Fix-it Friday #56

This week's editing challenge was particularly difficult for me, not because it needs so much work, but rather, because it doesn't need much at all. A little cropping and a bit of brightening was about all I could envision. I did take it a step further and smoothed out some of the rash on the skin and I cloned out the diapers and a foot that I found a tad distracting. In the end, the skin colors weren't just right yet, so I overlayed a skin-colored texture that brightened it up and gave it more natural coloring.

Here is the before image


Here is the edited version


To see other edits of this image, go here

Fixit Friday #55

Here we are again. This week's challenge involved an adorable photo that was taken in poor light. First, I imported it into Lightroom where I adjusted the color balance, exposure, tinting, hues, saturation and shades and cropping. Then I transferred it to Photoshop where I worked on reducing the noise, sharpening the image and placing several textures on it.

Here is the BEFORE image,



And here is the AFTER,



To see other editing ideas go to I Heart Faces

I Heart Faces

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is "Faces and Flowers".


I don't usually get a chance to enter, but I had just taken a suitable picture the week before that was perfect for this challenge. This is my daughter Chloe enjoying some beautiful flowers that she picked from our yard.



To see other entries, go to I Heart Faces

Another Photo Shoot

Well, I keep doing this and I seem to be enjoying it. I have a strong desire to learn more and improve my skills. I keep striving for that illusive perfect picture (which I haven't found yet). This weekend, some friends asked if I would take their pictures and I was actually eager to say "yes". When I first accepted a request a few months ago, I was nervous and scared. Now, I am much more comfortable.

Yesterday's session was as challenging as any. I find myself so busy trying to capture every moment, that I don't always think about natural poses and trying to get enough pictures of each group. This time, I forgot to get pictures of just the mom and dad together. They are a wonderful and loving couple. It was just me who wasn't thinking through the entire process.

Here are a few shots from yesterday.

Fix-It Friday #54

Here is today's image. I did the majority of the editing in Lightroom. Then I opened the image in CS4 to sharpen the eyes just a tad and to remove the food off the face. I also smoothed the colored image a bit. I used three textures on the B/W image to give it an "aged" look.

One other trick I usually employ when I am working on these pictures is to artificially enlarge the image. Photoshop does a great job of enlarging a small image and keeping the pixels sharp.


BEFORE



AFTER



Click on the images for a larger view. To see other fantastic edits, hop on over to I Heart Faces.

Fixit Friday #53

Click on any image for a larger view.




ORIGINAL

For the sake of a better location, I am posting my edits to I Heart Faces "Fix It Friday" here on my design blog. Since I have no new designs (yet), I guess this is the most logical place to work on my photo editing skills. This week's photo over at I Heart Faces is a sweet close-up. I love these because there is so much that can be done with the eyes. First I cleaned up the stray spots (looks like food or boo boos) on the face and then I used curves in Photoshop CS4 to lighten the left side of the face. I used a mask to keep the right side unaltered. I pretty much use masks and layers on all my edits.

I transported the image back and forth between Photoshop and Lightroom. I have a preset that I designed in Lightroom that I call "Purplelicious". I knew it would work well with this image. It gives the image some muddy and purple tones. After that, I placed a couple of textures on the image to add interest and depth to the background. These layers created a vignette to the image that highlights the center and fades away the background. Lastly, I forgot to mention that I enhanced the resolution and cropped the image before doing anything else. When I am almost done, I lighten and sharpen the eyes for extra impact. Here are my edits.
AFTER IN COLOR

AFTER IN BLACK AND WHITE

Fixit Friday #52

ORIGINAL
Please click on any image for a larger view.

This week's picture over at I Heart Faces was a beautiful and artistic image to begin with. It didn't require any work. It was just a chance to use your imagination and play around. I decided to use some of the presets that I created in Lightroom to edit the picture. Other than that, the only editing I did was to crop, clone out the signs, and in two pictures, I added a lens flare.

I call the above preset "Aqua Light". That's because it brightens the image and highlights the aqua tones and saturates the greens. Then I added a lens flare and texture for interest.

I call this preset "Boystown". The tones are brown and golden.

I call this preset "Purplelicious" because it brings out purple tones in the shadows. I think it gives the image a wintery feel.


This final version was a variation of "Boystown" with a copper brush texture and a sun flare. I cropped it on an angle just for fun.

To see other great edits, go to I Heart Faces.

My First Sewing Project in Over a Year

This past weekend I was eager to try out my new sewing cabinet and cutting table. My husband had been complaining for several weeks about the lack of curtains over a pair of french doors we have that face the street. While I have never made curtains, it sounded like a fun project, so I did a little research and came up with a very simple design. As it turned out, I made a mistake with the length and had to omit a top layer that I planned on including. I was frustrated, but I think they turned out just fine anyway.

I wonder what this coming weekend may have in store.

I am Back

Not much has happened design-wise in the past year or so. I became sidetracked with my day job (as an engineer) and we have been trying to sell our home. I had a fantastic room dedicated to sewing in my previous home. It was an entire wall of counters and storage space. The space between the counter and the ceiling was a continuous sheet of glass looking out into the back yard. It was amazing.

Aside from that special gem of a sewing room, I had been desperate to sell that home and start anew. Two months ago, we moved into another home in the same town and just a few blocks away. It's still a large and comfortable home, but I don't have a set up to accommodate sewing or design.

This weekend I began a project to change all that. I purchased a sewing cabinet, unassembled, and then began the long slow process of putting it all together. Now it is complete and I am one step closer to getting back into the saddle. I think I will take it slow at first. I have a couple of projects that I need to knock out (curtains and clothes for the girls) before I get back to original designs. The good news is that I still have some designs in my head that have been waiting patiently for me to bring them to life. Hopefully, this is the year.