Creative Interpretations: Windy Tree

[Mal Firth]

I came across some of my slides from 25 years ago yesterday and thought this one might interest you.

[Mal Firth]

And here's my first attempt.

New Layer
Fill with #B86915 (brown)
Mode: Overlay

New Layer
Alt Merge Visible
Levels Layer (20, 1.00, 235)

Duplicate Merged Layer twice

On Top Layer
Mode: Difference
Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur (Radius: 12.6)
Merge Down

On Top Layer
Mode: Difference
Merge Down

On Top Layer
Filter > Sharpen > USM
Amount: 100
Radius: 15.6
Threshold: 0
Levels Layer (40, 1.00, 255)

New Layer
Fill with White
Filter > Render > Lighting Effects
Default
Light Type: Omni
Color: Yellow
Place light 1/4 down from top, 1/4 in from RH side
Mode: Overlay

[CJ Swartz]

Mal -- spectacularly striking!!

[Duv]

Nice image Mal. Really like your rendition. I thought it would lend itself to simplicity.

Ran a Levels adjustment layer to increase contrast.
Applied a Sketcher action (Can't remember where I got it from. Maybe be a Mike Finn)
Erased sky artifacts.

Cheers
Dave

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by Mal Firth

And here's my first attempt.

New Layer
Fill with #B86915 (brown)
Mode: Overlay

New Layer
Alt Merge Visible
Levels Layer (20, 1.00, 235)

Duplicate Merged Layer twice

On Top Layer
Mode: Difference
Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur (Radius: 12.6)
Merge Down

On Top Layer
Mode: Difference
Merge Down

On Top Layer
Filter > Sharpen > USM
Amount: 100
Radius: 15.6
Threshold: 0
Levels Layer (40, 1.00, 255)

New Layer
Fill with White
Filter > Render > Lighting Effects
Default
Light Type: Omni
Color: Yellow
Place light 1/4 down from top, 1/4 in from RH side
Mode: Overlay

Really awesome colors & wonderful detail, Mal. Thanks for a good challenge on this one.

[brandonx49]

That's Gorgeous Mal. A visual rebirth of a old photo.

Brad

[Manjumena]

pencil sketch with Trimoon's new Texture!

[Mal Firth]

Thanks for the terrific renditions, I've gone for a river of fire

Levels Layer (66, 1.20, 235)

New Layer
Alt Merge Visible
Gradient Layer (loaded Color Harmonies 1 and used Yellow, Blue, Red, Green gradient)
Levels Layer (35, 1.00, 225)

Cloned out the large green area near the top right corner,

[Robt]

I keep reading these threads and wondering as well as wondering when I'll have the guts to try to add to. My thought is the original photo was wonderful. So it seems to me to be too much a challange to go some where else, but I want to. I will. But bye the way, that really is a great photo.

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by Robt

I keep reading these threads and wondering as well as wondering when I'll have the guts to try to add to. My thought is the original photo was wonderful. So it seems to me to be too much a challange to go some where else, but I want to. I will. But bye the way, that really is a great photo.

Robt:

Agreed. A surpurb picture. (Thanks, Mal, for sharing another of your fine shots.)

Your observation begs the question, "Why arty-ize a perfectly good photo?" Because we can, I guess.

You better get hopping on posting some artistic creations. With Mt. St. Helens so close, we Seattle-ites might be buried in magma by the end of the week! (Robt and I live about 110 miles from the steaming volcano. If you think the national coverage is a bit overdone, you should live around here. It's nuts.)

By now you know there are no sharks in this forum. Jump in the pool anytime. You'll be met with liferings and sponges, not harpoons!

[Mal Firth]

Originally Posted by Robt

I keep reading these threads and wondering as well as wondering when I'll have the guts to try to add to. My thought is the original photo was wonderful. So it seems to me to be too much a challange to go some where else, but I want to. I will. But bye the way, that really is a great photo.

Danny's right, this is a great place to play Most of the time when I do one of my own "creations" - rather than using an action kindly provided by one of the geniuses on this and the dpr Retouching forums - I haven't a clue what I'm going to do. I just keep playing until I get something I like and quite often in the process I learn a litle more about Photoshop.

[Manjumena]

Originally Posted by Mal Firth

I just keep playing until I get something I like and quite often in the process I learn a litle more about Photoshop.

How true this is. It's not only Mal I belive everyone!
Manju

[kiska]

Threshold adj. layer
several selections
fills
masked painting

[jaykita]

Corel photopaint - color fill layer, merge, color masks.
Ps7- image adjustments - selective and replace colors.
Tried to achieve a "dramatic" realistic look.

[Neve]

Mal - wonderful photo to work with and thank you. I'm blown away by the resulting submissions, they're wonderful, well done! Well, with no preconceived idea what I was going to do I must say I was delighted when I discovered a different way to colourise in the process. I spent time on the photo bringing back some contrast and bite etc. first.

Original layer on the bottom.

Filled a second layer with a gradient (blue on top, green on the bottom)

Duped bottom layer and placed as layer 3 - Used Filter Alpha Works but cannot recall the setting I used ? Line Art White Out(they have many). Which left me with a ghost layer of dark outlines. This allows the gradient to show through and, while you work on the 2nd Layer, you can see what you are doing (i.e. cloning, erasing etc). You can also change Layer Blend Modes for different effects on this 'ghost' layer.

Working on the second layer (gradient) I cloned the green to reach to the top of the rocks to the right. I then erased the green to reveal the gray rocks/stones. Ditto for the path and tree trunk etc.

Given more time I'd have painted the path (on the 2nd layer).

I merged all layers. The colours were strong so I reduced the saturation and lightened. Buzzed a little, added a canvas texture.

Cheers