Tulips

[mythlady]

It looks great to me too. And your comment about Dad made me laugh out loud.

The thing that bugs me about classes like Kim's (and it's not just hers) is that basically they say, here's a picture, do this, this, and this, and voila! You have a textured picture. I always want to know why you're doing something, but you almost always have to infer that from the "recipe." It takes a lot of fooling around to get a sense of what's going to happen when you use a particular texture with a particular blend mode . . .

[ilovelucydog]

It looks great to me too. And your comment about Dad made me laugh out loud.

The thing that bugs me about classes like Kim's (and it's not just hers) is that basically they say, here's a picture, do this, this, and this, and voila! You have a textured picture. I always want to know why you're doing something, but you almost always have to infer that from the "recipe." It takes a lot of fooling around to get a sense of what's going to happen when you use a particular texture with a particular blend mode . . .

I totally understand what you mean. Every image does not work with every texture at just a specific blend mode. You are right it takes a lot of fooling around to get to where you want your image to be. For the most part it is a blast, until the frustration level gets too hig.

[tameigh]

Can I point out one more thing?

Forgive me if I am using the wrong terminology for this, but the original is kind of flat tonally, not a lot of contrast. The way I deal with that is not to map the tone in ACR, even though it will address it somewhat, but I only adjust for the most outrageous tone problems there, and bring the photo into photoshop CS5 in my case, with a sort of flat contrast. First I adjust "levels" which almost always punches up the image a tiny bit, then I expand the tonal range by adding curves adjustment layers of about 30 to 40% opacity of mixed types of multiply, screen, and overlay. Tweaking them to get the effect you are after. The reason I use curves layers is that it gives you further opportunity to tweak the shadows to the highlights very subtly.

This gives more of a film like look to an image when combined with selective manipulation of saturation.

[ilovelucydog]

Thanks, Tim. I did do a levels adjustment and curves adjustment but can't remember exactly how much etc. I opened it first in LR3, adjusted, then edited in CS5.

[ScoutR]

Hi Mary, I really like this shot. Katy and I seem to have the same taste, I prefer my flowers with a soft understated look too. Anyway I wasn't too keen on any of the reworks that I saw (sorry people) until I got to the textures. OMG I love what you and Elise have done. Nice shot to begin with to my eye, but with the textures it is exeptional. I love them both

Wendy

[Katy Noelle]

Hi Mary, I really like this shot. Katy and I seem to have the same taste, I prefer my flowers with a soft understated look too. Anyway I wasn't too keen on any of the reworks that I saw (sorry people) until I got to the textures. OMG I love what you and Elise have done. Nice shot to begin with to my eye, but with the textures it is exeptional. I love them both

Wendy

Thanks for putting it that way, Wendy! Wasn't the original purpose for this photo textures and/or text?

Wendy! I got a "Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers of North America". Hope springs eternal that flowers do grow in the ground, still, somewhere in this world, ay?

[ScoutR]

ay!!!!! We can only hope - the days are getting longer though, we'll soon start seeing a change, I think, I hope, surley it has to end soon

Wendy

[ilovelucydog]

Hi Mary, I really like this shot. Katy and I seem to have the same taste, I prefer my flowers with a soft understated look too. Anyway I wasn't too keen on any of the reworks that I saw (sorry people) until I got to the textures. OMG I love what you and Elise have done. Nice shot to begin with to my eye, but with the textures it is exeptional. I love them both

Wendy

Thank you, Wendy.

[Wirefox]

Definitely the second attempt for me Mary. I think the first one could be taken by almost anyone but the second introduces some style into the mix. Not a great fan of the text but it is quite tastefully done here.

[ilovelucydog]

Definitely the second attempt for me Mary. I think the first one could be taken by almost anyone but the second introduces some style into the mix. Not a great fan of the text but it is quite tastefully done here.

Thanks, Steve.