably started as digital image
files before they were printed.
Have you ever thought about how image files actually work? Here are some of the basics.
Pixels
Every digital photo is made up of pixels, often abbreviated as px. You can think of a pixel as a tiny square that uses a
specific color. When you look at an image file on a computer, you're really looking at thousands and thousands of pixels.
But because each pixel is so small, you normally won't notice each of them unless you zoom in.

Dimensions
When you refer to the height and width of an image, you're talking about its dimensions. For example, if an image is
500 pixels wide and 200 pixels high, you could say that its dimensions are 500px by 200px (the width is usually listed
first). Let's look at a few other examples.
The image below is 450px by 300px. Because this image is wider than it is tall, it's using a landscape orientation.
The image below is 300px by 450px. Because this image is taller than it is wide, it's using a portrait orientation.

Resolution
You can think of an image's resolution as the amount of detail contained in the image. The higher the resolution, the
more quality the image will have. Resolution is especially important if you're thinking of printing or resizing an image.
This is because you can generally make an image smaller without noticing much of a difference in the quality. However,
making an image larger than its original size will usually result in a noticeable loss in quality.
In the example below, the smaller version still looks sharp and clear.

If you try to make a low-resolution image any larger, it simply won't have enough detail to look good at the new size. As
you can see in the example below, the resized image is blurry and doesn't have a lot of detail. You might also notice that
some parts of the image look blocky, or pixelated.
Image file formats
There are several file formats used with images. It's important to understand the basics of image file formats, along with
the most common ones you'll see when working with images.
File size and image compression
Digital image files can be very large and take up a lot of hard-drive space. Because of this, many file formats
use compression to reduce the file size. There are two main types of file compression:
 Lossy: This compression type removes some information from the image and lowers the overall quality to
reduce the file size.
 Lossless: This compression type does not remove any information from the image, but it typically cannot
reduce the file size as much as lossy compression.
Images that use lossy compression can be saved at different quality levels. The lower the quality, the smaller the file
size. This is because lowering the quality also removes more information from the image. In the example below, you can
see the same image saved at different quality levels.

Try this!
Drag the slider in the interactive below to adjust the compression quality. Remember, higher quality levels will also increase the file
size. Try to find a setting that looks good while keeping the file size relatively small.
Recommended file formats
These are the most common file formats. We recommend using them most of the time:
 JPEG: Pronounced jay-peg, this file type is commonly used for photographs, and most digital cameras save
photos in this format by default. JPEG uses lossy compression, which means it provides a reasonably high level
of quality without a very large file size.
 PNG: Pronounced ping or p-n-g, this file type is commonly used for graphics and illustrations, although it can
also be used for photographs. PNG uses lossless compression, meaning photographs saved with this format will
usually be of a higher quality than JPEG images, but the file size will be much larger.
Other common file formats
There are several other image file formats you may encounter. One common image format is GIF. Pronounced gif or jif,
the GIF file type was originally designed for graphics but is now most commonly used for simple animated
images online. The image below is an animated GIF file.
There are also some file formats that do not use compression, like RAW and BMP. Some digital cameras use a RAW
format to save very high-quality images. Because these formats are uncompressed, the files tend to be much larger than
JPEG and PNG files.
Keeping your originals
Whenever you edit an image file, there's a chance some of the original information from the image can be lost. Also, if
you edit the same file over and over again, the edited image can begin to look much worse than the original. This is
called image degradation, and it's especially problematic for files that use lossy compression, like JPEG images.
The good news is there's an easy way to avoid this problem. If you're planning on making even basic changes to an
image, like cropping or resizing, you should also keep an original unedited version of the file. We recommend making a
habit of doing this whenever you're working with image files. This way, you'll always be able to go back to the original
version.

Lesson 2: Image Editing Software

Introduction
While there are many applications you can use to edit images on your computer or mobile device, the software you use
will largely depend on your needs. Some applications allow you to make only a few basic changes, while others give you
access to advanced and powerful tools. We'll cover some of the most popular image editing software available today,
including both free and paid options.
Basic image editing software
If you just need to make simple adjustments to an image, like cropping, resizing, or rotating, there are many free
applications available to you. This includes the built-in software on your device, as well as some third-party software.
Built-in software
Most computers and mobile devices come with some type of basic image editing program. Review the list below to learn
more about the tools on your device:
 Windows: Almost every Windows computer includes Microsoft Paint. You may already know that Paint is a
simple drawing application, but it can also be used for basic image adjustments. Another option is Microsoft
Photos, a free application that includes more advanced editing tools and lets you easily organize photos.

 macOS: All Macs include Preview. While this program is primarily used for viewing images and PDF files, it also
includes several basic editing tools. New Macs also come pre-installed with Apple Photos, which you can use to
organize and edit photos.
 iOS: Photos taken on an iPhone or iPad will appear in the Photos app. From here, you can make a few basic
adjustments to any image.

 Android: Photos taken on most current Android devices can be adjusted in the Google Photos app or
the Gallery app.

Third-party software
There are many third-party image editing applications you can use on your computer or mobile device. Some are free,
while others are paid. One example is Pixlr, which is a free editor that runs in your web browser. For quick edits, Pixlr
has a basic version called Pixlr X, which is also available as a mobile app. We'll be using Pixlr X throughout this tutorial to
demonstrate various editing tasks.
If you have a smartphone or tablet, there are many free apps you can use to edit images, including Instagram, VSCO,
and Photoshop Express. Most mobile apps don't include as many features as you'd find in a desktop application, but
they do make it easy to make basic edits on the go.
Editing images with Microsoft Office
While you may not realize it, some programs in the Microsoft Office suite—such as Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher—
include image editing tools. These tools will be especially helpful if you want to make simple adjustments to an image in
a document or presentation.

Advanced image editing software

If you need additional editing tools, you may want to use an advanced image editing application. You can learn more
about some of the most popular ones below, but keep in mind that these are just a few of the many available options.
Adobe Photoshop
Even if you've never done much image editing, you may have heard of Adobe Photoshop. Available for both Windows
and Mac devices, Photoshop is an extremely powerful application that's used by many professional photographers and
designers. It's also very expensive, so unless you need to edit photos professionally you may want to consider getting
one of the more affordable (or free) options below.

Photoshop Elements
You can think of Photoshop Elements as Photoshop Light. It gives you access to some of the most popular features from
the full version of Photoshop, but it usually costs less than $100. While some advanced Photoshop users may be
frustrated by its limitations, Photoshop Elements is a good option for beginner to intermediate users.

Pixelmator
While it's only available for Mac, Pixelmator Pro includes many of the advanced features found in Photoshop and
usually costs less than $50.
GIMP
Designed as an open-source alternative to Photoshop, GIMP is free to use on both Windows and Mac. While it's a
powerful application, you may find the interface confusing and difficult to use if you aren't somewhat familiar with other
image editing software.
Pixlr
Like Pixlr X, the full Pixlr Editor is a free application that runs in your web browser. It includes several advanced features
and in many ways is similar to Photoshop. 

Photo management software

Many professional photographers prefer to use a photo management application, such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
CC, Microsoft Photos, and Apple Photos. With organizational tools like tagging and folders, these applications make it
easy to view and manage a lot of photos. Conveniently, they also include many editing tools, which means you can use a
single application for all of your image editing needs.
Making Basic Adjustments
Introduction
Image editing is all about adjusting your images to make them look better. We'll cover some of the most basic image
adjustments, along with some common problems to watch out for when making these changes. The adjustments we'll
cover in this lesson include:
 Cropping: If you want to remove parts of an image, you can crop it. You can think of cropping as using a pair of
scissors to cut out the parts you no longer want.
 Resizing: If you want to make an image smaller or larger, you can resize it. However, keep in mind that making
an image larger than its original size generally does not make the image look good.
 Rotating: If you want to change the orientation of an image, you can rotate it to the left or right.

About this lesson

Image editing tips

Here are a few important things to keep in mind as you start working with images. If you're new to image editing, we
also recommend reading the first lesson in this tutorial.
 Keep your originals: If you're planning to make even basic changes to an image, you should also keep an original
unedited version of the file. We recommend making a habit of doing this whenever you're working with image
files. This way, you'll always be able to go back to the original version.
 Check the zoom level: When you're editing an image on a computer, you'll usually be viewing it at less than
100% of its full size. This is because most modern digital cameras take large high-resolution images. These
images are so large, in fact, that most computer screens can't display all of the pixels in the image at once. This is
actually a good thing because it means you'll have extra detail to work with as you edit the image.
 Higher resolution = more detail: Whenever you crop or resize an image, you're also removing pixels from the
image. This means you'll have fewer pixels to work with, which will give you less flexibility. If you want to printa
photo, having extra pixels will help to make the photo look as sharp as possible because photo prints have a
higher resolution than most computer screens. If you're creating a desktop background, you'll want to ensure
that the final size is at least as large as your screen resolution.
 Experiment: There's no perfect formula for editing images. As long as you keep a copy of the original file, you
should feel free to try out different adjustments to find what works for that image. If you change your mind
later on, you can always go back to the original version and start over.
Cropping images
There will often be times when an image includes a lot of extra space or content you'd like to remove. You can solve this
problem by cropping the image. In the example below, we cropped the image to show less of the background and
emphasize the butterfly.

You can also use cropping to completely change the composition or subject of an image. In the example below, we
focused in on just one part of the image—the lanterns on the left—and cropped out everything else. You may have also
noticed that by cropping this way, we changed the image's orientation from landscape to portrait.

In the example above, locate the zoom level at the bottom of the screen. You'll see that in step 2 we were viewing the
image at 44% of its actual size, and in step 4 we zoomed in to 85%. This is because our image has a high resolution,
which allows us to zoom in (up to 100%) without losing detail. High-resolution images will give you more flexibility to
crop and resize the image without reducing its quality.
Remember, cropping will remove pixels from an image, so you'll always need to make sure the cropped version is still
large enough for your needs. If you want to print the image or display it at a large size, you'll generally need more
resolution. 
Resizing images
Because digital images can be displayed at different sizes, you probably won't need to resize your images most of the
time. However, resizing is an easy way to reduce the file size of an image, which can be helpful if you want to send an
image as an email attachment or upload it. You can see an example of resizing below.
Remember, you should avoid making images larger than their original size. When you do this, the image simply won't
have enough detail to look good at the larger size. As you can see in the example below, the resized image is blurry and
doesn't have a lot of detail.

Preserving aspect ratio when resizing

When resizing an image, it's important to make sure the new version uses the same proportions, or aspect ratio, as the
original. For example, take a look at this image.

If you want to resize it while maintaining the same aspect ratio, you'll need to change both the height and width by
equal proportions. Most image editing programs can do this automatically when you resize an image. However, if you
simply try to guess which proportions to use, or if you're using sizing handles, it's easy for an image to
become distorted. A distorted image may look too wide or too narrow, as in the examples below.
While it may not always be this obvious, these examples illustrate why it's so important to preserve the original aspect
ratio when resizing an image. There are a few easy ways to make sure a resized image will use the same aspect ratio as
the original:
 If you're using sizing handles to resize an image, be sure to use a corner sizing handle rather than a side handle.
Some applications also require you to press and hold a key on your keyboard, like Shift or Alt, to lock the aspect
ratio when using sizing handles.
 If you need to fit an image to a new aspect ratio—for example, if you need to print a 4x6 version of a square
image—it's best to crop the image to the new aspect ratio. Simply resizing the image to match the new aspect
ratio will result in image distortion.

Rotating images
Sometimes an image may be rotated the wrong way. This can happen if the camera was turned on its side when taking
the original image. It's easy to fix this by rotating the image, as in the example below.

In some programs, the Rotate tool will be a menu option. In Photoshop, for example, it can be found by clicking
the Image menu, then selecting Image Rotation.

Other image adjustments

So far, we've covered some of the most basic image adjustments, like cropping, resizing, and rotating.
Fixing Common Problems
Introduction
Images that come straight from a digital camera aren't always perfect. As you start to gain more experience with image
editing, you may notice some recurring problemswith images that you'll want to fix. For example, some images may be
too bright, while others may be too dark or blurry. There are many corrections that can make your images look
dramatically better. Some of the corrections we'll cover in this lesson include:
 Brightness and contrast: If an image is too bright or too dark, you can adjust the brightness and contrast.
 Color: If the colors in an image are muted or dull, you can use a variety of color correction tools,
including saturation.
 Sharpness: If an image is less clear than you'd like it to be, you can sharpen it.
Want to see the difference corrections can make? Take a look at the example below. It only took a few quick corrections
to make the image look brighter, clearer, and more colorful.

If you want to follow along, you can download some or all of our example images. Just click any of the images below to
open a full-sized version, then right-click the full-sized version and select Save Image As to save it to your computer.