7. Expand Your Photo Editing Toolbox with iPhoto

With the release of iOS 7, not only did Apple enhance its optional iPhoto app, which was previously sold through the App Store, but it also dropped the price of this feature-packed photography app (if you’ve purchased a new iPhone or iPad that runs iOS 7) to a very attractive price—free. Otherwise, the price for the app is $4.99. Meanwhile, the Mac version of iPhoto has long been a part of the iLife suite that comes bundled with all new iMacs and MacBooks.

You can use iPhoto to view, organize, edit, enhance, print, and share photos. The iOS 7 edition of iPhoto not only offers compatibility with its Mac counterpart, but it also offers many of the same features and functions as well as some useful tools that are not available from the Photos app or the Mac version of iPhoto.

One of the iPhoto app’s many features, which the Photos app does not include, is the capability to create a variety of photo projects from your iPhone or iPad that can be used to showcase your digital images. For example, directly from the iPhoto app, it’s possible to order prints from Apple’s own photo lab, and then have those professionally created prints shipped to you within a few business days. You can easily order prints in a wide range of sizes and pay for them from the iPhoto app.

In addition, the iPhoto app enables you to lay out and design photo books, and then upload them to Apple’s own photo lab to be printed. Keep in mind, however, that a wide range of other apps from third parties also offer the capability to create prints, photo books, and other photo projects directly from an iPhone or iPad. You learn more about these apps in Chapter 11, “Create Prints from Your iPhone/iPad Photos.”

As you’ll discover, the iPhoto app also works with the Camera app, and most other apps used for taking pictures with the iPhone or iPad’s built-in cameras. The iPhoto app also has full access to the Camera Roll album, which is where new photos taken on your iOS mobile device are automatically saved.

iPhoto’s Library screen uses the main area of your iPhone or iPad’s display to showcase thumbnails of images stored in your device. How these images are organized and displayed depends on which viewing option you have selected. Displayed at the bottom center of the screen are three command icons, labeled Photos, Albums, and Projects.

Tap on the Photos option to view thumbnails of all images currently stored in your iPhone or iPad, grouped together by the month and year they were shot (see Figure 7-2). Using your finger, swipe upward or downward to view each month’s collection of photos, starting with the most recent at the bottom of the display.

Tap on the Albums icon to sort and display thumbnails of the images sorted by the album in which they’re currently saved (refer to Figure 7-1). Near the top-left margin of this screen, you see the Library label. Below it are thumbnails that represent each album that’s stored on your iPhone or iPad. Below the iCloud label are thumbnails representing the albums stored online, in your iCloud account, including your My Photo Stream and your separate shared photo streams.

Tap on the Projects icon to view thumbnails that represent each separate project you’ve created using the iPhoto app, including photo books, slideshows, and web journals (see Figure 7-3). You learn how to create these various projects later in this chapter.

Displayed near the bottom-right corner of iPhoto’s Library screen is the Options icon (it looks like three dots lined up in a horizontal row). From this menu, you can turn on or off virtual switches associated with Wireless Beaming, plus adjust other app-related settings, manage Location Services and geotagging capabilities of the iPhoto app, plus choose which of Apple’s professional labs you want to be able to place orders with, based on your location.

After tapping on the Photos or Albums icon, tap on a thumbnail that represents an album you want to view in iPhoto. Upon doing this, you’ll see thumbnails for all of the images in the selected album. When the iPhone or iPad is held in Portrait mode, these images are displayed on the bottom portion of the screen (see Figure 7-4). When your iOS mobile device is held in Landscape mode, they’re displayed along the left margin (see Figure 7-5). Use your finger to scroll through all images in the selected album as needed.

The Thumbnail Columns icon (which looks like three horizontal lines) can be moved to decrease or increase the number of thumbnail columns displayed at once. Drag this icon up or down (Portrait mode), or move it left or right (Landscape mode).

Tap on any one image thumbnail to view a larger version of that image in the main area of the screen, and at the same time, you gain access to iPhoto’s editing and enhancement tools.

As you’re viewing individual images, to zoom in, double-tap on the image itself or use a reverse-pinch finger gesture. To zoom out, double-tap again on the image, or use a pinch finger gesture. Place and hold your finger somewhere on an image and drag it around to move around when viewing a zoomed-in image.

On the iPad, these icons include Back, Show/Hide Thumbnail Grid, Help, Undo, Add Caption, Share Menu, Show Photo Info, and Show Original (see Figure 7-7).

Here’s a summary of what each of these icons and options is used for:

Filter/Sort Images—Tap on the heading that displays the number of images in the selected album to access a menu that enables you to sort the images based on specific criteria.

Thumbnail Columns—Slide this icon to determine how many rows of thumbnail columns are displayed on the screen at once.

Back—Return to the Library screen of iPhoto. Whatever changes or edits made to the images you were viewing and working with are saved.

Show/Hide Thumbnail Grid—Tap on this icon to display or hide the thumbnail grid.

Help—Access iPhoto’s interactive Help feature to learn about the app’s various commands, features, and functions.

Undo—Tap on this icon to undo or remove only the last edit, enhancement, or change made to an image.

Add Caption—Add a text-based caption to a specific image. Ultimately, the caption you add is linked to that image.

Share Menu icon—Access iPhoto’s expanded Share menu, which includes options for sharing the image you’re viewing via Mail, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Message, iTunes, Beam, or AirDrop. It’s also possible to create a project (web journal, slideshow, or photo book) from this menu or export the image to your Camera Roll folder, iMovie, or another compatible app. Options displayed at the bottom of the Share menu enable you to order prints from Apple’s photo lab or create prints using a home photo printer that’s linked to your iOS mobile device via AirPrint.

Show Photo Info—View information (metadata) that’s associated with the digital image. The information displayed here varies, based on whether the image was taken using the camera that’s built in to your iPhone or iPad or it was taken using a standalone digital camera, and then imported into iPhoto.

Show Original—Once you’ve made any edits or enhancements to an image using iPhoto, tap on this icon to toggle between seeing the original (unedited) version of the image and the newly edited or enhanced version.

On the iPhone, displayed in the bottom-left corner of the screen is the Tools icon. Tap on it to reveal six additional icons that enable you to edit and enhance the image you’re viewing (see Figure 7-8). On the iPad, these same six command icons are displayed in a row, near the bottom-left corner of the screen. Here’s a summary of the tools accessible using each of these icons:

Browse—On the iPhone, tapping on the Browse icon toggles the menu options and command icons that are displayed along the bottom of the screen. On the iPad, tapping on the Browse icon causes the Enhance, Rotate, Flag, Favorite, and Tag icons to be displayed. These icons are replaced by other options when one of the other icons displayed near the bottom-left corner of the screen is selected.

Crop—Use iPhoto’s Crop tool on the photo you’re currently viewing in the main area of the screen. For more information, refer to the “Use the Crop Tool” section later in this chapter.

Exposure—When you tap the Exposure icon, iPhoto’s Exposure slider is displayed at the bottom center of the screen. This slider has three different types of slider options in one that enable you to control the brightness, contrast, and shadows in the image separately. Slide the Brightness, Contrast, or Shadows icon to the left, along the slider, to darken the image. Move one of the icons to the right to lighten the image. Move the Brightness, Contrast, and Shadow icons around on the slider independently to achieve the desired results.

Color—On the iPhone, when you tap on the Color icon, four circular color options are displayed along the bottom of the screen. From left to right, these represent Saturation, Blue Skies, Greenery, and Warmth. Tap on one icon at a time to reveal a slider used to adjust that color-related option. On the iPad, when you tap on the Color option, four separate sliders appear near the bottom center of the screen. Adjust each one separately, as needed.

After tapping on the Color icon, the White Balance icon is displayed near the bottom-right corner of the screen. Tap on this to reveal the White Balance menu shown in Figure 7-9. This menu contains a series of icons that represent the type of natural or artificial lighting that was captured in the photo, such as direct sunlight, sunlight on a cloudy day, the iPhone’s (or a digital camera’s) flash, an outdoor shady area, incandescent lighting, fluorescent lighting, or underwater lighting. Choose the appropriate icon to correct the White Balance in a photo.

Brushes—When editing or enhancing a photo using most of the tools offered within iPhoto (and all the tools offered in the Photos app), the tool in use automatically impacts the entire image. Using the Brushes tools available in iPhoto, it’s possible to manually adjust the red-eye, contrast, saturation, and/or sharpness in specific areas of an image. Here’s a rundown of the tools available from the Brushes menu:

Repair—Tap on the Repair option to activate the Repair Brush, and then using your finger, draw on the area(s) of an image that you want to fix. The Repair tool removes what you paint over with your finger, and then blends that area with what’s around it.

Red-Eye—When you take a photo of a person using a flash and the red-eye effect appears in the subject’s eyes, use this tool to digitally remove it.

Lighten—Tap on this option, and then use your finger to paint over areas of the selected image that you want to manually lighten, such as an unwanted shadow. Tap on the Options menu to adjust the Brush settings.

Darken—Tap on this option, and then use your finger to paint over areas of the selected image that you want to manually darken. Tap on the Options menu to adjust the Brush settings.

Saturate—Use this tool to boost or enhance the colors depicted within a specific area of the selected image. Tap on the Options menu to adjust this Brush setting before applying it to an image.

Desaturate—Use this tool to decrease or lighten the intensity and vividness of the colors depicted within a specific area of the selected image.

Sharpen—If an area of an image appears slightly blurry, use this tool to digitally sharpen a portion of the image.

Soften—To add a slight blur to an area of the selected image, use this tool. For example, if you’re editing a portrait and you want to lighten the wrinkles on someone’s face or around the eyes, yet make the photo look natural, use the Soften tool.

Effects—Although the Photos app offers eight nonadjustable filters, the iPhoto app offers a vast collection of user-adjustable special effect filters. In addition to being able to select from a broader range of filters, you can adjust the intensity of each filter, plus mix and match filters when editing a single image to create a truly customized effect.

On the iPhone, displayed to the right of the Tools icon are the Enhance, Flag, Favorite, Tag, and Show Photo Info icons (shown in Figure 7-11). On the iPad, the Enhance, Rotate, Flag, Favorite, and Tag icons are displayed near the bottom center of the screen. Here’s a summary of what these features and functions are used for:

Enhance—With a single tap, this tool automatically adjusts the contrast, brightness, and saturation in an entire image.

Rotate—On the iPad, tap on this icon to rotate the selected image 90 degrees counterclockwise. Tap twice to rotate the image 180 degrees, three times to rotate the image 270 degrees, or four times to return it to its original orientation. On the iPhone, place two fingers on the screen and use a twisting motion to rotate the image.

Flag—In addition to organizing your images in albums, and then being able to sort and view them by date and location, iPhoto enables you to flag individual images and then quickly locate and view flagged images. When an image has been flagged, a Flag icon appears at the bottom center of its thumbnail (see Figure 7-12), and when viewing a larger version of the image in iPhoto, the Flag icon at the bottom of the screen is bright orange.

Favorite—An alternative to flagging an image, in iPhoto you can add individual images to your Favorites list. To do this as you’re viewing an image, simply tap on the Favorites (heart-shaped) icon. The functions available related to favorite images work much the same way as flagged images, in that you can later view them all together or quickly find images you manually set apart as one of your favorites.

Tag—The Tag feature in iPhoto offers the capability to assign keyword-based tags to individual photos. It’s possible to later search and display images based on individual or groups of tags. For more information about assigning and using tags in iPhoto, see the “Work with Tags to Organize and Quickly Locate Images” section later in this chapter.

Show Photo Info—View information (metadata) that’s associated with the digital image. The information displayed here varies, based on whether the image was taken using the camera that’s built in to your iPhone or iPad or it was taken using a standalone digital camera and then imported into iPhoto.

When you tap on the Crop tool icon, a white frame appears around the selected image. Using the Gyro Mode dial that’s displayed at the bottom of the screen, use your finger to move it left or right to tilt or straighten the image (see Figure 7-13).

To zoom in and reframe or recompose an image, use a reverse-pinch finger gesture. To zoom out again, use a pinch finger gesture. Once you zoom in or out, to reposition the image within the crop frame, hold down one finger on the image and drag it around.

To resize the image and/or eliminate some of the background, place your finger on any side of the white frame around the image and drag it inward. It’s also possible to place your finger at one of the corners of the frame and drag inward, at a diagonal.

While you’re working with the Crop tool and readjusting the white frame around the selected image, hold down your finger anywhere outside the white frame to view the entire image, not just the portion that remains visible in the crop frame.

Figure 7-14 shows an original image before the Crop tool was used. In Figure 7-15, the reverse-pinch finger gesture was used to zoom in, and then the image was repositioned within the frame. In Figure 7-16, some of the background of the image was removed by adjusting the crop grid. In Figure 7-17, the aspect ratio of the image was changed from its Original (default) setting to 8" × 10". As you can see, depending on how this tool is used, an image can be dramatically altered in a variety of ways.

The subject shown in Figure 7-18 has unwanted blemishes on his face. Using the Repair tool, these can easily be removed (see Figure 7-19).

Unlike some of the other tools built in to iPhoto, the Brush tools require a bit more time and precision to utilize effectively. Sometimes, to achieve the best results, you need to use two or more separate Brush tools in a specific area of an image to achieve natural-looking results.

When you select a specific Brush tool, whether it’s Repair, Lighten, Darken, Saturate, Desaturate, Sharpen, or Soften, for example, be sure to customize the tool before you use it to alter your image. This is done by tapping on the Brush Options icon, and then using the slider that’s displayed in the Brush Options window to adjust the brush size, for example. Figure 7-20 shows the available Brush Options when the Saturate tool is selected.

From the Brush Options menu, most of the Brush tools offer an option that enables you to quickly apply the selected tool to an entire image, as opposed to a specific area. This speeds up the photo editing process, but then overlaps with what’s possible using other editing and image enhancement tools that are built in to iPhoto.

To help you see what areas of an image you’ve applied a Brush tool to, turn on the virtual switch associated with the Show Strokes option that’s found in the Brush Options menu for many of the Brush tools. After applying a Brush tool, if you don’t like how your photo looks, tap on the Erase [insert brush name] Strokes or Erase All Strokes option that’s also associated with many of the Brush tools in the Brush Options menu.

As you’ll discover, Brush tools give you the most flexibility when editing your images, but they’re also the most difficult and time-consuming tools in iPhoto to utilize. With a bit of practice using each Brush tool, and then using some experimentation in terms of which tools work well with each other to achieve specific results, you’ll soon be able to utilize professional-level photo editing techniques in the iPhoto app that were previously only available from full-featured photo editing software available on Macs and PCs.

A tag can be any keyword or short phrase. After a tag is created, it becomes part of the app’s personalized Tags menu. Now, as you’re looking at photos and opt to add tags, you can quickly tap on one or more of the precreated Tag options. Each photo can have multiple tags associated with it, and you can create as many different tags as you desire.

Later, it’s possible to quickly find individual images by doing a tag search. For example, you can search for all images with the tags Kids and Christmas to see your collection of holiday photos featuring your kids that were taken throughout the years.

To edit your Tags list, access the Tags menu and tap on the Edit option. You can then delete individual tags or rearrange the order in which tags appear in the menu by placing your finger on a Move icon that’s associated with a tag and dragging it upward or downward. By default, tags are displayed in the order they’re created.

When an image is tagged, a tag thumbnail is displayed in the bottom center of its thumbnail. As you’re viewing a larger version of the image, the Tag icon (displayed near the bottom center of the screen) is highlighted in blue. Tap on the Tag icon again to view which tags are associated with the photo.

Many of the Share menu options work just as they do when using the Photos app. Refer back to Chapter 6, “View, Organize, Edit, and Share Pictures Using the Photos App,” for more information about how to use the Mail, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and Message options.

After you tap on the Choose Photos option, tap on the thumbnail for each image you want to select. A white check mark appears in each selected image thumbnail. After you’ve selected all the desired images, tap on the Next option. When the Share to iTunes pop-up menu appears, tap on the Export button. The selected images are then synced with iTunes running on your primary computer the next time it initiates an iTunes sync.

To use Beam, tap on the Beam option, select the photos you want to send, and then wait for your iOS mobile device to locate other compatible devices. These devices are displayed on the screen. Tap on the device to which you want to send the images. The recipient receives a message in a pop-up window asking if he or she wants to accept the images. If the recipient taps on the Yes button, the images are wirelessly transmitted to the recipient’s device and saved.

A Beam Completed message appears on your device when the transmission is finished.

From the Review Your Prints screen, use the virtual switch to turn on or off the Glossy Finish option. Tap on the Price icon to complete your order. Select your Ship To address when prompted. You can enter your own address, or choose any address from an entry in your Contacts database. Review your order details displayed in the Checkout screen, and tap Place Order to finalize your order. Keep in mind that a shipping and handling fee is applied to each order.

When prompted, enter your Apple ID password in the Sign In With Your Apple ID window to complete the order. The credit/debit card that’s associated with your Apple ID will be charged for the prints. Within a few business days, the prints will be shipped and ultimately arrive at the designated address.

Next, select the images you want to include in the web journal. These can be images from a particular album or images from several different albums that you’ve flagged or otherwise preselected. You’ll then be asked whether you want to include the selected photos in an existing web journal that’s already been created, and if so, which one, or whether you’d like to create a new web journal from scratch.

If you opt to create a new web journal, the next menu asks you to enter a title for your web journal and select a theme for it. Your theme options include Cotton, Border, Denim, Light, Dark, and Mosaic. Tap on the Create Web Journal to continue.

When iPhoto processes your web journal based on your selected images and the theme option you’ve selected, a pop-up window appears that says, “Web Journal Created.” It also displays the name of the web journal and how many photos it contains. Tap on the Show button to view your web journal.

Next, one at a time, tap on each image. A blue border appears around the selected image (see Figure 7-26). You then have the option to resize the image. To drag it to another location, double-tap on the image. When a white left and right arrow appears in the image, use your finger to drag it to a new location in the web journal.

For example, tap on the Header option to add additional headlines to your web journal, beyond the main headline that displays the title, and that by default is seen at the top center of the web journal.

By tapping on the Text icon, it’s possible to easily add a box in the web journal that can contain text. You can decide on the size of the text box, and then determine how much text will be included, as well as customize the appearance of the text. Once a text box is created, it can be treated like a photo in the web journal and later repositioned or resized as you desire.

If you do a lot of traveling and ultimately use web journals to show off your vacation photos, tap on the Flag option to embed a graphic of a country’s flag. By default, iPhoto utilizes the geotag information associated with your photos and chooses the flag based on where the images were taken. However, by double- tapping on the flag graphic once it’s placed, you can turn off the virtual switch that’s associated with the Auto selection option, and then manually choose which flag to display.

Also from the Add menu, it’s possible to add further customizations to the appearance of the web journal. To do this, the Divider, Space, and Page options are available. From the Add menu, drag the Divider option onto your web journal layout and position it where you want it displayed. This drag-and-drop method also works with any of the elements that can be added from the Add menu.

Tap on the iCloud option that’s found in the Share menu, and then when prompted, customize the options found in the iCloud menu that’s displayed. Your web journal is published online, as part of your free iCloud account. You then have the opportunity to decide exactly who will be invited to view your web journal and whether your invitees will be able to view it using just iPhoto or from any web browser.

What’s great about the Web Journal feature iPhoto offers is that you can create a professional-looking web journal and share it online with others in less than a minute or two. However, you also have the option of investing a bit more time to fully customize each web journal to create something that looks fantastic and unique.

An animated slideshow created in iPhoto can include a group of images that you select, combined with titles, captions, animated slide transition effects, and background music. The end result is a presentation of your images that’s visually pleasing and professional looking, but that’s also fully customizable.

The slideshow you create can then be presented on your iPhone or iPad’s screen. It’s also possible to connect your iOS mobile device directly to an HD television set or projector to present your images to an audience. To accomplish this, you need optional adapters from Apple. Using the Apple TV device, it’s possible to wirelessly present an animated slideshow on an HD television set or monitor without the need for additional cables or adapters.

You can share the same digital slideshow you create using iPhoto online via iCloud so other iOS mobile device users (who also use iPhoto) or anyone with a web browser, including Mac and Windows PC users, can view it.

When you opt to create a slideshow, you need to select exactly which photos will be featured. After you select the images, they are displayed as thumbnails on the iPhoto screen. Along the top of the Slideshow editing screen are a handful of command icons used for customizing and presenting the slideshow (see Figure 7-32).

From left to right on the iPhone, you see the Back (<), Help, Play, Add, Options, and Share icons. On the iPad, you find the Back button icon (<), which returns you to iPhoto’s main Library screen, followed by the Help button and the Undo icon. Displayed at the top center of the screen is the Play icon. Tap Play to view your animated slideshow presentation.

To add additional photos to your slideshow, tap on the Add icon. However, if you want to edit or delete a photo, double-tap on an image’s thumbnail while viewing the Slideshow editing screen, and then tap on the Edit or Trash Can option.

Displayed near the top-right corner of the Slideshow editing screen is the Slideshow Options Menu icon. Tap on this to choose your animation slide transition, whether you want to include background music as part of your presentation, and to set your slideshow speed (which determines how much time each slide is seen before transitioning to the next slide).

Adding background music to a slideshow is also an easy process. Any music that’s already stored on your iPhone or iPad can be selected and used as slideshow background music, including music purchased from the iTunes Store or music composed using GarageBand.

After your slideshow is created and saved in iPhoto, you can view or present it from within iPhoto or opt to share it with others via iCloud, Beam, or AirDrop. The slideshow can also be synced using the iTunes Sync process and viewed on your Mac or PC. All of these options are accessible by tapping on the Share Menu icon that’s displayed at the top-right corner of the Slideshow editing screen within iPhoto.

When you opt to create a photo book from within the iPhoto app, the book you design on your iPhone or iPad’s screen will ultimately be uploaded to Apple’s own photo book printing service, be printed and bound as a book, and then shipped to the address you provide typically within a week or so.

The benefits to creating a photo book using iPhoto include that you can design, upload, and order the photo book directly from your iOS mobile device, plus it’s possible to pay the printing and shipping costs using the credit/debit card that’s already associated with your Apple ID account. Additionally, there’s no need to first export your images out of the iPhoto app, and then import into another app to design the photo book.

From within iPhoto, the photo book creation and ordering process is relatively straightforward. When you tap on the Create Project icon, the Photo Book menu appears. From here, you select the book’s trim size; your options include 8" × 8" or 10" × 10". You also select an overall theme for the book.

When you then tap on the Create Photo Book option, the My Photo Book screen appears (see Figure 7-33). This includes empty page templates that compose what, by default, will be a 20-page printed book. Using the menu options and command icons displayed on the My Photo Book screen, you can then customize each page template, change the order of pages, and ultimately insert your photos into each template.

The trick to making a well-designed photo book is to select photos that best tell a story, and then choose an applicable theme and color scheme. Also, make sure the images that feature a subject oriented in a certain direction are always positioned so they’re facing into the book’s center spine, as opposed to off the page. An example of this appears in Figure 7-35, whereas an example of photos that are oriented in the wrong direction on the page is shown in Figure 7-36.

As you’re creating your photo book, tap on the New Page icon to add a page to the book and choose the page template you want to use. Keep in mind that iPhoto offers single-page templates as well as multipage spreads to choose from. This enables you to spread one photo, or a selection of photos, across two pages (see Figure 7-37).

As you go through the process of designing your unique photo book, the iPhoto app continuously displays the price for printing the book, based on the current number of pages and selected options. The price is displayed at the top-right corner of the screen, in a Price button (see Figure 7-38). When you’re finished designing your photo book, tap on this Price button to begin the ordering process, which is very much like ordering prints from the iPhoto app.

It’s important to understand that photo books that are designed using iPhoto can only be printed using Apple’s own photo book printing service. If you want to use another photo book printing service, you must either export your photos into another photo book creation app or upload your pictures to an online-based photo book design and printing service.

Regardless of what feature or function you use to edit or enhance a photo, if the result is not to your liking, simply use the Revert, Remove, or Reset command, or tap on the Undo icon. On the iPhone or iPad, the Revert, Remove, or Reset command can typically be found when you tap on the Options Menu icon to reveal the Options menu related to a particular feature or function. On the iPad, there’s also the Undo icon, which can typically be found among the command icons at the top of the screen.

In other words, anytime you’re working with a photo, you always have the option of quickly and easily undoing the last thing you did, removing a specific effect, or getting rid of the changes made to an image as the result of using a particular editing tool. Thus, you’re totally free to experiment by mixing and matching the use of various iPhoto tools to create the most visually impressive image possible, without running the risk of making mistakes you can’t easily recover from.