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How-Tos

Beautify Your Cell Phone Photos
Posted 01/09/2007 at 3:59:38pm | by Rick Oldano

Cell phones rock, but their photo capabilities suck rocks. Try these software tricks to improve your cell-phone photos.

 

WHAT YOU NEED

> Cell phone with built-in camera such as a Motorola RAZR V3, ($199.99,
www.motorola.com)
> Graphics-editing software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements ($79, www.adobe.com)

 

Today's digital cameras pack massive megapixelage, precision optics, and endless shooting modes into a package that fits in the palm of your hand. But it never fails: When inspiration strikes, that trusty camera is back at home, leaving you to make do with your cell phone's built-in camera. Too bad cell-phone cameras lack the pixels, optics, and processing power of your digicam; pictures come out blurry, off-color, and with horrendous exposure. But with a careful eye and some software help, you can make your cell-phone photos worthy of more than MySpace. Here, we cover fixes for the three most common problems: poor exposure, noise and blur, and off-balance color. Open your photo in Adobe Photoshop Elements or Photoshop CS2 and get ready to impress yourself.

 

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COMMENTS: 10
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COMMENTS
avatarMac friendly downloading software?

Submitted by Tsarli (not verified) on Mon, 2007-01-08 19:21

This is all very well and nice, but I think before we talk of fixing cellphone photos, we should first try to find a way via software to download them to our Macs in the first place!

Most (if not all) cellphones like the Motorola Razr mentioned in the "What You Need" section feature PC-only downloading/uploading software for photos and sound files.

Unless your phone uses a memory card (or you go via the WinXP/Bootcamp route), you are definitely out of luck!

-Charlie

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avatarBluetooth

Submitted by jb (not verified) on Wed, 2007-01-10 18:39

You can use bluetooth, as I do, provided your phone is bluetooth enabled, as is your mac. This way you can transfer music, photos, themes, whatever you want to.

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avatarBluetooth transfers

Submitted by Todd (not verified) on Sun, 2007-01-21 11:42

Yes, indeed, you can use bluetooth with the RAZR to transfer pics, but does anyone know how to enable the RAZR to transfer all the pics at once rather than having to do it one at a time? I have tried the MARK ALL function, then the MOVE fuction, but it only seems to move one pic at a time. Any suggestions?

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avatarTransferring (batches of) files by Bluetooth

Submitted by Michael Cutts (not verified) on Tue, 2007-01-23 23:24

I use Apple's Bluetooth File Exchange to hook up to my Razr to download pics.

First, establish a Bluetooth link (I believe this varies by Razr model and carrier, but mine is under Settings--> Connection--> Bluetooth link. Choosing this makes the phone "discoverable" for 60 seconds. You then have 60 seconds to go to Bluetooth File Exchange and choose File-> Browse Device.

I believe the first time you do this, you'll be prompted to put in a PIN on the Razr to 'bond' or somesuch term with your particular Mac. For these instructions I'm assuming you've already done this or that if presented with it, its straightforward enough to do without instructions and proceed.

Anyway, once you hit Browse Device, you should get a list of Bluetooth devices to pick from, which should show your Razr. Choose it and hit Browse, and after a few seconds you should get a directory listing of the media on the Razr-- I get directories for "audio", "picture", and "video". To get at photos, double-click on "picture" and you'll get a list of all the pics in your Razr. You can shift-click or command-click to pick as many files as you want, then use the "Get" button to transfer them over to your Mac. After verifying that they've indeed transferred over, you can also delete files using the same file browser so that you don't have to delete them manually one-by-one with the phone.

Tip: Set up a shortcut to turn Bluetooth on/off on your Razr if you transfer files often. (Leaving it on all the time is a big battery drain). See your manual for how to set up shortcuts :-)

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avatarBluetooth works!

Submitted by Tsarli (not verified) on Tue, 2007-01-30 16:22

Thanks for the advice Michael!

Actually, I got myself a "PC-only" bluetooth dongle for my PPC Mac Mini and for the heck of it, tried if it could communicate with my new Sony Ericsson K510i.

It worked! The Mini instantly recognized the K510i and I was downloading/uploading photos and files in no time. The experience was NOT this easy or pleasant with my WinXP PC.

Thanks for those who helped by offering this very important piece of advice.

-Charlie

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avatarThank you Michael

Submitted by Sam (not verified) on Wed, 2007-11-28 22:49

Michael, thanks so much for imparting the knowledge about Bluetooth and the motorola/mac link. It helps so much to know that getting pictures off my phone is this easy! I appreciate it!
Sam

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avatarHow do you transfer pics on

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2007-02-06 16:13

How do you transfer pics on the RAZOR?

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avatarActually... bluetooth!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2007-09-14 16:47

Actually, if you own one of the newer Macs with bluetooth capability built-in, you're fine. All you need is the Bluetooth File Exchange App located in Applications/Utilities/.

I own a MacBook Pro and am constantly putting new MIDI file ring-tones on it via blue tooth, and have had no prolems taking pictures off from my Motorola phone.

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avatarNice Tips - Thanks!

Submitted by Reg (not verified) on Tue, 2007-01-09 08:37

Nicely Done.

What is great about photo software is all the neat tools,
what is difficult about photo software is all the neat tools!

Thanks for the guided tour on how to clean up snapshots.

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