The downside is these modern marvels are so easy to use that people forget to pay attention to the camera settings. Even if you are careful in your choice of settings, the result can still not be up to your expectations. You probably will not be aware of any problems until you transfer the pictures to your computer and then view them on your monitor.

I have yet to see a picture that I believe cannot be improved with some software adjustments. The software that I am speaking of is called a photo editor or an image editor. You are probably not aware of it but an image editor came with your camera purchase and was located on the CD in the same box. This editor however is quite basic and cannot handle all your adjustment needs.

My experience is that 90% of less-than-perfect photos fall into five separate defect categories:

    • Overexposure
    • Underexposure
    • Low Contrast
    • Tilted Camera
    • Color Cast

In each case, hold down your left mouse button and move it back and forth over the image to see before and after results.

I call this list of defects --- "The Big Five."

I have surveyed dozens of image editors and have come up with a list of what I consider to be the very best. Two of these editors are free and the third is moderately priced. The not-free editor is extremely powerful and can be used to restore old, stained, torn, faded photos to like new quality, build composites, and make general enhancements. Each of these three editors is more than adequate to handle The Big Five problems.

I would like the opportunity to meet with you and show you in about one hour how to make your photos something you will be proud to show to your friends. I am making the same offer to businesses,in the Tampa Bay area, that need to put out high-quality images in their advertising media and in their in-house presentations. I guarantee you that your time will be well spent. For more info, you can follow my blog at http://fotofixin.blogspot.com.