Vivid Visions Photo-Graphics » photoshop elements

Winter 2010 Digital Photo Class Schedule is Set

Judy — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:33:16 +0000

Winter time is a popular season for the Vivid Visions Cameras Computer and Cyberspace Digital Photography classes, and the Southold Recreation Dept. has finalized the schedule.

We’ll be doing things a bit different next year, with the biggest change that the classes will be held at the Recreation Center instead of the Southold High School. We have been grateful for the use of the High School’s computer room, but as the course has evolved to meet the needs of the students, it has become less than ideal.

The first four week session will cover the real basics—downloading images to the computer, organizing and tagging image files, and sharing to social networking sites or online galleries. We’ll use Picasa, the free program offered by Google. The second four week session will cover the basics of the digital darkroom using Photoshop Elements and Picasa to perform basic editing and retouching.

Classes fill up very quickly, so mark your calendars and keep an eye out for the Southold Recreation Dept. brochure.

Hope to see you next year!

Protected: Put It Into Words-Working With Text

Judy — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:20:59 +0000

Protected: Photoshop Filter Gallery-Your Secret Weapon

Judy — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:15:27 +0000

Protected: Greeting Cards & Photo Collages

Judy — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:16:04 +0000

Protected: The Right Blend Makes A Difference

Judy — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:42:00 +0000

Protected: Cloning-A New Way to Erase the Bad

Judy — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:49:29 +0000

Protected: Painted Photos

Judy — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:38:32 +0000

Protected: Peel Away the Layers

Judy — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:24:17 +0000

Protected: Get the Red Out…Fixing Red-eye in Elements

Judy — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:16:50 +0000

Protected: Put It Into Words

Judy — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:40:24 +0000

Protected: Transformations Make the Difference

Judy — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:04:57 +0000

Protected: Color Your World

Judy — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:22:21 +0000

Protected: Correcting Exposure

Judy — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:52:13 +0000

Finding Help for Photo-Editing

Judy — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:16:00 +0000

One of the main reasons I jumped on the digital photography bandwagon so early on was the simplicity of making photo edits. Before the digital age brought Photoshop down to the consumer level, like the rest of you, I had to rely on my camera to get it right, and I had to wait until the film was developed to know for sure. So many of my “experiments” turned out to be good for nothing more than lining for the trash bin.

But a little knowledge of Photoshop, or other similar photo-editing software allowed me to fix exposure, adjust color casts and remove red eye. It became evident to me very quickly that the possibilities of photo editing and enhancement could be endless! All I needed was time to develop my skills, and a vision to see the project through to the end.

I searched everywhere for tips and techniques, and experienced teachers to show me the way. Unfortunately, the Southold community didn’t have many resources, and so I taught myself by scouring the photography message boards, spending a small fortune on tutorial books, and devoting more time than I care to admit going through the process of trial and error.

Here are two of my own photos:

The first one was my very first attempt at cloning. I was attempting to make it look as though Arty was eating my purple gorilla mascot. Not a bad effort, but clearly not my best work!

The second photo is actually a photo that I manipulated in Photoshop to look like a watercolor painting. What a difference some training makes, doesn’t it?

Soon I found others asking me for help on fixing their photos, and so I offered my services to the Southold Recreation Dept. This partnership is now in its third year, and the next six-week session of Cameras, Computers and Cyberspace is set to begin on April 1st and will run every Wednesday evening through May 13th. So, if you are ready to take your photo editing to the next level, then contact the Southold Recreation Dept. to register now!

If Weds. nights are inconvenient for you, contact Vivid Visions directly to schedule a private lesson.

“Wet on Wet” watercolor technique

Judy — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 23:27:00 +0000

If you liked my last post discussing my painted photo techniques, you may be interested to know where I learned the watercolor technique.

The real trick in making digitally painted photos look like real watercolor or airbrushed paintings is the ability to do wet on wet paint brushing. Photoshop comes with some great brushes, but the wet on wet style is the final stage that makes the finished piece look finished.

I know I am giving away some trade secrets here, but the wet on wet technique and the brushes to go with it are found in tutorials offered in the Photoshop instructional book, entitled
“How to Wow Photoshop for Photography” by Jack Davis and Ben Willmore. This books includes loads of tutorials and some extras on CD for you to load on your computer.

Then practice, practice, practice! It’s like paint by numbers, only better, and you will love the results.

I have turned my painted photo digital watercolor images into journal books, greeting cards, mugs and mousepads. If you would like to check out some of my work, click here, and feel free to have a look around…there’s no charge for browsing, but with the holiday season here, you may find something for that special someone on your gift list!