Think back to the last time you browsed through your photo collection. You probably didn’t get very far before you thought to yourself, “This picture would have been great if only. . . .” If only the exposure had been better. I only that big plant, sign, or other distracting object wasn’t cluttering up background. If only the print hadn’t been sitting for 30 years in the basement being attacked by mildew, dirt, and paper-munching bugs. In years past, you either had to live with the damaged photos or pay big bucks to have them professionally repaired. Today, thanks to the development of consumer-friendly photo-editing software, you can use your computer to do the job yourself.

Whether you want to fix a 100-year-old family photo or a business shot you took yesterday, Photo Retouching & Restoration For Dummies shows you how. You’ll discover how to:

• Scan and prep photos for editing
• Work with photo-editing software
• Fix the five most common photo flaws
• Get creative with collages and backgrounds
• Print photos or share them on the Internet

Here are just some of the things you can do by following the simple, easy-to-understand instructions provided by the book:

• Bring new life to old, faded photographs
• Adjust colors throughout the picture or in a certain object
• Improve exposure and contrast
• Sharpen focus
• Cover up flaws such as negative scratches, scanner dust, and dirt
• Remove unwanted elements from the scene
• Get rid of red-eye, soften wrinkles, and do other facial retouching
• Replace a busy background with one that compliments the subject

The techniques in the book use screen shots from Photoshop Elements as illustrations, but you can get the same results using Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, PhotoImpact, or most other intermediate or professional-level photo-editing software. To help you get started, the book comes with a CD-ROM featuring tryout versions of all the programs mentioned above, as well as other useful photography software. And to help you get the hang of color correction and other photo restoration techniques, the book includes 16 pages of full-color before-and-after examples. In short, you get just what you need to jump right in and start turning your flawed photos into frame-worthy masterworks!