Photo and video lessons · Canterbury, Herne Bay & Thanet
Better photos and videos, using the AI on your phone
Recent phones can lift a stranger out of a holiday snap, brighten a faded print and turn a day's clips into a short film. In two hours at your home, I'll show you how on your own phone or tablet, using the photo apps you already have and a free AI app or two where they help.
£149 · 2 hours at home
Home visits across Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Faversham and Thanet. Evenings and weekends by arrangement.
Six things we can do in one lesson
- Remove what you didn't wantA bin, a stranger, a lamppost growing out of someone's head. Clean Up in the iPhone Photos app and Photo Assist on Samsung Galaxy AI phones handle this on supported models.
- Rescue old printsPhotograph them properly, then work on fading, colour casts and small marks.
- Fix the lightBrighten gloomy indoor shots and bring back detail in a washed-out sky, using editing controls you already have.
- Make a short filmTurn a set of clips and photos into a short video with music, for a birthday or to send round the family.
- Make cards and invitationsUse your own photos, or create a picture with a tool such as Image Playground on supported iPhones, which gained a photorealistic style in iOS 27 (checked October 2026).
- Sort the camera rollAlbums, favourites and a clear-out of duplicates and screenshots, so you can find the picture you want.
Start with a copy, every time
The most useful habit in photo editing isn't an AI trick: it's keeping the original. Your phone's own photo app usually lets you undo an edit, but not every app does, and an AI edit saved over the only copy of a family print can't be taken back. Before we touch anything precious, we make sure the original is backed up and saved separately.
Edits also change what a picture says. Removing a stranger from a beach photo is one thing; sharing a picture of a house with the cracks removed, or a friend altered without asking, is another. The UK has no general legal duty to label AI-made images, but a simple courtesy rule works: if someone could be misled, say it's been edited, and ask before you edit or share pictures of other people.
On ownership, the government's March 2026 report on copyright and AI says photos edited with AI tools can still get ordinary copyright protection where your own creative choices show.
Rescuing an old print with your phone
-
Clean the print and the lens
Dust shows up more than you'd expect. Wipe the phone's camera lens and brush the print gently. -
Find soft daylight
Near a window but out of direct sun. Turn the flash off, because it bounces off glossy prints. -
Hold the phone directly above
Keep it level with the print so the picture isn't stretched at one end. Resting your elbows on the table helps. -
Take several shots
Shift slightly between them, and one will usually have less glare than the rest. -
Crop, straighten and keep that copy
This is your digital master. Save it before any AI goes near it. -
Then improve a duplicate
Try colour, brightness and object removal on a copy, comparing it with the master as you go.
Video, without the fiddly bits
Editing video on a phone looks harder than it is. These habits make it manageable.
- Hold the phone sideways for the TVUpright suits phone screens; sideways suits a television. Decide where it'll be watched before you film.
- Keep clips shortTen seconds of the right moment is worth more than two minutes of everything.
- Mind the soundWind and background chatter spoil more videos than a wobbly picture. Get closer to whoever is speaking.
- Start from a draftIf your photo app offers an automatic film, let it make a first version, then trim and reorder it yourself.
- Share a link, not a huge fileA shared album or link saves filling up everyone's phones, and lets you choose who sees it.
What the lesson includes
For £149 you get two hours one-to-one at home on your own phone or tablet, a printed guide with the steps for your device, and two weeks of phone help afterwards for when an edit won't save or a film won't share. There's no travel charge anywhere in Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Faversham or Thanet.
If you'd like the rest of your phone's AI covered too, see AI on your phone or tablet. Family history, painting or writing projects are on the AI for hobbies page. A photo lesson also works well as a present, and gift vouchers start at £149. For a couple or a few friends with full camera rolls, the friends and neighbours session is £199 for up to four.
Questions people ask
Can AI restore old photos?
It can do a lot: reviving faded colour, sharpening slightly and removing small marks. It can't recover detail that was never captured, and heavy restoration can invent features, so compare faces against the original.
How do I remove someone from a photo on my iPhone?
On iPhones that support Apple Intelligence, the Photos app's Clean Up tool removes unwanted objects, and I'll show you how it works on yours. On older iPhones we'd look at other options.
What's the easiest way to scan old photos at home?
Photograph each print flat, in soft daylight with the flash off and the phone held level above it. Take a few shots and keep the clearest as your master copy before editing.
Is it all right to edit photos of other people with AI?
Ask first, especially before sharing. Edits that change how someone looks, or put them somewhere they weren't, can upset or mislead people, even when meant as a joke.
Do I need to pay for a photo editing app?
Not to start with. The tools in your phone's own photo app go a long way, and we only add another app if it does something yours can't.
Who you'll learn with
I'm Ross Hayes, and I live in Herne Bay. I come to you, we use your own phone, tablet or computer, and I explain things in plain English. I never ask for your passwords or bank details, family are welcome to sit in, and there's no selling on the day.
Start with a free 15-minute phone chat, so I can check what you'd like to learn and which device you use.
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