A couple of chairs

XingfuMama’s One to Three Photo Processing Challenge: May 2023

Another interesting Photo Challenge. It gives me a chance to play with my softwares different applications. I actually noted down some of the changes as I did them, other times I did them and moved on before realising but some of the basic information is there.

This photo it totally unedited except resizing.
All the other three are editing and played with using Corel PaintShop Pro 2023 Ultimate software

Selective colour – red. I added a light vignette

Effect called Cubism.
Cubism effect set at 50%
Colour Match set at 97%
Smooth Image set at 10%

I increased saturation 12%. then applied an effect called Circle

The Sun

Sunday Confessionals: The Sun

A fiery sunset
days end
burning
sweating
dripping
waiting.

A wily sun
days end
hiding
clouds
laughing
waiting.

The final moments
days end
blazing
stinging
melting
waiting.

Going soft

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #237: Bringing Softness

It’s fun bringing something new to a photograph. The software I use is Corel PaintShop Pro Ultimate 2023. I just hammered through these doing something different to my usual techniques to soften images. I alter a photo changing lightness, shadows, or mid-range tones, sometimes adding more black or white as well as saturation. Mostly then I use vignette as the first stop in softening an image.

This photo I used a function in the software – Soft Focus, which I haven’t used before.
I changed the amount of soft focus and edge hardness. Then set the Halo amount, size and visibility I bore you with meaningless numbers.
From a harsh morning sun through grass seeds to this.

A bee on a Zinnia. I seem to have quite a number of similar photos. Just using vignette and dark settings
Dark/Light
into the negative numbers
Blur making sure the subject bee wasn’t out of focus
Diffuse Glow on low as well
Feather Edge just encroaching on the petal

The opposite with the Australian Painted Lady Butterfly. The original photo had the grass as well as the butterfly in focus. Firstly, I bought up the black and colour as it was a bit washed out.
I decided to try something new again. Selective Focus. It is in parallel band and can be moved in any direction.
First I ran the focus following the butterflies body and to the tip of the wings. Left and right hand sides now blurred.
Then did the same going horizontal, blurring the top and bottom of the photo.
Adding a vignette in a vague heart shape.

A very old street in Adelaide, Victorian terraces and a blue stone building which were a staple for stone buildings in the late 1800’s. A bright sunny day photo. I like the result of this photo. This was the first photo I played with and was just doing all sorts of things, deciding I didn’t like it and undid the changes.
Therefore no idea how I did this one, sorry

Well there you go. This is something I don’t usually do and I know why…..it’s exhausting! Hope it gave some insight into the process to get a desired result

Happiness is catching

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Smiles
XingfuMama’s: One-to-Three Photo Processing Challenge

A bit of a double dip. At the moment the rain has bought the frogs out. The rain makes Australian Green Tree Frogs happy. I use Corel PaintShop Pro Ultimate 2023

The original photo

Straight forward convert to black and white with enhanced shadow contrast

Fun with Kaleidoscope

  • adjusted horizontal to -20
  • the vertical to -20
  • only two petals selected
  • set to reflect

This last one I used a preset called Depth by Design. The three slide controls go from 0 to 100%. The first one is to select how much of the preset you wish to use. For this photo –

  • I set it at 55%
  • Colour Match – 99%
  • Smooth the photo – 33%

Silent Sunday – 27 November

Is everyone getting bored with my church themed Silent Sundays? Should I do something different next year?
Any suggestions for a theme for my Silent Sundays 2023?