LINDA'S TECHNIQUES | CLEANING UP IMAGES

Want to enter an exhibition and your photos are still casting a blue haze, here is the process I use to create my images. This is also the same process for creating paper products, such as prints and note cards.

Last month I finally learned how to use the Magic Wand tool in my JASC Paint Pro Shop program to "even" out and change the background color. I use to spend hours spray painting in the desired background.

I scan my works at 300 DPI, which leaves grey and blue ghosting around the edges. If the painting is larger than my letter size scanning bed, I put together my pieces by creating a new document (larger than the original size) and copy each scanned file and placing where needed. As I go along and when I am finished, I Merge all the layers. If the layers are not merged, this process will not work.

Once my image is "put together", I open up one of my finished images (a work that has already been cleaned up) and click on the background using my Dropper tool.

Next I select the Magic Wand tool and place it in the area that needs "cleaning up". This selects everything in the area and then I hit the Paint Bucket tool which fills in the area with my desired color. Sometimes this does not work, and then I use the Airbrush tool.