Entering Fotor and Switching Between Edit and Collage
From the home menu, you can enter Fotor in the Edit mode or the Collage mode. Click on "Edit" to use powerful tools for every essential editing need, plus scenes, effects, borders, tilt-shift and more. Click on "Collage" to mix, match and customize a photo collage. Collage in Templates or Freestyle mode and add the finishing touch with many unique border options.
Whether you are in the Edit or the Collage mode of Fotor, simply click on the "Home" button on the upper right-hand side of your screen to return to the home menu and switch modes.
Upload photos to edit in one of two ways
Click on "Click here to start" in the center of your screen to open the file browser and select the photo you would like to edit.
Click on "File" in the upper left-hand side of your workstation, choose "Open" from the menu and select an image file to upload into your workstation.
Apply enhancements based on photo-capture conditions
Click on the "Scenes" icon on the top right-hand side of your workstation. From the submenu you may select from a list of 13 different 1-Tap Enhance configurations, or scenes. Each scene has been labeled according to common photo-capturing conditions, including: Backlit, Darken, Cloudy, Shade, Sunset, Night, Flash, Fluorescent, Portrait, Sand/Snow, Landscape, Theatre, and Food. Feel free to experiment if you are uncertain which option is best, or select "Auto" from the top of the list and Fotor's advanced technology will conduct a pixel-by-pixel analysis of your photo for you.
Crop photos
Click on the "Crop" icon on the top right-hand side of your workstation. Before you begin cropping, you can view the original width and height of your photo at the top of the submenu. To crop your image by hand, simply move your mouse over the outer boundaries and drag the lines up and down or from side-to-side. After you have changed the parameters, click anywhere inside of the highlighted portion of the image and drag the selected area to see how it looks.
Another way to crop your photo is to select from the list of aspect ratio presets. Notice that the "Freeform" option at the top of the list is selected by default. Cropping in Freeform mode allows you to customize the size of your photo for a specific purpose. For example, you can match the aspect ratio of a display for use as wallpapers or crop an image to fit your Facebook timeline.
To change the size of your image using numerical aspect ratios, simply click on the box to the right of the width and height fields and type any value. You can also change the direction of the crop by clicking on the small icon with two circular arrows to the right of the width and height fields. Clicking this icon will change the orientation of your photo to have either a vertical or horizontal layout.
Besides "Freeform," you can also select "Original" "Golden" or "Square" from the list, each with default aspect ratio configurations. Remember that these values can be changed by entering different numbers in the width and height fields that appear under the option once it has been selected.
Below Freeform, Original, Square and Golden you will find the following commonly used aspect ratio presets: 2X3 (iPhone), 3X5, 4X3 (DVD), 4X6 (Postcard), 5X7 (L, 2L) 8X10 and 16X19. These presets make it easy to crop your photo when you don't want to hassle with manual adjustments.
Repeat these steps and move the cropped portion over different areas of your image until the highlighted area covers the part of your photo you would like to keep and the darkened area covers the part you would like to discard. When you have the perfect cut, select "Done" at the bottom right-hand side of the submenu and any changes will be locked-in. Remember that if you change your mind you can click on "Undo" or "Redo" at the bottom right-hand side of your workstation and continue cropping.
Make adjustments
Click on the "Adjust" icon on the right-hand side of your workstation and select from a generous collection of editing tools in order to adjust the following:
▪Straighten
With the straighten tool, you can adjust the angle of your image. Moving the slider to the right tilts the image to the right and moving the slider to the left tilts the image to the left.
▪Red-eye Removal
Help you automatically remove red eye from your images.
▪Tone
Under "Tone" you will find adjustable sliders for manipulating the exposure, brightness, contrast and saturation of your photo. Move the sliders to the right or left for each option in order to see how it changes your image.
▪Details
Use "Details" to adjust the blur and sharpness of your photo by moving the slider to the left (negative value) to add blur and to the right (positive value) to sharpen.
▪White Balance
To adjust the white balance, click on the eyedropper in the upper right-hand corner of the "White Balance" box in the menu. Once you have selected the eyedropper tool, click on any color in any part of your image in order to apply the color scheme to the entire photo. Then fine-tune the white balance "Temperature" using the Kelvin Color temperature scale. Move the slider to the left (negative value) to make the photo appear cooler, or move the slider to the right (positive value) to warm the photo. Finally, adjust the white balance "Tint" to compensate for a green or magenta tint. Move the slider to the left (negative value) to add magenta to the photo or move it to the right (positive value) to add green.
▪Vignette
Move the vignette slider to give your photo the exact fade-away effect you want. Move the slider to the right for a greater level of intensity, or to the left for a more subtle look.
Play with effects
Click on the "Effects" icon on the right-hand side of your workstation. Select from the tabs at the top of the submenu to preview thumbnails of various effects in the following five categories: Classic, Lomo, B&W, Vignette, and Art.
From within each tab you can move the slider on the right-hand side and browse all of the ten to twenty effects in each category. Click on any thumbnail preview to see how it looks on your photo. Once you have clicked on a specific effect, an intensity slider will appears under the thumbnail preview. Move the slider to the right to crank the effect up or move it to the left to turn down the intensity of the effect.
Add a border
Select the "Borders" icon on the right-hand side of your workstation. Move the slider on the right-hand side of the submenu in order to view all thirty options. You can click on the various thumbnails to preview how each border looks around your photo until you find the perfect fit.
Tilt-Shift
Tilt-Shift allows you to focus selected areas of your photo while blurring the rest. Use this tool to highlight the subject of your photo, or to get a depth-of-field that is normally only possible from DLSR cameras. To get started, select the "Tilt-Shift" icon on the right-hand side of your workstation.
At the top of the submenu you can select the tilt-shift "Mode" or shape of the tool that you would like to use. Slide the "Mode" knob to the left if you would like to selectively focus circular areas, or drag the knob to the right in order to selectively focus across linear sections of your photo. Under either the circular or linear mode, choose from seven distinct apertures that correspond to different levels of intensity. F/16 at the top of the list results in the lowest level of blur effect, with each option after that increasing the strength of the blur.
In the circular tilt-shift mode, click anywhere inside the circle and drag it over the portion of the photo that you would like to remain in-focus. You can also grab the parameter of the circle and move your mouse inwards to make the circular area smaller or expand the focused area by moving your mouse outwards.
In the linear tilt-shift mode, the default orientation of the selected area is vertical. To change the width of the area you would like to remain in focus, grab either the left or right side of the boundary, then move the line outward for a wider focused area or inward for more narrow coverage. To change the direction the linear path extends across your image; move your mouse anywhere over your image and then grab and hold the small circular-arrow that appears in the center. Drag your mouse in a slow, circular motion (clockwise or counterclockwise) to change the angle of the linear path, then stop and release your mouse when it is just right. To move the entire linear path of the selected area, click anywhere within the boundaries (except for the small circular icon directly in the center) and drag the selected area until it covers the part of your photo that you would like to remain in focus.
Flexible text editing tool
Got something to say? You can now add text to any photo. Lots of options to adjust the font, size and color of your text, plus move your words around till it looks perfect!
Zoom
To zoom in and view any part of your photo during editing, select the magnifying glass at the bottom of the page. A small preview box will appear in the upper right-hand side of your workspace. At the bottom of this box you may select from five distinct levels of magnification. Choose 25%, 50%, 100%, 150% or 200% to zoom in or zoom out, and then click on your photo and drag it in any direction to pan across the surface of your image. Click in the "X" in the upper right-hand side of the preview box in order to return your image to its original size and continue. Note that the "Zoom" feature is available at every stage of editing except for the "Crops" mode.
Undo/Redo or Reset All
Moving back and forward through different stages of your editing session is as simple as clicking on "Undo" and "Redo" at the bottom right-hand side of your workstation. By the way, "Undo" and "Redo" only available for "Adjust" and "Crop" function. You can also select the option to "Reset all" if you would like to clear all changes, but keep in mind that this clears the software's memory of any resent edits. Clicking on "Reset All" will prompt a dialog box to appear with, "Are you sure you want to clear all changes?" Remember that after you confirm "Yes" to this question, you will not be able to undo or redo changes. Of course if you select "Reset All" by mistake, you can simply click on "Cancel" or "No" and continue editing without resetting any changes.
Compare results with the original, unedited photo
Click and hold the "Compare" button at the bottom of your workstation to view the original photo at any stage during your editing session.
Start your collage
Click on "Add" in the upper left-hand corner of your workstation to upload photos to the sidebar(or called photo basket). You may add up to 30 photos at one time. To remove individual photos, simply click on the "X" in the upper left-hand side of the individual photo. To remove all photos (both from your photo basket and from the template canvas) click on "Clear All" on the bottom left-hand side of your screen.
To begin your collage, drag photos from the photo basket on the left into the center of your template canvas, or double-click the photo with which you would like to collage. Notice that you can select from two modes of collage in the menu on the right: Template or Freestyle. In the Templates mode, you can select from 80 unique templates that have been designed for two to nine photos. In the Freestyle mode, you can move your photos around freely against the background color of your choice, or select one of our 22 unique background designs. While making your collage, you feel free to add photos from the photo basket, remove photos, and switch between the Templates and Freestyle mode.
Make a Collage in Templates Mode
Click on "Templates" in the upper right-hand side of your screen to select from more than 80 templates layouts. Once in the Templates mode, you can select a ratio in the upper right-hand corner of your workstation to change the proportions of your collage. Pick a template for your collage based on the number of pictures you would like to use (up to 9 photos), or browse all of our templates for the layout you want to use. To add pictures to your collage, simply drag (or double-click) photos from the toolbar on the left into the available spaces in the template you have selected. Make adjustments to the corners, shadows, or width of your border by using the "Border" options on the bottom right-hand side of your workstation. From here you can also customize the color of your border, or select from 9 designer border patterns for the finishing touch.
Make a Collage in Freestyle Mode
Select "Freestyle" in the toolbar on the right-hand side of your screen. When in the Freestyle mode of collage, you can choose a solid color as your collage background or select from 22 unique background designs. To start your collage, drag(or double click) pictures from the toolbar on the left side into the center of your workstation. As individual photos are dropped into your canvas space, an "Adjust" box will appear with options to change the opacity or angle of your photo. From here, you can also adjust the shadows width and colors for the border of the selected photo. Change the angle of your photo by clicking on the circular icon in the bottom right-hand side of a photo and moving your mouse in a circular motion. By clicking and holding this same circular icon and moving your mouse in an up-and-down motion you can change the size of the photo. Click on the "X" in the upper left-hand side of individual photos to remove a single photo from your canvas. Once a photo has been removed from your canvas space, it will still be available in the toolbar on the left side of your workstation. Lastly, you can mix up the angle and order of photos against the background you have selected by clicking on the "Randomize" button on the upper right-hand side of your workstation or dragging the photos around until you get just the right look.
Save, Resize, Share & Print
To save your edited photo, click on the "Save" button on the sidebar. In the following dialog box, you can choose a file name for your photo, as well as its image size and quality. Type the name in the "File name:" field, and select the type of file you want to save the photo as. You can select from .JPG, .PNG, .BMP, and .tiff. Then click the "Browse" button to select where you want to save the photo.
If you want to change the size of the photo, you can enter the pixel width and height in the "Resize" field. When you type a number in one of the two fields, the other one will change automatically to maintain the proportions of the photo. Finally, if you are saving the photo as a .JPG, you can select the .JPG quality. Click High (print), Medium, or Normal (share).
Select "Share" at the bottom right-hand side of your workstation to prompt a dialog box with the options to share your photo on Facebook, Twitter or Flickr.
A print function is also provided for you to print your works with your printer.
Once you select the social network on which you would like to post your photo, another dialog box will appear that prompts you to enter your username and password. Follow the instructions provided by the Facebook, Twitter or Flickr to share your photo.
