Creative interpretations: Flowers from Carnation, WA

[Photomaster]

Great pictures Danny.
Photoshop smudge painting over a texture layer. Texture added to final image.

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by GerryB

I'm trying to learn a smudging technique. Here's my first attempt.

Very good first time at bat. You did a LOT better than I did.

Take a look at Photomaster's method. I esp. like the boldness of strokes and highly saturated colors. No one would mistake that as a photo! (Well done, PM.)

[GerryB]

Originally Posted by DannyRaphael

Very good first time at bat. You did a LOT better than I did.

Take a look at Photomaster's method. I esp. like the boldness of strokes and highly saturated colors. No one would mistake that as a photo! (Well done, PM.)

Thanks for the kind words, Danny. It took me over an hour to do all the petals. I'm also getting used to my Wacom tablet. I've had it for a year and a half just sitting on my desk and collecting dust. I thought it was time to start using it.

Great job PM. After looking at your pic, I can see I still have a lot of practicing to do. Oh well, I have plenty of time.

[Kraellin]

dee dee, i like your composition. very clever

and yes, over 3000 filters does bring a set of organizing problems. it's one of the things i'm after the developers about. they are currently working on a Mac version, so it's going to be a while before i get my wishes on better organization.

however, you dont have to download all of the filters. you get the program and download the ones you wish. me, i download them all as i tend to like to look inside the filters, even if some are 'butt ugly' and see what makes them tick and sometimes to improve them or tweak them for my own use.

and, there is some order to the filters. there are categories like 'creative', 'photo', 'organic' and so on. the filters you make are in their own category, 'my filters'. and, when you find a gem you can mark it in your 'favorites' folder. so, it's not a total mish-mash.

but, what they really need is a way to find and sort better, with more user-created categories. the current category list is fixed and cant be altered and you cant currently create any of your own. so, in that regard, yes, it's sometimes hard to find what you want even when you have used it before.

there's a great long wishlist currently. and one that i've requested and badgered them about is sorting and organizing. so, we'll see what comes about after the mac release.

but, 3000+ filters.... it's kid in a candy shop for me

[Swampy]

Organization!! Ha, I have so many brushes I can't keep track of them! I can't imagine filters.

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by GerryB

...It took me over an hour to do all the petals. I'm also getting used to my Wacom tablet. I've had it for a year and a half just sitting on my desk and collecting dust. I thought it was time to start using it.

My hat's off to you for taking the leap. My Wacom is still in the box after 2+ years. (Old habits die hard.) Soon as I get PS CS3 installed, the tablet/stylus will be next.

Note, however, to ensure my long term health both afore mentioned endeavors will wait until I knock off a few more items on the "Honey-Do" list.

[DannyRaphael]

How about a little BW?

This was pretty much a trial/error exercise of making multiple copies of the R, G and B channels, creating individual layers from them and trying various layer blend mode settings (Overlay was used often).

Each layer had a layer mask filled with black (aka a "hide all" layer mask). I airbrushed with white onto the mask to reveal portions of a given layer that I wanted to show.

[Photomaster]

Sepia tone with selective coloring and sharpening.

[Swampy]

PM... That looks very commercial. Would be great for the background of an ad.

[GerryB]

Danny, you inspired me to try a little B&W with a splash of color. Duped the pic; cut the blossom out; duped the blossom; desaturated the blossom; did a gaussian blur (50 pixels); set the blending mode to screen; lowered the opacity to 15%; did the same thing to the color blossom but left the opacity to 100%; desaturated the duped pic and used the Levels adjustment to increase the contrast.

[Kraellin]

danny, i like the black and white. sounds complicated.

and photomaster, very nice. subtle.

[Peter S]

Nice pics Danny - thanks.
Nice renders as well.

Special mention to Craig nice effects there.

[kiska]

Studio Artist gradient nib and PS texture.

[lkroll]

Wow Kiska. Very wonderful indeed.