Picasa 3 is Google's image organization and editing software. Although Picasa works best for simple photo touch-ups, you can apply more significant changes to your images to create a flyer. All the features you need are available by double-clicking your image in Picasa to reach the editing section. Instead of editing the photo for printing or online use, you'll add text and various effects to build a flyer.
Basic Fixes
- When you're editing a photo, the left pane contains three tabs. The "Basic Fixes" tab lets you make fundamental touch-ups to your photo. One of the first fixes you should perform is an image crop. Click the "Crop" button, then click and drag on your image to create a rectangle as the new image size. After you release the mouse button, you can adjust the crop area by clicking the sides of the rectangle. Click "Apply" in the left pane to apply the crop. Other touch-ups include the "Straighten" button, which you can use to straighten your picture or angle it for an unusual look.
Text
- Once you've finished with the overall fixes to the image, you can place text on the flyer. Keep in mind that any color, lighting or other changes you make to the image will not apply to the text. The text's appearance is independent of the image's appearance. Click the "Text" button in the "Basic Fixes" tab to view the "Edit Text" menu in the tab. Customize the text's font or size, or you can click on the image to begin typing. In the "Edit Text" menu, use the "Font" and "Size" drop-down menus to select the typeface and size you want. If you want angled text, click on the text in the image, and a gray circle will appear with a handle. Click and hold on the handle to rotate the text.
Tuning
- Click the "Tuning" tab to adjust the lighting and color in your photo. The first three sliders are for "fill light," "highlights" and "shadows." Within the image, they control the mid-range, the brightest and the darkest light levels. Adjust the sliders to change the image, or click the Magic Wand next to the sliders to allow Picasa to change them automatically. The last slider is the "color temperature" slider, and moving it left emphasizes "cool" colors, such as blues and greens. Moving it right selects "warm" colors, such as reds and yellows.
Effects
- The last tab is the "Effects" tab, and this allows you to apply a filter to the entire image. Experiment with these to see what fits your flyer the best. Some effects are significant and others are subtle. Some of the strongest effects are the "sepia," "B&W" (black-and-white) and "soft focus" tools. Sepia changes the image to the "brownish" look of very old photographs. B&W simply changes the image to black and white, and soft focus blurs all of the photo, except whatever area you click on.
Finishing Up
- Once you're done creating your flyer, you can print it immediately, or save a copy of it as a JPEG. To print the flyer, click the "File" menu and select "Print." Click the "Shrink to Fit" button, otherwise your flyer may get cut off when printed. Click "Print" when you're ready. If you want to save the picture, click "File," then "Save As." Go to the location you want to save the picture to and click "Save."
