A New Week & a New Photoshop Tutorial

a dreamy blanket of light tutorial.
 

Hello Sunshine. How are you? 

Today I have a quick little 'blanket of dreamy light' photoshop/elements tutorial for you. Check out the before and after effect above and the screencast lesson down below.

There's nothing more lovely than a dreamy blanket of soft light..... Is there? :)

Before we dive in... thank you for ALL the kindness you so generously sprinkled in the comments and via email after Friday's post. I am so very grateful.

Mood Update

My weekend was really nice. John took me out for dinner and a movie on Friday. We went to my favourite place, Lady of the Lake... it's has the loveliest Café connected to the shop. Then we saw the move Silver Linings Playbook. Bradley Cooper was fantastic. I love that this film is shedding some much needed ight on mental illness..... It had a perfect mix of happy and sad...with many pieces I could relate to. Saturday, we went out for breakfast. Then John spent the rest of the day setting up my new space. Oh my gosh, more on that soon. Burst. Sunday John was away on calls most of the day....so I had lots of time to just be and do whatever. I took the day off from work and watched several episodes of Parenthood. I'm watching it from the beginning on Netflix. I seriously love that show.

Anyhow, here I am....feeling much better about life.... Hmm, it's amazing how things can shift. I think the act of putting it out there was a good thing. Thank you all.. always.

Before we dive into the tutorial... just a few quick things.

One. This week's Texture Tuesday theme is the Downton Collection... come link up your Downton I collection photos..... loving all the Downton II images in the extra link up from last week! Keep 'em coming. I'm thinking I might do a Downton feature post and share some of the images that you all have created with the collection. :)

Two. If you missed the Downton textures, check your email. I sent them out to the list last week.... If you are new to my site, be sure to join the Texture List and begin receiving freebies, including the Downton set, right away.

Three. Test Kitchen members be sure to pop in and grab the Baker's Dozen collection. It's only available for the month of February.

Okie doke... please take a moment to check out today's easy-peasy dreamy light tutorial below. (if you are reading this by email you will have to pop into the site to view the video)

See you tomorrow for Texture Tuesday....

Later this week I will be back with the Picture Process eCourse details.

as always... so much gratitude,

xo, 

p.s. Coming soon....I will shed a little light on photoshop cs6. I get many emails asking if it's worth the upgrade.... I can't say one way or the other, but I'm happy to share some of the features I adore most about it. 

 

{Texture Tuesday} - Minus 43 eDition & a Texture Tutorial

Be sure to check out my texture tutorial at the bottom of this post.

textured with -43

Hello friends,

Welcome to TT.... the - 43 eDition.

This week's TT challenge details are...
your image must contain at least one layer of my texture Minus 43.  That's it, that's all.

If you missed the download, click HERE to grab it.

To share, simply add your link below using the inlinkz gadget down at the bottom of today's post. 

Before you move into the link up, just a few things.

First, Next Weeks TT Theme

I'd love to see something colourful... a photo that POPS....

Tuesday, February 5th's theme is Make it Pop... Color Pop that is....

Your image must contain at least one layer of my textures and it must POP....  red, green, pink...  any pop of colour you wish to share..... Sound good?

Second.....

Beyond Beyond started last Wednesday. There's still time to dive in.

I'm so excited. This group of 2B'ers in amazing!! The work they are sharing so far...is truly BEYOND.

Lightroom, Photoshop, Textures, Type & Photography tips will be covered in this one year eCourse.  Click HERE for further details.

Third....Thank you so much for the input on a Photoshop cs6 & or Elements 11 class... I appreciate all your thoughts so much! More on that soon.... Very excited to share my thoughts with you....

Finally, I have a little texture tips tutorial... scroll down to check it out.....

::

Okie doke, let's get this week's TT started.

Please note, the link up will remain open until Saturday, February 2nd... so there's plenty of time to link up.

Love & gratitude.....

xo,

 

Texture Tips Tutorial

5 Fact Friday - Photoshop Tips & a Give Away

dreaming of a little quiet...right here.... maybe on Sunday.... :)

Hello friends,

It's Friday....5 Fact Friday that is....... I'm linking up with Reflection of You Five Fact Friday.... It's open all week, so feel free to play too .. It's FUN! Click here to check it out.

Today I thought I'd share 5 Photoshop Tips&Tricks I Love...... Scroll down to check out the screencast 5 fact version....see the tips in action.

Okie doke...let's dive in.

Fact 1. Totally Rad's new Pro Retouch 2.0 action set is BLOWING my mind..... I posted a little review over at Shutter Sisters...come check it out.... So good. Sorry Elements users...it is a CS set only....

Fact 2. I have no idea why I didn't do this before... But when you click the command key it temporarily turns your current tool into the move tool. Very very handy....

Fact 3. When you draw out a selection you can always transform your selection by zipping up to the selection menu and choosing transform selection. From there you can 'perfect' your selection. And while we are on selections, you can always move your selection as you are making it by temporarily holding down the space bar, this will allow you to move the selection exactly where you would like it to be. Once you have it in place, release the space bar.

Fact 4. If your brush cursor disappears...check the cap locks.... when the caps are on, you will only see the cross hairs not the full brush shape. The other possibility is you are working on a low-res image....and your brush is so big you can't see the shape.... if it's not cap locks...try reducing the brush size.

Fact 5. To quickly adjust the brush size use the right and left bracket keys... so much quicker. And finally.... to select a colour from within your image.... while the brush tool is selected.... click within your photo while holding down the option key on a mac, alt on a pc.....and your brush will temporarily turn into the eye dropper

For further clarification....watch the screencast below. :)

How 'bout a Give Away?

I'd love to hear your FAV Photoshop Tips/Tricks.... Please share in the comments below.

Today' I'm giving a FREE spot in my self-paced/independent Photoshop Essentials class to one lucky commenter...  If you don't have any PS tips...that's okay too... just say hello. :)

I will announce the winner this coming Sunday.

::

I'm off..... Here's to a fabulous weekend....

Until next time.... always..... grateful you stopped by. And hoping to visit lots of 5 fact links this week.....

xo,

View on Vimeo

{Texture Tuesday} The Number Three eDition

mouse over to see the before

.....

 

Hello TT Friends! 

So nice to see you here!  Are you ready to link up?  :)

This week .... Texture Tuesday is all about the #3.....  

And my oh my... I can not wait to see your fabulous interpretations.

But first, I have an easy-peasy recipe for today's peony photo..... 3 peonies in 3 coca cola bottles.....  

I couldn't resist...I had to photograph some more peonies.... Gosh they are so beautiful.

'sigh' 

If only they could last all summer!  

I used the latest canvas-back freebie and another of my favs..... plaster 2 from the Studio Collection. I wanted the subtle framed edge that plaster2 creates..... but this recipe would work well with the freebie canvas-back magic texture as well.

The Three Peony - 5~Layer Photoshop Recipe

layer 1- background

layer 2 - hue/saturation adjustment magenta channel.... just slightly desaturated

layer 3 - canvas back at multiply 22% opacity

layer 4 - plaster 2 inverted and set to screen blend mode 100%

layer 5 - duplicate of layer 3

That's it...that's all....

.....

Before we get to linking up... let's talk next week's TT challenge.....

After a little pondering...an idea came to me..... (probably because I'm all about the peonies lately).

The Tuesday, July 12th TT Prompt is:

Let's get creative.... The possibilities are endless. 

Think outside the box..... have fun with it.... and when you post...share a little about your interpretation if you wish. :)

....

Alright TT friends.... time to link up your 'Number 3 Textured Photos'.....  

Thanks for 'playing'!!

Love.... and gratitude.....

xxo, 

P.S. new to Texture Tuesdays? Click HERE to get the details before you link up.

Finding Fabulousness in the Simplest Places

Happiest Monday

How are you? 

Today I thought I'd pop in and share a my little photography challenge....

and a few tips as well!

So here's the scoop.  Day after day, Ben and I walk down the back lane...  We put a harness under his belly to support his back end....In one hand I hold the leash, in the other, I hold the harness.  The leash keeps him from running.  My oh my does he really wants to run!

Anyhow, I tell you all this, cause as I walk down the lane with him, I am constantly wishing I could take some pics.  The frost has been beautiful this winter.  And snow is such an amazing backdrop for pretty much anything!  But there's no way I can take pics.  My hands are FULL. :)

Oh I should have also mentioned that we do not leave Ben unattended.  EVER.  And we can do that, because I work from home...plus, I don't have much of a life. :) As long as we are in the same room with him, we know he is safe.  And this allows us to leave him out of the crate.  He can sleep on his blanket in the studio and when the boys are around he likes to hang with them on the couch or love seat.  Okay so, I tell you all this....cause I can't just grab my camera when the light is right and zip out to take some pics. At least not for a few more weeks. 

Today I was like, darn it Kim, just jump in the Escape and go.  So I loaded up Mr. Ben and off we went, around the corner and down the back alley..... 

Before I headed out I thought...  hmm, how bout giving yourself a little challenge.... keep it interesting. :)

So here's what I came up with......

My Challenge

Part 1 - See what you can capture by staying in the car. (I simply rolled down my window or opened the door, and a for a few shots I had to roll down Ben's window.) 

Part 2 - Processing- I allowed myself only one texture for all the photos.  So before I began I picked one that I thought would work. And I also told myself to limit the photoshop layers to no more than four. :)

So with that said... here's my little backlane photoshoot...  and I will finish it off with a little video tutorial.  

Sound good?  :)

Oh I should mention I used GreyDay Slate....and if you do not have it yet...

you can download it HERE along with it's companion GreyDay Stone.

Why did I choose GreyDay Slate?  Mainly because the GreyDay textures work really well with winter pics...and also because it has lots of interesting depth and texture....Oh and I like that it is framed. :)

Okie doke....Come along...for a little back lane stroll

a little peek into Ben's world...

'sigh'

....

totally love the little seeds on these branches....

love what the framing does to this image.

found this a little harsh...yet I liked the bokeh...

the texture softened it a little.

and last but not least...

....

And here's a little video on how I processed today's images.

Thanks for popping by! Here's to a fabulous week!

If you wanna play along... why not give the challenge a try. Then come on back and share your link! I'd love to see what you come up with!

Love & Gratitude...xxo, Kim

p.s. If you would like to share this post with your friends, feel free to use the share buttons below.  Thanks bunches....