Monday Makeover: Ten Quick Ways to Makeover Your Photos!

As part of Get It Scrapped's second dose of the Get It Blogged Challenge, I am introducing Makeover Mondays!!! Each Monday during the month of March, you will not only receive a new "makeover" challenge, but you will also be able to refer to my blog for some fun tutorials to help you on your way! For more info about playing along, visit the Get Blogging Forum at Get It Scrapped!  This Monday we are making over our Photos! And here are some great ways to give your photos some extra oomph!

Ten Quick Ways to "Makeover Your Photos"!

Okay...so here's the photo I started with of my little snow angel Caleb--straight out of the camera!  Wow... look at those rosy cheeks!

Now let's see look at some simple ways to give this photo a little makeover!

1. Basic Editing can go a long way!  By simply adjusting the contrast, levels, sharpness and color, you can give your photos a real leg up! I've also toned down the red in his cheeks a little and brightened the photo up a bit.

2. Color Conversion can give your photo a flawless look, while also creating great contrast and a completely different feel.  Both Black and White and Sepia are common choices...I especially love them for snow photos because I love the contrast and do you see how perfect those cherub cheeks look!

3. Actions can make a world of difference in a matter of seconds!  This one is Golden Vintage from Coffee Shop .

4. Vignettes not only draw attention to your subject and help to disguise empty or distracting backgrounds, but also bring a bit of drama to your photos.

5. Photo Textures and Overlays help to convey a certain tone in your photograph, and can be extremely useful to those of us without all of the fancy photo equipment to achieve certain effects on our own.  Check out this awesome photo texture by Emily Powers, "Sleet" from her Photology 2.0 pack.  It not only adds a wonderful texture and a playful tone, but it comes complete with built in lens flare!

6.  Selective Coloring is a great way to draw attention to a specific object in your photo or to intensify the already brilliant colors present in your photo.

7. Frames can give photos a finished look, and often help to tie them into their intended backgrounds, this one is by House of 3.

8. Text allows you to clarify your photo's message or meaning, while adding a bit of flair.

9. Sketches can give your photo a completely different look and feel.  Depending on the type of sketch you choose, they can set a tone ranging from playful to regal and they allow you to literally turn your photos into art!

10. Other Fun Photo Effects, like the "scraped windshield"  I've created below, can really take your photos to the next level, while also allowing you to have a little bit of FUN!

Give one or all of these Fun Photo Makeovers a try!  And if you're looking to learn more about Photo Editing then check out Lynn Weber's great array of Photo Editing classes, available in self-paced format, at Get It Scrapped!