Edit Me # 1

This is my first "edit me" challenge this year.  I participated several times last year, but somehow it kept slipping by me this year.  But today is the day.  Ashley Sisk  is contributing a photo and choosing her favs this week.  So thought I would jump in and give it a try.

This is the original....sweet cutie patootie, however there is the light glare on one side of his face creating dark shadows.  This may tip me over the edge to purchase the new Lightroom 4 because I think that would resolve some of these problems with glare.  However, since I don't have Lightroom yet, I gave it a whirl in Elements 9.

This is my edit...  Used PSE 9, lightened, lightened and lightened some more, de-saturated the color, then ran "dreamy color" from Paint the Moon.  Also sharpened, cropped, and then added Coffee Shop Blog "Velvet Truffle" effect, lowering the opacity somewhat.  And there he is...so sweet and a mighty big chair he is sitting in too.

Until next time....

Edit Me Challenge Week 25

This week our challenge contributor is Misty from Through a Photographer's Eyes .  She has given us this terrific farm tractor to edit anyway we want.  I always find these challenges, challenging, but fun. 

Here is the original.....

 And here is mine......

I am a huge lover of light, so the first thing I always do is lighten, lighten, lighten....crop, take out shadows, remove the corn stalk growing out of the steering wheel (?), add a vintage Florabella texture and finally add a frame. 

These challenges are fun...stop by and admire the edits for this great little tractor and join in on the fun each week. 

Until next time......

Whoops, just tried to enter and I am too late...silly me, didn't realize the challenge closed on Saturday...but since I did the edit, I am leaving the post.  

Week 24 Edit Me

I really think these Edit Me Challenges are so fun...LOVE them. This week Branson from My Reflection of Something who is one of the lovely hostesses of this weekly challenge has presented us with an image of her own to edit. A found treasure from her Grandfather, an old Brownie Hawkeye Camera. Oh, would I love to have one of these in my stash. But will have to settle for editing her's.
So, here is the original.....

And here is mine......

 
I edit all my images in PSE 9. 

• Decided to crop the pic down to really highlight the camera.  I thought the trees, bushes and too bright sky was distracting to the focal point of the shot.
• Lightened, ran a slight contrast boost and sharpened (camera only) with "paint the moon" actions.
• Enhanced the vintage look with a Florabella Vintage Wine Action
• Added a tattered frame from Cottage Arts Scrap Frames 9
• Added text

And that's it for this week's edit.  Come on over and join the fun.

Until next time.......

Edit Me Week 23

It's Wednesday which means "Edit Me" is ready with another challenge.  This week's Edit Me Challenge is from Wendy Wright a writer, photographer, homeschooling mom, and a Disneyland nut.  She features her pictures on her website Choosing Love .  Today she presented us with this challenge....and it was a challenge.  The challenge was not her cute little boys but all that glaring and I mean glaring glare.  I tried several ways to try and disguise it, but to no avail, so I just went with it and tried to ignore the obvious.  I lightened and brightened and softened, added a frame and some pixie dust all edited in PSE 9.  Now raise your glass to glare, something I could not make disappear. 

Here is the original pic......

And here is my edit.....

Happy Wednesday everyone, hope your week has been glaringly (is this a word??) grand!!!

Until next time.......

Edit Me Week 22

I think this is such a fun challenge each week....editing another's photo and admiring all the other beautiful edits.  There is now a new site for this weekly challenge and today is it's premier. 

This week's challenge is presented by Kristi from Live and Love Outloud.  She has presented us with a lovely photo of her daughter.  She is darling and a beautiful subject. 

Here is the original -

And here is my edit......

All my editing is done in PSE 9.  I chose to crop her face in tightly to show off her beautiful eyes and mouth.  I lightened in PSE and used photo actions by Paint the Moon.  I first softened her skin and removed some of the blemishes using "baby-soft skin", ran "banish the blues" to remove any bluish tint, highlighted her brown eyes and whitened the whites in her eyes just a tad.  Added a vignette to darken the bricks in order to make her face distinct from the bricks.   There you have it....my edit me challenge.  Appreciate any feedback offered. 

Until next time........

Edit Me Week 19

Today's Edit Me is from Deb Duty, a wonderful photographer with a terrific blog.  Deb has presented us the challenge of editing an image that so represents the changing of the seasons, holding on to the summer with the green grass and welcoming the autumn with the fallen leaf. 

Here is Deb's original.....

And here is my edit....

I edit all my photos in Photoshop Elements 9

• I cropped the photo slightly, lightened it up, and sharpened around the leaf
• Added Florabella Vintage Summer Action
• Added Kim Klassen Sonnet2 texture, 1 layer in soft light
• Added the text

Another fun edit week.  Stop by Branson's blog to view everyone's "Edit Me"





Until next time.........

Edit Me - Week 18

The lovely Kathryn from Our Tiny Big Life has posted a "terrific" photo from Chicago (my stomping grounds) for the "Edit Me" Challenge this week.  I do believe I have photographed this very same image once or twice or more.  It is difficult to edit an already pinch-me-perfect photo with that dazzling blue sky, but thought I would give it a try.  This is a fun project that I enjoy each week but what is really FUN is to see all the others that contribute to the "Edit Me" challenge.

This is the original....see what I mean about pinch-me-perfect?!!

And here is my version....

I edit in Photoshop Elements 9

• Added the Florabella Action "Vintage Wine"
• Added a free starry texture from flickr, 1 layer at soft light at 100% opacity, 2nd layer at linear burn at 25% opacity.
• Added the moon shot (mine) 3 layers, all at soft light.   
• Added the frame from Cottage Arts Scrap Frames 9 and lightened it a bit. 

Now, come on over to Branson's blog My Reflections of Something and ohhh and ahhh over all the wonderful "Edit Me" entries. 

Until next time..........

Edit Me Sept 7th Edition

What fun I had with this one.  Barns are one of my favorite subjects and this one is a real beauty.  We were requested to put this in a "all by itself" post, so I am not going to ramble on like I usually do, I will get right to the subject....

Here is the original

And here is my edit....

I do all of my editing in Photoshop Elements 9

• Created a blank canvas 4x6 and placed image on the canvas cropping some.
• Lightened up with PE tools
• Lightened up again and boosted the contrast with Paint the Moon actions
• Added Florabella Vintage - Sweet Color
• Added Kim Klassen texture "Stained Linen", 1st layer on soft light 100% opacity, 2nd layer on linear burn at 30% opacity
• Erased some of the barn & silo's 1st layer of soft light
• Added Skeletal Mess texture "Get Off My Cloud" to add more color back to the sky.  Reduced the opacity to about 50%. 
• Added frame by Coffee Shop Blog

And that's all folks...

Edit Me 1st Time

I am always up for a challenge and when I saw the "edit me" on someone's blog, I clicked over to find out more.  The challenge is hosted by Branson Lee at "My Reflection of Something".  Apparently each week a photo from a fellow "blogger" offers one of her/his photos and we other "blogger's then have the opportunity to edit that particular photo.  The offeree (this week Stephanie from Behind the camera and dreaming) then judges the entries and a winner is chosen.  This week the winner wins the new book by Katie Evans entitled "The Key to Taking Pictures Like a Professional Photographer".  Sounds like a prize I would love to win and could most certainly use!!

Here is my very first entry to Edit Me.....(a sweetheart of an image to begin with)

This is the original:

This is my edit....

I do all my editing in Photoshop Elements 9....
  1.  I lightened the image slightly
  2.  Ran Florabella's Color Haze, Soft Urban action
  3.  Sharpened dress and hair with Paint the Moon effects.
  4.  Added slight vignette edging with PTM effects
  5.  And last, added the frame from Cottage Arts Scrap Frames 9.

"Living is doing"  -  Clara Barton

Until next time.......