Create a romantic look with iPhoto effects – iLife Tutorial

iPhoto offers more than ever before when it comes to getting creative with your photographs. The object of this tutorial is to show you how to utilise the effects that iPhoto has to offer in order to turn a seemingly ordinary photograph into a romantic keepsake . Once you’ve followed a few simple steps you will have something that you could email to a loved one, mount in a frame to make the ideal gift or have made into a bespoke card for a special occasion. The first task is to select the correct image, to which certain rules should be adhered to. Make sure your image is sharp with a good composition – notice the image we’ve selected is full frame, with engaging eye contact and little distracting background. Try cropping your image first and make sure you’ve fixed common problems such as red-eye.

Step 1: Duplicate
Select the image you want to use, head to the Photos drop-down menu and select ‘Duplicate’. This will ensure the original photo is kept safe.

Step 2: Edit
Move the cursor down to the bottom right of the interface and click on the Edit icon, indicated by the pencil.

Step 3: Quick Fixes
This will open the Quick Fixes panel. Now is the time to do any cropping or retouching. When you’re done, tap on the ‘Effect’ button at the top.

Step 4: Effects
There are nine different effects to choose from. Not all of them will be suitable for this project, but B&W or Sepia are ideal for creating a romantic look.

Step 5: Vignettes
A vignette is often used in portraiture and is basically a soft frame around your image that will blur the edges and draw focus to the centre.

Step 6: Matte frame
Similar to vignettes, a matte frame adds a soft blurred frame to your image. Tap the arrow keys left or right to make it bigger or smaller.

Step 7: Antique
For this project, we’re using the Antique effect for a subtle, soft look. Tapping the arrow key to the right will intensify the effect. We’ve selected level two.

Step 8: Edge Blur
Edge blur is a technique often used for wedding photography. A soft focus around the edge of the frame will draw attention to the centre of the image.

Step 9: Fade out
Finally, we’ve applied a fade to make our final image more subtle. If you want to compare this to the original, press the Shift key.

(Click the image below to zoom in on the annotations)