Golden Hour Swan - texturized (Page 3): Thanks for your very lovely comments. Glad you enjoyed!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Reuss Griffiths wrote:

I like the addition of the leaves to the swan. Draws your eye right to the swan and in addition to softening up the image and giving it depth, it also makes it more intimate. Nice job.

Thanks for your very lovely comments. Glad you enjoyed!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Started over with the leaves. Didn't do an invert layer on them, and just now realized that made the branches black instead of green in the blend mode, as well as keeping the leaves less colorful. I'm thinking I like it. I also decided to not attempt to blur them

NJFrank had suggested a vignette, so I decided to try the Nik Color Efex filter called darken (edges) /lighten center. The filter gives more control over size and opacity of the darkening, as well as doing whatever center lighten (and size) you desire.

Finally, I added a black "stroke" as a frame, via "resize canvas." I've done these occasionally in the past. Veralisa296's topic here reminded me.

Thanks to all!

(Download)

NJFrank Loc: New Jersey

I like this one much better. All the branches seem to be pointing to the swan. And that is would guess is what the shot was all about.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

Nicely done, Linda! I really like the new branch in the upper left of the frame. A few nits to pick if I may. For my eye, the branch in the middle of the bottom is closer than I'd like to the bird's reflection, as is the branch from the lower right corner; just a tiny bit further away would please this old coot's eye. And there's a bit of white in the background near the branch coming in from the middle of the left edge that I would prefer to do without.

But it is all nits. Overall, a lovely image!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

NJFrank wrote:

I like this one much better. All the branches seem to be pointing to the swan. And that is would guess is what the shot was all about.

Thanks very much, Frank.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

cbtsam wrote:

Nicely done, Linda! I really like the new branch ... (show quote)

Thanks so much, Sam. There is one other nit: a small area of the swan is too white

Will tackle these issues over the weekend.

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

I like the branches in silhouette better in this image. And since we're talking nits here, here's another one. I've been looking at your "dirty window" effect on the image. It does soften the image and suggests rain drops but if they are rain drops, you would expect to see the ripples in the water. I think at this point, one has to step back and look at the image and ask yourself do you like it and stop procrastinating about all the elements that produce the final effect. That's a long-winded way of saying I like it.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Reuss Griffiths wrote:

I like the branches in silhouette better in this i... (show quote)

Thank you very much, Reuss. I hadn't considered the look to be "rain drops" in a literal sense, so I'll pretend we didn't talk about that line of reasoning, since I think I'm ready to move on as you are

Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky

As always, I seem to be swimming against the crowd. Personally, I think the image without the branches is Stunning! I'm thinking a Very large print hanging on a wall in a lakeside lodge. I can see it, large print hanging over the fireplace, the logs are crackling from the fire and the floor to ceiling windows showing me the lake surrounded by all its fall colors.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Fstop12 wrote:

As always, I seem to be swimming against the crowd. Personally, I think the image without the branches is Stunning! I'm thinking a Very large print hanging on a wall in a lakeside lodge. I can see it, large print hanging over the fireplace, the logs are crackling from the fire and the floor to ceiling windows showing me the lake surrounded by all its fall colors.

That's a wonderfully beautiful vision of a dream I'd love to make a reality!

Many thanks for your interest; I'm delighted you enjoyed the results of my dirty-window texture.

jaredjacobson

Linda From Maine wrote:

Started over with the leaves. Didn't do an invert ... (show quote)

I liked the first version you posted with the branches quite a lot, but this is better still. The suggestions and your artistry definitely brought out the best in this image.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

jaredjacobson wrote:

I liked the first version you posted with the branches quite a lot, but this is better still. The suggestions and your artistry definitely brought out the best in this image.

Thank you very much, Jared. I'm so pleased you enjoyed.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

I was just reviewing, Linda, and it occurred to me that you might consider a golden stroke outside your black stroke. Just a thought.

I've tried that sort of thing before, when I wanted a frame that echoed a major color in the image as I was taught to do, but it would meld with the image in parts, so I'd set it off with a black stroke, and then apply the echoing colored one.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

cbtsam wrote:

I was just reviewing, Linda, and it occurred to me that you might consider a golden stroke outside your black stroke. Just a thought.

I've tried that sort of thing before, when I wanted a frame that echoed a major color in the image as I was taught to do, but it would meld with the image in parts, so I'd set it off with a black stroke, and then apply the echoing colored one.

Thanks, Sam! I've done that occasionally in the past, with the outer (color) stroke being a little wider. I'll start thinking about it again now that you, Veralisa296, Fstop12 and Magnetoman are all in

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Linda From Maine wrote:

I spent a lot of time trying to decide where and h... (show quote)

I think the leaves work quite well. They frame the image of the swan. I think I would leave them.
Erich