I just got Lightroom 3, and I spent most of Tuesday night (before and after #Fitblog, that is) getting to know how it works.
Not for the first time, I found myself very excited that technology makes it so easy to capture moments of time. Right out of the camera, without editing, the photos are virtual time capsules…events and memories that we’ll be able to look back on forever.
So what did I choose to play with for my first editing attempt? This picture.
It’s one of about six photos that survived the last (nearly) four decades since my parents got married. And it’s the only one that shows them together during the ceremony. The rest of the photos got ruined by floods and lost in moves.
I didn’t know how much I could clean this up, but I was eager to test out the presets. So that picture became this one, with just a few clicks of the mouse.
Here’s a close-up of the before and after.
Before / After
I know it’s nothing major, but given the poor quality of the original, it was nice to tweak some of the colors of my mom‘s dress, sharpen her face so I could see her smile and crop it so their “I Do” moment was the focus.
I have hundreds of photos from my wedding. Posed pictures, candids, group shots and individuals. Black and white. Color. Sepia. You name it, we have it.
Technology changes so fast — it makes me wonder what my kids will someday say about the dark ages that their parents grew up in!
About Katy
I, too, always wonder what people will look back on and remember our generation for. I’m sure social media and smart phones is a huge part of what defines our time.
I just purchased lightroom 3 last week as well and have seriously fallen in love! The breadth of creativity that has opened up to me has been amazing so far, and I know there is still tons to learn. I have been watching video tutorials online which have been very helpful as well.
I wouldn’t even know where to start with Lightroom. ha! This picture is gorgeous…you can definitely tell there’s love in it!
I think about the same thing with regards to the future and technology! Just look at how much things have changed within OUR lives. I remember our first computer… and the only thing you could do on it was type. There was no mouse. You had to use the arrow keys to move things around. It was so… un-user friendly! When our kids are at ages similar to us.. I can’t even imagine what will be like!
You’ve done a wonderful job with your parent’s pictures!