Tag Archives: photo editing

Show260: Google Photos – Make Better Pictures

  • 0:00 Begin
  • 1:53 Quick Tip – Magic Eraser
  • 7:03 Welcome and Intro
  • 11:41 Before and After photos demo
  • 15:13 Premium editing tools
  • 19:00 Basic editing tools iPhone
  • 26:40 More basic editing tools on Android
  • 40:08 Editing on Computer/Web
  • 48:40 Review questions
  • 52:17 cinematic photos see link

Detailed show notes for our premium members, under construction below:

For Members Only

September 2020 News: Learn Google Photos Book Launch

  September 2020 | Issue 157  | Archives
What’s Up with Jim and Chris – the Geeks?
Most of the month was devoted to finishing the Learn Google Photos book.
On August 7, we had a real treat when the Product Lead for Google Photos, David Lieb agreed to meet with our Geeks On Tour members group over Zoom. We heard his story and got to pummel him with questions about the development process of Google Photos. The meeting was recorded – for members only. We included some excerpts of our
conversation with David in our Book Launch Episode 198. Get the printable version (.pdf) of the show notes here: 198. Learn Google Photos 2020 Book Launch
Learn Google Photos 2020 – Episode 198 on YouTube
We launched the book during our 45 minute live YouTube show on August 30. Watch the show and we’ll tell you all about the book, give some specific tips about using the latest version of Google Photos, and let you meet David Lieb, the Product Lead for the Google Photos development team at Google. (spoiler alert – you’ll really like
him)
But Learn Google Photos 2020 isn’t just a book! We also announced:
To buy the book
Geeks on Tour Premium members: the .pdf version of the book is included with membership. Download the book from GeeksOnTour.com/eBooks
What’s coming up – Our Calendar Sep/Oct 2020
Wednesday, September 2 Sarasota Computer Club remote seminar
Members Only
Sunday, Sept 6 2pm ET Backstage Pass Zoom: Topic will be how to use group albums with Google Photos. We’ll make an album with the group!
October 16-18 Roadtrek Rally in N. Florida. Seminars on Google Photos and Blogger
Live YouTube Shows Sunday at 2pm Eastern time. Most weeks. Check our Home Page at GeeksOnTour.com where we post a yellow note about our plans for the upcoming Sunday.
If we don’t do a live Button Show, we’ll do a Member Zoom at 2pm Eastern.
Live Zoom meetings for Premium Members after the live shows. Watch your email for announcements of scheduled shows, or check the message on our home page.
Stay safe. Wash your hands. Wear a mask.

Ask the Geeks Q&A forum.

Anyone can read the forum, only members can ask questions. This is a valuable benefit of membership. Join Today! Here are some recent discussions:

  1. Password Managers
  2. Printing on Chromebooks
  3. Ordering the new Learn Google Photos book
  4. Backup photos 
  5. Taking Photos Outside

Google Photos A Quick Tour 643
Video


Google Photos Editing Tools

Chapter 7 in the book is Editing to improve your photos. You will learn how to take the picture at the top and make the one on the bottom. Don’t you like the bottom one better?
The key is to lighten the shadows on the shore without washing out the sunset.
I think editing is my favorite part of Google Photos, it’s so much fun to take a so-so photo and make it beautiful.

Where did everything go?

If you have been using Google Photos for a while, it may be disconcerting to open the new version and not see the same buttons and menus. This grid is part of a longer article that explains the new buttons and menus.
Leave us a Review

Have you learned something from Geeks on Tour?

If so, we’d love to get a review from you. Click on this link

 If you like this newsletter, please forward it on to your friends! If you received this issue forwarded by a friend you can subscribe to get your own copy delivered to your in box – it’s free. You can also visit the archives of past newsletters. If you’ve learned something from us along the way, we’d love a Google Review from you!

What’s wrong with this picture? It’s blah

Jim and Chris in Brisbane, QLD, Australia

You might look at that picture and say, “That’s a nice picture, there’s nothing wrong with it.” But, I don’t want you to look at my picture and say, “That’s nice” I want you to look at it and say “Wow!”

With just a couple of clicks, you can take a good picture and make it gorgeous.

  1. To crop: open the photo using Google Photos and click (tap) the edit button then the Crop button . Drag the edges of the photo in closer to the subject and then tap Done.
  2. To make it “Pop”: Still in Edit mode, tap the adjustments button (same icon as Edit) Find the Pop slider (it may be under Light, tap the down arrow to see) drag the pop slider to the right. You may also want to drag the color slider to the right a little.

Learn to Edit

Every phone with a camera comes with editing tools. I like using Google Photos, but if you don’t – you can also use whatever Gallery or Photo app that came with your phone. They all will have features to crop, brighten, and enhance colors. Here are a few videos to show you how to use the editing tools in Google Photos:

If you want to learn the free companion app called Snapseed, we have a complete Learning Guide for Snapseed.

542.GP-How to use the Depth Editor and Color Pop in Google Photos

Tutorial 542 from Geeks on Tour. An explanation and demonstration of two special editing tools. Depth editor allows you to increase or decrease the blur in the background of Portrait style photos. Color Pop allows you to keep the main subject in color while turning the background to black and white.
Continue reading →

541.SM-iPhone:Portrait Photos

Tutorial video number 541 by Geeks On Tour. This is a quick demo on how to take a Portrait style photo using an iPhone. Note, your phone must be a “Plus” model or an iPhone X
Portrait style means that the subject is in focus and the background is out of focus. The same effect that is produced by a DSLR camera using depth of field settings.

 
Continue reading →

I didn’t miss my DSLR camera!

In packing for our month in Europe, I reluctantly left my Canon Digital Rebel T3i behind. See our video where we talked about what we packed to take with us.

I love my Canon, it takes great photos, but, so does my iPhone 7+ and the iPhone is a lot smaller! Besides, I’ve always believed that what makes the most difference in the quality of a photo is a few seconds spent with good editing tools after the photo is taken. I believed that back with Picasa, and I believe it now with Google Photos and Snapseed. I have no ambition to be a professional photographer, that’s a completely different story. I just want to capture my memories and make them nice to look at.

We had 4 cameras with us even without the Canon! My phone, an iPhone 7+, Jim’s phone, a Pixel XL, Jim’s Samsung Camera 2, and Jim’s GoPro video camera. I enjoyed having only one camera, no decisions to make about which one to use, just learn all I could about using the iPhone. The only time I even thought about my Canon was when we were on a train or a boat. It is so much faster to grab the Canon, put it to your eye, twist the lens to zoom in and snap. That can all be accomplished in one smooth motion, 3 seconds top. With the phone, there is always a lot of fumbling to get to the right screen, squinting to see the image on the screen before snapping, and changing your grip to be able to snap the picture. I’m sure I missed a few good shots because I was too slow, but I still got plenty of nice photos. Here are a few, with notes. Many of these would not be possible with the SLR – e.g. in-camera Panoramas, selfies, animated gifs. See lots more (445 to be exact!) in our Album.

1. Duomo in Florence, Italy

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iPhone 7+, Google Photos crop, auto, pop

2. Water lily in gardens at Florence, Italy

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iPhone 7+, Snapseed HDR-Scape filter

3. Castiglion Fiorentino, Tuscany Italy

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Pixel XL – panorama with a run-around-behind subject Smile

4. Begonias on our terrace at El Santucce

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iPhone 7+ using Portrait mode

5. Assisi

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iPhone 7+ Snapseed HDR-scape, text added with Snapseed

6. St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy at night

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iPhone 7+ – selfie (front lens) so good at night exposure. no editing other than crop

7. Venice

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Samsung Camera 2 – panorama with Google Photos Pop

8. Kayaking on the Grand Canal in Venice

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iPhone 7+ on a selfie stick

9. Jim at Miramare castle, Trieste Italy

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iPhone 7+ using Portrait mode

10. Boat ride in Ljubljana, Slovenia

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iPhone 7+ Edited in Snapseed, HDR-scape filter, Text added

11. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

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iPhone 7+ Live Photo, converted to animated gif with Motion Stills app

12. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

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Samsung Camera 2 on Waterfall setting!

 

Smartphone Photography Workshops

We will be teaching 2 sessions of our Smartphone Photography workshops at
the FMCA Convention in Indianapolis next week. If you’ll be there, come find
us in the Info center and sign up!

Thursday July 13, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

Friday July 14, 2017

459.SM-New Phone? Don’t Lose Your Pictures!

Geeks on Tour Tutorial video #459 Google Photos: When you get a New Phone, do you want access to All Your Photos? Google Photos is the best way to get all your photos on your new phone, but there are two things you must do with your old phone before you let it go!
See companion blog post at https://learngooglephotos.blogspot.com/2016/12/getting-new-phone-wait-dont-lose-your.html

Continue reading →