Before & After (Discussion)

[Hype]

Please use this thread if you wish to discuss the Before & After game. :)

Thank you all.

[sorted]

Hi Steve
I think it is a Good Fun Game + Could become an adventure of Mind + Photo's.
Well Done

Elaine

[Hype]

Hello Elaine,

I am glad you like the game. I see a couple of people including yourself have already started posting to it. Looks as though it could prove to be a popular one.

Take care :)

[DoctorJazz]

Great idea Steve,

Can't wait to see all the versions.....very educational to see how many ways
there are to see the same thing.

[verikos]

I agree with DoctorJazz. If we attach enough information to our edits it'll be like having our very own tutorial to take us through the steps. Thanks Steve.

[Hype]

Seems Joseph has not been around to post the follow up image for this game.

I hope he and his family are well.

I'll give him until some time tomorrow in case he has gone away for the weekend. If he's not been seen by then I shall pick another winner.

Again, I hope all is well Joseph.

[coffee]

Seems Joseph has not been around to post the follow up image for this game.

I hope he and his family are well.

I'll give him until some time tomorrow in case he has gone away for the weekend. If he's not been seen by then I shall pick another winner.

Again, I hope all is well Joseph.

Hi, Was out of town for the weekend. What there a question or something I missed that needs something? I'm in the middle of catching up on messages so it may be that I haven't read them all yet.

[coffee]

Ok I see where I needed to respond. Thanks for the win. It was a nice shot to begin an edit on. Had good focus and such. I actually spend about an hour on that shot. More than I though I would. Ok I'm going to assume that I know have to post a shot to start a new contest hu? Going to look for one now.

[Hype]

Ok I see where I needed to respond. Thanks for the win. It was a nice shot to begin an edit on. Had good focus and such. I actually spend about an hour on that shot. More than I though I would. Ok I'm going to assume that I know have to post a shot to start a new contest hu? Going to look for one now.

Yes please that would great. Also, I am glad you are well and everything is ok :)

Looking forward to your image and again, Congratulations on winning the first round

[DoctorJazz]

Responding to edit by eyerkish on Denise's image:

Wow....that's amazing. I love the water especially....it came alive!

[Kaye]

Hi all,
Would love some more edits on this last shot. Only around 15 hours to go.

Should we consider extending the time if there are only a couple of edits??

[Hype]

Hi Kaye,

Someone else mentioned extending the time. There is no reason why it couldn't be extended.

How long do you have in mind?

[verikos]

I think I mentioned this when I posted my picture for editing. I don't think 48 hours is enough time, especially if people only check out this forum every few days due to work or other commitments. I think we should extend it to one week. That way, I'm sure more people will participate. What do you think?

[coffee]

I think I mentioned this when I posted my picture for editing. I don't think 48 hours is enough time, especially if people only check out this forum every few days due to work or other commitments. I think we should extend it to one week. That way, I'm sure more people will participate. What do you think?

I second the suggestion.

[Hype]

I think I mentioned this when I posted my picture for editing. I don't think 48 hours is enough time, especially if people only check out this forum every few days due to work or other commitments. I think we should extend it to one week. That way, I'm sure more people will participate. What do you think?

+1 from me.

I'll add the update to the rules then and unless someone has any objections Kaye should leave hers running for what would be 1 week for her?

Edit: I also extended the Judges time frame also. Only by an extra 24 hours but if you think that should also be extended greater then please let us know.

:)

[Kaye]

Steve and all others above,

I agree with the time frame of one week to leave photos running. There will then be no pressure for others to try to do an edit in say one night for example.

In other words, when the winner puts in a photo, the shut off time for edits will be exactly the same day and same time the following week.

I think 48 hours is sufficient for the judge. If the judge happens to go away on holidays etc., which may happen, then I am sure someone else will be happy to become the judge.

Great work Steve for these games. I think it gives an extra interest to the site.

[Hype]

Thank you Kaye for picking me. :)

As Kaye has said in her post where she picked the winner.

It would be really nice to see others taking part and so, As suggested by Kaye I will leave the game open for someone else to post.

First one to post an image in the game thread will be taking over.

Good luck all.

[Kaye]

Hi all new members,
Don't be afraid to post a shot to the Game: Before & After. It is great.... you get some nice edits on one of your shots, and you get to pick the one you like... The winner then posts their shot, etc.
(See Steve's post above).

[Kaye]

Hi Kaye

That is a really nice suggestion to let people submit a photo:)
If it is Ok with you i would like to submit this Fun Picture that i took in Greece about 5 years ago it is certainly un-edited and was taken in a hurry with my old Digital camera with no knowledge that I have learnt since joining the Forum, It is as you can see a cat helping it self from a Bike with a bag of Fish !!!! and yes he did get one - two before being spotted.:D

Hi Hype
I also noticed that you are in full support of Kaye in her decision to accept another person's photo.:)

If all is Ok with both I have submitted and if not have no problem with removal Xx
You will see everything possible was wrong with the photo Lighting Shadows , background etc so be great to see what could be done with it.

Elaine, In reply to your post in "Before and After Game",
"You are most welcome".
In a week you can choose your winner!

[DoctorJazz]

I absolutely love the image you created StephenK with merging the two
photos....very beautiful mix of scenery! I hope Kaye agrees!

[StephenK]

I absolutely love the image you created StephenK with merging the two
photos....very beautiful mix of scenery! I hope Kaye agrees!

Hi Sandy and Thank You! It seems I jumped a sprocket in relation to the rules for the challenge... still.. your
backyard mountain fit-in so nicely with the image that I greatly enjoyed the time spent putting the images together!

Your pond has now grown into a most colorful and delicute lake! However, I promise in the future, that I won't subject it to anything Glacial....! :^)

[StephenK]

I'm moving this image over to this thread since I posted it late in the other! Have another that's soon to follow... :^)




http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll202/StephenKr/P7050285compedit.jpg

[StephenK]

I tend to play around a great deal with Channels masks, I would love to encourage others to explore them!
The stuff you can do with channels masks are simply amazing...

With this image I cropped for thirds.... eye level around a third of the way down. I then made a mask out of
the red channel and applied a hue and saturation adjustment layer using this mask, adjusted the saturation as needed....
I then made a copy of that layer and inverted the mask and adjusted the saturation to fit with that angle....

Selected the top layer and made a combination of what was done to that point (keyboard shortcut Ctl-Alt-Shift-E)
Then using an inverted red mask applied sharpening to that layer... looking at the mask you can see that
the eyes, lips, ears, would be sharpened but the rest of the face would be left relatively smooth....

Made another combination image... applied the red channel mask again and set the layer to Overlay... reduced opacity to 38%...

Great picture Steve!! :^)

[Kaye]

I'm moving this image over to this thread since I posted it late in the other! Have another that's soon to follow... :^)




http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll202/StephenKr/P7050285compedit.jpg

StephenK,
As the others have not seen the message I sent to you, I wish to again thank you so much for your beautiful edit of my image. You really have the eye for art and are talented with this. Thank you.

[Hype]

I have already submitted my entry for this round which I wish to keep as my entry but have been playing some more with the image posted by Pat and have come up with the following and just wanted to show it off :)

Photshop:

Applied Fill Layer at 70% and masked out the bottle with 10% flow on the brush.

Merged layers up to new layer (ctrl + alt + shift + e)
Applied slight gaussian blur to image added a mask and went over the label on the bottle with 10% flow.

Added frame.

Anyway, Just wanted to show it off because I liked it. haha

[Kaye]

Hi Steve, I am copying your text from the GAME to DISCUSSION to discuss.

Re: Your edit in the Before & After (Game)

QUOTE: ...... from Steve (Hype) from Before & After GAME:

Great Shot.

Not really too much to do in terms of processing so I tried some cross processing and then gave it a vignette.
I used a curves adjustment layer to mess about with each colour channel.

I have made the cross processing process an action as I like the outcome. If anyone is interested I'll make another download for it.



I would really love you to make a download for this. You are so great sharing your knowledge. Perhaps if you can download it here, I and many others will appreciate it. (I just love the toning down around the edges which could be used when sometimes the whole image is fine, but a little overexposed around the sky for example.)

Thanks,

[coffee]

I'm moving this image over to this thread since I posted it late in the other! Have another that's soon to follow... :^)




http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll202/StephenKr/P7050285compedit.jpg

I like what you did with the colors and other things on this image Steve. You really improved it greatly. The leaf you added to the water looks huge though! :) If I were to guess how it would measure up, I think it would be about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of a canoe. :)

[Kaye]

Joseph, you don't miss a trick. I presume you mean the little red images with the ripples around them...?
I believe these are three Koi Carp in the water, and I did think about their size when checking out the beautiful edit of my dull shot from Stephen K.
I have owned Koi Carp and know they get big, but I do agree on a "pro rata" basis, they may be the size of a tree trunk!!

... Stephen, please do not take offence to my last sentence!
I love the edit.

[coffee]

Joseph, you don't miss a trick. I presume you mean the little red images with the ripples around them...?
I believe these are three Koi Carp in the water, and I did think about their size when checking out the beautiful edit of my dull shot from Stephen K.
I have owned Koi Carp and know they get big, but I do agree on a "pro rata" basis, they may be the size of a tree trunk!!

... Stephen, please do not take offence to my last sentence!
I love the edit.

Well this makes more sense Kaye. :) I thought it was a red leaf hitting the water. Yes you're right, Koi can get big. I could be wrong on this but it still looks very large when you consider the distance from the foreground trees. But it depends on the size of the fish right? Thanks for setting me straight Kaye.

[Kaye]

I still think they are a little out of perspective with the shot. (THEY ARE NOT SHARKS) !!! I personally think they should be shrunk by around 75%.
Let's wait to see what Stephen does....

[coffee]

I still think they are a little out of perspective with the shot. (THEY ARE NOT SHARKS) !!! I personally think they should be shrunk by around 75%.
Let's wait to see what Stephen does....

Yes I agree. They can also be brought closer to the foreground, which would probably be a better option because any smaller and you will lose sight of what they are. Kind of like I did already at the size they currently are.

[Kaye]

Joseph.... I thought they were quite clear as fish, but I had my glasses on..!!
My thought (without the knowledge of how to do it) would be to make them smaller and then add saturation and sharpen them, and leave them where they are. (And also make the water ripples smaller to coincide with the size of the fish).

Perhaps if we leave it here, Stephen (who probably still has his Photoshop.. copy saved), may come up with sardines or a WHALE! May be interesting.

I really enjoy all these comments and the fun in editing.

[StephenK]

Thank you Joseph and Kaye for your input! :^)

Joseph pretty-much outlined the problem I was having with placing the koi in the image by Joseph thinking
it was a leaf... Too big and they're out of proportion, but too small and they look blotchy and awkward. :^)

I was wanting the fish in the comp to add life to the scene, and compositionly I liked where they were placed,
but hence the conundrum.?

I moved them in a lot closer in the hopes of better proportioning their presence.

I do indeed like the whale idea Kaye!! Which I suspect would have Peta out soon with skiffs trying to steer the
whale back to deeper waters... then I would have to add skiffs as well... this image could get crowed rather quickly! :^))

[Kaye]

Hi Stephen,
I really did like the whole image better with the fish in the middle, but they do look more in proportion now. Thanks.

[StephenK]

Hi Stephen,
I really did like the whole image better with the fish in the middle, but they do look more in proportion now. Thanks.

And thank you Kaye :^)

I'm currently bouncing back and forth between the eastern and western side of Washington state here recently. I've been working on
a home near the coast that we're eventually moving into full-time... but we're still spending time in our home outside of
Spokane as well.

Here's a link to the thread I've been nursing (13 pages long so far) during the remodel on our house near the coast.

http://www.photoforum.com/index.php?showtopic=42596

I think of it along the lines as photoshoping a building. I've been doing all the work myself and simply love it!
House photoshoping during the day, image photoshoping at night.... what a cool combination! :^)

[Kaye]

Thanks for that Stephen,

You new house looks like it has heaps of character. Will look forward to another edit when you have completed it.
Good luck.

[StephenK]

That was a great edit Pat! I actually ended up moving the bird feeders and putting a fence around them since
we were going through a lot of bird seed at the time... it was this picture-taking-opportunity that finally answered
that puzzle..... since doing so a box a bird seed now goes a very long way!!

Thanks again for the edit and the tutorial along with it! One way that I came up with, to get around the background
noise, was to isolate the deer and go artsy with the rest... just an idea for anyone else who may be exploring a way
to tackle this image.... :^)

[StephenK]

Really cool edit Sandy! I suppose I should keep comments to a minimum until the game is over but I wanted to pass along
a thumbs-up for your uniquely creative contribution!! :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Thanks StephenK for your wonderful comment.....at first I felt like I was dropping the ball on the background, but then I began to see the final result emerging so
just went with it.....I'm so glad you approve.

[StephenK]

You are most welcomed Sandy!! :^)

And Love your addition a well Kaye! I'm becoming a big fan of your frames! :^)

I just checked the date that I posted the photo and it looks like I have to make a decision about "best" on Christmas eve...
I'm glad I don't have to play judge all the time over stuff like this... narrowing down "best" is most difficult...!

[StephenK]

Love your addition Pat!! The concept of turning her picture into a winter scene is just brilliant!

You got me wondering what would be involved in doing this using localized settings so I headed-off on a very
convoluted adventure to find out!

I was able to make the snow layer over the trees and the land using Calculations and poking around until
I found something close.
I made the alpha channel into a regular layer,
and then used the same channel to mask that layer,

and then, for the first time, I found a use for the "Exclusion" blending mode!

That seemed to "set" the snow surfaces on the ground and the trees, and the rest were just basic adjustments and adding the snow
itself with a bunch of layers from a snowflake brush that I'd made.

This whole thing kept me busy for some time but what an interesting adventure it was! Thank you again
Pat for the cool (pun intended :^)inspiration!!

[DoctorJazz]

Hype,

I'm starting to second guess myself on the image I posted for the B + A Game......
it is pretty uninspiring to look at as is, but part of the fun for me is to watch the
transformation into whatever......

I would be happy to post something else if there is nothing happening with this one......just want to put the suggestion out there......I'll give it more time for now.
I posted the image yest., so the time runs out on Jan. 17

[Hype]

Hiya,

If you are happy with the image you have posted then leave it. I am sure people will start posting edits soon.

If however you would like to change it then I would do so before anyone starts working on it so sooner the better if that's your plan.

[DoctorJazz]

Thanks Hype,
I'll leave it as is.

[sorted]

Hi Sandy
Sorry I am probably the worst at Editing:) But gave it a go!
Turned it into greyscale then as it was a reflection image put it on to a TV ???? or tried:D

[sorted]

OOPPPS Posted wrong place Sorry re-do:D

[DoctorJazz]

I know it's too early to comment, but all I have to say at this point is how glad I am for not pulling this image.......let the Games continue! Talk to you on the 17th.

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Eddie,

Responding to your question about the edit on SandraC's image.

I too was spending a lot of time trying to figure out the three panel effect.....
inspired by the POTM entry this month by photog....I found a pretty easy method
was to duplicate the original image layer and just use the rectangular marquis
to make my selection of the panels. With the panels selected, I make a new layer
with the "Layer via copy" command. Then I went back and made another duplicate
of the original background layer, and applied a blur to it. I could then reselect my
"panel" layer, and move it around until I was happy with the composition. By using
the "Stroke" command under Edit I could apply the border to my panels. The last
step was the Distortion filter for Glass which is in the CS4 menu.

It was very fun. Hope that helps.

[eyerkish]

Thanks, Sandy!

[StephenK]

I was playing around a bit more with the picture Simon posted.. With this one I was building on what I'd done with Sandy's pond picture, as well
as my being curious if I could expound on Elaine's idea.

I flipped the original image each way and then worked on obscuring the seam that resulted. Some cloning in the grass to remove
the tree's shadow on either side, and a lot of little things to alleviate some of the more obvious repetitions.

It was a fun little exercise.... Thanks for bringing-up the idea Elaine! :^)

[sorted]

Stephen it is great to get ideas from you and imagination, Glad you saw something in mine :)
Love your edition you should put it in for Simon ? I would not mid at all. :)

[StephenK]

Thank you Elaine! :)

Your interpretation totally peaked my curiosity...! This is one of the things that I love most about this style of forums... there's
something of an Improve feeling to logging on everyday and exploring the spontaneous nudging's of all involved!

Are we permitted to do double entries for the Before & After thread? I wouldn't mind adding it but don't want to
overstep what's permissible... :^)

[sorted]

Hi Stephen

I don't see why not ? if you had saw mine and not said then no one would be the wiser !!!! and even though you have commented on it I would love to see you put it in.:D It is only for Fun and great to have a play and practice it is not like a true Competion with a Prize attatched I am sure it will not be a problem?:cool:

[StephenK]

Thanks Stephen, I guess now the kids are gone, you could allocate a whole wall to Mattie!

Heee heee that may be the case...! only we'll be having to leave some room for the eventual grand-kids (with none in the works
at the moment my wife still plans on the day with eager anticipation! :^)

[StephenK]

here is my try

Very Nice Sandra! :) This competition is not going to be an easy one to judge! :^)

[StephenK]

In light of Mattie being the subject of the last competition I thought I'd post an update as to her where-abouts today.
Mattie was touring Seattle Washington. :^) My wife had a nurse related training course in Seattle today, so while she
was doing that, Mattie and I were doing a walk-about.

Here's Mattie showing-off her traveling skills! :^)

...(she did have a leash on, that I edited out... couldn't imagine her in downtown without one!)... also, I fell back in love with
my 17mm-10mm lens today.... so many of the shots that I took today would have been near impossible without it!! ...including these two that I've posted.... :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Stephen,

It's so great to see Mattie in the big city....
These are wonderful shots!

[Kaye]

Lovely shots Stephen. Mattie looks so tiny compared to the City.

[StephenK]

Thank You Sandy and Kaye! :^)

Mattie was such a wonderful charm to have along! Not only was she great company, but I talked with so many folks (because
of Mattie's presence) that I wouldn't have met otherwise! Seattle is very-much a dog lovers city! :^)

I also added a thread of some of that days captured images at the following url in this forum. I really was pleased with how many of the pictures
turned-out half-way decent... but then Seattle is sooo photogenic that it would have been difficult to come-away empty handed! :^)


http://www.proudphotography.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5628

[Kaye]

StephenK,
Hi Stephen, I just absolutely love your version of Sandy's boat about to slip down the waterfall!! SO GOOD. I'd be bailing out!

[MasterPpv]

StephenK,
Hi Stephen, I just absolutely love your version of Sandy's boat about to slip down the waterfall!! SO GOOD. I'd be bailing out!

Yes, that was an amazing edit! I think I know what you did... First, you mirrored the image, or at least the background, added the waterfall on the right, and then blurred out / removed the differences in the water between the two shots, am I right? ;) You may have also adjusted saturation, brightness, etc. but I'm just looking at the main stuff :p Brilliant edit! :D

[StephenK]

Thank You Kaye and MasterPpv!!

...and Indeed MasterPpv you are pretty-much on the money with how this was done! There were a few other
alterations that were needed in order to give the edit a better sense of realism. I selectively painted a blank layer,
using a channels mask, set to the color blending mode, to help control some of the color variations where the waterfall
and Sandy's image met. I also needed a little rapids action at the edge of the falls in order to generate some needed
turbulence where one would expect to see some.

The image itself cooperated nicely, with the way the ripples and current around the boat added credibility to the water actually
moving in that direction, and the child looking toward the falls itself helped to nail-down the falls presence.

I can still see room for some minor improvements but overall it's mostly in the ballpark! :^)

For reference purposes I'm posting the other two images that I used in this comp. Gotta love the ability to mask! :^)

[simon]

I enjoyed the waterfall too. Convincing edit and very funny sense of impending doom.

[StephenK]

I thought you all might like this follow-up image of the Niagara Falls theme. This picture of the falls was taken
by my son about a week ago, (he's currently working in the area) and I thought he'd get a kick out of seeing it
infused with a bit of drama. :^)

At least this one isn't as helpless-seeming as the last! :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Stephen,

It's always better when they're heading upstream. This is great!!

[eyerkish]

I love it!

[Pat]

OK, I'm such a slacker, i missed the last two deadlines. I end up with three or four versions and nowhere to go, so thought I may as well post 'em here (a wasting is a terrible thing to waste). Missed deadlines with originals...

[sorted]

Hi Pat

I for one are glad you did that one with the Dam Busters is awesome lol:D

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Pat....

I like your edit of the man with musical pipe....he looks like he really belongs on that side of the image!
Great creativity with your edit of Stephen's pic!

[Kaye]

Love them both Pat. It was not a waste of time!

[sandrac]

enjoyed the Pics Pat
I am also glad you posted them

[Pat]

Thanks you all.

[StephenK]

Thanks for the comments on the jet skier racing Niagara! And great edits Pat! You wouldn't believe how many more of those
windmills they've added in the last couple of weeks since I took that picture! I just arrived back on the western side of
Washington state yesterday and passed by the windmills again along the way... OMG they're springing-up along that hillside like weeds!!!

Sandy... you mentioned that you were curious about the new features in CS5. Here's a link to 5 videos that cover
the changes in some detail: http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=63169

It's at Lynda.com, which is a pay site, but they've made these particular videos available for free. Pretty-much covers the
more important additions to Photoshop. CS4 still rocks!... so I don't see any hurry to upgrade. But it's still nice to know what
awaits you should upgrading becomes an issue! :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Thanks Stephen,I'll look into that.
I love your edit for this week (bird and castle) .....stunning!!

[sorted]

Hi Steve
As Sandy it was an awesome Castle you are brilliant at this:)

[sandrac]

it really is and to think what was really back there Stephen I just smile
It was a load of towels I needed to fold : )

[StephenK]

and to think what was really back there Stephen I just smile
It was a load of towels I needed to fold : )

Since ones home is their castle... then the image clearly fits Sandra! I would much prefer unfolded
towels over a mote any-day! :^)

Thank you all for the wonderfully kind words!! (if there was a huggy-friends icon available I would happily include one here! :^)

[StephenK]

Since I used the dragon in this last image submitted I wanted to also show another image that I edited last night where I used the same
dragon as well.

Below is the original image I started with, and next to it is the final edit. I used 6 pictures in all for the edit.

The dragon was posed in a software called "Poser". It's the same dragon but posed 2 separate ways, or three if you count the
fishing image I just submitted. :^) Below also is a screen capture of the Poser work-window.

I like the promise this has for adding flexibility when working with models within an image! :^)


http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll202/StephenKr/2aaert0reduced.jpg

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Stephen,

Unbelievable edits this week on Joseph's dock scene.....Congrats!
The Geisha edit is just stunning...
Inspiring work!!

[Kaye]

I know I am late but wanted to fix my post
like I said I knew it was not right rt after i posted
so when got up I discovered how to mirrir the image and redid it
hope you don't mind I repost
I had fun with my learning
Thanks for being patient
now to work
Looking forward to Stephens picture!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version Name: before-and-aftercorrection.jpg Views: 0 Size: 419.0 KB ID: 6302
__________________
SandraC
http://sandracpictures.shutterfly.com/
Reply With Quote

Sandra, I really liked your mirror image that you reposted. I think it is a great edit.

[Kaye]

[QUOTE=StephenK;33992]Since I used the dragon in this last image submitted I wanted to also show another image that I edited last night where I used the same
dragon as well.

Below is the original image I started with, and next to it is the final edit. I used 6 pictures in all for the edit.

The dragon was posed in a software called "Poser". It's the same dragon but posed 2 separate ways, or three if you count the
fishing image I just submitted. :^) Below also is a screen capture of the Poser work-window.

I like the promise this has for adding flexibility when working with models within an image! :^)



Stephen, this to me is just absolutely amazing. I don't seem to have enough time to get ahead much on PS at present.

[StephenK]

Thank You Sandy, Kaye and Joseph!!! :^) Feedback like each of yours is really important for me to read!

And an easy two-thumbs-up for you Sandra! You left your comfort range in order to play, and posted your results as well!
I eagerly encourage you to do this often! Sandy is growing in leaps and bounds by tossing caution to the wind and
going with what moves her! ....watching you address your learn-curve by posting your progress Sandra is wonderfully inspiring! :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Thanks Stephen.....looking forward to the new "edit journey" with your lighthouse photo.....I know it will be fun!

[Kaye]

Hey Joseph & Sandy,

Your editing world is going over my head. Your edits in the B & A game are absolutely spectacular.

[StephenK]

Hey Joseph & Sandy,
Your editing world is going over my head. Your edits in the B & A game are absolutely spectacular.

Amen! I hesitate commenting because I suspect I'm suppose to be somewhat impartial since I'm judging this round... but the urge to
applaud supersedes that!

Spectacular is the word I would easy use in ready agreement with Kaye! :^)

[sandrac]

thank Stephen for your compliment
I hope I am learning

[StephenK]

thank Stephen for your compliment
I hope I am learning

You're Welcome Sandra! You're doing the very things that will help you to learn effectively and with integrated finesse...!

The reflection thing is a very important element within an image to get good at! It can help to "believably" anchor an addition to an image
in a way that few other techniques can!

Here's an example of one that I did a bit ago while tackling this very thing. The picture was taken by Keith, a friend of mine on
another forum. He was showing off a picture that he took of his evening meal in France. I humorously edited the photo to suggest what
the same meal might look like in the US.... :^) The reflections on the table were essential for pulling this off!

The first is his picture, while the second is my edit:

[sandrac]

I like that Stephen I find myself at the laptop all too often working on pictures. Everyone told me I was good, but really, I have so long to go to claim that. I have gotten a few good shots. I would really like to save enough to get the full version of Photoshop. Right now, I just have the elements part. I fell into an expensive hobby. : )
Thanks for your encouragement Now I need to get back an work on your stairs for the before and after. :)

[sandrac]

Ok here is the beatle I used
just a pic I took this evening
so I did not have to go looking

[sandrac]

Stephen I tried the reflection once again I can understand why that would be important and figure shadows are about the
thanks for your help

[StephenK]

Stephen I tried the reflection once again I can understand why that would be important and figure shadows are about the
thanks for your help

You're most welcome Sandra!! With each new one you take-on you'll be learning more and more about perspective and translucence.

The one thing that will help you a lot, if you take the plunge and go with photoshop, is the ability to mask-in/out a layer. Elements won't
let you do that, so once you erase something in a layer in Elements you can't get it back... but with "masking" in photoshop you can..!

This will give you plenty of room to experiment in ways that are almost impossible in elements...

I love your newest edit Sandra! ...You're clearly moving in the right direction! :^)

[Pat]

Hi Sandra. Your pole reflection looks good except for one small detail. The angle is off a bit. In fact, judging from the angle of the pole there might not be a visible reflection. The angle of the reflection should be set at a number of degrees under the horizon line (of the water surface) equal to the number of degrees of the pole above the horizon line. You could measure it with a protractor, I suppose, but I would just eyeball it.

[sandrac]

that makes since
I knew it should be at an angle
because of the last one I tried and looking at the building
So
I Tried it again
I took the feet of the fisherman again and had him at the angle you suggested and did not see him in the picture then
thanks
for helping Pat
never thought about this till last week
but I will get it
here is the next try of course you can not see all the work of cutting him out again.
: )

[Pat]

Yes, I thought it might not normally be visible from that angle. Here's some tuts (tutorials) on water reflections in Photoshop.
http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&source=hp&q=water+reflect+photoshop&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=36232d5d6a0d50e5

[sandrac]

thanks Pat

[StephenK]

Not another entry to the challenge. Just playing around some more and thought I'd post this "Early Fall" edit here! :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Wow Stephen!

Love this autumn version with those clouds and the fiery colors!

[StephenK]

Thanks Sandy!

This edit was a delicate dance between so many variables...! :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Hi All,

Just noticed that there is just one entry for the B+A game, but as Pat's entry suggests with the many faces above the image, maybe there are at least that many more versions waiting to be posted.....any takers? I'm supposed to pick a winner in 2 days.:confused:

[Pat]

I've got a few more versions I could enter were it not for that niggly rule. :)

[Kaye]

Pat, these are great. Look like visions thru a kaledioscope!

[Pat]

Playing with fractals in a couple of apps I downloaded last night.

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Pat,

These are so fun.....I love the "abstract, macro" sort of look in no. 4 but they are all
very creative. The patterns are endless!!

[Pat]

Thank you, Sandy. Here are some variations on this weeks theme. Mostly brushes from, if I remember correctly Brusheezy http://www.brusheezy.com/ and deviantART http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/applications/psbrushes/

[DoctorJazz]

Pat!! Those are amazing ideas. No. 5 has such a great shock factor when you click to the larger size....Fantastic!

I learned so much by reading your edit description in the Game section....Thank you!

[Pat]

Thanks, Sandy, and you're welcome.

[craigpauli]

Fantastic work Pat.

[StephenK]

I really, really, really like your edits Pat! Wonderfully done!
I love your creative use of brushes! I'm a big brush fan myself!

I also wanted to pass along a real treat if you or anyone else who reads this is looking for a great collection of
Hi Res texture files! These are all freely offered by both companies and individuals. Not a one is pirated! :^)

http://ae.tutsplus.com/articles/roundup/42-sensational-texture-packages-and-tutorials/

I found this post on an After Effects blog but the same textures will work equally with photoshop as well! The collection
is very broad and aren't just the smaller samples that one normally finds for free.

I'm still in the middle of a download marathon with these.. hope you find them as amazingly valuable as I have! :^)

[StephenK]

I'm thinking we should open up the "contest" to more than one entry, (it's really not a contest anyway, just a friendly exchange of edits among a few fellow
editors :^)

Inspired by Pat I took another run at the edit. This one was done with a brick texture for the background (I'm trying out some of the
new textures I found :^)

And this other one was using a balloon image that was also among those textures. I kept trying to add other stuff to this image
but the balloon seemed to like the solitude of being alone.. :^)

[craigpauli]

I think the brick 1 looks fantastic Stephen

[Pat]

Thanks for your kind words, Craig and Stephen.
Wow. Good concept development on the brick one Stephen. Excellant. Love it. You nailed down the overall lighting in the balloon one, too, not that easy when mixing and matching.
I think I prefer the setup as is, though. Sure, you and I could whip up a number of entries but it would be hard for those just beginning photo editing. I believe the most important aspect is to encourage and give pointers when we can, not to exhibit. (We can do that in discussions :) )
As a matter of fact. I've been a little concerned that I've been winning a bit too much and wondering how I can still participate but gracefully withdraw from the contest aspect.

[StephenK]

Thanks Craig and Pat!

I've actually been pleased that I haven't been picked in awhile Pat, since I'm currently neck-deep in reconstructing another home.
I've had to scale back my internet and editing time dramatically because of this. So in this case I'm not really out to win.

If the consensus is to keep it at one entry per person then of course it need stay that way. :^) We can keep with the play-edits in this thread.

I'm not sure if I posted anything on it yet but here's a before picture of our new home that we bought about a month ago and following it are the changes that
I've made so far. Adding a new front end, and lots of areas for plants! I've also shredded the inside, and I'm in the early stages of dramatically
remodeling it as well. I think of it as basically editing a home. :^)

So if I skip out from time to time this is largely the reason. Though I'm still very-much the editing addict so it's unlikely
I'd be gone for long!

[DoctorJazz]

Great edits Stephen!

[StephenK]

Thanks Sandy! :^)

Here's another edit that I did on another forum along the same lines... but using a different rainbow of course.. :^)


http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll202/StephenKr/prrainbow.jpg

[MasterPpv]

HAHAHAHA!!! Wow... That made me burst out laughing! Great work there! :D

[StephenK]

Thank you MasterPpv! :^)

[Kaye]

I'm thinking we should open up the "contest" to more than one entry, (it's really not a contest anyway, just a friendly exchange of edits among a few fellow
editors :^)

Inspired by Pat I took another run at the edit. This one was done with a brick texture for the background (I'm trying out some of the
new textures I found :^)

And this other one was using a balloon image that was also among those textures. I kept trying to add other stuff to this image
but the balloon seemed to like the solitude of being alone.. :^)

Stephen, great edits. I love the brick one.
The air balloon in the second.... is the balloon a shot of yours that you added or did you "copy" it from somewhere. Just curious how you got such a nice balloon in there?

[Kaye]

This is another edit I did in the current competition:

7541

Thru Filter, used Pixel Blender & Circle Splash.
Obviously added birds (brushes) and border.

[StephenK]

Stephen, great edits. I love the brick one.
The air balloon in the second.... is the balloon a shot of yours that you added or did you "copy" it from somewhere. Just curious how you got such a nice balloon in there?

Thank you Kaye! :)

The balloon was found in this following free collection:

http://mediamilitia.com/hot-air-balloon-pack-textures-images-vectors-brushes/

The package is loaded with a whole bunch of hot air balloon related graphic toys!

I found it while scrolling through the freebies that were a part of this blog post for after effects:

http://ae.tutsplus.com/articles/roundup/42-sensational-texture-packages-and-tutorials/

This last link I currently have as a quick-link in my Firefox toolbar.... it's an almost bottomless resource for free hi-res texture related images and
brushes if you cruise through each link and track down each featured sites freebie sections! :^)

[Pat]

This is another edit I did in the current competition:

7541

Thru Filter, used Pixel Blender & Circle Splash.
Obviously added birds (brushes) and border.Nice one, Kaye. Pixel bender's quite the set (all sorts of extra filters at adobe) but I find some of them are extremely resource heavy. Think I might have to up my mem to 4 gb.

[DoctorJazz]

Craig,

Here's an edit on my edit that I just posted in the Game section....I wanted to see what it would look like in different blending modes etc. This one is in Linear Burn mode, at reduced opacity (40%?) so more of your original is visible. I also adjusted colors slightly with Color Balance until I liked the result, used Highlight/Shadow adjustment on the greens, and lastly used Equalize adjustment at 50% for a little brighter sheen.

[craigpauli]

Craig,

Here's an edit on my edit that I just posted in the Game section....I wanted to see what it would look like in different blending modes etc. This one is in Linear Burn mode, at reduced opacity (40%?) so more of your original is visible. I also adjusted colors slightly with Color Balance until I liked the result, used Highlight/Shadow adjustment on the greens, and lastly used Equalize adjustment at 50% for a little brighter sheen.

Hi Sandy, Well this one is beautiful. I like the 3d edge you have used in them and this does shine compared to my original. Excellent job on it Sandy.

[Pat]

This is fron Craig's clouds in lake pic. The selections were made across the sky and treetops, through the trees, and across the bottom of the lake, using the following tut...
http://www.tutorial9.net/photoshop/3d-pixel-stretch-effects/

[StephenK]

opps... I had two windows open and put this in the wrong one.... :^)

[craigpauli]

lol I'm doing that way too many times lately and end up posting wrong messages etc lol.

[Pat]

Congrats on your win Craig. Here's a few versions of your pic I did just for the heck of it. Not for voting. The blocky one I posted earlier but it got held up çause I included a link to the tut for it. (Yes, it was made from your pic using the single row marquee tool to copy, paste and expand lines from across the sky, trees and water). It'll probably show up here tomorrow.
The other two went through more permutations than I could possibly remember, though if there are any questions re any specific effect I'm sure I could fire up the relevant synapses.
The skaters were courtesy of the Library of Congress.

[Pat]

Whoops. Loaded up the wrong blocky one...used a cleaner texture on this one.

[craigpauli]

Whoops. Loaded up the wrong blocky one...used a cleaner texture on this one.

Looks very interesting Pat.
Cheers

[craigpauli]

Congrats on your win Craig. Here's a few versions of your pic I did just for the heck of it. Not for voting. The blocky one I posted earlier but it got held up çause I included a link to the tut for it. (Yes, it was made from your pic using the single row marquee tool to copy, paste and expand lines from across the sky, trees and water). It'll probably show up here tomorrow.
The other two went through more permutations than I could possibly remember, though if there are any questions re any specific effect I'm sure I could fire up the relevant synapses.
The skaters were courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Hi Pat
Now these are perfect workmanship...
Love these.

[Kaye]

Whoops. Loaded up the wrong blocky one...used a cleaner texture on this one.


Congrats on your win Craig. Here's a few versions of your pic I did just for the heck of it. Not for voting. The blocky one I posted earlier but it got held up çause I included a link to the tut for it. (Yes, it was made from your pic using the single row marquee tool to copy, paste and expand lines from across the sky, trees and water). It'll probably show up here tomorrow.
The other two went through more permutations than I could possibly remember, though if there are any questions re any specific effect I'm sure I could fire up the relevant synapses.
The skaters were courtesy of the Library of Congress.


Pat, outstanding edits.... I won't try to work out what you did.
Really love No. 2 with the "big fish"!

[Pat]

Squished the left side together with distort to level things out a bit more. Selected windows with the Polygonal Lasso Tool. Filled them with yellow on a new layer, soft light mode, I believe. Same for streetlights. Selected sign with Magic Wand and quick mask. Filled with yellow on new layer. Copied that layer again and blurred the under layer for the glow. Stroked top layer with 1 pixel black then reduced the opacity of the stroke. Selected sky area, filled with foggy clouds. Darkened overall and increased contrast. Blurred falls with blur tool. Covered forground with cloud brushes. And I think that's about it.

[StephenK]

OMG Pat! That's genius!! :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Amazing idea and edit Pat!

[StephenK]

I'm hanging back from the contest part of this (my time is terribly short) but I did want to play around with some of
the possibilities for this image a bit! :^)

I'll call this one "Man training his dog to hunt demons"... :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Stephen,

This is so great!! A definite improvement on the original!!!!

[craigpauli]

That is awesome stephen

[StephenK]

Thanks Sandy and Craig! :^)

The added elements within the image aren't as embedded or as seamless as I'd like them to be, but I enjoyed exploring the concept!

[Pat]

Variations on a Sandy theme...
The first is a melange of the last three pics submitted here, overlay mode, with sat pump. The rest are third party filters, mainly Filter Forge. And a kitty.

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Pat,

You have been working overtime!! I hope you had as much fun with these as it seems! This is fantastic to see all these variations. I love your idea in the first one....I am remembering the images that you have combined here, and why not?
They make the dog's agility trial just a bit more challenging I think.
The last one is my favorite with the kitty!

[Pat]

Thanks Sandy. The kitty seemed a natural. :)

[Pat]

A lot of selecting, copying and pasting cloning, dodging and burning, and adjustments to levels, saturation,sharpness, etc. reated the "Old Frog" bottle out of a labelless tall whiskey bottle, the label came off a bottle of "Old Crow". Warped it to better fit the bottle.
The fly-headed princess frog started out as a frog into prince(ss, in this case) story but refused to stop there.

[DoctorJazz]

Brilliant again Pat! When I first saw Craig's photo my first thought was "What will Pat think up for this frog?" Thanks for answering my thought! I esp. love the "fairy tale gone awry" with the fly-headed princess!!

[Kaye]

Pat, you have such a brilliant imagination and ability when it comes to editing. They are always great to view.

[craigpauli]

always fascinated by your edits Pat

[Pat]

Thank you, Sandy, Kaye, and Craig.
I was originally going to place a frog's head on the princess but that didn't quite fit the theme of Froggy Chagrin that I was working on. Then Jeff Goldblum in "The Fly" just popped into mind and I thought, yeah, frogs eat flys (or possibly not, perhaps just other insects, but close enough). Thus was born the fly headed frog princess supplying the dilemma for the head slapping froggy chagrin.

[Kaye]

Re: Before & After (Game)
"Slowly he turned... inch by inch, step by step...."

Copied the deer form original and pasted into the alligator photo. Cloned nearby water and grass by deer.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version Name: deer.jpg Views: 0 Size: 130.6 KB ID: 8144

John, I think this is an amazing edit... so well done.

[johnbiondo]

Thanks Kaye.

I used the automatic picker and shift about a hundred times to get all of the deer. LOL

Tried to keep it as realistic looking as I could. In reality, we know the deer would be running 10 minutes earlier than this...

[Kaye]

John, yes I'm sure that the deer would have been off in a flash, but it does look very realistic to me.

I use CS4, but I am not up to the type of editing that you can do. Without looking it up, I have never used the automatic picker, so I should check this out and try to learn more. (Unless this is something that I use all the time and do not know the name)!!

[johnbiondo]

Sorry. It's actually called the Magic Wand Tool...

Using this, the shift key and the tolerance levels, you can pick out all the different tones within the area you want to copy.

[Kaye]

OK thanks John, I now know what you mean, and I do use the Magic Wand tool often.

[DoctorJazz]

Here's another one I was working on Pat, but decided to go with the other as my entry. This one was such an experiment that I can't remember much of what I did,
but the color theme seemed appropriate on Veteran's Day, yesterday.

[johnbiondo]

Very cool Sandy. Looks like a sand painting!

[Pat]

A somewhat appropriate ghostly image, Sandy. :)

[DoctorJazz]

Thanks John and Pat! I'm glad you like it! :)

[StephenK]

Love your edit Sandy! :^)

I had been playing around with another version along similar lines... this
car image just cries-out to be monkeyed with! :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Thanks for the feedback Stephen!
As always, I'm enjoying your edits tremendously!

[StephenK]

Thanks Sandy! :) This past week with editing has truly been tones of fun! :^)

[StephenK]

Still working edits with Sandy's image. (It's nice to finally have a little time on my hands! :^)

The little round thingy was made using pixel benders Polar option.. the rest was a little this and a little that. :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Stephen,

That is great!! I love the ideas you come up with!!
The pixel bender plug- in is so fun...Here's one using Circle splash, and another one using the Convergence filter....not really part of this B+A Discussion thread,
but hopefully nobody will mind....the last one is just a sepia version of the 2nd.

[StephenK]

Those are Great Sandy! :^) It's kinda like rummaging through a new box of possibilities, and coming up with little surprises. :^)

Here's a couple more that I quickly tossed together, prodded-on by the fun that you're having!

The last one involved the Polarizer
While I haven't a clue what the Pixel Bender base of the others were (I need to be writing these down! :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Wild stuff Stephen!
I don't have those options in the CS4 version of the plug-in, unless I am missing something?

[Kaye]

Sandy & Stephen,
Your edits are brilliant. I particularly love the first one in both of your series above (last page).
This is all getting a bit beyond me as I have not tried this for a while.
Recently I had to reinstall CS4, and think I have reinstalled the plug-in and Pixel Bender, but can't find it in PS.

Could you please remind me where to find it, eg under Filter... or what? Or perhaps I did not install properly :confused:

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Kaye,

Thanks for the encouraging words!!
I find it under Filter on CS4....it says Pixel Bender, and Pixel Bender Gallery next to it. I don't get the extensive menu that Stephen has though.....and that's probably a good thing, as I spend way too much time on this!! I would be interested to know if you have the more extensive list of options on your CS4?

[StephenK]

Wild stuff Stephen!
I don't have those options in the CS4 version of the plug-in, unless I am missing something?


Hi Sandy and Kaye :^)

I built the extended menu option for Pixel Bender from the following collection of additional scripts at the Adobe exchange for this.

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=productHome&exc=26&loc=en_us

The add-ons are all free with some being quite interesting.

This all is certainly time consuming! But happily I have a brief period where such time is available. My truck broke down
while crossing the state and it's currently in the shop being worked on (they're having to replace the rear axle.. expensive :^(

What a pleasure it is to have photoshop in the wings to help fill what free time I have! :^)

[Kaye]

Thanks very much for the reply Sandy. I "thought" it was found under Filter, as I have used it before, but can't find it now.
As I said, I reinstalled CS4 on my PC not long ago, and now have to get all this Fractal & Pixel Bender stuff back on there!
I will let you know if I can view the extra options on CS4 when I actually find time to reinstall it again properly and work it out.

What I did find when I previously used it, was that my PC did not seem to keep up with the "speed" on some of the options (and actually froze), and I think my computer has 3.5 GB RAM which is not huge, but I thought this should work OK with this reasonable speed.

Stephen may know more about the "speed" issue, and also Stephen....... as I am so mixed up now, is "Fractal" and "Pixel Bender" the same type of thing ? :confused:

Sorry for all the questions.

[Pat]

I, too, found pixel bender to be a real resource hog.

[DoctorJazz]

Pat,

This is so great to see what pixel bender plus your imagination can come up with!!
Love them!! Thanks for the inspiration!

[StephenK]

Hi Kaye :^)

When I was running Vista my computer eventually ground-down to a terrible rate. Wasn't all that fast to begin with considering
how much Vista demanded of its 6 Gig RAM. I recently upgraded to windows 7, 64 bit OS and wow what a difference it made! This little
puter just scoots along like it happily wants to join in!

As to beefing-up Pixel Bender when you open the Menu screen for PB check to see if you have a little box-option called "Process on GPU".
Check it if you do! With this box Unchecked it takes "forever" for Pixel Bender to do it's thing. But once checked the results are fairly close to instant.
I'm now able to get effect adjustments in almost real-time since activating it!

Hope this helps!

This image below is done using both the Chihuly and Cassini options in Pixel Blender. (I'm finally starting to write these
things down! :^) This was two separate passes using PB, then combined to a single image. Then other stuff... :^)

[Kaye]

Stephen, thanks for all the info. When I get around to reinstalling it, I will definitely check the box.
My PC originally only came with 1GB RAM. It got sooooo slow, but has been pretty good since adding another 2.5GB.

Stephen & Pat,
Just love your new edits. Amazing.

[StephenK]

Stephen, thanks for all the info. When I get around to reinstalling it, I will definitely check the box.
My PC originally only came with 1GB RAM. It got sooooo slow, but has been pretty good since adding another 2.5GB.


Ouch... One gig of ram in todays OS world is almost suffocating. The Vista platform alone requires a little over a gig just to
operate itself. I looks like they addressed that in Win7.

Here's a couple more edits using Pixel Bender options as part of the equation. I used Elaine's last entry for this one (sorry
about not adding to the edits on this one Elaine! I was working 14-16 hour days at the time. :^(

In the first one I used the SpinRadialBlur at the beginning of the edit, then the oil paint option later-on, in order to soften
the edit.

The second one was a straight forward use of PB's StereoGraphics.

For some reason, now that the "Process on GPU" box has been checked, I can edit much larger versions of each image. :^)
There's certainly a lot of potential buried among these options!

[sorted]

No Problem Stephen welcome anytime and love your effects always waiting for something unusual and you and Pat are gr8 at it :D

[DoctorJazz]

Then there is always pixel bender...."Tubeview" filter.:)

And Tubeview filter + Liquify to ruffle up the edges a bit in the 2nd image.

[Kaye]

I just love all the recent new edits.
Sandy, I really like this Tubeview one. It looks like looking through a huge tidal wave!
I must get around to uploading this again.

[Pat]

Yeah, tubeview needs a surfer. Board and bikini time Sandra. ;)

Just for funzies...

[sandrac]

hey I wish Icould be bored
rt now life is pretty busy
Liked the pic!!

[StephenK]

These are really fun edits! Congrads Pat! :^)

Wanted to pass along the word that I've just started a new website!
The subject for this site is truly bizarre! It's a place nicknamed "Wash away beach" and for good reason! It's eroding at the rate
of about 100 feet a year!

I started taking pictures of the area about a month ago and head back to take updates about twice a week. It's located
about 20 minutes from where I live near the coast.

This website is brand new, only a couple of days old, so a bunch of stuff is yet to be built. It should take about a month
for the site to come together... but the subjects so weird that it's already worth the trip for what little I've posted so far.

The url is:

http://washawaybeach.net

I've never seen anything quite like this erosion "event".... :^)

[sandrac]

that is unreal
thanks for posting I will look back every few days

[sorted]

Great site Stephen but sad with humour I am sure you will do great guns with this web site.

Such a shame though to see so much land just vanish :(
Good Luck with the new venture looks like it will be a big hit :))

[StephenK]

Thanks Sandra and Elaine!

The subject matter itself is very strange! I only found out about what's happening here about a month ago, and have borrowed
into both the learn curve on the web (lots of google-ing) and then the coming to terms with what's actually going on there.

The people I've met who are loosing homes, or have already lost homes (one guy I met had lost two homes so far, with still another
at eventual risk that is several blocks inland) are each surprisingly resigned to this happening. They knew this could eventually occur.
They all signed papers when buying the property that the land may well wash away.

Still very strange.... it's like a disaster taking place in slow motion, but in real time.

Odd indeed!


http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll202/StephenKr/IMG_6291.jpg

[Pat]

Variations on a Jimmy.

[StephenK]

Here's the background edit alone without the additional musings of my submitted one. :^)

[StephenK]

Now this is kinda cool... I bought a copy of Photomatix and have been working with the possibilities. In this one I ran the image
through photoshop and created two other versions to go with the original.

Just using levels I pumped up the whites in one image,(saved it) then created another and pushed heavy the shadows (then saved this was well)

Now I have three images that I can merge as an HDR in Photomatix.
This below was one of the results using the Grunge option among the automated selections.
I did make further adjustments among the numerous sliders provided for further control...

It could use a little further processing in photoshop but as a quicky this isn't bad.

I like how this programs put together! :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Great idea for the three images to merge Stephen!

[StephenK]

Thank you Sandy :^)

I ran the same image through a series of painted passes... I'm studying differing methods of painting but I'm still liking the Pixel bender version for getting things started!

[Kaye]

Hi Kaye,

Thanks for the encouraging words!!
I find it under Filter on CS4....it says Pixel Bender, and Pixel Bender Gallery next to it. I don't get the extensive menu that Stephen has though.....and that's probably a good thing, as I spend way too much time on this!! I would be interested to know if you have the more extensive list of options on your CS4?

Hi Sandy,
This is an older post of yours. I promised I would let you know how extensive my Pixel Bender menu was once I had reinstalled it.
I finally got around to it, but seemed to have lots of problems even installing this time.
Here is a shot of my Pixel Bender menu... I have CS4.... photo was easier than writing it down :D


9342

I guess this is just the basic menu. Is this the same menu that you have?
Perhaps we need CS5 to get more menu options.

I look forward to hearing if this is the same as yours :)

Also, Stephen, if I am missing something, I would love to hear from you. I did "check" the box "Process on GPU", but still had to use Task Manager, and then do a Restart to get the PC back to normal after using one of Pixel Bender options. PC was running at 100%! I have 3.5 gbRAM. Not sure what speed Sandy has.

It is just so hard to keep up with technology these days :eek:

[Pat]

I don't use pixel bender anymore precisely because it was such a resource hog. Nice job with Photomatix, Stephan. I have it but generally use Photoshop's HDR as I find the results a little more suble. I do fire 'matix up every now and then just to keep my hand in. And yes I've "cheated" a few times too, altering exposure values (up to 7 copies at times) for input. A good way to experiment and get to know the possibilities. :)

[StephenK]

Also, Stephen, if I am missing something, I would love to hear from you. I did "check" the box "Process on GPU", but still had to use Task Manager, and then do a Restart to get the PC back to normal after using one of Pixel Bender options. PC was running at 100%! I have 3.5 gbRAM. Not sure what speed Sandy has.

It is just so hard to keep up with technology these days :eek:

I'll have to get back with you shortly Kaye... I used up what little time I had tonight messing around with a fire engine edit.. :^)

I did grab some screen captures though that should help with installing the other modules that I'll try and post tomorrow...

As to the computer bogging down, it may be that my upgrading windows to a 64 bit system while using a 64 bit version of photoshop, is making the difference?

My current computer is a couple of years old, but for some reason it just rocks when using pixel bender since clicking the
"Process on GPU" box. The size restrictions before are now gone, and updates when using the sliders are almost in real time. Earlier it wasn't doing that at all! (?)


And thanks Pat... I'll have to mess around with Photoshop's HDR a bit more! :^)

[DoctorJazz]

Kaye,
Yes that is the same menu as mine on CS4. Good to know.

[Kaye]

As to the computer bogging down, it may be that my upgrading windows to a 64 bit system while using a 64 bit version of photoshop, is making the difference?

Stephen, thanks for your info. I only have 32 bit system and PS, and have uploaded Pixel Bender accordingly.

May be a silly question, but how do you upgrade to 64 bit?
I presume you must purchase the software from Microsoft? And if so, how much approx?
I know I could look this up, but am presuming you have this info at hand.

[Kaye]

Kaye,
Yes that is the same menu as mine on CS4. Good to know.

Hi Sandy,
Good to know we're in the same boat :D :confused:
Do you also have a 32 bit system?

[StephenK]

Stephen, thanks for your info. I only have 32 bit system and PS, and have uploaded Pixel Bender accordingly.

May be a silly question, but how do you upgrade to 64 bit?
I presume you must purchase the software from Microsoft? And if so, how much approx?
I know I could look this up, but am presuming you have this info at hand.

I'm sure you don't want to go the route that I went since I'm nursing several adobe updates at the same time.

I upgrade the Adobe Creative Suite 5 Production Premium collection:
http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Creative-Production-Premium-Upgrade/dp/B003B3292A

Because I tend to dip in and out of the others often enough (particularly After Effects and Premiere) that I like keeping them
all up to date.

I did check out Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade through Amazon and came up with this:
http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-65048599-Photoshop-CS5-Upgrade/dp/B003B32B2S

It does appear to have the 64 bit version included..

As to windows I go straight though microsoft for the updates. I went with the family pack because I have several computers to
upgrade between my wife and myself. But it looks like this version that I'm linking to would do the same thing:

http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Windows-7-Home-Premium-Upgrade/product/B0F9E641

But all this may not be worth it to you if you're mostly trying to gain a workable access to Pixel Bender. I had lots of reasons for
upgrading, so the Pixel Bender improvements just happened to come along for the ride. :^)

If everything else is doing okay then you're likely working with a pretty decent system as it is.

I personally don't mind the investments because computerized editing is still ~so much~ cheaper and better than the old
mechanical route! You wouldn't believe how much it would have cost had I gone the video tape method for movie editing.. and of
course my old darkroom scenario was a nightmare!!

Hope this helps... :^)

[Kaye]

Stephen, I don't know how to thank you for all this information. I really appreciate your help so much, and you never fail to respond to any help asked of you.

Your words above:
But all this may not be worth it to you if you're mostly trying to gain a workable access to Pixel Bender. I had lots of reasons for
upgrading, so the Pixel Bender improvements just happened to come along for the ride. :^)

If everything else is doing okay then you're likely working with a pretty decent system as it is.

Stephen, I must agree that my system works wonderfully well with all else, and feel it would not be worth my while upgrading purely for the sake of Pixel Bender at this stage.
Nevertheless, I have saved all the information you have kindly offered for future reference..... and the future may not be too far away, knowing how technology moves so fast.

Thank you so much Stephen for your time to help me. You are always there.

[StephenK]

Thank you so much Stephen for your time to help me. You are always there.

My pleasure Kaye! :^)

I've had sooo many fellow photoshop enthusiast on the web helping me along the way that I'm more than happy to assist fellow editors like
yourself when I can!

This is fun for funs sake... it's hard to beat that! :^)

[Pat]

A Variety of Variation...

[StephenK]

Nicely done Pat! :^)

I ran this through Pixel Bender a couple of times and then several blending-mode tweaks... (I've been getting a lot of mileage out of Pixel Blender lately...)

The PB options I used were "outline" and "oil paint"... within the "outline" options you can change the color of the foreground and background making it easier to dial-in a wanted hue.

I'm not sure what the default filters are for Pixel Blender any more since I grabbed all the "Pixel Bender Exchange" offerings for
photoshop at the following url:

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=productHome&exc=26&loc=en_us

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Pat and Stephen,

These are great fun!! Thank you!

[DoctorJazz]

Pat,
That is one amazing edit in the game section...Way cool!!

[Pat]

Why, thankya, ma'am.

[Kaye]

Pat, I must also say... your last edit in B&A game is just brilliant. I love it.

[Pat]

Thank-you, Kaye. I enjoy the ones in which I can inject a bit of atmosphere.

[Kaye]

You certainly succeeded with this.

[Pat]

Yes. Congrats Elaine. Nice one. :)

[sorted]

Thanks Pat

Love what you all come up with on here and a great relief from reality on before and After game ... :O)

[Pat]

Speaking of Elaine, I had a few spare minutes this morn.


Levels.
Shadows/highlights.
Distprt>Lens Correction-Widened the top then cloned in missing bits on the bottom.
Alien Skin Bokeh-Top and bottom.
Nik Colour Efex Pro>Old Photo-Hard light blend.
Noise Ninja.
Tiffen DFX>Light yellow overlay.
Topaz Adjust>Details.
Took a soft blur brush to the sky.
Filter Forge>Old Photo-Hard Light blend.
Arabesque frame with light yellow outer glow.
Went for more coffee.
Ate breakfast.
Washed my face, brushed my teeth and hair.
Contemplated shoveling snow.
Procrastinating.


And might I ask where you took this pic, Elaine?

[sorted]

Thanks Pat

And what a great Edit Love it more than the one in the Game :O)
Oooppps that reminds me have not closed that out better pop in there next haha mind is not playing to good at moment :O(

This was in Lagos Portugal brilliant place loved it very much and such lovely people, scenery, and FOOD :O))

Hope you like the look of it :O)

[Pat]

Do you recall the name of the fort? I'm wondering if it's one of those that Wellington had at during the Peninsula War whilst tuning up for Old Boney. (I've read all the Richard Sharpe novels).

[sorted]

Hi Pat

Maybe this will help you ? I loved the place as you can tell :O):D


Forte da Ponta da Bandeira
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Lagos%27s_Fortress.jpg/255px-Lagos%27s_Fortress.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lagos%27s_Fortress.jpg) http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.17/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lagos%27s_Fortress.jpg)
Ponta da bandeira fort


This fort, also known in Portuguese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_language) as the Forte do Pau da Bandeira, the Forte de Nossa Senhora da Penha de França and the Forte do Registo, is on the waterfront near the entrance to the harbour. The stone inscription over the main door indicates that it was originally dedicated to Santa Virgem Senhora da Penha de França—whence one of its names; "Ponta da Bandeira" (or "Pau da Bandeira") are names of the area of Lagos where it actually stands.
When Portugal came under Spanish rule, the Portuguese coast became a target for the British fleet. Lagos, close to the Spanish naval base of Cadiz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadiz), was attacked by Sir Francis Drake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Drake) in the late 1580s. But the inhabitants put up such a good defence that he had to abort his attack on Lagos and instead sacked the nearby fort of Sagres (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagres). Furthermore the coast was under regular attack of pirates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate) and corsairs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsair). As well Spanish naval attacks occurred during the Portuguese Restoration War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Restoration_War) (1640–1668). This led to the construction of a string of forts all along the coast. One of them was this late 17th century fort in Lagos, built between 1679 and 1690 (according to the stone inscription over the main door).
This squat rectangular fort guards the entrance to the harbour. One enters the fort via a small drawbridge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawbridge). The terrace offers a splendid view on the town, the beach and the harbour. The small chapel is decorated with 17th century azulejos (tiles).
Up until the late 20th century, the fort was used as a service depot for the military base in Lagos, although it also housed other services linked to maritime activities, such as supplies for lifeboats and for sports activities (e.g., sailing) for young people. It was restored between 1958 and 1960, and officially acquired by the municipality of Lagos in 1983. Several rooms have been converted into exhibition displays of the voyages of discovery with astrolabes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrolabe) and models of caravels
Lagos has many natural interest sites, including:

Ponta da Piedade (Mercy Point)
Grutas da Costa d'Oiro (Golden Coast grottos)
Laguna de Alvor (Alvor Lagoon)
Mata Nacional de Barão de S.João (National forest of Saint John's Baron)

[Pat]

Verrrrrry interesting. Thank-you, Elaine.

[DoctorJazz]

Pat,

I feel sorry for Myrtle, but on the other hand, I imagine it's been a very long winter for Wormcula too. Very entertaining edit!!

[Pat]

OK Sandy. I suspect MJ is off horsing around somewhere and we've had a nice little break sooooo......I pick you. Heh-heh. Your background is way better.
And thank you tommayor, jump in and try your hand.

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Pat,
The last thing I remember about the edit was wondering how to come up with something different, as my first one was very similar to yours, but you beat me to it!
Otherwise I never would have tried the B+W version, and the background was great fun, although it is way too long ago to remember what happened there.
Yes it has been a while!
Thank you Pat. Now to dig up an image to post. I should have one soon.