Was there life before Photoshop?  I cannot believe I stubbornly ignored this tool up until now.  My favorite feature this evening was the “noise reduction” tool.  It subtley erases the graininess of a photo, providing a smoother canvas.  

Here is a before and after shot to demostrate what I was able to do.  I’d been using Picasa for simple editing until now, but I could never get the vibrance or clarity that I get with my new best friend. 

Okay, normally the “before” comes first – but here’s the after.  It most closely resembles the actual color of my scarf. 

The before shot is obviously quite a bit darker.  The problem with photo editing programs like Picasa is that when fill light is added, the picture often becomes grainy.  In CS5, the noise reduction takes care of that little problem.

So attempt number 2 at Photoshop was also a great learning experience!  Again, I think this will be the source of endless fun in the airports on the way to and from Ireland next week.