Kate's Dream - Photo Essay

To see a larger view, click here. (*You might have to click the full screen/slideshow link in the upper right, then hit the play button. If the slide show pops up right away, I find I have to click back one frame and then hit the play button.)

• In the first picture, I used the magic wand tool to select the bicyclist, and then inversely selected the landscape and made it black and white.


• In the second picture, I added text, and added a grainy filter to the sunglasses.


• In the third pic, I added text to the sidewalk.


• Fourth pic, (seeing the woods through the door) I used the magic wand and clone stamp.


• Fifth pic, I used the dodge tool to brighten the tree trunks, and to create a mist-like effect.


• In the sixth pic, I ramped up the Vibrance and Saturation levels.


• In the seventh pic, (purple grass), I adjusted the Hue and Saturation.


• In the eigth pic, I used the patch tool and healing brush to remove the water droplets.


• In the ninth pic I used the magic wand & gradient tool to add a rainbow background.


• In the tenth pic, the magic wand, Cut & Paste, and the background Eraser let me put in a funny non-sequitur.


• Next pic, I used Cut & Paste, and the blur and smudge tools.


• In the next one (swirly center), I used the Twirl filter and a lens flare.


• In the next to last pic, the brightness and contrast was adjusted, and I also used the patch tool to remove a rust spot on the ferry.


• And in the last pic, I used the patch tool to remove the peeling inspection sticker from the windshield, and the blur tool to make it look more like a watery smudge.

Adding text in Photoshop

Here are two pics with text added. I also had some fun adding a pattern to the sunglasses...

Photoshop - Patch tool

Here's a photo that's been fixed with the patch tool. I used it to remove the tree branch and replace it with sections of the sky. I tried to copy random little sections of clouds for a more realistic patchy look.

Dodge tool in Photoshop

Here's a photo of paint tubes that was pretty dark when taken, as you can see in the original on the bottom. The photo at the top has been adjusted with the dodge tool, adding brighter highlights to the white & colored areas, and leaving the shadows as they were. It's more subtle than some of the other bolder and more obvious tricks I've seen in Photoshop so far. I can see how this one can be a real asset for a photo where you're just trying to enhance the natural elements instead of push the boundaries with design.

Adobe CS4 filters, Round 2

Here's a pic of a metronome (& guitar in back)that has the "Glowing Edges" filter applied. Photoshop lets you alter your pics in ways you might never even imagine...very psychedelic.

Adobe filters, round 1

Here is a pic that uses the chalk & charcoal filter, with hot pink selected as the color choice. I love the contrast of neons against more neutral colors. Kapow!

Fun with Adobe

Here's an image I took on the ferry to Burton Island State Park. The shutterspeed was set too low, so the image ended up being a bit washed out. Using CS4, I can kind of fix it -creating a blue tint sky, and sharpening & deepening the color contrast. You can probably do even more to adjust it once you have more experience with Photoshop.