The following are examples of how images can to be changed to suit the desired outcome. It is always best and less expensive to provide an image that is "web" or "print" ready to your web master or printer.
The background image for the Home page - 8 inches x 6.699 inches at 72 ppi - was originally taken with a Blackberry camera phone. At this size it has a slight "posterized" look which is not horrible but maybe not the best image.
There are some photogrpahic mishaps that are very difficult to correct such as an out of focus shot or one that has been scanned from a magazine or book. It depends on what effect you may want. Usually it is easier if you start with the best photo possible.
The supplied image was very large and not in the right proportion for the final output and in web ready instead of printer ready pixels. The final baseball card needs to be 2.50" by 3.50" when trimmed and 300 p.p.i for printing purposes. The final baseball card is 2.75" X 3.75" which includes a bleed of 1/8". The original image has also been lightened and cropped.
The background has been heightened at the top and the image lightened slightly with some obvious scratches and marks removed.
The image at left has had the vague background removed and colored with new area added to the top to create the right proportions.