[huskies4ever]

jusy wanted to know how i can change backgrounds in my photos like i took some really cute pictures in my kithen of my little sister and i don't really want the oven in the background! will i need to buy photoshop?

[Ari]

You'll need some kind of photo editor and some patience. There are plenty of tutorials on fixing backgrounds online with programs like Photoshop, Elements, GIMP, etc. Best to check your frame for distracting objects before you shoot, to minimize editing.

[NaClH2O]

Welcome to the forums h4e. If you are new to photoediting I'd suggest a program a little less ...er...robust than photoshop. Don't get me wrong photoshop is wonderful, but the shear scope of the program can be a bit daunting. I would suggest Photoshop Elements 7 or 8, or Lightroom (or Aperture if you have a mac) These programs are much easier on the wallet and generally carry a less steep learning curve.

NaCl(bigger isn't always better)H2O

[mel]

Moved this to the Post Processing forum since it's dealing specifically with that aspect. Good luck with finding a solution. I hate it when I have a perfect image except for something like that.

[George Lama]

Lightroom is a great program and my primary photo processing tool, however it will not do much for modifying backgrounds to the extend needed to remove a stove (and I assume replace it with something else).

For that you definitely want to stick to a flavor of Photoshop, Corel Photopaint, or some other similar photo editing tool.

[mysticcowboy]

What you need is the ability to select just one part of a photo. You'll also want a program that let's you work in Layers. Lightroom and Aperture aren't yet very good at that. Photoshop Elements is a good place to start. PaintShop Pro and Corel Paint would work, too. There's also the Gimp, which is free but of uneven quality.

The general process would be to select the part of the photo you want to keep, then copy it and paste it onto a different background. Each program mentioned has several ways to create selections. The good news is that you can choose the one that makes most sense to you. The bad news is that it's hard to describe all the ways you can go about it.

michael mckee
My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365