Photo Editing

The most common photo editing operations - rotating, cropping, adjusting brightness, correcting tilt, and fixing red eyes - can all be done very easily within the application. Bringing up a photo in an external image editor is simple too. If you make a mistake, you can always reload the photo from the original.

Note: If you find the red-eye elimination functionality useful, you can download the standalone S10 RedEyes program, which allows you to edit photos outside of a web album.

Rotating a photo

To rotate a photo 90 degrees, simply click the toolbar item "Rotate Clockwise" or "Rotate Counterclockwise" in the top right corner of the window. These actions are also available in the photo's right-click popup menu as well as in the main Edit menu.

Cropping a photo

1. Switch to Photo View
2. Move the mouse pointer onto the photo; the cursor arrow changes into a cross (when cropping is allowed - see below)
3. Draw a selection rectangle around the desired area of the photo by clicking/dragging the mouse. If you use the left mouse button, the rectangle will maintain the current aspect ratio (which gives your album a nice consistent look). If you use the right mouse button, you can draw any shape rectangle.
4. Click the "Crop Photo" item in the popup menu that appears when you release the mouse button

If you attempt to crop a photo down to a size smaller than the largest size specified in the Options window, a warning message will be displayed as this would require the program to enlarge the photo, which causes loss of sharpness. For this reason, cropping is allowed only for unedited, uncropped photos, when the original can still be used as the source. Note that cropping does not affect the original; it only affects the copy of the photo used in the web album.

Cropping can also be done by launching an image editor of your choice, as described further down.

Adjusting brightness

In Photo View, click the toolbar item "Lighter" or "Darker" in the top right corner of the window to adjust the brightness of a photo. Click multiple times if needed. These actions are also available in the photo's right-click popup menu as well as in the main Edit menu.

Correcting tilt

If the horizon in a photo isn't level, you can easily correct it by clicking "Tilt Slightly Clockwise" or "Tilt Slightly Counterclockwise" on the toolbar available in Photo View. Each click tilts the photo a half degree. These two items also appear in the photo's right-click popup menu as well as in the main Edit menu.

Fixing red eyes

A common problem with flash photography is that eyes often end up red and too bright. To fix this, go to Photo View and click the toolbar item "Fix Red Eyes" at the top right corner of the window (also available in the Edit menu and in the photo's right-click popup menu). The cursor will change to a magnifying glass when over the photo; click on the red eye you want to fix (or right in between if both eyes are red) to magnify that area. In the window that pops up, perform these steps:

1. Zoom in/out as needed using the two toolbar buttons on the right.
2. Draw a circle around the red part of the eye by holding down the left mouse button and moving the cursor from one side of the red area to the other. Release the mouse button and select the "Fix Red Eyes" popup menu item (or cancel if you want to redraw the circle). The program then automatically removes the redness within the circle and smoothly blends the pixel colors along the perimiter for a natural appearance.
3. If necessary, use the -/+ keys to flatten the circular selection area into an elliptical shape as appropriate. This can actually be done simultaneously with the drawing of the selection area as well.
4. Adjust the brightness of the selected eye area as needed via the sliders/buttons below the photo. Note that you can darken/lighten the center of the area (the pupil) independently.
5. Specify the proper eye color - Gray (default), Blue, Brown, or Green.
6. In severe cases where the flash has entirely wiped out the structure of the eye, try the option "Use Replacement Eye" (and then adjust brightness/color).
7. Repeat steps 2-6 for the other eye if needed

Editing a photo in an image editor

Right-click a photo (or use the Edit menu) and you will have the option to "Edit Photo" or "Edit Original" with an image editor of your choice. When you return from your image editor, the photo will automatically be reloaded from your newly edited version if you made any changes. Editing works not only from the Photo View mode, but also from Index View and List View.

Initially the sub-menu that pops when you select "Edit Photo" or "Edit Original" contains only a link to your default image editor and an option to "Choose Program". When you use the "Choose Program" option, the program you select will automatically be added to the sub-menu for easy access the next time.

Reloading a photo from the original

If you make a photo editing mistake and want to revert back to the original, use the option "Reload From Original" in the Edit menu or in the photo's right-click popup menu.