The Eyes Have It

For my last post I'm sure many of you wondered just how much Photoshopping I did to make me comfortable posting my picture.  It's true there was some shopping of the photo, and I'll explain with this picture exactly what I did with the other one.  I would show you the before of the other one, but I didn't bother to save the original file.

The photo above was taken in my guest bathroom at 11:30 PM last night...or there abouts, let's just say it was late and I should have been in bed.  It was the only mirror in my house that had decent lighting, and bathroom lighting is also normally flattering...which for me is a good place to start.

The photo is straight out of camera or SOOC, and it's slightly overexposed so everything appears a little washed out.  My eyes are a very light brown, and the later it gets in the day, the more golden they appear but...

Here is the Photoshopped picture, and here's what I did to it.  Bear in mind that these are the same actions/textures I used on the photo in my last post.

First I used Pioneer Womans "bring out the eyes" action which highlights and brightens the color of your eyes.  It really makes my eye become a focal point and brings out the gold tones.  I didn't use anything else on the eye except that action and I lowered the action's opacity to 70%  (I did not lower the opacity in the photo from my last post because it wasn't as alien looking as this picture).

Second, I used Flora Bella's Dreaminess overlay.  I used soft light and increased the opacity slightly to give me a more even skin tone and to soften fine lines (trust me I do have fines lines and wrinkles!).  And I used color burn, which darkens and enriches colors.  I also increased the opacity on the color burn to get my hair color and fleece color to more closely resemble their actual colors in real life.

So there you have it!  Photoshop can do so many things, but I never want my photos to be too far from the truth, just a nicer version of it.  But I also didn't want people to think that I had altered my photos so much that they didn't even resemble me.  Soft light and dreaminess are my friends, but you should still be able to tell it's me in the end.

The lovely Lindsey from Better After posted this great post (click HERE to read it) on how celebrities use Photoshop to get that perfect photo.  Although I wouldn't mind looking years younger (we can't all live in our bathrooms all day!) and pounds thinner, I think I'll stick with just using the simple actions and textures that will maybe make me willing to post my picture every now and then...or as I like to call it...once in a blue moon!

Unplugged, Watermarking and A Winner

Thanks everyone for all of the lovely comments you left about the house I posted yesterday, it truly is a very special house!

This weekend, I plan to be unplugged, no blogging or computers, and just enjoy some beautiful fall weather and get some things done around here.  I've been so busy working on stories that I haven't had time to come up for air lately so I need a break.  But I promise I'll be back and I will reply to the great comments you left, at least those that will allow me to...sadly for some of you I still get the dreaded no-reply thing when I try and email you back so I have no way to respond.. :-(

I was recently asked to explain how I watermark my photos.  I use Photoshop Elements 9 currently but have used PS Elements 8, and PS Elements 2 (yes I was a little behind the times) prior to that.  In each of them you are able to click on "File" then click "Process Multiple Files" and a screen will come up that will allow you to pick a font, the opacity of that font, the size, what color you want it to be, and where on the photo you want it to appear.  There will also be a blank box on the right side which will allow you to type in what you want your watermark to say...ie. mine is Low Tide High Style.

I import fonts by downloading them from free sites such as 1001 Free Fonts, and several other sites.  If you do a Google search, you will find lots of free fonts on the web to use.  Once you download them and install them, they will automatically appear in Photoshop Elements (PSE) the next time you start it up.  If you download them while the program is running you will have to shut down PSE before they will show up in your fonts list.  

Because PSE lists the fonts alphabetically, it's good to try and remember the names of the fonts you've downloaded so that you can easily find them when you want them.  There are other ways to create really cool watermarks, or place them in different areas on a photo, but I'm still learning that technique...so I'll have to get back to you that one, maybe in a few years! ;-)

I was pretty proud of myself today though.  I actually learned how to download and install a few free actions from The Pioneer Woman's site!

Actions are things that allow you to do lots of photo editing techniques in one fell swoop.  Like sharpen, soften, boost color, you name it.  There are plenty of actions on the web, some are free and some cost money.  The two sets from The Pioneer Woman were free, so I thought what the heck!

I have to say that I'm an old dog who doesn't really like new tricks sometimes, so I'm not sure if I love this idea or if I will actually use them a lot.

The first photo of the old pier piling has several actions applied to soften it and to give it that vintage 70's feel.  I think it turned out nicely, so maybe I would use it on certain types of photos.

The water photos above show the differences between a photo with nothing applied and one which uses actions.  The top one is straight out of the camera at dusk, the one below of almost the same thing, just a little tighter shot also has several actions applied.  I used Boost, Slight Sharp, and Edge Burn.  I also like the way this one turned out.

I think I will need a lot more practice using actions, and maybe I'll even go crazy and try a few textures just for fun.  I know lots of other bloggers use these tools with great success.  Kate from Chronicles of a Country Girl always wows me with the photos she applies actions and textures to, so there is hope for me!  And Maria from Dreamy Whites showed us how beautiful her photos can be with Flora Bella Actions today on her blog...click here to see more.

For me the jury is still out.  I will have to see if I like actions or if I just enjoy tweaking each and every photo I take on my own.  Sometimes I'm weird like that!

And now on to the winner of the wonderful towel Giveaway from Lyla at Old Spool Embroidery!

It was lucky #124, Carolyn from Fab Shabby Roses!  Congrats Carolyn, just drop me a line and send me your mailing address and I'll pop them in the mail to you!

I hope each of you have a wonderful weekend and find your own way to unwind and unplug for a few days!