Making it More

The Amazing One I (The First) didn't even know I was snapping pictures of her at that moment - she's a great candid sober model.

While I liked this shot a lot it seemed that there was something that needed to be done to make it...more.  Does it work for you or should I have done something differently?

SOOC

Crop

Bring out her eyes using a Vivid Light blending mode

Coffeeshop Denim - Faded / painted over all the "whites" that came through blue

PW Slight Light at 30%

Fix-It Friday #72

Fix it Friday

Click on the link to see what others have done this week.

SOOC

Crop / PW Cooler action / PW Sepia action at 70%

Crop / Florida Action from Everyday Actions / Coffeeshop Creamy Chocolate B&W action

Crop / New York City action from Everyday Actions

Crop / PW Slight Light action / PW Cooler action / Coffeeshop Ice Pop action

Crop / Everyday Actions Florida action

Crop / PW Slight Light action twice / Oh the Drama action from DPM at 20% / Coffeeshop Orton action at 40%

Work It Wednesday

Fix It Friday at 

  

is so much fun that I decided to do my own version of it tonight calling it
Work It Wednesday.

SOOC

Loving the sweet kiss from Daddy I cropped the picture down to just the two of them then did a variety of edits.

Each of the edits has the same crop & the same two textures applied as background then everything else comes from that base.  Opacities of various layers were adjusted and erasures were made on various layers.

Coffeeshop Creamy Chocolate B&W action

Coffeeshop Creamy Toffee Latte action

DPM's Oh The Drama Action

Coffeeshop Green Tea Action

Coffeeshop Hot Cocoa 2 action

Coffeeshop Magic Sunset action

Coffeeshop Raspberry Tea action

PW Sepia action at 60%

PW Vintage action

More Abstract Experiments

More experimentation with an abstract look.  Perhaps it's not so much abstract as it is vintage painting...

Any Feedback?

As the blog title indicates, I'm a Learning Photographer, so any feedback and/or constructive criticism you can offer would be welcomed (I'm working in PSE8).

Any suggestions as to what I could do with the washed out face?  The tone of the photo is what I want it to be but her face brings "geisha" or "mask" to mind.

They're probably weeds but they're the spring shoots and I was pleased with the insubstantial being in focus surrounded by a great bokeh.

An experiment in the abstract.  The first layer is a tulip, actually just a few petals of a tulip, with the Coffeeshop Ice Pop action.  The next layer is a texture that I'd created with another texture (Rebecca Parker) over that one.  Each texture had some low opacity erasing done in different areas of the picture.

A ficus covered in small white lights.  Two PW Slight Light actions (no flattening) then low opacity erasing of the lights.  The final layer was the Oil Tanker texture at 40%, again erasing the lights at low opacity.

I ENJOYED CREATING THIS ONE

I was working with some floral shots from August and I created this one that I really like. It's ethereal. It's Victorian. It's different, for me anyway.

Here's what I did in PSE8:

• Coffeeshop Ice Pop action.
• Added a texture called Gabriels Descent (normal blending mode) then erased the flower with a very soft brush at 20% and hit the center one or two more times.
• Did this again with a texture called Green Chaos.
• Finally, I cropped to make it square.

What do you think? Anything I should have done differently?



Fix It Friday #71

Fix it Friday

I'm so glad to be here, with the computer issues that have been a challenge for two weeks I didn't think I would be able to participate this week.

Original Shot

Taking a closer look...is that the photographer?  This is merely a crop, sharpening & defining, then an action called DRAMA.





B&W

My stormy sky was achieved through a texture that I erased from the rest of the picture.

Gritty version

Futile Attempts - Updated

Still no functioning PSE8.  Yesterday was a day filled with a series of futile attempts to fix the situation.  Tomorrow is Fix It Friday at I Heart Faces and I want to participate! 

If the Organizer module of PSE8 is functioning but the Editor module is not, would you not assume that this is an Adobe issue, not a computer issue?  Or maybe I should say it's a software issue not a hardware issue. 

Three times I attempted a system restore on my computer, deleted/uninstalled multiple software applications - even my Norton security, deleted all the actions & textures I'd downloaded, just on the off-chance that any of these things were interfering with the functioning of the PSE8 Editor.  It was all to no avail. 

Bottom line?  I'm still unable to process photos.  Adobe, because they've been unable to resolve the issue, wants me to contact Dell.  Working with Adobe customer support has been bittersweet.  The people (yes, more than one) I speak with are courteous but their accents are so strong that I repeatedly have to say, "excuse me, could you repeat that?" not to mention that all of their fix attempts have been unsuccessful.

My final attempt to remedy this on my own is to install PSE8 on our other (read "older") computer.  We'll see if that works.

What am learning through all of this?  Definitely persistence, and maybe a bit more about computers too.

update

PSE8 is installed & working on the old computer but it's not pretty and it's not easy.  It's a bit like going from a sleek new car to a model T.  The screen is much smaller and I have to do a lot of mousing so I can feel that in my wrist.  Yep, I'd complain if I was being hung with a new rope... :o)

PSE8 Problems

My PSE8 is giving me fits and neither Adobe nor Dell have been able to help me. This means that I won't be posting any pictures here until the issues are resolved - just hope I can live through the withdrawal I'm experiencing. Please keep checking back, I really hope that it's in the next day or two...

Fix It Fridays #70

FIX IT FRIDAY #70

Time for another Fix It Friday from I Heart Faces.com.  Below you'll find the original shot then following that are my five iterations.

Be certain you go see what others have done by clicking on the icon.

Original shot

In each of my edits I began by brightening the eyes and removing the dark circles under eyes.

Coffeeshop HotCocoa action at 70% then cropped.

PW Heartland action at 60%

CoffeeShop Orton action

PW Sunshine action at 50% then cropped

PSE Old Paper action and erased it from the subject then cropped.

Fix It Fridays #68

FIX IT FRIDAY #68

Each Friday the I HEART FACES blog posts a picture SOOC (straight out of camera) and people submit their fixes.  It's fun to see the different things that can be done to a single photo.  For the past few weeks I've been keeping a close eye on what's been done, who's submitting, all of that.  There are so many talented photographers out there and I'm learning that they're a generous lot - so quick to share their knowlege, willing to teach what they know.

It's time for me to quit lurking and start participating so here goes.

The is the original photo SOOC

All of my edits have the following in common:

- Editing was done in PS Elements 8

- Cropped from original

- All actions were adjusted in various layers

- Layers were flattened after each action

CoffeeShop Little Perk action

CoffeeShop IcePop action

Pioneer Woman Colorized (50%) action

MCP Texture Applicator to apply ShadowHouse "All Hell Breaks Loose" Texture - Multiply at 55% opacity

I then erased the texture from the girl and her dress 

CoffeeShop Orton action, adjusting the opacity of the Orton layer and Color Mute layer.
Pioneer Woman Edge Burn Action at 59% then removing it from the subject and the area directly around her.

Everyday Actions Diffuse Hotspots action (layer adjustments made)
Nelly Nero's Antique Overlay action (layer adjustments made)

Only used one action on this one - CoffeeShop Cocoa2.  I decreased the Cocoa layer then painted most of it away from her skin.

CoffeeShop Creamy Chocolate BW action with opacity adjustments.

Click on the logo below to see all the other entries.  It's fun, you may even want to participate next week.

6 comments:
meganleigh said...
Love #1!!

August 27, 2010 2:38 PM
meganleigh said...
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
August 27, 2010 2:38 PM
Susan Godfrey said...
I really like your edit! I absolutely LOVE your first edit..very urban!

Blessings!
Susan
http://homesteadmomma.com

August 27, 2010 2:46 PM
ATALW said...
I love your edits!!

August 27, 2010 4:13 PM
Anonymous said...
Dee,
You completely astound me with your talent but I didn't know you were now fluent in the Greek language! :-)
Love you!

August 27, 2010 10:37 PM
Dee said...
Sorry, Meganleigh, I accidently "published" your comment twice and forgot that deleting the duplication only removes the content of the comment so it looks like you said something objectionable, rather than just me correcting my own error.

August 29, 2010 8:12 PM
Post a Comment