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Photoshop "Layers" … Helps Me through Boredom, "Artist's Block and Lousy Weather

  

Category:  Photography & Art

By:  a-macarthur  •  5 years ago  •  29 comments

Photoshop "Layers" … Helps Me through Boredom, "Artist's Block and Lousy Weather

On days when I am not particularly motivated and the weather says "No Fishing," I frequently go through old images and combine two or more using the Photoshop "Layers" feature, edit with other software and hope for decent results.

original

The thicket is along a back road in the Pocono Mountains, the hawk was flying over my back yard in Philly, and, the sunburst came from a photo editing application.

© A. Mac/A.G.


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A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
1  author  A. Macarthur    5 years ago

The image at the top left is comprised of treed from Walt Disney World, a full moon photographed from my street in Philly, and the flock of birds … I can't remember :

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
2  author  A. Macarthur    5 years ago

Anyone around?

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
2.1  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  A. Macarthur @2    5 years ago

Have not been for most of the day - many tests of my eyes at the hospital. My editing program does not have a layering facility, but I will post something a little later.  I liked both your examples.  That hawk has certainly had a lot of flights on your photos. LOL.

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
3  Kavika     5 years ago

I'm here Mac. 

I like the photos and thanks for posting them.

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
3.1  author  A. Macarthur  replied to  Kavika @3    5 years ago

Thanks for being a friend!

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
4  Ender    5 years ago

May be combined but it is a great pic. I would even think of maybe cutting it in half, chop off some of the left side.

 
 
 
KDMichigan
Junior Participates
5  KDMichigan    5 years ago

I like the one with the hawk.

Right now though my pine trees have a load of snow on them.

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
5.1  author  A. Macarthur  replied to  KDMichigan @5    5 years ago

I like to get into the woods right after a snow … before humans get in and spoil the perfection …

Like this …

original

© A. Mac/A.G.

 
 
 
Nowhere Man
Junior Participates
5.1.1  Nowhere Man  replied to  A. Macarthur @5.1    5 years ago

I think you've taken that shot before, but in a more summery environment......

Beautiful.....

I also like the undisturbed fallen snow, when it is "perfect"

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
5.1.2  author  A. Macarthur  replied to  Nowhere Man @5.1.1    5 years ago

I actually thought I lost the shot from my data base … but yesterday I found a small external drive in a box of usb cables … it's loaded with stuff I thought was gone forever.

Oh! Happy Day!

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
5.1.3  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  A. Macarthur @5.1.2    5 years ago

Ah, the rare pleasure of finding photos thought lost - I can't wait for you to start posting them.

 
 
 
Nowhere Man
Junior Participates
6  Nowhere Man    5 years ago

It works my friend.....

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
6.1  author  A. Macarthur  replied to  Nowhere Man @6    5 years ago

Thanks … going to cut in in half as per Ender's suggestion. 

Hang on …

original

© A. Mac/A.G.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Expert
6.1.1  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  A. Macarthur @6.1    5 years ago

I think that ender was right. Really like the composition. 

 
 
 
Nowhere Man
Junior Participates
6.1.2  Nowhere Man  replied to  A. Macarthur @6.1    5 years ago

Not bad Brother, but then I like the vista presentation......

I would have moved the tree a hair to the right then narrowed it up a bit horizontally and used a 4/3 presentation...

Got a question though....

Is the sunflare on a layer? or is it an overall effect? I think the presentation would be better with the crespicular rays coming under and down from the clouds rather than over them..... Would cut down on the middle image flash effect but still have a focus on the subject..... (would probably also reduce center greying also)

Nice edit....

 
 
 
It Is ME
Masters Guide
6.1.3  It Is ME  replied to  A. Macarthur @6.1    5 years ago

That one is waaaaaaaay Cool !

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
6.1.4  author  A. Macarthur  replied to  Nowhere Man @6.1.2    5 years ago
Is the sunflare on a layer? or is it an overall effect? I think the presentation would be better with the crespicular rays coming under and down from the clouds rather than over them..... Would cut down on the middle image flash effect but still have a focus on the subject..... (would probably also reduce center greying also)

Technically it's a filter and while it functions like a layer, it actually becomes part of the "target" image rather than a separate overlay/layer … a technical splitting of hairs.

The crepuscular rays' center is placed precisely over the brightest part of the image … the sun … so, logically, the rays emanate outward from that point in a single-point-linear perspective configuration. From an artistic license point-of-view, you're placement would work as described, but, here's where my Gemini-bifurcated left-brain-right-brain dictates to me.

Having degrees and backgrounds in both science and fine art … I often find myself deciding whether an image should be "true" or "whimsical to some extent."

Art historian Kennet Clarke once made a point regarding Leonardo's approach to his paintings; he posited that most artists would not "paint a six-petaled flower with five petals because it wouldn't look right … while Leonardo wouldn't do so because the flower wouldn't work right!"

More than once in my life, I have been accused of thinking too much … like right now perhaps, but, you asked a question, and, in the words of the philosopher Popeye the Sailor man …

"I am what I am and that's all what I am!"

But I always enjoy our conversations and debates.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
6.1.5  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  A. Macarthur @6.1.4    5 years ago
"I am what I am"

Isn't that what the voice coming from the burning bush said?

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
6.1.6  author  A. Macarthur  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @6.1.5    5 years ago
"I am what I am"
Isn't that what the voice coming from the burning bush said?

Yeah … but who's gonna' believe anything that Charlton Heston said?

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
6.1.7  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  A. Macarthur @6.1.6    5 years ago

I believe what he said about not being able to pry his gun from his cold dead hand - I saw photos of his arsenal, and in fact I posted them on an article on NT a long time ago.

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
7  charger 383    5 years ago

Hawk picture is very good, combining 3 images turned out very interesting 

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
8  Buzz of the Orient    5 years ago

We all have different tastes - personally, I would not make any changes to the hawk photo - I like it the way it is best.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
9  Buzz of the Orient    5 years ago

Bird of Paradise?

512

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
10  Buzz of the Orient    5 years ago

Can you picture this as a painting hanging on your wall?

512

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
10.1  charger 383  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @10    5 years ago

That is a cool picture, where is it?   It could be in Shenandoah Valley, Canada, American West  or China

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
10.1.1  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  charger 383 @10.1    5 years ago

I took the photo in the Chinese countryside and did some editing to make it look like a painting.

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
10.1.2  charger 383  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @10.1.1    5 years ago

Looks like a few places here in Shenandoah Valley, I drove through a gap like that to work for several years. I enjoyed my drive.  

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
11  Buzz of the Orient    5 years ago

Out of boredom I did some editing myself:

512

And this one:

512

And I did this for fun:

512

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
12  author  A. Macarthur    5 years ago

Boredom can be a great motivator!

 
 

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