Correcting Digital Photos with ExpressFix

ExpressFix is a timesaving tool that provides quick fixes to common digital photo problems such as color cast, unbalanced exposure, out-of-focus conditions, and more. It provides one-click presets that instantly correct photographic flaws, as well as custom adjustments that give finer enhancements to photos.

In this tutorial, we will use two examples to show the different correction tools in ExpressFix. The first example shows the use of a combination of tools to correct a photo that is underexposed and oversaturated. The second example illustrates how to use the Beautify Skin feature to make instant facial retouches to a portrait photo. Before we begin, download and unzip the file images.zip to your local folder. This contains the files Outdoor.jpg and Baby.jpg which we will be using.


Example One: Landscape Photo

This example shows a photo of two friends taken on a landscape scenery that looks underexposed, making the background less visible although it was taken during daytime. It is a rather dark image, and there is a warm orange glow on the face of the subjects as well as obscured details and overall color discoloration in the photo. We will show you how to fix this problem by using available quick-fix presets or by making custom adjustments.

Select a photo in the Slide Panel then click ExpressFix on the Slide Toolbar to open the ExpressFix dialog box.

At the top of the dialog box, the view to the left indicates the image as it is prior to adjustment. The view to the right will display previews of adjustments as you apply them. As you proceed through the step, the left view updates with the latest adjustments.

Underneath, the panel to the left of the dialog box is the Steps list. It indicates the various tools that you can use to improve your photos. It is recommended to follow the steps sequentially. If you need to make additional enhancements or cancel an adjustment made on a previous step, just click on the particular step you wish to work on. A check symbol beside each step indicates that an adjustment has been made on the photo.

Step One: Overall Exposure

This step allows you to improve the brightness of the photo. The thumbnails on the right side under the Dual View images indicate the suggested overall lighting level of the image. Click Preset #1 to accentuate the highlights and shadows, making the photo brighter.

NOTE: You can also click Custom to make finer adjustments to your photos. If your image is similarly dark, click the More brightness thumbnail. It may also be necessary to adjust contrast levels to balance out dark and light areas on the image. If adjustments are made without achieving the desired result, click Reset to start again.