Scott Kelby Rocks!

I love Scott Kelby. Can you hear that, Scott? I LOVE YOU! [Even if you are a Nikon man] Why, you might wonder....? And who is this Scott Kelby cat anyway....? And should my husband be worried....?

From one of his books:

"Scott is a photographer, designer and award-winning author of more than 35 books..." [Personally, I have at least ten of his books]

His website is www.scottkelby.com [who would have thunk?]

Two of my absolute favorite books of his are The Digital Photography Book -- I and II. They have helped me SO much with my photography, so I am thankful that Scott wrote them and that someone happened to give me one as a gift. I loved it so much that I promptly bought the second one.

Today, I was looking back through the first book and was reminded of a cool way to sharpen photos....and I really wish I had employed this trick on SO many photos! Ouch! Perhaps I would have a higher acceptance rate at istockphoto.com.....

For all you full version Photoshop users, it's easy....just convert an image to Lab Color, apply unsharp mask to the "Lightness" channel and then convert back to RGB. Okay, so there's a LITTLE more to it....like, how much unsharp mask [%], etc.

One example:

For people, apply 150%, Radius 1 and Threshold 10. You can try applying it twice, but if it looks freakishly sharp, then fade the second application. If you like the results or need more help, then go buy Scott's book for more tips and tricks....you won't be sorry!

[And I am getting nothing for telling you to buy his book -- not even an Amazon affiliate payment. I just applied this technique and was happy enough to share it!]

Her Eyes Just Sparkle!

Lately, I've fallen in love with Adobe Photoshop all over again. I've been using that program for about twenty years, but I am learning ALL sorts of new, cool, crazy and exciting things....and I'm having a blast!

This week, I've been going crazy with brushes. Last week, it was Styles, but this week it is definitely brushes. Who knew so many existed??? Who knew they came in so many funny, funky, cool and unusual shapes??? Well, now I know, that's for sure!

Over the weekend, I downloaded some brushes from deviantart.com. I kept hearing this site mentioned in some of my Photoshop groups, so I finally checked it out. What FUN I've been having with the brushes I found there!

Last night, I played around with an eyelash brush.....and sparkles. Look at the results! I know I went a little overboard, but it's hard to believe that the "After" was achieved in about five minutes. And with brushes....[okay, okay, and a little dodging, too].

The Devil Wears Pampers

Personally, I think my son is a little angel....he is a VERY good baby [now toddler]. I really can't complain, because he is so sweet, loving and easy going. However, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a devilish side.....

Fun With Photoshop & Filters

I'm a Photoshop JUNKIE, that's for sure. I love that program. You can take away most of my software, and I wouldn't complain. Try to take away Photoshop [notice I say TRY], and get ready for a big ole bruhaha.

In addition to being a PS addict, I am also into filters. You can use filters to get some COOL and amazing effects. Or combine multiple filters on layers. The possibilities are endless, and the results can be spectacular.

Lately, I've been having a BLAST with Filter Forge. I have been getting exciting results! Some of the images look like they were drawn or painted. So, I thought I would share a little slide show of my latest work [not everything was done with Filter Forge....some is just good, old fashioned Photoshop editing!]....