Taking pictures is just part of the fun of photography in today’s electronic world. After creating pictures, there are many good resources which can help
even a novice create professionally design items. The results may take some time, but the final product will make anyone’s work look like that of a professional photographer. With the holiday season coming, and a birthday always seeming to be on the calendar, photo gifts are a great idea and always welcomed by the recipient.
Shutterfly is a website that allows users to create professional picture books and other products, such as a mouse pad, coffee cup, picture frames, clothing and seasonal items. Shutterfly is easy to use, and the items produced are unique and affordable. Stores such as Walgreen’s Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Target offer similar photo product services.
Morph It is a program which is available on iPad and computers. It enables users to create cartoons out of pictures. For example, take a picture of the one of the children and “morph it” into a picture of the family dog. Or you can make a video from still pictures or customize a project with personalized words, graphics and writing. There are a variety of unique choices to choose from.
Photoshop Elements is a program that is similar to Photoshop, but much less expensive. With it the user can add effects to pictures. It is easy to remove redeye, adjust variance and shading, make color correction or remove bad areas of the picture.
Pictello is an app that is available for iPad or Android devices. Pictello allows the user to create picture books for people with significant disabilities. Users can develop a story specific to the user’s experiences or set up files for “my schedule,” “my family,” “vacation,” or anything else important to the user.
The My Story app enables users to make a customized picture book, even recording information to play when a graphic element is pressed.
For information about adapted photography classes, contact Courage Center. Photo craft classes are sometimes offered at craft store or through community education programs.
Jennifer Mundl, MS, ATP, is Lead Assistive Technology Specialist, Courage Center.
