Hi everyone. Forgive me if this posts twice. I tried sending a post similar to this one, but something went screwy and I think it's lost in cyberspace. If it finds it's way here, i apologize for the repetition...

I'm looking for some advice on how to achieve a fluffy and cuddley look. I took a gazillion pictures of sheep the other day, worked on it in photoshop elements, and came out with something decent, but not what I set out to accomplish. Any tips on how to get "fluffy and cuddley" would be most appreciated!!

Thanks! I'll post an original photo first, followed by my two artistic attempts.

Replaced original partial image with a complete one - DannyR

OK, here's the first rendition:

and here's #2. I think I like this better. Any feedback on fluffy and cuddley (as well as the approaches i've used) would be great. THANKS!

Of the 2 you posted I like the 2nd best. Here's my version.

Ken

Ken, not only is that one good, but it's also funny.

:)

mig

ps. bigkidjr, they both look fine.

;)

hey big boy > wwoowwee > you look ramilicious

Now for serious,

Soft is gentle with curves, the things I did besides the obviious soft oval is I turned it at an angle for a softer expression (is it too noticable?) and blurred the grass, eyelashes were just for fun although the more I look at those eyes ... ahh, never mind

Roger

ok, guys, very funny....:D while they are both beautiful, i particularly like the one ken posted with the extra little sheep...

I'll keep working at it and see what I can come up with. Maybe bring some of the colors out a bit more -- pep it up a bit, you know? it's a little drab...

hey -- how'd you get those vinettes to fit so nicely around the sheep? when i use the vinette effect from the effects palate, it always cuts in too close.

thanks for responding to my note. i'll keep you posted if i come up with any brainstorms.

BigKid.

my soft vignette,

-duplicate background layer
-fill background with white
-make top layer with photo active
-oval selection
-quick mask
-gaussian blur
-un-quick mask
-click mask button in layers pallette while selection is still active

If you would like clarification on any of this feel free to pm me.

By the way, I like Ken's best also

p.s. thanks, mig, for the encouragement...

Hey, Bigkid...

Fun pic. Welcome to the forum.

(FYI: I replaced the partial image in the first post with the "good one.")

This was done using two layers rendered by Jasc Virtual Painter, Oil Painting (on top, hard light) and Impasto (bottom, Opacity = 35%).

Added the Polaroid frame via an action that I'm working on. When I get it fine tuned, I'll post it for download.

~Danny~

BigKid ---

If you haven't yet, you might check out this site for a plugin called "Paint Engine"...

http://www.fantasticmachines.com/download-tc.htm

This can be downloaded for free, but they'll accept donations if you're so inclinded.

This plugin has a lot of settings/variations that can give an image like this some characteristics that Photoshop filters aren't capable of delivering.

I'd say the look you got in #2 is the right direction. You might consider using the "blur tool" to apply targeted blurring in places where you want edges to be a little softer.

~Danny~

hi all. I have not been having good "posting karma" tonight. tried to post my latest rendition and, well... here we go again.

thanks also for all the great tips you all posted. it's a lot of fun to take a photo, put it up on this forum, and then let everyone add their own style!

Here's what I ended up with -- and I'm pleased with the results. I don't have all the exact settings documented, but the general tricks are...

1. drybrush
2. sharpen, then sharpen again
3. diffuse anistropic
4. levels, saturation, etc
5. virtual painter pastel, set at low opacity and on overlay mode (probably...)
6. buzz
7. cutout, desaturated, multiply 15%
8. create edges\
9. to add more definition to the face, I copied the background, erased all but the face, then erased the face at about 50% (i can't do layer masks in elements, so this is how I get around it), then blend at hardlite 25%.

whew!

bigkid

This'll put you off "lamb chops" for a while :)

Cloned the image in painter and applied the furry brush in the "fx" section using clone colour from the original. Cloned back in the eye, nose and surrounding grass from the original. Tossed it into ps for a tiny dose of levels and gave it a simple frame.

You won't have to count many of these cute furry little sheep at night to sleep "like a baby" :tired:

....Gary

Ooooops, must have fallen asleep,
forgot to attach ;)

....Gary :o:

I enjoyed working on the pic from a learning point of view. I wanted to see if it was actually possible to get the sheep to look softer. I first did a soft emboss of the entire picture and then concentrated on the sheep by selecting it with the marquee tool, sharpening and using the selective color tool. I put more black into it to make the shadows stand out more. I lost the markings on his face and I wasn't pleased with that. You can make it a bit better with the replace color tool using the eye-dropper on the original.

Thanks for the experience bigkid. :)

Blu

http://whynotme.free.fr/LidoBlu/sheep-a-original%20copy.jpg