The Microsoft Photos App - An Introduction

Microsoft Photos App

Forget the expensive photo editing programs that cost an arm and a leg for something

which you will only use about 5% of any included features.

If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 10, there is the FREE to use Microsoft Photos

App, the editing program that is usually pre-installed on your computer for FREE.

If, for some obscure reason, it is not installed on your computer, you can download

and install the App from the online Microsoft App Store.

Although there lots of

other photo editing

programs available,

most of them have far

too many features for

the average user’s

requirements.

Microsoft Photos ©

will match most user’s

needs with ease.

The following slides

will attempt to outline

the programs editing

capabilities and how

to make the most of it.

Let’s first begin with

describing the wide

selection of features

and functions that

make the application

so appealing.

This is a comprehensive list of what Photos can achieve on your PC :

❖ Crop and rotate photos, adjust lighting and colour and add filters and other effects.

❖ Trim video clips and upload then to YouTube or other social apps.

❖ Create videos from photos and video clips, with music, filter and other effects.

❖ Search your collection for people, places and things that are automatically tagged for you.

❖ Draw on a photo or video and share an animated playback of your drawing.

❖ Edit your video project to change music, camera motion, text, filters and more.

❖ Add 3D effects to videos, like a swarm of bees, lightning or a fireball!

❖ Enjoy albums and videos created for you automatically - edit and save the ones that you like.

❖ Remix videos to change the look and feel instantly - recombining images, music and styles.

❖ Remix an album to view it as a video. Remix again for new music, style and content combos.

❖ When browsing your collection, make images smaller to scroll more quickly or larger for more detail.

❖ Fix red eyes and blemishes in photos.

❖ PC, Mobile, Xbox, Surface Hub and Holographic.

❖ View photos, videos and albums from all your devices in one place using OneDrive.

❖ View images as a slideshow.

❖ Select a photo as your desktop background or lock screen image.

Microsoft Photos App

View and edit your

photos and videos, make

films and create albums.

Try video remix to create

a video instantly from the

photos and videos that

you select.

Use the video editor for

fine-tuned adjustments -

change filters, text,

camera motion, music

and more.

You can even add 3D

effects like butterflies,

lasers or explosions that

magically appear in your

video.

Photos – What can it do? – Loads!

When you activate Photos you will

see the main menu page with lots of

options for both photos and videos.

Option available include:

1. Photo Options:

See all photos

+ Add to

2. Instant Options:

(+) Zoom

Delete

Add to favourites

Rotate

Crop

3. More Options

More . . .

4. Edit Options:

Edit & Create

Share

Print

5. View Previous/Next:

Toggle between images

6. Expand Screen:

View photos in Full Screen

Press the ESC key to return.

Photo Options Instant Options

21More …

Options

3

6

Photos – Main Menu Options

55

View image in

Full Screen

Previous

Image

Next

Image

Edit Options

4

Photo Options

By selecting this option the

computer will start to trawl

through folders and add their

locations to the photo app

collections.

Other photographs can be

selected for editing from this

window.

You can also add new photos

to your collections.

Photo Options

1

Option 1 – See all Photos / +Add to

Instant Options

The Instant Options are

available to make simple

changes to the image without

entering the Edit & Create

Window.

Options available are >>>>

Crop – Open image in Edit mode -

Delete – Permanent Removal of Image From Collections

Add to/Remove from Favourites

Rotate – Turn Image Round a Quarter Turn Clockwise -

(+) Zoom – Increase or Decrease Image View -

Instant Options

2

Option 2 – Instant Options

More Options

The following are extra

options available in the

More . . . option menu

➢ Slideshow

➢ Save as

➢ Resize

➢ Copy

➢ Open with

➢ Set as

➢ File Information

➢ Send feedback

➢ Settings

The main ones for me are:

➢ Open with – choose

which editing software

you want to use.

➢ File Information –

relating to camera

settings etc.

➢ Set as – use the image

to personalise your

windows environment.

Option 3 – More (…) Options

More … Options

3

Edit & Create Options

The following options are

available:

➢ Edit

➢ Draw

➢ Add 3D effects

➢ Add animated text

➢ Create a video with music

➢ Edit with Paint 3D

Other Options:

Share

Send a copy of the image to

somebody else using mail or

social media.

Print

Print image to file or printer.

Option 4 – Edit & Create Option

Edit Options

4

The following slides

aim to illustrate what

you can achieve by

editing your image with

Photos

Use the Windows Explorer App To

select an image for editing, using

the Short Key Win+e.

Open the appropriate folder and

pick one of your photos.

Tip.

If you set the View Option to Extra

Large Image, the photo will be a lot

easier to identify.

I have selected the image

“holiday snaps 8.jpg”

from the Holiday Snaps folder,

not the monochrome image of

“Sun Bather in Havana”.

Selecting a Photograph or Video

Selecting a Photograph or Video

To open the image in Photos,

you may take one of the

following options:-

Option 1.

To move directly to the Photos

‘’Edit & Create’’ page.

▪ Right click image, to display

‘’options dialogue box’’

▪ Select ‘’Edit with Photos’’

Option 2.

To go to Photos “Front Page”

▪ Double Click on the image

and the ‘’Photos Front

Page’’ will open.

1

3

options dialogue box

4 Double Left Click

2 Single Right Click

or you can -

Front Page

Edit & Create

Select

Edit & Create

Select Edit

1

2

Editing the image:

By double clicking on

your selected image, you

will be directed to the

Photos Front Page.

From here you may enter

the Edit Page:

1. Left click to select

‘’Edit & Create’’.

2. Left click to select

‘’Edit’’ from the menu.

Photos Front Page – Select Edit & Create / Edit

Let the magic begin

Crop & Rotate –

Amend size, shape

and straighten the

image

Filters – Change

the colour or hue of

the image

Adjustments –

Light / Colour /

Sharpness plus

more . . .

Save

or Save a Copy

After editing the

image

Editing Options

Undo all or

Redo changes

Undo / Redo

1 2

Photos - Default Edit Page

3

Save or

Save a Copy

3

2

1

Original

Rotate and Flip options provide

the ability to change the aspect

of an image or just straighten it

out.

The rotate function is set to

angle changes of 1 degree, so

not good for fine angles.

Edit – Rotate & Flip Options

Flip Photo

Original

Make Landscape

Square

Widescreen

Edit – Crop & Rotate – Crop Size Options - Landscape

The Crop menu has an

Aspect Ratio feature,

providing a few set

image sizes, useful for

maintaining a standard

size and shape for a

collection, or you can

use the custom size to

crop in freehand.

There is also an option

to change orientation

between Landscape

and Portrait mode.

7:5

4:3

Original

Make Portrait

Edit – Crop & Rotate – Crop Size Options - Portrait

Original

Auto Adjust

Sauna

Neo

Slate

Edit – Filter Options 1

Enhance your photo has

a slider action which will

calculate the appearance

of the image and adjust it

as it thinks best.

Preset Filters enable you

to instantly change an

images appearance, and

there is another slider for

adjusting the intensity of

the mask.

Original

Zeke

Burlesque

Denim

Napa

Edit – Filter Options 2

Edit – Adjustments - Light

< Slide >Less More

Edit – Adjustments - Colour

< Slide >Less More

Edit – Adjustments - Clarity

< Slide >Less More

Edit – Adjustments - Vignette

< Slide >Less More

When you have finished

making changes and editing

your image you will need to

either save and replace the

original or save a copy.

To save select the save a

copy icon and choose

between “Save” or “Save a

Copy” or just “Cancel” and

change nothing.

If saving a copy you will be

asked to browse and select a

destination folder for the new

image.

Saving the Edited Image

Since the Windows 10

upgrade in May 2019

there have been a

couple of additional

new features added to

make Photos even

more useful.

Fine Tuning:

Further fine adjustments may

be made by expanding the

Light or Colour options while

editing.

By making use of the variety

of adjustments provided by

the program, you are able to

dramatically change the look

of any photograph.

Well worth

experimentation.

Edit – Fine Adjustments

Raw Format Processing:

If you use the Raw file format

when taking photographs and

need to view and edit them on

your computer, you can now

download the Free “Raw Image

Extension” software which will

enable you to do just that.

A RAW file is a special file format

for captured images and is used

by most digital cameras. The

saved image is much larger than

the usual Jpeg format and is in an

unedited format state, thus

enabling more elaborate editing.

In addition to the Photos App there is a Raw Image Extension utility which enables native

viewing of images captured in raw file formats that have been produced by many mid to high

end digital cameras.

By installing the package, you will be able to view thumbnails and metadata of supported raw

file formats in Windows File Explorer and view images in the Photos app.

The extension is NOT an app and is therefore not accessible without File Explorer or Photos.

The extension needs Windows 10 May 2019 Update installed to work.

Once it is installed on to your computer, you will be able to edit your Raw Files and save an

image copy in another file format, such as JPEG or PNG, the original photo remains intact.

Editing Raw File Format Images

Now that you know how to use the editing tools provided by the

Microsoft Photos App, you can experiment with the additional options

available and create images which will be out of this world.

This is not the end of Photos . . . there’s a whole lot more . . . Video, 3D, Animation . . .

This is not

the end of

Photos . . .

there’s still

a whole lot

more to

discover . . .

Video, 3D,

Animation . .

This is a slide presentation created for the Beccles U3A Computer Confidence Group by Mark Prentice ©