Add Snap To A Dull Image

Q: How to make dull image to sharper image?


A: There are four characteristics to a quality color image.

1. Good Contrast.
2. Gray Balance.
3. Sharpness and Detail.
4. Believable Colors.

Items number 2 and 4 have to do with the color of the image.

Your question is addressed with number 1 and 3 from the list above, Contrast and Sharpness. First for an image to look its best it has to have good contrast.

Contrast is the difference between the lighter and darker tones in a photo. An image has good contrast if the white areas are nice and clean as opposed to a dingy gray, and colors are bright and vibrant, and the shadow areas are rich. A photo really pops when it has good contrast.

Photoshop Elements provides several ways to improve contrast. You can make a Curves or Levels adjustment to gain contrast.

Here's a quick and easy way to add contrast with a Blend Mode.

The other characteristic that helps a photograph pop is Sharpness. Sharpening an image enhances the edges the image and gives the appearance of more detail.

The best ways to sharpen a photo with Photoshop Elements is either Unsharp Mask Filter or with High Pass Filter. See this tutorial on sharpening using High Pass Filter.

You'll be amazed at the difference these techniques make in the quality of your images.