| Prep your Photos for the Web | |
Introduction > Embellishing
By now you've rotated, cropped, resized, and touched up your images... they look great, but something's still missing. Images that merely look good aren't always enough to really grab your visitors' attention. Below you'll find examples of a few some simple things you can do in a variety of software to embellish your images and make them more memorable for your Web site visitors.
This image was cropped, resized, and sharpened in Photoshop. As a last step, I used Auto FX Photo/Graphic Edges plug-in software to apply an edge effect to the photo. It took only a few mouse clicks, and I think you'll agree; the photo is much more interesting with the edge effect than it would have been without it.
Photo/Graphic Edges contains over 10,000 unique edge mattes and also allows you to apply a huge variety of edge effects including sepia tones, mezzotints, shadows, glows, bevels, burned edges, lighting effect, textures mattes, and more. Because it operates as a plug-in, the effects are accessible from any image editor that supports Photoshop-compatible plug-ins. It can also function as a standalone application. To learn more about this product and others like it, see Decorative Frame and Edge Products.
The next image is a picture of my dog, Lucy. This effect was applied in just a few seconds with the Fresco filter in Photoshop. First, the layer was duplicated, then the fresco was applied to the top layer. Next, I used the eraser with a low opacity setting on the top layer to bring back some of the detail in Lucy's face. Lastly, I used Photo/Graphic Edges to apply the rough edge.
 Compared
to the original unembellished image to the right (resized),
I don't think I need to convince you which picture is more
interesting. Using filter effects is also an excellent way
to hide some of the flaws in your images. |
This
image effect was done using the native tools and effects in
PhotoImpact. The picture was taken in front of a screen enclosure
and the screen effect in the background was very distracting
in the original image. I made a rough selection around the flowers,
then softened the selection and converted it to an object while
preserving the base image. One of PhotoImpact's paint effects
was applied to the background to minimize the screen lines.
Lastly, I applied one of the frames from the frame gallery.
Although I mention the software that was used for each of these effects, nearly all image editing software today comes with a wealth of wonderful artistic filters you can use to create these effects. Be sure to browse the show and tell folder in the graphics software forum to see what other members are doing with their photos. You'll find even more software and resources for embellishing your photos on the following pages:
Images: Copyright ©1999-2000, S. Chastain, unless otherwise noted.
