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Quick Fixes for Dark & Murky Photos
by Tim Donnelly, guest writer —
W
hen using an inexpensive scanner, you'll find that your photos are often dark and murky. Unfortunately, they won't look any better when they're printed. The best place to fix them is with an image-editing program but, for a quick fix, try this:

1. Open your document and click on the image
If you haven't already inserted the image into your document, you can learn how to do that here.

2. Click the "More Brightness" button on the "Picture" toolbar
If the Picture toolbar isn't visible, go to the "View" menu, pull down to "Toolbars" and then select "Picture." If there's already a checkmark next to it, deselect it. Then go back and reselect it and watch where the toolbar appears on your screen. The "More Brightness" button looks like a small sun with an upward arrow.

Adding brightness will lighten photos that are too dark. If you go too far, you can choose "Undo" from the "Edit" menu or, you can use the "Less Brightness" button.

3. Click the "More Contrast" button on the "Picture" toolbar
The "More Contrast" button looks like a circle that is half black and half white. Adding contrast will sharpen photos that are too murky. Light areas will become lighter and dark areas will become darker. If you go too far, you can choose "Undo" from the "Edit" menu or, you can use the "Less Contrast" button.

None of these controls will alter the actual photo image file. To use the photo you've just adjusted in another document without having to reapply contrast and brightness, click on the image, choose "Copy" (from your "Edit" menu) and "Paste" it into the new document.

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