Open the program.   Go to File>Open to get the picture you want to work on.  Once the picture is on the screen click on Advanced to use these features. 

Take a look at what you can do on the Intro tab.

    *    One thing to always remember is the Undo button.  There is only one step of Undo so be sure you are satisfied with the last thing you did before going on.  You can only Undo the last thing you did!

Orientation

This rotates the picture if it is sideways.

Resize the image

Most images from a digital camera (or from a scanner – unless you reduce the picture size when you scan) are too large to print or attach to E-mail.  Follow these steps to make your image smaller.  Click on the Size Tab, and Choose Photo Size.  You can change the size in pixels, centimeters or inches.  If you leave the box Constrain Proportions checked the 2^nd dimension will change automatically so the picture remains in proportion.  You can learn about Resolution later but remember - the higher the resolution the larger the file.  If that matters, keep the resolution low.  For web images, keep it low.  You may want a higher resolution for images that will be printed.

Crop your picture

Click on Trim.  Your cursor will change to a cross-hair (like a big Plus sign).  You will be drawing a box to select the area that you want to keep.   Click and hold in one corner of where you want the box to be.  Continue holding the mouse button and move to where you want the box to end then let go.  You can adjust the size of the area you want to keep at this point.  When you are satisfied, click “Enter” on the keyboard.

Now your picture is only the area you want to use and it is sized correctly.  From here there are more things you can do to your picture:

Change the Picture to Black and White in Effects

Lighten or Darken, Change the Contrast, Adjust the Color of the Picture in Quality.  You might try Instant Fix first to see if it takes care of your picture.   Remember Undo if you don’t like the effect.

Add Lines

Click on Tools and choose the Line Tool.   A box appears where you can adjust the thickness of the line in pixels and the color.    Click and hold on where you want the line to begin, drag you mouse (move your cursor while still holding the mouse button) to where you want the line to end the let go.

You can also draw freehand using the brush tool.  Choose the brush size and color.

Adding Text

Click on the text tool (the T) then click on the area of the picture where you want to add text.  A box will appear with an area for you to type in the text you want to add as well as a place for you to change the font and the color.  Type in your text then click OK.  Now the text is on your picture in a box that you can adjust by dragging the box to the size that you want.

Saving Your Picture

When you open a picture in PhotoDelux you are working in the PhotoDelux format, so if you want to use your picture in anything else, put it in another format when you save it.  Click on File>Send To>File Format.  Here you choose your format – best for most things is .JPG   Choose that from the drop down menu.