How can I invert part of a photo?

Question

Is there an easy way to invert part of a photo in software? Is there a good image viewer that does that?

Answer 1

Yes, pretty much all image editing applications include Invert as a standard adjustment and will automatically apply it to the active selection (if there is one). Here are a couple of examples.

Windows: Paint.NET

Paint.NET is a great free image editor for Windows.

1. Make a selection
2. From the menu, pick Adjustments > Invert Colors

Linux/Mac OS: Gimp

Much the same process:

1. Make a selection
2. From the menu, pick Colours > Invert

Answer 2

Most photo editing software (though generally not raw processors like Lightroom) has the ability to select parts of an image and to perform operations on that selection, and most software has the ability to make a photo negative.

If you want something freely available I suggest GIMP. Photoshop and Photoshop Elements will also do it but they cost money.

Answer 3

One program I like a lot is Irfanview. It's small and fast, and it will even run from a flash drive, without installing it on a PC. Among its many features is the ability to invert a selected areas. It's a free download.