Fun with Filters

As you probably already know if you've been following my blog, I've been invited to contribute a photo collage to a calendar for charity (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out my previous post). The theme of the calendar is what peace means to each artist, and everyone else is contributing either a painting or a drawing. In order to make my collage fit with the rest of the calendar stylistically, I decided to teach myself all about filters for this project. For those who are reading my blog to pick up a few tips, you may find the next few paragraphs to be handy. For those who just want to see some pictures, this entry is particularly full of them! Below, I've posted the original photo (some with tweaks such as slight overexposure to make to make the filters work better), followed by the version I edited using filters. I've also posted two versions of the collage--same photos, arranged in different ways. I would really love some feedback if you have a strong initial reaction in favor of one versus the other. Finally, there are a few photos that aren't related to the collage--I just edited them for fun!

So, now to the technical tips. GIMP didn't come with some of the filters I was interested in applying, so I had to search around on the GIMP registry for a bit before I found the scripts I was looking for. I found these to be particularly useful. You'll need to have Python properly installed for these extra scripts to work, though (if you're confused by that statement, check out this entry). Download the second file (_246c.zip) and follow the instructions in the enclosed read me file. I will say, the scripts folder was not exactly where he said it would be, so I had to dig around a bit. I promise, though, it's there! Just snoop around in the GIMP files until you find it. If you're already running GIMP, you'll need to restart it before the scripts show up.

Ok, so you have your script installed. Now what? If you have a photo you're interested in editing open, take a look in the Script-fu menu option--you should see a bunch of new options under Photo Effects. There are also a few hidden in the regular filters menu for some reason--for example, the Stamp option, which gives you the ability to make a photo in the style of the iconic Che Guevara image, is hidden in Filters-->Decor-->Photo Effects-->Artist. No idea why. At any rate, just start playing around with all of these filters--me describing them in painful detail will never be as good as you fiddling around until you figure out what each little slider button on each filter does. A few pointers before you begin, though:

1. Don't save over your original! Give your experiment a new file name. Hopefully this is an obvious tip, but it's worth repeating...

2. One filter is probably not enough. On some of the photos below, I applied 10+ filters before I arrived at a photo I was happy with. For example, pastel, unsharp mask, oil painting, unsharp mask.

3. Don't be afraid to fiddle with the colors and really crank up the saturation--obviously it depends on the look you are going for, but I found that some of the images still looked way too much like photos until I started applying more vibrant colors. I actually did some color adjustments in Lightroom and then moved back to GIMP between filters for a few of the photos. The photo of the street below is a good example of this.

4. As you may have guessed from tip #2, I like to apply unsharp mask a lot. Turn the threshold down and the radius up quite a bit and it can really help to define the subject of the photo if applying an artistic filter made it look like a big ugly blob. Doesn't always work, but give it a shot.

5. I occasionally needed to edit a photo for color/contrast/exposure before editing to get the effect to work in the desired manner. The filters will be particularly uninspiring on low contrast or dark images. Don't be afraid to slightly overexpose or underexpose an image so that it will pop when you apply a filter.

6. I often use the smudge tool to remove some detail. Likewise, you may want to clone out some of the details. The photo of the children on the grey background and the buildings on the pastel street below are two good examples of this. Sometimes too much detail gives it away as a photo--try ditching some detail.

Alright, enough talk! Time for some photos.

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Collage version 1:

Collage version 2:

And some extras, just for fun!

Creating a Collage

As you know if you read my previous post, I've been invited to contribute a photo collage to a 2013 calendar focused on the subject of peace. Obviously this will be occupying most of my creative time for the next few weeks, especially since I've never used GIMP to create a photo collage. So, if you're wondering how it's done, here goes:

1. In GIMP, select File-->New to create a new file

2. Select Image-->Scale Image and set the dimensions for your collage. You can set the dimensions in pixels, inches, etc in the first drop down menu on the right (next to the boxes where you can enter the width/height. Note: the aspect ratio is locked by default. To change this so that it doesn't automatically adjust the width when you set the height (or vice versa), click on the box that looks like chain next to the boxes for entering the value for width and height. Click the "scale" button at the bottom when you are satisfied with the dimensions.

3. You're ready to add photos now! I'd recommend using photos that have already been adjusted for contrast, tone, etc as a starting point. So, how do you add photos? Well, you'll need to select File-->Open As Layers for each image you want to add.

4. If your photo isn't the size you want it to be (and most likely it's not), you'll need to adjust the size of the layer (NOT scale image, but scale layer). How? In the layers dockable dialog box. This is a little moveable toolbox that says "layers" at the top, and it should have one entry for each pictures you import, plus an entry for your background. The layers dialog box should open as a default in GIMP, but if it doesn't you can go to Windows-->Dockable Dialogs-->Layers.

5. In the layers dialog box, right click on the image you want to resize. From the menu that appears, select "scale layer". Now you can resize the image just as you normally would. You will need to do this for each photo that is not the right size.

6. Lastly, move everything around and fiddle with the background colors until you are happy with the appearance. That's it!


My photo collage is very much still a work in progress, but I figured I'd go ahead and share what I have so far. I'm still working on shooting/editing photos to add, and obviously I still have some work to do arranging the photos. I am the only photographer in the calendar, and since everyone else is painting or drawing, I've been using artistic filters to edit my photos to fit with the stylistic theme. I'd love some feedback if you have any initial reactions/suggestions :)

A Timely Contribution to Charity

I know I've been rambling on quite a bit lately about how to find an audience and get some artistic criticism, but I think I've failed to pay proper homage to the importance of having a supportive group of family and friends. I think I would have given up on the idea that my work might be enjoyable to anyone but me many times over were it not for the encouragement I've received from my amazing family and friends. For instance, my Uncle Steve recommended that I start this blog. And now, thanks to my fabulous grandmother, I am pleased to report that I've been invited by her friend Jolene DeLisa to contribute a photo collage for a 2013 charity calendar revolving around the theme of peace.

Please indulge me as I depart, for a moment, from the theme of photography in order to give you a bit of background information on the Great Peace March, which is the inspiration for the calendar. In 1986, approximately 1,200 gathered in Los Angeles, California with the intention of marching to Washington, D.C. to demonstrate their commitment to and passion about nuclear disarmament. In the face of substantial adversity, a core of between 300 and 400 of the original marchers, in addition to several hundred more who joined along the way, arrived in D.C. in November of 1986. My grandmother, Connie Fledderjohann, was among the core of marchers who made the full trip; she has co-authored a book about the Great Peace March (yes, she is THAT awesome), and her friend Jolene from the march, as part of her continuing commitment to peace, has decided to make a calendar for charity centered on the the theme of peace. She is seeking artists from around the world, and hoping that the theme of peace will relate to the artist's specific cultural context. The calendar is called The World at Peace, and it will be available for purchase on Amazon.

I'm excited to be a part of the project, and I'm looking forward to learning some new editing techniques in the process. I've never made a photo collage in GIMP before, so you can bet I'll be posting what I learn soon!

Flickring

Well, it's finally happened. I gave in and joined Flickr. It's not as though I was opposed to Flickr before--I was just thoroughly disinterested. My understanding of Flickr was that it was simply a place to upload your favorite vacation pictures and share them with your friends. And, hey, I already have Facebook for that, right? Turns out, though, I underestimated Flickr. I'll try my best not to be too cheesy here, but now that I've entered the wonderful world of Flickr, it strikes as more of a community of people who are passionate about photography. Sure, there are people who just use it to upload pictures of their babies for their families. Don't get me wrong--that's great. But it's also full of people who take beautiful photos, who appreciate beautiful photos, and who are looking for opportunities for artistic growth.

Now, I'll admit, getting started on Flickr was a frustrating process. For one thing, the terminology is a little different from what I'm accustomed to. A gallery, for instance, is not a collection of your own work. An album of your own work is referred to as a set. After a little fiddling around and holding my head in confusion, I managed to figure these things out. I also discovered the joy of groups. There are groups for just about every photograph interest under the sun on Flickr, and they seem to be a good way to find an audience of people who are interested in your subject. Some of these groups allow you to display your work, no strings attached; others are centered on an award process, where you upload your photo, and then vote for other photos in the group that you feel deserve some recognition. Awarding other photos involves copying and pasting html code, however, and some groups are a little better at explaining this than others, so this was another point of confusion at first. Luckily, it seems that all groups follow the same format, with the award code pasted at the bottom of the group homepage, so it's just a matter of copying this code and pasting it into the comments section on the photograph.


Thankfully, I've made it through the frustration of learning a new site, and I think I've got the hang of it now. So far I've received a lot of positive feedback on my photos, been discovered by some new followers, and seen a lot of beautiful photography. I'm enjoying seeing everyone's work--it's a great exercise in thinking about what makes a photograph compelling, and what makes for an unremarkable photo. All in all, I'd call operation Flickr a success. If you're on Flickr, I'd love to have you as a contact. Please consider adding me!

And, for good measure, a few of the photos that I've happily received some feedback on:

Facebook Friendzy

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what makes someone a great photographer.  Is it enough to shoot well-composed photographs?  To carefully and thoughtfully edit your photographs?  What role does having an audience play in making/shaping the photographer?  Personally, I think that anyone who has the drive to get out there with the camera and work to improve his/her craft is a photographer.  But, a great photographer?  How do you hone your skills, master your craft, to the point that you become "great"? 

I would argue that audience has a lot to do with it.  Getting constructive feedback, thinking about the implications for your work, and refining your approach are all, I believe, important steps in the process of artistic growth.  So, I return to a question that has been plaguing me for awhile: how do you find an audience for your work?  It seems easy enough, right?  There's plenty of advice to be found online, of course.  In a previous post, for example, I talked about an article which suggested selling photographs on stock photography websites.  After about two months of that, I decided that it just isn't for me--I didn't sell any work, I wasn't getting any feedback, and I have my doubts that anyone bothers to read the credits on a stock photo.  In another post, I discussed the possibility of entering photography contests as a means of self-promotion.  While this strikes me as a more promising avenue than stock photography (I'm at least getting some ratings on my photographs, even though I haven't received any comments yet), getting your work out and getting feedback obviously involves a lot more than just entering a few photography contests and selling some stock photos (if you're lucky). 

So, with that in mind, I've decided to give Facebook a try.  My grandmother, who does macro floral photography, suggested that we start up a joint venture, and Fledderbug Photography was born.  So far we have 18 followers, and I'm hoping for more every day.  We've both been uploading photos to the site.  Please stop by and have a look!  Of course, if you're inclined to like the page, your support and feedback are greatly appreciated!

And, lest I be accused of writing a photography blog devoid of photographs, here's a small sampling of the photographs I've uploaded so far.  More to come!

Delightfully Desaturated

In an effort to get the most out of my remaining days of my free trial with Adobe's Lightroom, I've started randomly experimenting with settings just to see what kinds of whacky things I can create.  Of course, most of what I accomplish involves making some previously fine photos really, really ugly.  Every once in awhile, though, I stumble across something that really works.  I present Exhibit A:


Original:

Experiment:

And now to share my secret: desaturation.  Ok, I may have given that one away a little with the title of this post.  There are other, much more complicated ways to accomplish this look once you've mastered the art of using selection tools, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover this handy little short cut.  So, the key is to pick a photo where the colors in the subject share no common elements with the items in the background--otherwise, you end up with a fully saturated subject, and a few random streaks of color in the background.  In the "Develop Room", scroll down the toolbar on the right until you hit the "HSL/Color/ B&W" section.  You can click on individual colors (displayed in boxes below the heading, above the sliding bars), then desaturate individual colors one-by-one by sliding the saturation bar all the way to the left.  Just don't desaturate the colors featured in your subject.  Voila!  Quick and painless, huh? 

I liked this particular technique so much that I went a little crazy with it.  As I said, it doesn't really work if the colors in your subject appear in the background, too--but it was fun playing with the saturation on a variety of photos and seeing some of the surprising successes.  I've shared two of my favorites below. 

Original:

Experiment:

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Therapee for Photographers

As you know if you've been following my blog, I'm a girl on a budget, which means that my general philosophy when it comes to photo editing software is cheaper=better, free=best.  Of course, it's not a hard and fast rule; obviously a free program that doesn't do what you need it to do is pretty much worthless.  That being said, there are lovely, smart people out on the interwebs who have designed freeware that, admittedly, isn't quite as flashy and straightforward as the Adobe equivalent software, but still does an excellent job of performing the same functions as the very expensive Adobe software.  GIMP is the obvious example, here--the freeware answer to Adobe Photoshop.  Turns out, though, that there's also a freeware equivalent of Lightroom (you may recall I've been using Lightroom on a free 30 day trial, and my last post outlines some of the basic functions of the program if you're interested).  The program is called Raw Therapee, and it's available for download here if you'd like to try it out for yourself.

My initial impression of the program is, overall, positive.  The developers of Raw Therapee have clearly gone out of their way to make the program similar to Lightroom in layout and appearance, and a lot of the controls work in a pretty intuitive way: much like Lightroom, there are sliding bars for most of the functions, and you can enter a numerical value or simply click and drag to make adjustments to your photos.  The program also appears to have all of my favorite Lightroom functions--highlight recovery, luminance recovery, the ability to alter the black point separate from adjusting contrast, etc.  On the downside, the program seems to be struggling to open some of my photos--not many, but a few appear to be compacted, with the gap between the compacted photo and the original size of the photo filled by vertical lines.  Disproportionately this is happening with photos that have been scanned, but it has happened with a few I shot digitally as well, and, in some cases, it can display the original scanned photo fine, but struggles with versions I have edited in GIMP.  I've provided an example so you can see what I'm talking about below.  I'm not sure why this is happening, but it is a definite strike against Raw Therapee; I haven't had any problems like this with Lightroom. 

As you can see, though, the interface is fairly similar to the interface in Lightroom, so the program is fairly user friendly.  I haven't tested this out yet, but it is also supposed to tie in well with GIMP, and, like Lightroom, it allows you to develop images shot in RAW format (if you don't know what RAW format is, just ignore that; if you do, I'm guessing you already know what I mean by develop RAW images).  The other big drawback that I've found so far is that instead of exporting your edited image to the folder of your choosing without ever altering the original, Raw Therapee requires that you save the file using a "save as" function, which increases the likelihood that you could inadvertently save over your original image.  Another thing to note (this isn't necessarily a con for me, but could be for some people) is that there aren't a lot of preset edits in Raw Therapee (i.e. there is a massive list of adjustments--black and white 1, black and white 2, old fashioned, etc. that you can make in Lightroom), so if you rely on preset edits, you may need to do some digging online to find plugins for presets in Raw Therapee.  On the whole, though, it has a wide range of handy tools--as far as I can tell, you can do everything in Raw Therapee that you can do in Lightroom, and some that Lightroom doesn't have as well (and as soon as I can figure out what these tools do, I'll be more specific about that...).  I haven't found it as easy to figure out as Lightroom, but I'm sure with some concentrated time with the manual, things will become more apparent.  That said, I decided to run a quick test to see if the programs can produce the same results: I edited the image below twice--once in Lightroom, and once in Raw Therapee.  I leave you to judge for yourself (keep in mind I've spent about 15 more days with Lightroom than with Raw Therapee, so at least some of the differences you see are, I'm sure, due to my lack of expertise in Raw Therapee).

Lightroom:

Raw Therapee:

Dusting

Since about 2003 (I think), I've been shooting almost exclusively digital.  As much as I love the process of developing and printing with film photography, I simply don't have the resources for film photography these days.  Even beyond the cost of film, I don't have access to a darkroom, and who wants to take their precious photographs to the 1 Hour Photo booth?  Half the fun of shooting film is developing the film and enlarging!  So, my images generally go straight from camera to laptop these days. 

I did, however, pull a crazy all-night scanning session sometime during my transition from film to digital in order to digitize my favorite prints.  Well, my favorite prints of the ones I happened to be able to locate when I was struck with the scanning insanity (or, if you prefer, scansanity).  Anyway, it turns out that when you're sleep deprived and on a mission, you don't take really important steps like, say, cleaning the scanner.  So, as you can see below, I ended up with a big line down some of my photos, in addition to a lot of dust.  Bleh. 

So, time for some editing, I guess.  Now, the dust is a pain.  I did the editing on this between Lightroom and GIMP.  The dust was time-consuming, but easy enough.  Lightroom has a healing tool which allows you to adjust your selection tool size and select the area you want to "heal".  Lightroom then picks nearby pixels to clone over the spot in need of healing.  It's not always perfect--sometimes it does a really bad job of picking the best pixels to copy.  However, you can easily adjust the area it selects to copy from by dragging the selection circle to another area of your choosing.  The giant, ugly line, however, was not so easy.  Now, maybe there is a very simple way to get rid of a nasty streak in your photo that I'm just not aware of, but that pesky line took well over an hour zoomed in about 1500% with the clone tool...and a lot of CTRL + Z action (for those of you who don't know what that is, it's the shortcut to undo--very handy when you clone something, hate what you've done, and want to delete it...repeatedly).  As you can see below, I managed to get rid of the line and the dust--it's not perfect, but I'm pretty pleased (yes, I also cropped a bit while I was cleaning the photo up anyway).  Lesson learned, though!  Save yourself hours by cleaning the scanner first!