Become an iPhoto pro!
Look beyond the automatic enhancements if you want the best results
For applying one-click fixes, iPhoto is great. If that’s all you’re using it for, though, you’re only using a fraction of its overall power. To unleash its full potential, click the Edit button at the bottom of the sidebar and switch to the Adjust tab to reveal its advanced tools. The histogram 1 illustrates the various levels of red, green and blue within your image. Darker shades of each are arranged to the left of the graph and lighter shades to the right. A well-exposed image will be characterised by a fairly flat graph for each colour with roughly equal amounts at each level, but a bulge at either end means that one or more of your tones is either under- or over-exposed.
Three chips on the bottom of the graph 2 let you make adjustments to the spread of colours within the image, with the outer chips denoting black (left) and white (right). Drag the one on the left towards the centre, and the darker red, green and blue tones within your image – represented by the parts of the graph that now sit to the left of the chip – will fade to black. Drag the one on the right towards the centre, and anything that appears to the right of it will bleach to white. If you have empty areas on either end of the histogram, drag the chip from that end to the point where the first of your tones meets the baseline to balance the colours across the spectrum for a more punchy result.
The centre chip 3 defines the mid-tones. Dragging left and right makes the image lighter and darker overall since it increases the amount of the histogram occupied by the light or dark tones to its right and left.
Playing with the histogram lets you correct the lighting in an image (and the separate Shadows 4 and Highlights 5 sliders let you bring out hidden detail in under- and over-exposed areas), but it doesn’t let you correct a colour cast. Casts are caused by the iPhone failing to recognise the shooting conditions, which can result in a yellow or blue tinge, depending on the ambient lighting. Dragging the tint slider towards the magenta or green end of the scale lets you fix this, but you can also task iPhoto with balancing things itself. Select the eyedropper 6 and use this to click on a neutral grey object within the frame. iPhoto uses this as a reference point, applying whichever corrections are necessary to return it to grey, and in the process applying the same adjustment frame-wide to correct the other shades in the shot.
The sharpness 7 , definition 8 and contrast 9 sliders compliment each other. Sharpness speaks for itself, making the image crisper (great for high detail shots like landscapes, foliage and fur) or softer (flattering for portraits and petals), with definition having a similar but more subtle effect. Careful use of the definition control gives your image an HD look without actually increasing the resolution, but can’t rescue a shot that was blurred to start with, so don’t expect too much of it.
Contrast maximises the shadows and highlights in an image, again making it look like you’ve captured more detail than you have, and can help cut through haze and fog. Use it alongside the definition and sharpness to rescue insipid, flat photos.