Have you switched to digital images yet? Or are you still using a reel based camera that needs the film to be developed in a dark room? Read on to understand how opting in to digital image processing can make the world of a difference to your cherished memories.

With the technology gaining fast acceptance, people have readily switched from paper photographs to digital pictures. Most of these cameras help with common problems like avoiding blur, focusing on faces etc. But there are ways we can easily touch up these pictures and give them a studio feel.

Also, earlier once developed the photograph was permanent. Now you can make several changes to it. Enhancing a picture digitally is so much simpler as compared to the traditional snaps. You can dramatically change the look of a face with light filters, brightness control or special brushes. There are several software programs to help you do it yourself.

Wrinkles and pimples or scars and blemishes on faces can easily be removed. You can wear a red scarf, click a picture, use a software tool and make it appear pink or blue or green. Took a shot from a distance? Not enough clarity? You can sharpen the image digitally with a good software program.

Take for example, the Apple Aperture. This is a new photography software for Mac. It allows professional photographers to work quickly and efficiently with RAW files. It supports importing images from memory card, stick, or directly from your camera via USB connection. You can use this program to polish off photos by taking away wrinkles from faces, sharpen an image, adjust vibrancy, handle vignettes and more. The main purpose of this program is to let people arrange their work flow and organize photos easily. When you have about a couple hundred pictures, you can mark them with ratings and keywords to get them organized. For detailed editing you could use your favorite photo editor on the marked pictures.

Bibble Pro is one such easy to use image editor, which works with a Windows PC. It gives a wide range of tools to adjust color temperature, exposure, contrast, light, sharpening etc. It also provides a crisp little interface to manage RAW images and enhancements to them. Its noise reduction feature the Noise Ninja is one useful tool that clears away unwanted pixels with a single click. You get advanced features to handle curves and levels, lens correction and vignettes and white balance.

You can learn to use any of these programs using the online help that comes along with the tool. Printed books are also available for the conventional, non tech savvy users. There are also online communities where experts provide tips, ideas and even step by step tutorials to help others learn the tool. If you do not wish to invest up front in any of these tools, you can go for the trial versions and have a go at it before deciding to buy. You can also play with some online photo editing software like the Pixlr or FotoFlex.

You can play with your everyday pictures and have real fun. You can create posters, collages, photo books and several other goodies. You can share your snaps with the world using online galleries like Picasa, Flickr and others. With the functionality that digital image processing tools provide today, your creativity is the only limit.