How I Edit My Blog Photos: Windows Live Gallery Rave!

It used to take me forever to edit my blog photos.  Not because I was editing out blemishes or slimming my hips (sadly, my skills are not even remotely advanced enough for that)...but because I was spending time loading photos into Photoshop and then cropping and color correcting them all manually.


Funny side note:When I first started my blog, I was "accused" of editing my photos (like changing my skin texture, etc) and I was actually flattered that someone thought I had the skills to do that.  Thank you for believing in me!


I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but editing my photos was a huge time-suck for me.  I think Photoshop is great for people who do more extensive editing or use it professionally, but for me, time saving is key since I work full time in addition to blogging.

I became part of the Windows Champions program last year and as part of that program I am testing out their Windows 7 software.  The program I have been the most impressed with is Windows Live Photo Gallery.  I am literally obsessed with it and use it exclusively to edit my photos.  It's fast, easy to use and the results are awesome.

Windows Live Gallery has pre-set options for color correction and exposure and you can instantly transform your images to different tones of black and white or sepia simply by rolling your mouse over that option. 

The other thing I love about the program is that all I have to do is open it and my entire "My Pictures" folder is already there and accessible, with all of my photos in chronological order.  I simply select a file from that gallery to work on it.

I took some screen shots to illustrate just how easy it is to make adjustments to an image. The pre-set options make it simple to choose which ones make the photo look best. I also like that you get a preview of the exposure or color selection just by scrolling over the options and you never have to commit---you can just roll over another selection if you don't like the one you chose.

Here's what your Windows Live Gallery looks like when you open the program.  It shows all of your photos according to date and you just select the one you want to work on.

Once I've selected my photo, I'll adjust the exposure first. I usually need to brighten them up because of the lighting I have to work with when I take my outfit photos in the morning isn't always ideal (the picture below is an old fitting room photo, taken on an iPhone in poor fitting room lighting).

After I adjust my exposure, I'll usually crop my photo (though, you can really either start by cropping r crop at the very end). When you select crop, a box/grid will show up over your photo and you just drag it to where you want your photo cropped.

Then, I adjust the color, using the pre-set options in my toolbar.

You can also use the tools on the right to make a photo black and white or sepia.

So basically, what this post is saying is that I am in love. With Windows Live Gallery. It makes my life easier and I actually find myself looking forward to blogging more often because as I mentioned before, it's a huge time-saver. I also love that it makes my photos look more dramatic and overall more polished.

Some of the options even allow your photos to have a little bit of a vintage vibe to them---like these:

I use a lot of photography apps like CrossProcess, Instagram, etc and I love that I can get a similar look using Windows Live Gallery when I edit photos taken with my Canon Rebel T2i.

What program do you use to edit your photos?  Have you ever used Live Gallery?  Let me know in the comments below!
xoxo,

Veronika.

FTC Disclaimer:  I am part of the Windows Champions program.  As part of this program I was provided with a laptop and Windows 7 software for my personal use.  I'm writing about this particular program because it's awesome and has changed the way I edit my photos.  As always, my opinions are honest and based on my experiences with a product.  I am not being compensated to write this.