What are you working on (in April 2023)?

[MoniqueN.]

  On 4/11/2023 at 8:57 PM, Corrie Kinkel said:

Monique I never use photos of my granddaughters in layouts! I tried blurring their faces but I don't like that. So I don't do it with 1 0r 2 exceptions and on those cases with permission, they weren't recognizable in the first place? 

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Ik doe het ook nooit hoor en geef de kinderen groot gelijk dat ze geen foto van hun dochter op internet willen. Ben zelf ook zo anoniem mogelijk op internet. Die rare cirkel op haar anders zo snoezige koppie is ook geen gezicht, maar vond de lay out van dit project best lollig geworden.

The double page challenge that's coming up I wanted to do with photo's of my granddaughter, but decided to do another subject.

[Donna Sillia]

  On 4/11/2023 at 3:18 PM, Mary Solaas said:

This is the black and white one.  I made it on only 1 layer - using the above steps.  I tried changing color with Adjust>Hue, Saturation, Lightness - but you can see that it doesn't work very well so maybe you need to choose the color first and then create it.

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I got tired of trying to match the Photoshop shimmer paper, so I made a grayscale one and saved it as a png. It doesn't change color with hue saturation, but colorize works. Another alternative is to create a color layer above the gray and use blend modes.

[Susan Ewart]

  On 4/13/2023 at 8:36 PM, Donna Sillia said:

I got tired of trying to match the Photoshop shimmer paper, so I made a grayscale one and saved it as a png. It doesn't change color with hue saturation, but colorize works. Another alternative is to create a color layer above the gray and use blend modes.

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Very nice Donna.  Neutral or middle grey is  popular amongst fashion, portrait and still life photographers.  It is very easy to add texture overlays and use blend modes (overlay or softlight is the ones I've seen them use) with a mid-gray background.   It's actually my next photo project soon as I get some mid gray paper (seamless photo paper is expensive).  Middle grey is the same as the 18% reflectance gray cards used to determine exposure back in the film days.  For RGB it's 127 for each value.  

[Mary Solaas]

  On 4/13/2023 at 8:36 PM, Donna Sillia said:

I got tired of trying to match the Photoshop shimmer paper, so I made a grayscale one and saved it as a png. It doesn't change color with hue saturation, but colorize works. Another alternative is to create a color layer above the gray and use blend modes.

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Donna - may I copy this and play with it????

[Donna Sillia]

  On 4/14/2023 at 2:05 AM, Mary Solaas said:

Donna - may I copy this and play with it????

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Absolutely yes, you may and have fun. I just wish I could get the 3600 size to you/

[Ann Seeber]

I have a small set of pale pastel shiny papers in my files but with no identifying information as to where they came from. After seeing that Donna tried to colorize hers, so I thought I'd try on mine and have had some success. I did them all in 3600 but here's a preview. Voila!

[Ann Seeber]

  On 4/13/2023 at 8:36 PM, Donna Sillia said:

I got tired of trying to match the Photoshop shimmer paper, so I made a grayscale one and saved it as a png. It doesn't change color with hue saturation, but colorize works. Another alternative is to create a color layer above the gray and use blend modes.

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Donna and Susan: I took my pale pastel in 3600.jpg and posted it in our Facebook group files so you can colorize to your liking. Enjoy!

[Mary Solaas]

Donna, I did play with your pattern and colorize and color (RGB) and my favorite is this one in silver.

[Donna Sillia]

  On 4/15/2023 at 1:32 PM, Mary Solaas said:

Donna, I did play with your pattern and colorize and color (RGB) and my favorite is this one in silver.

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Oh, Mary, I do love that one. How did you make it silver?

[Susan Ewart]

  On 4/15/2023 at 2:55 PM, Donna Sillia said:

Oh, Mary, I do love that one. How did you make it silver?

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I agree, it's a beautiful silver.

[Mary Solaas]

  On 4/15/2023 at 2:55 PM, Donna Sillia said:

Oh, Mary, I do love that one. How did you make it silver?

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Adjust>Color>Channel Mixer

Output channel: grey; red: 94%; Green: 101%; Blue: -6%; Constant: 15%; Check Monochrome.

You can see how OCD I am!  I played with that greyed pattern with everything I could find: Adjust>Color; Adjust>Hue, Saturation, Lightness>colorize and everything else.  And I even played with AI resize to increase the 600 px size to 700, then to 800, then to 900, and then to 1000.  This was because I couldn't get a good pattern to cover a 3600 px page.  If it takes it, I will post it as 1000.

Edited April 15, 2023 by Mary Solaas

[Donna Sillia]

  On 4/15/2023 at 5:20 PM, Mary Solaas said:

Adjust>Color>Channel Mixer

Output channel: grey; red: 94%; Green: 101%; Blue: -6%; Constant: 15%; Check Monochrome.

You can see how OCD I am!  I played with that greyed pattern with everything I could find: Adjust>Color; Adjust>Hue, Saturation, Lightness>colorize and everything else.  And I even played with AI resize to increase the 600 px size to 700, then to 800, then to 900, and then to 1000.  This was because I couldn't get a good pattern to cover a 3600 px page.  If it takes it, I will post it as 1000.

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Mary, I made a 3600 px page and used your settings without distorting the pattern. I started with 1000 px 300 and resized to 3600. I also used brightness and contrast to lighten the file, but it came out darker than yours. Do you know how I can post a 3600 page?

[Mary Solaas]

  On 4/15/2023 at 7:03 PM, Donna Sillia said:

Mary, I made a 3600 px page and used your settings without distorting the pattern. I started with 1000 px 300 and resized to 3600. I also used brightness and contrast to lighten the file, but it came out darker than yours. Do you know how I can post a 3600 page?

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What you posted is a 600 px.  I did try AI resizing to 3600 and it keeps the shininess but the weave is enlarged.  I could post the 1000 px but we cannot post 3600 px as it is too large for the forum.  I was able to post it in the facebook group so you can look there.

[Donna Sillia]

  On 4/15/2023 at 7:24 PM, Mary Solaas said:

What you posted is a 600 px.  I did try AI resizing to 3600 and it keeps the shininess but the weave is enlarged.  I could post the 1000 px but we cannot post 3600 px as it is too large for the forum.  I was able to post it in the facebook group so you can look there.

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I posted a 3600 px dark gray paper in the FB group.

[Susan Ewart]

  On 4/16/2023 at 10:29 PM, Sue Thomas said:

I was outside shooting some native sparrow species, which arrived today, when a thought popped into my head.  On how  to showcase the Merlin.  I love these small predatory birds.  Now that they have returned, hopefully they will thin out the Common House Sparrow population I have here,  as they are an invasive species.  I suppose this page could be used as a poster.  A simple layout with   a small amount of word art,  a label with text on a path. 

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I love the merlin.  We have a breeding pair in my 'hood in the city.  One actually landed my my yard twice now.  Once to sit in the tree and wreak havoc amongst the magpies and LBJ's and once to finish up his/hers little snack they brought along.  Talk about clearing out the yard.  Wish they'd cut the pigeon population down in my yard.  You can here them communicating with each other, quite far apart (to my ears).  This photo is great as it allows me to see what these little guys really look like (not the just the usual blur as they hit the after-burners above my yard).  

[Ann Seeber]

  On 4/16/2023 at 10:51 PM, Susan Ewart said:

I love the merlin.  We have a breeding pair in my 'hood in the city.  One actually landed my my yard twice now.  Once to sit in the tree and wreak havoc amongst the magpies and LBJ's and once to finish up his/hers little snack they brought along.  Talk about clearing out the yard.  Wish they'd cut the pigeon population down in my yard.  You can here them communicating with each other, quite far apart (to my ears).  This photo is great as it allows me to see what these little guys really look like (not the just the usual blur as they hit the after-burners above my yard).  

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That Merlin is very similar in size and behavior as our American Kestrel, also known locally as the sparrow hawk. I did a layout with him back in the Masks Workshop. Beautiful little hunter.

Edited April 17, 2023 by Ann Seeber

[Sue Thomas]

  On 4/17/2023 at 8:55 AM, Ann Seeber said:

That Merlin is very similar in size and behavior as our American Kestrel, also known locally as the sparrow hawk. I did a layout with him back in the Masks Workshop. Beautiful little hunter.

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The Kestrel is common across Canada too.  I have many shots of them They are our smallest falcon.  They  often hover in one spot while hunting, the Merlin ambushes, at high speed.   The Merlin in  my  photo, is either a female, or an immature (  one of last year's  clutch).  The one in your page is a male. Both feed mainly on insects, but will  take rodents, and  birds.

[Susan Ewart]

  On 4/17/2023 at 8:55 AM, Ann Seeber said:

That Merlin is very similar in size and behavior as our American Kestrel, also known locally as the sparrow hawk. I did a layout with him back in the Masks Workshop. Beautiful little hunter.

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the little raptors are so cute.  I love your lino papers.  they are suble and go well together.  I say the merlin definitely has more "attitude" with that intense stare.

Edited April 17, 2023 by Susan Ewart

[Ann Seeber]

  On 4/17/2023 at 3:47 PM, Susan Ewart said:

I love your lino papers.  they are suble and go well together.

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Thanks, Susan. Actually, it's one lino paper with a frame that has a wide translucent border to allow the background to show through. Here they are in the PSP Frames file... 

[Mary Solaas]

I'm posting here because I didn't join the double page workshop.  Sorry - after looking at the postings, I'm sorry I didn't.  It might have helped the kit i'm working on - the Chattanooga trip my daughter and I took last year.  I've been working on it for some time, and after the Build-A-Kit Workshop, I'm finally trying to make it a kit.  I had done a few extractions in some of the pictures, since that is what I like to do.  But, today I decided on a palette (Yeah, I know, it is a little late in the game!)

[Cassel]

  On 4/19/2023 at 4:18 PM, Mary Solaas said:

Sorry - after looking at the postings, I'm sorry I didn't.

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You can still join!

[Susan Ewart]

  On 4/19/2023 at 4:18 PM, Mary Solaas said:

I'm posting here because I didn't join the double page workshop.  Sorry - after looking at the postings, I'm sorry I didn't.  It might have helped the kit i'm working on - the Chattanooga trip my daughter and I took last year.  I've been working on it for some time, and after the Build-A-Kit Workshop, I'm finally trying to make it a kit.  I had done a few extractions in some of the pictures, since that is what I like to do.  But, today I decided on a palette (Yeah, I know, it is a little late in the game!)

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  On 4/17/2023 at 4:51 PM, Ann Seeber said:

Thanks, Susan. Actually, it's one lino paper with a frame that has a wide translucent border to allow the background to show through. Here they are in the PSP Frames file... 

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Ann, that is very cool.  I thought it was two papers.  You are really good with the frames, I love what you make.  I must try and find some time to practice with that tool.  

Mary, that's a nice rich palette.  A good amount of colors to choose from.  I would love to see you in the Double Page workshop, hope you find the time to joing.  I'm behind.  Only just did my lesson 1 and soon off to work so by tomorrow I will be 3 lessons behind.  

[Michele]

I started with a template by AnnieC Digitals from the A Love For Layout Templates March 2021 Blog Train. AnnieC makes probably my favorite templates (she has a couple of FB pages and an Etsy shop if you're interested). The photo was found on google and the font is Floural from Creative Fabrica.

[Mary Solaas]

  On 4/6/2023 at 6:32 PM, Cassel said:

So basically, the tutorial is "use this texture and sharpen it a bit". I'll dig deeper to see how to CREATE that texture in the first place.

 

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Carole, it seems that we need a "real shiny" texture(?) to use after you apply a canvas texture.  I've played and played with this as you can see with the later posts.  My next take will be to look at Filter Forge for something to use that is "shiny".

[Cassel]

  On 4/22/2023 at 1:29 PM, Mary Solaas said:

Carole, it seems that we need a "real shiny" texture(?) to use after you apply a canvas texture.  I've played and played with this as you can see with the later posts.  My next take will be to look at Filter Forge for something to use that is "shiny".

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I find that one way to add shine is sometimes using contrast. It can be done either with Brightness/Contrast or sometimes, with Levels, depending on the colors. Did you try those?