Digital Art From Your Photos

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Image manipulation is a fascinating bonus for the digital photographer and once you explore this exciting subject it is all too easy to get hooked. However, please note this word of caution before you try any image manipulation;

Never save manipulated images over your original images

Once you have a result you want to keep, it is all too easy to click that little "save" icon - but do not do this. You will immediately overwrite (replace) your original image with the new one. You will never be able to get your original image back.

So make it a golden rule to leave the original image untouched and click the "save as" button whenever you want to save any pleasing manipulated images you have achieved.

Having been caught by this myself, I now save all my original images on a separate hard drive or DVD and when ever I want to try manipulating an image, I copy it to my computer first to be sure of not over writing the original image. I lost some highly saleable images by falling foul of this problem - so be warned!

OK. So where do we start when we want to try some image manipulation. Well, first you will need to select some images. I would recommend you start with straightforward "chocolate box" views, like those mentioned above or anything you might see on a landscape or seascape calendar. These can easily be transformed into a dreamy, timeless watercolour or oil painting.

Believe me, the results can be quite breathtaking but you will need to have a suitable image editing or manipulation programme first like Adobe Photoshop Elements for around £60 or so but I have seen it advertised at around £20 or so from time to time. So surf the net with your browser to look for bargains.

If you don't want to commit to buying this software, Adobe offer a free 30 day trial download so you could take advantage of this to evaluate the software first. Just go to the main adobe site and click on" free trial."

Now for the exciting part. Load your selected image into Photoshop Elements and click on "Filters" on the menu bar and then, "Artistic" and try some of the options offered. If you do not like a result, simply click "Edit" -→ "Undo" from the main menu and try another one. If you do want to keep a result, don't forget not to overwrite the original file and save it as a separate jpeg. For example if the original is called "Fishing Boats.jpeg"; save the new one as "Fishing Boats 1.jpeg" or something similar - anything to distinguish it from the original.

Most of the effect options can varied by using sliding controls that change the degree and intensity of the effect. Start with the standard effect and see what the result is and then try the sliders, first singly and then in combination and see whether you like the results.

I will now share a little secret with you. I like painting pictures in watercolours and oils and I also like experimenting. So I tried using some watercolour paper in my printer and used the photo quality printing option with the original image. The result - a beautiful mellow, atmospheric watercolour of a woodland scene with a stream passing through it.

You can try this technique with the "Not" or "Rough" grades of watercolour paper but do not use the smooth variety as you will get a very similar result to using a photo paper.

When using Photoshop Elements, you will see from the effects filter options, that there are many other effects you can try and experiment with from pastel to really bizarre swirl or stained glass transformations and get some startling, unexpected results - some quite stunning. So why not expand your horizons and give it a try?

My name is Peter Martin Jones and I enjoy computing and photography in both film and digital formats.

If you would like to look at a completely free book on digital photography and other freebies, then you may like to visit my web site at;

http://www.picturememory.co.uk

The book covers everything from choosing a camera through editing your images to scanning your old film negatives and slides and uploading your image files to the internet. Everything you need to know for successful digital photography.

The book is based on my experience as a photographer and the many questions I have been asked by people who find some aspects of digital photography confusing or who simply want more information.

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