[DannyRaphael]

Chuck:

I have yet to cross the "mouse to tablet" bridge. Is this your first tablet? (In my case: no talent, no point.)

I understand after the initial learning curve most folks would never consider turning back.

Keep posting your experiments so we can see how you're progressing.

~Danny~

[pstewart]

Very nice, Chuck. I love the neutral textured backgrounds you've been using lately.

Phyllis

[DannyRaphael]

Yep, I'm with Phyllis (again) on her assessment... A very effective subject / background combination.

~Danny~

[pstewart]

My mom has a little oval rug with leaves and flowers carved into the nap, and this reminds me of that.

I started with the "other-->custom" filter and set it to make sharp, bright edges and inverted colors, then faded it to luminosity and ran it again, etc. till it turned into a more diffused pixel pattern. Then I put the original on a layer above it set to overlay mode, textured it with render-->lighting set to 100 to give it depth. A bit of blending and color adjustment in there somewhere too.

Phyllis

[pstewart]

Chuck, you say it needed some brightness/contrast to look like a rug on your monitor? Do you use Windows? I have had this problem all along...pics look perfect on my Mac (ViewSonic monitor) but look a lot darker on most Windows machines.

In my Photoshop "Proof Set Up" menu I now select Windows RGB when making pics for the web, since most folks do use Windows and, judging both from the darker-looking proof setting and from what folks (like you and others here) have said, there is a real difference in how we see the same picture. Evidently the proof setting does not compensate sufficiently on some pics, especially those that are darker to begin with, like this one.

I think I have finally found a way to overcome this problem once and for all, however. I want all of you to go out tomorrow and buy Macs with ViewSonic monitors. You will love the convenience of not fighting with Gates garbage, and you will see a much brighter picture too!

Phyllis

[omeyas]

This is an effect I have tried before.

[CJ Swartz]

omeyas -- another clever idea well executed!

[pstewart]

Originally posted by ugot2bkdng

I am using a Sony Trinitron 21" and a Dell workstation. I have to admit, it is not calibrated. Everytime I try to use the Photoshop gamma calibration, it "turns off" all the color. I have to remove it from the start up folder to get the color back. I was using a Viewsonic for a while and the same thing happened so I know it isn't some wierd thing with the monitor. [/b]

You should take this problem to the forum here that deals with such problems. Must be very annoying! Hope someone can suggest a remedy.

Since Photoshop seems to be the problem here, have you tried adjusting the gamma on the monitor controls instead of through Photoshop? Or perhaps reloading Photoshop would do the trick, since it is supposed to be able to talk to your monitor without getting nasty, so it may be messed up.

Phyllis

[Andrew B.]

Rustic Rose

[Andrew B.]

Thanks, Chuck. I appreciate your comments.

[Andrew B.]

Yellow-Orange Rose.

[d_kendal]

Hi Andrew,

both of those are really nice! what did you to to get the effect on the photo?

- David

[Andrew B.]

I did not keep good track of my steps, and now I wish I did. But in looking at layers, this is what I think I did.

Initial steps
1. buZZ demo Soft Colour Wash preset. Copied this layer 14 times, all set to multiply.
2. Then back to original image and buZZ demo using Pure Colour Wash preset. Put 3 of these set to multiply on top.
3. Placed a flattened version this set to linear burn, over a new layer filled with sky blue. Placed flattened version of this on top of the stack.
4. Made a tight oval selection around the rose. Copy to new layer. Moved this slightly up and left. Set layer to Hue blending mode.
5. Made a copy of the layer from which I selected the oval, and put this above the oval layer, and set it to hue. Placed a flattened version of this on top of the stack.
6. Andromeda Techtures filter. Under Bold Color, the second one down from the top left corner. (If you don't have this filter, just leave this out. The look will be slightly different, but you also won't have to do the Painter step later).

Rustic Rose
0. Started with result of initial steps.
1. Filled new layer light brown (RGB 199, 178, 153). Set to Hue. Reduced Opacity. Flatten.
2. In Procreate Painter 7 Trial Version, I used the Just Add Water brush and smooth the color noise created by Andromeda Techtures.
3. Back in Photoshop, did touchup and added some shading using clone tool.
4. New layer above filled with neutral gray. Photoshop Texturizer, Canvas.
5. Reduced opacity of gray layer with texture until I could only barely see canvas texture.

Yellow-Orange Rose
0. Started with result of initial steps.
1. In Procreate Painter 7 Trial Verison, I used the Just Add Water brush and smooth the color noise created by Andromeda Techtures.
2. Copied to two new layers, both set to screen.
3. Took flattened version of this. Made a copy to new layer, set to multiply.

[pstewart]

Andrew, sounds like you put a lot of work/steps into that picture. It paid off, too...looks great!

Phyllis

[Andrew B.]

Thanks, Phyllis. It was one of those pictures where I wondered down one path, moved back, took a different path, moved back -- not sure which way to go. That's how I ended up with two pictures.