Hi - Hope I'm not too late to join in this one. Mike has said some nice things about my photos on the flickr site, so I thought I'd have a go at this one. I'm very new to these forums, but finding it very interesting.
I recently started attending evening classes in Photoshop. The teacher isn't great (not just my opinion) but it was very cheap! However, having learned the princples of using layers I have been teaching myself with books, magazine articles and online tutorials.
Here's what I did in Photoshop:
Darkened the midtones in Levels
Took the master saturation up to +18
Took the red saturation up to +44
Added an ND Grad to the top right corner to darken the sky a bit
Re-sized the image to 500 x 333 pixels
Left the canvas size at 600 x 400 pixels
On the image layer, I used Filter>Texture>Texturiser, then selected Burlap (scaling 51%, Relief 3, Light from Top right)
Also on the image layer I added a bevel edge from the "add a layer style" icon.
On the canvas layer, I chose a colour I felt complimented the image, then added it to the canvas (alt + backspace), then used Filter>Texture>Texturiser and chose Sandstone (scaling 58%, relief 3)
Finally.... I added a text layer with the words "Lake view"
It hasn't changed the image as much as some of the other posts, but has given it a different feel. I hope you like it !!
I've tried to add the image but not sure if I've been successful as I can't see it in the preview. If it doesn't attach please use the path below to view image on my flickr site.
Hi travel-junkie, you've certainly achieved that late afternoon glow. I am personally not big on textures, having never been comfortable with what I've turned out using them, but I think your render works well.
I'm really enjoying this practice area, it takes some of the pressure away from working on images to get them 'right', and gets me thinking about what else I can do with an image, which is not something I do enough of. _________________
Nice one, and welcome, the more the merrier and look forward to your input.
just took a quick look at your flickr site, nice, will go back and look properly when I get a minute.
Yes, I agree textures don't work on a lot of images, but I felt this pic had a "chocolate box" feel and suited the look. However, I am still learning, so must try to reign myself in from using everything available !!
Mike, I think you must have woken up with your mean streak on yesterday, this was a tough one because getting rid of the background meant going round the picture with the eraser click by click at times, with a lot of freehand erasing. Just for the record I had the eraser set to 'Hard Round', 100% Opacity, varying from 1px for the tight spots to 5px once I'd got rid of as much of the bulk as possible. For stretches that are a gentle curve you can hold shift and click and erase between clicks, to maintain a smooth edge. On an image as hard as this one, I set a background layer that is a stark contrast so that I am sure I am getting rid of everything I don't want, in this case I used red. The angle meant choosing a background that maintained perspective. I've altered the reds (up) and blues (down a fraction) in the layers palette to match the hawk (?) to the background better.
Hi Chris, this may not be the most efficient way, but what I do is, as soon as I have loaded the image I immediately duplicate it, I usually delete the background image, but that is not really necessary. I then paste the image I will be adding and working to incorporate in between the background and duplicated background images. I work on the topmost image. This is what it looks like in the layers palette. I hope that makes sense, if it hasn't answered your question, or it doesn't make sense, shout. There are enough experienced people on this site, we can work it out.
And here's the layers palette for the bird of prey picture.
K'ching indeed - have you thought of doing this sort of thing?
My payment could be that you have free reign with my studio equipment and I will introduce you to the Union Bar in Greenwich, where you will drink fine beer and forget to charge me.
K'ching indeed - have you thought of doing this sort of thing?
My payment could be that you have free reign with my studio equipment and I will introduce you to the Union Bar in Greenwich, where you will drink fine beer and forget to charge me.
Hi Sean. I would love to get into a line of work that meant I could photochop all day, just don't know how. I'm not qualified in any way, I just learnt as I went along, though I have been thinking of doing a course to get some sort of qualification. I've looked on the web and haven't found anything that grabs me yet, any help in that line would be appreciated.
It's be great to do a get together of some sort and use your studio, chop away and all that. Can't do the beer thing, bit of a problem there. Meanwhile, I am happy to do walk-throughs of any description, as long as I have a clue, and that adds to the site as a resource as well. Maybe one day, some obscenely rich mega corp will see the site and buy it for umpteen squillion quid and Mike will be overcome with generosity and make us all squillionaires. I could live with it. _________________
Love it - it would be good to meet up at some point and tap some of your chopping knowledge.
Have you thought of putting ads in local papers or in shop windows? You may get a lot of interest, and earn some £££'s _________________ "...that's no moon..."
Have you thought of putting ads in local papers or in shop windows? You may get a lot of interest, and earn some £££'s
Hmm, now there is a thought. Selling myself locally, That is definitely worth thinking about, local colleges, businesses and so on. Worth putting a portfolio together eh? Thanks.
I do have to come up to London from time to time, I'll let you know next time I am headed for those barbaric parts. _________________
Barbaric - how very dare you! We are very sophisticated in these parts.
Mind you, if you turn up wearing a cloak and looking all medieval, you may well be lynched - and I can't promise to help you out... _________________ "...that's no moon..."
I meant that southern gentleman - hmmmm - just a thought but anybody south of Stoke on Trent is Southern to me, so will refer to the one closest to the Tower - _________________ -----------------------------------------------------
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as Dave says nice chop, Mr Photochop 
