Digital Photo Manipulations

Before: This photo was downloaded from SXC
and came to me via the weekly challenges over at DigitalNuts.  When I saw it, I knew I had to try my hand at a photo manipulation using it as the basis for the final creation.

 After: Various layers were manipulated, blended, re-manipulated, the lighting changed, colors were diluted-then enhanced and everything manipulated again. 

Wishing You a Merry Christmas!

Combining "digital" brush techniques with "digitally altered", canvas texture photograph was how I created this layout from the theme: "In a Pear Tree" from the 12 days of Christmas.  Digitalwhisper  ning group offers some wonderful opportunities to share with fellow digital artists, to be inspired and to have fun creating from a variety of themes.  Come join the fun!

Digital Photo Manipulations

 Before-Cropped Only                                                                       
















                                     After-Digital Manipulation

 This was not the best shot of the day, nor the worse so I decided to see what I could do with it in my digital software.  Using blending modes and commercial filters there are some interesting changes.  I need to add some graffiti on the fence maybe, or old paper posters that have been weathered and torn.

Patterns in Black & White

I think the various patterns in this shot were pretty awesome so I added a touch of digital to enhance the circle that the pelicans beak was making.  I also tried a few other settings in the digital software since I usually don't work with photographs.  I had read recently that you should never use the brightness/contrast on a photo, but use the curves instead.  I gave the "curves" and "levels" each a try and I have to agree, that the curves, while harder to manipulate (small preview thumbnail), did produce the best results.  I also read that you should never use the auto anything buttons-but I gave the auto sharpen button a click for good measure.  I was impressed with the result.  We are never too old to learn something new, so play!

Not a golf course!

This sure looks like a beautifully maintained golf course, but it's actually Liberty Park again.  I grew up visiting this park as it was only a few miles from my Grandmother's house.  We spent many a day having picnics here and visiting the aviary.  Now I have the privilege of taking my grandchildren to enjoy the many features.  I seem to be hooked on taking photos of: mountains, trees and especially water features.  Interesting, I'm sure it says something about who I am and not just that it's my environment, because I seek these features out regardless of where I might be at the moment.  Need to meditate about this. :-D

White Pelicans

Liberty Park-Bird Aviary-Utah
Using this image to set the colors for the blog.