PhotoWorks: A Powerful Tool to Create Vibrant and Stunning Photographs

One of the major drawbacks of using a photo editor like Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paintshop Pro, or Phase One Capture is that they have a pretty advanced learning curve due to the number of features offered.

They require you to dig in, spend hours in the program, and learn the ins and outs of what features are where and how to use them. On the flip side of this, the simple photo editors offered by Instagram and Facebook deal in sliders and are easy to use but are unable to get you that professional quality feel and look you desire.

In comes PhotoWorks, an intelligent photo editor that provides stunning photographs with a user-friendly interface that is suitable for both new and advanced users. The software comes with a free trial which is available on Windows computers, and has innovative processing algorithms that allow you to correct things like poor lighting, blurriness, and dull colors.

If you need to erase unwanted objects, change up the background, save over- or underexposed photos, or even make photographs have an old and retro feel, PhotoWorks is for you! In this article, we are going to explore PhotoWorks features, including how to make pictures look old.

What Features PhotoWorks Has to Offer

First and foremost, loading up the program with the free trial, shows a very simple to understand interface. There are five large tabs that run across the top that denote which type of editing you are working with. You can select from Enhancement, Tools, Retouch, Effects, and Captions.

All of these come with a corresponding menu which provides tools like noise reduction, vignetting, cropping, the Adjustment brush, the Graduated filter, and popular filter effects, to name a few.

If you are unable to find a specific feature, there is a handy search bar at the top of the program that helps you find exactly what tool you need. Here are the main features of PhotoWorks beyond the beautiful interface.

• Stylize your photograph by using cool filters and text styles
• Smooth out skin and tone up skin textures, change up eye colors, and even whiten teeth with the retouching options
• Make dull colors pop by using the selective color correction option. This feature allows you to work with certain colors within the picture. You can make a dull blue sky in your landscape shot pop or change up the color of the vehicle in the background
• Fix over- or underexposed shots and blurriness and get rid of lens distortion
• Remove unwanted objects from your images with the Clone Stamp and use the Healing brush to make the image look completely natural as if no changes occurred
• Select from over 150 photo filters like black and white, retro, vintage, color splash, autumn, and flares.

How To Make Your Photographs Look Old With PhotoWorks

In addition to the above features, PhotoWorks specializes in making your pictures look old. With other photo editors, you really only get one or two filter effects like sepia and black and white, but with PhotoWorks, you can take it a step further by combining the retro filter effects with the vignetting and tone mapping tools.

Now, because PhotoWorks uses sliders, this means that there is more than one way to tweak your image to make it look old, which allows you to use artistic flair and style to make the image your own. Here is what you can do to make your photos look old

1. If you want that black and white old-time look, head on over to the effects tab and choose the black and white option. If you want to get a little more advanced, head on over to the enhancement tab and drag the saturation slider to -100.

2. If you want that washed-out look, all you need to do is change up the photo’s tone. You do this by heading to the Tools tab and choosing tone mapping. From here, you can choose the blend you want and then use the slider to change how light or dark the blend appears. What’s more, you can even change up the texture of the blend that allows you to put a crackle filter, a vignette, or even a parchment effect on the image.

3. If you want to add in a vignette, head to Tools > Vignetting, and set the midpoint, roundness, feather, and amount of the effect you want. Hit Apply and watch as your photograph goes from modern to rounded edges.

All in all, if you want to create a nostalgic atmosphere around your photographs or just merely remove the red-eye from one of your group shots, PhotoWorks makes it super easy to do! Just click, drag, and explore the easy to use features, and if you make a mistake, don’t fret as the original photograph goes undamaged with the before and after feature that saves the original.

Software: PhotoWorks

Author: Matt Baker is a freelance photographer with over 10 years of experience. After taking and editing hundreds of photos, he likes to cook delicious food and try different cuisines.