Improve your haunted Halloween photos

Red-eye is a common photo flaw, especially on Halloween when many pictures are taken in low lighting.

Monster masks are the only place you should spot red-eye this Halloween. Try these techniques for eliminating—and preventing—this common photo mistake:

With your camera
Turn on the red-eye reduction feature offered on many digital cameras. You can also avoid red-eye by turning off your camera's flash. If it’s too dark to forgo a flash, ask your subject not to look directly into the camera, which can help reduce the amount of red-eye.

Using software
Photo editing software, including HP Photo Creations, can also eliminate red-eye.

1. Select your photo, click the Touch Up category, and then click the Red-Eye button.
2. Choose a brush size, and then paint over the red eyes in the photo to turn them black.
3. Click the Done button to apply your changes.

A dimly lit porch makes for an ideal Halloween setting, but not an ideal photo.

Rather than taking your pictures at night, try shooting some Halloween photos at dusk.

Halloween is full of spooky shadows just waiting to conceal your subject and ruin an otherwise-great photo. Follow these tips to fight the effects of dark lighting:

With your camera
Many HP digital cameras offer a Night or Night Portrait mode for shooting in dark or dimly lit environments.

You can also try taking your photos at dusk (before the sun has set) instead of at night. You’ll be less likely to end up with a photo that is too dark, and your picture will feature an eerie light that’s perfect for Halloween!

Using software
Use the Brightness tool featured in HP Photo Creations to alter your photo's brightness, contrast, and highlights to bring your subject out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

1. Select your photo, click the Touch Up category, and then click the Brightness button.
2. Click the Darker and Brighter buttons to change the appearance of your photo.
3. Click the Done button to apply your changes.

In this before image, you can see that some spooky shapes have made their way into the photo...

...but after just a little cropping, shown here in the after image, any unwanted visitors are easily eliminated from the picture!

Halloween is filled with things that go bump in the night—sometimes they even bump right into your photo! Use your camera or photo-editing software to crop your photos and remove any pesky obstructions.

With your camera
Before you take your photo, decide what the focal point of the picture will be. Then get as close to your subject as you can, either by physically moving or using your camera’s zoom feature.

Using software
Photo editing software, like HP Photo Creations, makes it easy to crop your photos and bring the focus back on your main subject.

1. Select a photo, click the Touch Up category, and then click the Crop button.
2. Your image will appear in a new preview window with cropping handles at the corners. Drag the handles to redefine where the edges of your photo will be.
3. Click the Done button to apply your changes.

Get more basic photo composition tips.

A dark setting or excited trick-or-treaters on the move (or both) can lead to blurry Halloween photos.

Those aren’t apparitions floating through your Halloween picture, just the victims of blur! Luckily, there are several easy ways to help remedy this common flaw:

With your camera
To help prevent blurry photos, use a tripod for Halloween shots taken at night. If you don’t have a tripod, try steadying your camera on a flat surface while taking pictures, or set down your camera and use the self-timer feature.

Using software
Most photo editing software, including Windows Live Photo Gallery, offers help for fixing blurry pictures. Look for Sharpen or Enhance tools to increase the focus of your photo (this should be the last photo edit you make to your image).

By taking photos of smaller children at eye-level, you can capture all the details of a cute costume.

HP Creative Studio offers many Halloween-themed photo frames, greeting cards, activities, and more.

Follow these suggestions to make the most of your Halloween snapshots:

• When taking pictures of smaller children, get low to the ground so you can capture all the details of their costume, from head-to-toe.
• Instead of a candle (or multiple candles, which can pose a fire hazard), place a flashlight inside your jack-o-lantern for a more luminous, less blurry picture.
• Boost the spooky factor: Make some of your photos black-and-white using your favorite photo-editing software.
• Take advantage of the creative photo frames and Halloween cards offered at the HP Creative Studio to add spirited touches to your photos and invitations.
• Hosting a Halloween bash? Delight your guests and ghouls by snapping their picture and printing photos as memorable party favors!

1. Touch the Snapfish icon on the printer’s app menu.

2. Enter your Snapfish login name and password using the onscreen keypad, and press OK.

After capturing your ghosts on film, spread the spookiness on Halloween night! Using a web-connected printer, like the HP Photosmart 6520 e-All-in-One Printer , you can upload photos to Snapfish directly from your camera’s memory card—no PC required! ¹

1. Insert your camera’s SD card into the printer and then touch the Snapfish icon on the printer’s app menu.
2. Enter your Snapfish login name and password using the onscreen keypad, and press OK.
3. Touch Upload.
4. Choose SD Card as your photo source.
5. Some printers allow you to upload to an existing album or create a new album. Use the touchscreen to enter a new album name, like Halloween Fun 2010 (you can also do this online using your PC).
6. After uploading your images, a message will appear informing you that your save was successful. Touch OK.

And that’s it! Your friends and family can now view (and print!) photos of you and your goblins. Learn more about sharing albums on Snapfish.

HP Photosmart 6520
e-All-in-One Printer
$149.99

• Print, scan, copy
• 3.5" color touchscreen
• ISO print speed up to 12 pages per minute (ppm) black, 8.5 ppm color³
• Automatic photo tray holds up to 20 pages

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HP Photosmart 7520
e-All-in-One Printer
$199.99

• Print, scan, copy, fax
• 4.3" color touchscreen
• ISO print speed up to 14 ppm black, 10 ppm color³
• Automatic photo tray holds up to 20 pages
• Lab-quality photos from 5 individual inks
• 25-sheet automatic document feeder

Shop now