Xara Photo Designer - 7.0 Instruction Manual

Manual
2 Copyright

Copyright

This documentation is protected by law. All rights, especially the right of duplication, circulation, and translation, are reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in the form of copies, microfilms or other processes, or transmitted into a language used for machines, especially data processing machines, without the express written consent of the publisher.
All copyrights reserved.
All other product names are trademarks of the corresponding manufacturers. Errors in and changes to the contents as well as program modifications reserved.
MAGIX and Goya are registered trademarks of MAGIX AG.
Other mentioned product names may be registered trademarks of the respective manufacturer.
Copyright © MAGIX AG, 2002 - 2010. All rights reserved.
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Introduction 3

Introduction

MAGIX Photo Designer 7 is an image editing application, which helps you handle all necessary photo editing tasks quickly and easily.
Import all common file formats or scan directly. The integrated browser enables convenient searching for image files on your PC. Images can be discreetly improved, retouched, distorted or transformed into an oil painting. The Task Assistant helps you with practical step-by-step user guidance.
Specific image sections, such as people, can be removed from the image for moving or editing with effects. If you want to add them to the image again, they can be semi-transparent, from covering to invisible. You can assign various modes for combining these objects with the main image.
All effects/filters can be applied either to the main image or the object or even selectively with the aid of a brush.
At the end, the images can be printed flexibly or saved optimized and Internet-ready.
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4 Support

Support

If you experience any problems with your software, please get in touch with our support team:
Support website: http://support.magix.net
This website will lead you to the MAGIX user service page, which, among other things, contains the following free offers:
FAQs (frequently asked questions) and general tricks and tips. In
most cases you’ll find the solution to your problem here. If not, use the Email support form:
E-mail support form. Via the special form you inform our support
staff about your system. This information is used to solve your problems quickly and competently. Simply fill out and send with a mouse-click!
Support forum: You are not alone. Perhaps other users had a similar
problem and can help you solve yours. Our support staff are also regular contributors.
Download section: Updates, improvements and patches are likewise
offered free of charge via download Many problems you may experience are well-known to us, and which can be solved by downloading the latest patch. Besides patches, there are also wizards for checking and optimizing your system
Links: In the links list you will find the contact addresses of all the
most important hardware manufacturers.
You can also reach our support team by telephone:
UK: 0905 118 0888 (25p/min)
(open Monday to Friday 9:00 - 16:00 GMT)
Denmark: 077345695
(open Monday to Friday 10:00 - 17:00 CET)
Finland: 0942597819
(open Monday to Friday 10:00 - 17:00 CET)
Norway: 021543223
(open Monday to Friday 10:00 - 17:00 CET)
Sweden: 0852507027
(open Monday to Friday 10:00 - 17:00 CET)
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Email: info@magix.net
Please have the following information at hand:
Program version Configuration details (operating system, processor, memory, hard
drive...)
Sound card configuration (type, driver) Information regarding other audio software installed
Support 5
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6 Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Copyright 2 Introduction 3 Support 4 Brief Description 9
Object tool setting 9 Draw/Retouch with the brush 11 Effects 11 Mask 11 Objects 12
Tutorial 12
Program interface 13 Quick image optimization and multiple picture editing 17 Detailed image editing 20 Effects & Filters 31 Change image format 35
Working with the Browser 39
The Folder View 40 The File List 41 The Status Bar 44
Working with Images 45
Show images 45 Create, load and save pictures 46 Import Images 47 Print Images 48 Create Panorama Pictures 50 Deform pictures 51
Working with the Mask 53
Select all 53 Remove mask 53 Invert mask 53 Create mask from object 53 Mask > Expand/Reduce selection 54 Vignette 54 Loading/saving the mask 54
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Table of Contents 7
The Mask Tools 54
Working with Objects 56
Creating Objects 56 Adjust shape 56 Vignette 57 Apply Shadow 57 Include/include all 57 Object order 57 Copy objects from different images and programs 58 The Object Manager 58
Working with Text Objects 61
Text effects 62
Working with Batch Processing 63
Input 63 Actions 63 Output 64
Effects 65
Plugin Filters 66 Paint 67 Color Filters 67 Art Filters 70 Focusing Filters 71 Other Filters 71 Stylising Filters 72 Noise Filters 73 Coarsening Filters 74 Distortion Filters 74 Video Filters 76 Soften Filters 76
The Toolbars 78
Standard 78 Effect bar 79 Zoom 80 Dialog bar 80 1 Click 80 Effects 81 Toolbar 82
The tool settings 85
The mask tools settings 85
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8 Table of Contents
The Gradient Tool settings 87
The brush/pen tool settings 88
Configuration 92
Monitor Gamma 92 Undo/Redo 92 Slideshow 92 Other 93
If you still have questions... 94
Task Assistant 94 PDF manual 94 Program Help 94 MAGIX News Center 95
Index 96
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Brief Description 9

Brief Description

This section is a brief introduction to the functions of MAGIX Photo Designer 7. The following paragraphs briefly describe the basic functions, which will be described in more detail later on.

Object tool setting

Object Mode contains the following tool settings:
Move
An object can be moved at any time. When placed over an object, the mouse curser turns into a double arrow.
Scale
By scaling an object, you can change its size. To do so, you can pull on the edges or sides of the object selection frame using your mouse. If the "Keep aspect ratio" button is active, the ratio between height and width will remain constant.
Rotate
By grabbing and pulling on its corners, an object can be rotated.
In addition, there are buttons for of rotation:
Rotate 90° to the left
Rotate 90° to the right
Rotate 180° (upside down)
Rotate numerically
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quick access to often-used angles
10 Brief Description
To rota
te the selected object a certain number of degrees, enter the angle in the corresponding field and click on the button indicating the direction of the rotation.
Tilt
By grabbing and pulling on its corners and edges, an object can be tilted.
Distortion
By grabbing and pulling on its corners and edges, an object can be distorted into any rectangular form.
3D distortions
By grabbing and pulling on its corners and edges, an object can be distorted in perspective. In contrast to normal distortion, the rules of representation in 3D perspective are respected.
Mirror This lets you mirror the object horizontally and/or vertically.
Horizontal mirroring exchanges left for right.
Vertical mirroring exchanges the top and bottom.
Arrange If
you have many overlapping objects whose order you would like to
change, use these buttons:
Send object one layer to back
Send object one layer to front
See also Working with objects (on page 56)
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Draw/Retouch with the brush

Brief Description 11
Using the paintbrush or pencil tools you can draw or retouch a picture.
To do this, select the corresponding tool and apply the selected colour with the left mouse key.
With the tool parameters found at the top you can either select a preset brush or create a customised brush from the palette by selecting a tip and other parameters.
There are various further paintbrush tools for special retouching work such as blurring, sharpening or red­eye removal.
With the fill tool you can quickly fill a selected area or a specific colour in the image with the set colour.

Effects

For retouching, please select an effect from the "Effects" menu or from the Effects browser.
The effects window with displayed on the right. The effect is applied to the entire image, to a single object or to any mask selection. You can change all effect settings and immediately view the result. The selection mask can be changed at any time, and you can even "paint in" all effects with a brush.
the corresponding effect settings is
An effect can partially affect the image if you increase its transparency at the top of the effects dialog. This is where you can combine the effect with the image in different ways in combine mode. If you are satisfied with the changes, simply close the effects settings dialog and the effect will be permanently applied to the image.

Mask

A mask can placed over the main image, which protects non-masked areas from changes or can be used to create objects. Five different masking options are available: Box mask, circular mask, lasso mask, magic wand, and mask creation using a pencil. You can use the
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12 Tutorial
pencil mask to create areas with soft edges (vignettes). The magic wand is useful for "extracting" certain image elements from the background. If one of the mask modes is active, the tool settings will display the suitable configuration options for each respective mode.

Objects

MAGIX Photo Designer 7 allows you to work with objects. A mask is used to select and create a copy of an area that you can move freely over the image. The copy can be reshaped and edited using different colours and effects.

Tutorial

MAGIX Photo Designer 7 is a high-quality image processing software package which is directly integrated into MAGIX photo and video software:
First of all, this tutorial will introduce you to the software interface of MAGIX Photo Designer 7 and demonstrate the practical functions of MAGIX Photo Designer 7 using suitable examples on the following pages. The helpful Task Assistant will appear now and then, imparting useful tidbits of information where it can.
You'll find all of the described functions in the Tasks menu or via the "1-click" button which starts the Task Assistant. The layout of our tutorial corresponds to the main points found there:
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Tutorial 13

Program interface

MAGIX Photo Designer 7 is a pixel-based image processing program that masters all basic photo operations and has a number of directly applicable effects, filters and distorters for use as presets for your photos.
1. Menu bar
2. Toolbar
3. Toolbar +
Option horizontal
4. Object Manager
5. Filmstrip view
6. Workspace (in the picture with the selected mask)
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14 Tutorial

General usage tips

1. Most functions are usually only selectable and usable once a
picture has been loaded via the menu bar: "File" > "Open".
So that you always open the correct picture, we recommend using the picture browser.
It searches through your folders and automatically shows each photo in a thumbnail view including each title and filesize. Double-clicking on a picture is enough to open it. Furthermore, you can delete, sort or print directly from the picture browser of MAGIX Photo Designer 7.
2. Use the mouse wheel to increase or reduce the size of the view of the picture you opened.
3. Via "Window" in the menu bar you can hide or show the symbol bars and options, the Object Manager, the Effects Browser or the filmstrip view. This way you can create the working environment that suits you best.
4. When saving a picture either a copy is created or the original is overwritten (see screenshot): Save picture via the menu list: "File" > "Save" or the Save symbol in the toolbar.
5. You can also choose
to save pictures for the Internet, which results in them being compressed. Compression settings can be changed in the save dialog. Select "File" > "Save for Internet" from the menu.

Object Manager

In the screenshot graphic of the program interface you can see the Object Manager (4) to the right, which sorts the various objects or layers of a picture. You always work with the object selected there.
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Creating objects

Tutorial 15
You can create objec
ts by opening a mask. In the toolbar (3 vertical) you'll find two tools for this purpose: the square mask and the lasso mask for masks that are drawn freehand.
You can transform a mask into an object simply by right-clicking on it. In the context menu that appears you'll find the "Object from mask" option.
Another way to do this is via the keyboard shortcut for copying and inserting: Ctrl + C and then Ctrl + V.

Scale objects

You can scale objects proportionally by holding down the Shift key while simultaneously stretching your picture in or out. For this to work, the object's orange-coloured handles have to be active.

Toolbar

Tip: Use the toolbar as a quick access area for all the most important
tools, as soon as you're familiar enough with them all. Otherwise almost every option can be found under "1-click" or the "Tasks" menu anyway. These are always ordered in the most frequently used combinations and presets alongside the Task Assistant, which explains everything step by step.
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16 Tutorial
Select, move, scale or rotate objects. Clip or mask – Tool for creating objects & Lasso tool – For selecting freehand shapes & Mask with brush – Creates a freehand graphics layer Magic wand – For selecting sections of a colour Cut – For cutting a picture by hand
Level horizon
Text editing with comprehensive options for text layout
Red eye removal
Soft-focus effect & Sharpen
Marking/Cloning
Fill tool – Fills masks with the selected colour from the colour field Colour gradient (fade out borders and design backgrounds) Brush for applying effects onto selected areas & Colour pen for drawing freehand or drawing lines Colour dropper (select colours on the screen and the colour appears in the colour field) Magnifying glass – For zooming in and out and examining each and every pixel (should you wish to do so). Colour field – Here you can select a colour with which to paint

Smart, practical and can be used straight away

MAGIX Photo Designer 7 has two excellent tools that really separate it from the rest of the image processing software out there. Even in earlier versions MAGIX Photo Designer 7 had the versatile "Effects Browser" and "Liquid colours" tools for freely designing and modelling your photos. Both of these applications can be opened from the menu bar. Both have been given extra functions and enhanced in the latest version.
The Effects Browser mentioned can be opened via the "FX" menu. There are a number of effects, filters and other presets in it that can be applied to your picture with a single click.
In the Effects Browser to the bottom of the screen you have all the picture effects at a glance and don't have to go searching for from within various other tools. If you select one of the options, an Assistant will open, which explains the individuals steps in detail.
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Tutorial 17
So as not to be experimenting around on the picture without having a clue what you're doing, you can work with a preview. The preview can be opened by clicking on the red button in the picture.
It shows you what effect applying this particular action to your photo will have. To lock the effect, simply click on "Apply".
Use this button on the toolbar to open the "Liquid Colours tool" dialog. This is where the fun starts:
With the move, grow, shrink, dent, bump, wave & explode options you can really make some wild distortions on your pictures. With advanced options you can set the direction and strength of the distortion. This can all be done using your mouse. Really fun and very, very easy.
The following pages describe various operations in MAGIX Photo Designer 7, from quick image optimization to individual picture creation – similar to the selection of options from the Task Assistant. On the next page we start with "Quick image optimization" and explain "Batch-processing".

Quick image optimization and multiple picture editing

Logically enough, quick picture optimization can also be explained quickly. There are four options in the Tasks menu for "quick image optimization":
Removing red eyes that appear when taking photos with a flash,
regardless whether photographed in analogue or digital.
Optimizing lighting to get the best colour value out of over and
underexposed photos.
Optimizing picture colour, either to remove colour faults or add
colour effects by increasing or decreasing the "colour saturation".
Correcting picture sharpness to help you get more out of shaky
recordings by "sharpening" transitions.
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18 Tutorial

In the example...

Note: Red-eye distortion can be fixed because the tool removes all
the red parts from the selected color spectrum. For this reason, you can turn really bad red-eye into the deepest black, if you like.
In every one of these use-cases there's a step-by-step explanation which can be supplemented if required with brushes or other suitable tools at different strengths and using varying painting shapes.
A small, soft brush is preset as the red-eye removal tool, which prevents painting over the edges, which would smudge the white of eyes. Sometimes the tool sizes provided have to be adjusted to your templates.
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Editing multiple pictures at a time or "batch processing"

Tutorial 19
Do you have lots of pictures to which you want to apply the same change, like, picture size, 90° rotation, brightness & contrast adjustment or increase picture sharpness. These are the typical areas of application for so-called "batch processing". In MAGIX Photo Designer 7 you'll find the point "Batch processing" in the "File" menu.
The following example demonstrates the usage of batch processing in scaling, i.e. changing the picture size. You start by selecting pictures using the dialog window of the batch processing function and clicking on the "Add picture" or "Add folder" buttons.
Tip: If you use the thumbnail view of your browser, it's easier to find the pictures you want.
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20 Tutorial
Select "Scale" from the "Actions" dropdown menu to change the picture size. In "Parameters" you can fine-tune your input. In our example, we enter the desired picture size. Make sure that the checkbox in the "Aspect ratio" field is ticked. Then enter only one value, either the length or the width.
Now select the file type and the target folder where you want to store your picture after batch processing. Click "Start". Your pictures will then be converted at lighting speed and saved to the target folder.

Detailed image editing

With "Tasks" you'll find six practical options for editing photos in detail in the Task Assistant:
Create panorama picture – We show you how to make a panorama
picture from multiple source photos.
Crop person/object – cut, move around and effectively insert
elsewhere.
Design picture title – Text design with individual layouts. Carve
lettering into your photos!
Brighten areas – because some pictures need a bit more light to
brighten up dark corners.
Remove scratches and stains – give your analogue pictures a
chance: Scan them in first, then restore them in style.
Clone – Remove annoying objects from a picture simply by moving
the mouse over the affected pixels and copying a different section (fantastic for retouching blemishes on skin).
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Panorama

It's no coincidence that panorama shots of vast uninhabited expanses and grandeur evoke our most romantic and happiest memories of utopian sunsets and daring climbing adventures from previous holidays.
MAGIX Photo Designer 7 provides all the romantics and hobby photographers with an enormously able tool for creating personal panorama pictures. You will, of course, need several interconnecting photos.
Tutorial 21
Tip: You
format. Make sure the photos are slightly overlapping when taking the shots. In the program you can move the pictures around horizontally or vertically, letting you position the identical picture portions on top of one another. Keep an eye on the lighting and adjust the exposure time according to the direction. Stay on one spot and try to move as little as possible when taking the other shots for your panorama picture.
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should only take photographs in landscape or portrait
22 Tutorial
Panoram
a: This is how you do it!
You can open the panorama picture creation dialog either via "File > Panorama" or by using "Tasks > Create panorama pictures".
All of the pictures that are already open in MAGIX Photo Designer 7 are automatically displayed in the browser of the new dialog window. From there you can use the mouse to drag them one after the other into the preview list.
First sort out the order, then take care of the transitions.
You can horizontally and vertically define every transition individually. To do so, you should always select the correct current overlap, for example, [1]<->[2], [2]<->[3], then all you have to do is move around the faders. That's it.
Tip: If you are a user of MAGIX Photo & Videoshow deluxe, why not just use this ideas for your slideshow: Add a camera movement to your panorama picture in MAGIX Story Maker.

Crop person or object

With the lasso you can catch runaway horses just like a cowboy or fish out objects or people from photos. Just use the lasso tool from MAGIX Photo Designer 7, it's perfectly suited to it. You can instantly crop any mask you like and then insert them into other photos.
Note: A "mask" in MAGIX Photo Designer 7 refers to the clipping of a picture that has been selected for the original. Clippings can be
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created in different ways, for example, with the mask tool that always drags up a quadratic shape and is therefore called a "Rectangle mask".
Object from mask
To be able to crop the "mask" as an "object", you have to right-click on the mask and select "Object from mask" in the context menu (alternately via "Object > Create > From mask"). The object now has orange handles and can be moved around with the mouse. It is now a layer on the picture. All object layers are visible and selectable in the Object Manager.
Insert object and set edge blur
You can select an object using the mouse and insert it elsewhere.
For example: Cut using the key combination Ctrl+X and Insert into a different picture with Ctrl+V. An inserted cropped object can be made less obvious by using a vignette. A vignette creates blurring at the periphery of the picture, i.e. a color gradient around the object. You can freely specify the pixel magnitude of this gradient. You'll find the vignette in the menu bar under "Object" > "Vignette". Your object has to be selected in order to be able to use the vignette.
Tutorial 23
Freehand
When you Task Assistant, you create a freehand mask.
So, if you ventured outside the desired object border, the protruding part can be pinpointed and removed from the object mask.
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select "Crop object/person" using the lasso tool via the
Crop the object as precisely as possible by using the tool options of the lasso. You can insert or remove sections after selecting the freehand object.
24 Tutorial
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3
Step 1: Photo 1: Here, a photograph was taken of the room and we see that the bright light from the window has caused the rest of the picture to be overexposed.
Step 2: Photo 2 was taken with a small lens aperture for less light so that the interior is in complete darkness, but the window, as expected, is less lit and what's outside can be seen clearly.
Step 3: The photo montage in picture 3 involves the window from photo 2 being cropped as an object using the lasso tool. Then the object is cut out and inserted into photo 1.
Step 4: By double-clicking on the object, handles will appear to it sides, which can then be used to scale the object, that is, you can move it around precisely and rotate, stretch or tilt it any way you like.
Tips for transforming objects
To transform objects, you have to open the tool shown here for selecting and manipulating objects.
you select an object on the workspace, orange-colored handles will
If appear to its side.
You can now access a large amount of tool options:
Hint: If you can't see the tool options, you will have to make them visible by selecting "Tool options" from the "Window" menu.
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Tutorial 25
If you move the mouse over the individual symbols, a "tooltip" will tell you what the option can be used for. Why not simply try a few of them out? You'll probably find the options for perspective distortion quite interesting, but you shouldn't miss the mirroring and rotating options either. You can also use the lock to scale pictures proportionally or block distortions being made.
You can change the order of the objects by using the last two buttons on the option list.
Multiple objects on the workspace
Objects can also be selected by right-clicking the mouse in the context menu. This means: if, for example, the background and two additional objects cover one another on the workspace, then all three layers will be shown in the context menu and can be opened from there. This is a practical function if you're in danger of getting lost among the jungle of objects in a photo montage.
Add name
Before starting, you should give your objects names in the Object Manager, otherwise the individual layers cannot be differentiated from one another. They can be renamed by right-clicking on the object in the Object Manager.
Tip: This is how to create shadowing around objects: Select Object > Add shadows from the menu list.
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26 Tutorial

Design title of picture

Those of you who enjoy creating invitation cards will most likely also enjoy using the text option of MAGIX Photo Designer 7. Start the title design either using the Task Assistant or using the text tool.
Start wherever you like, the text can always be moved around as a separate object later on. (Want to find object? – Always via the Object Manager – see red marking)
Tip: When you open the text option using the text tool from the toolbar, you can experiment around with shadow as well. Use shadow with a similar colour to get smooth, unfrayed borders. Try out the different settings for letter shadowing, e.g. edge blur, distance and transparency.
Once you've confirmed the text object (see figure below), the text will become a mask and can be moved around like an object.
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Tutorial 27
After double-clicking you can scale, rotate or tilt. When masked, the text objects can also be deleted: simply press the Del key.

Reshape texts

Among the new feature is an option for distorting the perspective of the text. After creating and confirming a text object, it is masked on top of the picture background. Double-clicking or using the object transformation tool creates an object frame with orange-coloured handles that surround the text object.
Select the symbol shown here from the tool options for perspective distortion. Then grab one of the small orange handles in the corner of the object frame using your mouse and drag it in or out, the result can be seen in the picture.
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28 Tutorial

Selectively brighten areas

Brightening only specific areas on the picture are in the dark, picture borders in particular.
The solution is simple: You can selectively brighten an area. In the example below, the photographer wanted to catch the dusky atmosphere of the beach, but the back border portion of the photo turned out too dark. The light ratios weren't precise enough, so more targeted help was needed. All in all, the picture was brightened up a little, however, a bit too strongly on the buildings and trees in the background.
This is how it was done:
Select "Detailed image editing > Brighten areas".
Step 1: Choose the appropriate tool size.
Step 2: Move the brightness, contrast or gamma faders to get the
look you want.
Step 3: Now mark the areas that you wish to brighten using the tool. The effect can be noticed immediately.
things up is all well and good, but what do you do when
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Tutorial 29
Step 4: Do
some fine-tuning using the brightness, contrast and gamma faders until you have the desired result. If the changes are not precise enough, change the size of the tool.
This way you'll be able to see the interior much more clearly. Here we see the outside of a tavern. You can't see any of the inside of the tavern in the photo. Just select the windows and brighten up the scene as described previously.
Isn't it amazing how much image information that could still be retrieved?! In the example, brightness and contrast were first applied to the entire motif and then the windows and doors were polished with the paintbrush and "brightness" effect.
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30 Tutorial

Removing scratches and stains

The Task Assistant provides you with a tool for retouching and applying soft-focus to picture errors. We also recommend three tools from the preset toolbar which can be used to restore: the brush, colour-picker and colour gradient.
With the colour picker you can select a colour from anywhere on the screen. If you now use the brush to paint, it will apply this exact colour. This way you can skilfully paint over stains, spots, blisters and other sources of irritation.
Tip: Use the magnifying glass for detailed tasks like this and use a high zoom factor to catch exactly the colour you want and paint over single pixels that you want to get rid of.

Cloning

To match our previous topic, "Remove scratches and stains", we'll now have a look at an alternative editing option for retouching pictures – this can be found in your Task Assistant under "Detailed editing" > "Cloning".
Here you can also get rid of larger distortions. If you want to clone something, you'll need the stamp tool. A usable reference point is required for cloning. In the example below, the problem is that it looks like there's a palm tree balancing on top of the guy's head. This needs to be erased. The sky in the background is perfectly suited as a reference point. In the end, there'll be two pieces of sky: the original and the clone covering the palm tree. And the best thing about it is that you'd never know there was one there in the first place.
Tip: You can use this to retouch really small defects, for example, blemishes on skin. Select a reference point from the immediate
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