WELCOME to "Tell, Show and Try-it"

[DannyRaphael]

LOOKING FOR THE old self-service MEMBER POSTED MINI-CHALLENGE forum? See Q-A at the bottom of this post.

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If this is your first time to the Tell, Show and Try-it forum, WELCOME! Welcome back if it's been awhile.

PURPOSE

This is a place to share your favorite photo-art techniques with other members and where they can try your techniques and ask questions or make comments about them.

Exceptional techniques and/or images created using it will get a place in the “Best of Photo-art” forum. To maximize use of disk space non-exceptional threads and images will be periodically deleted after about 30 days or so.


GUIDELINES

Simply, start a new thread, provide detailed information about how you achieved the result you did, attach the "before" image in the 1st post and the "after" image in the next post.

Details follow...

STARTING A THREAD

1. Provide as much step-by-step detail as you can, enough so a rookie would have a reasonable chance to achieve the same results as you did.
2. Attach your “before image”
3. In a second post include an “after image.”
4. As the thread starter you can include a second (different) “after image” in a subsequent post if desired.

HOW TO SHARE YOUR METHOD

Preferred format (easiest to follow) is:
1. xxx
2. xxx
3. xxx
etc.

You don’t need to mention things like “Open file,” “Close filed, sized for web and upload.”

There’s no way to describe things like brush, eraser or clone-like strokes. It’s okay to same something like, “4. Cloned out the tree growing behind the subject’s head.”

Other possibilities for sharing how-to detail:
* Upload (in a separate post) a .zip file of the action(s) you used if applicable
* Provide a link to the action you used or tutorial you used.
* Create a screenshot of your Layers Palette, with layer names indicative of how the layer was rendered

Be sure to include
* The name and version of each program used
* Filter names, blend modes, settings used, etc.
* Names of third party plugins used if applicable, e.g., BuzzPRO, Virtual Painter, etc.

Remember: This point is for other members to recreate (and learn from) your technique.

REPLYING TO A THREAD

1. Apply the technique to your own image.
2. Post up to 2 replies with image(s) attached.
3. Make comments, suggestions, ask questions as needed.

If you would like to share other “after images,” you may create an additional containing one or more links to images uploaded to a gallery site of your choosing.

MEMBER POSTING LIMITATIONS

We ask you respect the following:
New threads. To promote diversity in techniques, members are asked to limit starting new threads in this forum to no more than one per week.

Interpretations.Those who choose to “try it” are welcome to upload up to 2 interpretations per thread per week. No “how to” detail required since it’s been posted by the thread starter.

As forum moderator I may take the liberty to occasionally start more than one thread/week in this forum.

MISCELLANEOUS

* Techniques do not have to be long or complicated, but they can be if you’re so inclined.

* Some techniques may apply to other areas of digital manipulation. Not to worry. If you feel like sharing it and you believe others will learn from it, go for it.

IMPORTANT
*As noted above, but worth repeating is that exceptional write-ups and/or images will be preserved in the “Best of Photo-Art” forum [put link here]. Unexceptional threads will be deleted periodically.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: Why is this SO LONG?
A: I don’t know.

I really wanted to make this a simple process, but I kept thinking of things members might ask, so I included as much detail as I thought necessary.

Q: What if I have a suggestion?
A: Excellent. Send it to me via Private Message. Click the PM button at the bottom of the text window.

Q: Why the restrictions on the number of threads I can post per week and the number of interpretations I can post per thread?
A: When this forum started in 2002, those with an interest in photo-art could be counted on one hand. There was no need for restrictions initially because resource consumption (disk space) was not an issue.

In less than a year popularity of this so called art form just shot through the roof. Member interest soared… and so did the number of images posted. Lots interest, many talented and enthusiastic members = lots of images posted = lots of server space being chewed up.

Q: That's all very nice, buy why the change?
A: In July 2003 the focus of the Photo-art forum changed from “look what I did” to “look how I did it.” This change in direction was initiated to bring the Photo-art forum into closer alignment with the rest of the RetouchPRO site, a place that’s known far and wide as one where ideas and techniques are shared.

The “look what I did” model was very successful in attracting some extremely talented folks and generated a high degree of interest in photo-art. The downslide to this model, however, was the unchecked (and incorrect) perception that RetouchPRO is a site with unlimited resources for posting images, which just isn’t the case.

So we are where we are and I for one am tickled to be here. This is, after all, RetouchPRO -- not Photo-Art PRO. Having the opportunity to be part of this site is a privilege.

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By all means send me e-mail or a private message (PM) or reply to this thread if you have questions.

I look forward to learning a lot of things from a lot of people.

In the mean time keep having fun!

~DannyR~

[NiteOwl]

Hey Danny! I got a question for you too,....

You know the type of work I do, and you know that I am horribly weak with Photoshop and mostly revert to Photodraw. I have had sooooo many people ask me, "How did you do that?" that I can't count them on one hand. Do you think I could participate here? Or would it be unfruitful to do so? Sorry to hit you with this question, but you didnt really hit on it in your introduction, so I just HAD to ask.

As much as I know Photoshop is the superior program, I personally am so impatient that I continue to go back to the software which I feel I have mastered to some degree.

Great new idea, by the way. Especially for people like me, who are constantly trying to learn and do things which I couldnt do before.

so, there is my question,....I will wait patiently for an answer.

~Niteowl

[DannyRaphael]

NIGHTOWL:

I didn't know "patiently" was part of your vocabulary! (LOL)
FYI - Nightowl and I are good off-line friends. This is tame banter. - djr

Seriously, what you do with Photodraw (or what anyone does with any non-Photoshop application) can be done by most other image-manipulation programs I've ever used. The terminology might be different in some ways, but regardless of program used layers are layers, type is type, drop shadows are drop shadows, etc.

As long as the steps are fairly well spelled out, it's just a matter of interpretation and functional translation. If there's any doubt, folks can ask questions. Having PD2K myself, I might be able to translate a little myself.

The prospect of you sharing some of your imaging magic in this forum would be a treat for others to see.

By all means "go for it." I'll be IMpatiently waiting to see what you come up with.

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PM:

All good qood questions.

Who is the final arbitrator on what is good and what ain't?
Me.

You have some sort of panel assembled I don't see somewhere?
Me.

Or is it just your pick of your favorites?
Me.

Is this one of those supreme beings things?
While those who know me well would rightfully point out I have a great deal of (wrongly placed) self-admiration, no one in this universe can live up to that title.

Curiosity always kills the cat.
Sometimes.

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Okay. I've pulled your leg long enough.

This is new. Who knows if there will be anything to judge?, but assuming there will be, I'm gonna wing it and see how it goes. There's nothing concrete in terms of specific criteria.

Given the recent change in the Photo-art forum focus and direction, the criteria won't be based on "views" or "replies."

I'm just gonna wing it and see how it goes.

~Danny~