Transformation

 
1. Original

2. Sharper, darker

 
3. Black-and-white with just a bit of colour focus

 
4. Bringing out colour…

5. Even brighter…

 
6. Manual end result after playing around with the extremes…

7. Automatic result from using multi-exposure of 1-5 in Picasa

… Hmmm… Maybe some day I’ll be ready for proper HDR…?

This is an old abandoned building, I think it used to be a transformer station. Whether it was or wasn’t, it could perhaps be said to be one now, since I used it for my own photographic “transformation” experiments…

Here’s another experiment with the multi-exposure in Picasa collage. Can you identify it? It is something you have already seen on this blog, just recently. (If you have been following, that is!)

Playing Monet

When I had my computer crash back in November (an event that ought to be world famous by now), one of the programmes I lost access to was Paint Shop Pro 9, since I did not have the original CD.

Dan (of Wood and Pixels) then very kindly offered to send me an early version of Photoshop Elements (2.0) which he no longer had use for himself. I got it before Christmas, but I have waited to install it because I felt I needed to get my original pictures reorganized properly first. I did have copies of all my original digital photos saved but it took some time sorting them out anyway. (I'll refrain from boring you with every detail but it included some basic reorganizing and renaming of catalogs to better be able to find things.)

Today, finally... I decided it was time to take the plunge and install the new software and have a first look at it. Always confusing to try and find your way in a different set-up... But to prove I'm getting started, here is one of my very first random experiment with the Artistic filters (which is the part I have been missing the most from Paintshop).

I have not yet entered the mysteries of layers, but I might get there, some day...


Thank you Dan!