Digital Photo Mania

New Gluten Free Blog: "Gluten Free and No Regrets"

2011-11-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

Check out my latest blogging adventure at GlutenFreeAndNoRegrets.Blogspot.com.

Do-It-Yourself Christmas Cards

2009-10-09T01:48:00.000-07:00

DIY Romantic and Elegant Christmas Cards: Make it Easy with Free Digital Scrapbooking Pages -- "Making your own beautiful and romantic Christmas cards has never been easier--or this cheap! Using your computer and cute, free digital scrapbooking supplies, you can easily create stunning, personalized results and only pay when you go to print."

DIY Western Christmas Cards: Homemade for the Holidays -- "Making your own cards at Christmas time can be fun for everyone. Even if they don't turn out to be the most amazing cards ever, the crafting process can still be fun and cost-effective. Here are a few tips for DIY cards with the example theme of Western."

We Love to See the Temple

2009-09-30T16:17:00.001-07:00

Well this looks funny, but I can't even put my finger on as to what in particular it is that makes it humorous. :)

Details: The frame and picture of the Provo Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are from edited photographs. The background scrapbook paper was made in GIMP. And the two free fonts used are Scriptina and Adorable.

Halloween Photography Tips!

2009-09-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

Ten Halloween Photography Tips

"Halloween is a great time for making memories and taking pictures. Here are ten photography tips to remember for the autumn-holiday."

You can find more Halloween articles HERE.

Beast of a Photo Shoot :)

2009-08-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

I had a serious makeup photo shoot this weekend. Not that the pictures turned out that great, but I just don't have anything else to post. :) You can read the corresponding fall makeup article here if you're interested. I mostly edited the photographs in Microsoft Office Picture Manager and I created the model "sketches" in GIMP.

Look I'm Catherine Part II

2009-08-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

You recall Catherine, the home decor extraordinaire. :) She's in the works for a good character quotation from a United States historical figure. So, as the meddler that I am, I found a couple of options and put them on a background I made. Assembled in PowerPoint, the word arts use the the free font Requiem for both the text and the underline.

Blue Paper Revisited

2009-08-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

I previously made and showed some of these beginning blue pages, but I've added some embelleishments to the kit so I'll go ahead and post the collection. :)

Created in GIMP, the free version of Adobe Photoshop.

Another Digital Scrapbooking Kit

2009-08-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

Details: Created in GIMP.

Fall Photo Shoot

2009-08-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

Edited in Microsoft Office Picture Manager. I took this to go with a Fall Crafts for Kids piece.

More Landscapes

2009-08-12T00:49:00.000-07:00

Original photographs courtesy of ChrisChris. Edited in GIMP. My results were nothing special, but ChrisChris gets antsy if I don't post my playing around. Haha. :)

I hesitate to post this, since it's really weird (even for me). But to prove I played with more than one pic . . . :)

More Makeup Photo Shoots :)

2009-08-10T21:31:00.001-07:00

To go along with new articles about Mineral Makeup Foundations and Homecoming Makeup Tips (not yet posted), I decided I needed some new makeup pictures. I, of course, did some editing afterwards in GIMP, Microsoft Office Picture Manager, and PowerPoint.

LunaPic, LunaPic, it's a Favorite Dish! :)

2009-08-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

I've previously informally written about this great site, but here's a full writeup if you're interested in learning more about the cool and free online photo editor LunaPic.

Free Online Photo Editor: LunaPic

"LunaPic is my all-time favorite online photo editor. The website is easy to use and the results are astounding. For fun and free picture editing capabilities online, try LunaPic.com."

Fun, Free Dingbat Fonts!

2009-08-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Best Free Dingbat (Symbol) Fonts for Digital Scrapbooking & Crafts: Hearts, Animals, & More!

"Great and easy to use in digital scrapbooking and other projects, dingbat fonts are full of premade-shapes and graphics that can be inserted just like text and customized to any size. Here are some nice, free alternatives to clipart."

I Made a Button!

2009-08-01T00:42:00.001-07:00

Okay, so maybe it's not that cool. But I've never made a digital button before. :)

And I even put "Think" on it using the free font Jay Cons from 1001Fonts.com.

The creator of Jay Cons originally labeled his font Japanese, and an uproar apparently ensued over if it was really Chinese. Hehe. I love people. :) I'm too sleepy now, but maybe someday I'll explain the new GIMP tools I learned to do this: shrink and grow.

More Digital Scrapbooking :)

2009-07-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

You can see more of my recent scrapbooking pages, if you're interested, on my Associated Content page.

DIY Digital Scrapbooking Kits: The Free Way to Digitally Scrapbook "I love making my own digital scrapbooking papers and supplies in the free editing program GIMP. Here are some samples of what you can make on your own absolutely free! You can also see some related tutorials on my source page."

Some Nature Edits

2009-07-29T00:24:00.001-07:00

Chris Chris sent me some photographs ages ago but I never got around to playing with them until now. Sorry! :)

Details: Edited in GIMP. I used some of the digital scrapbook paper I've recently made for the backgrounds and overlays in these three shots while playing around with various opacity levels and recoloring tools.

Football Photo Shoot! :)

2009-07-28T17:48:00.001-07:00

So, I wanted a picture to accompany an article I wrote about where to find cheap NFL merchandise online. Since I couldn't find one that really worked, I went ahead and pulled out a few football things and had a shoot of my own. Hehe.

The tricky part was that I'm not really supposed to use copyright images and logos, so I tried to work around the telling parts of the items I was working with. And then I did a little bit of airbrushing in GIMP over some parts I couldn't avoid in real life. I don't know, maybe I should have edited out more. :)

Look, I'm Catherine. Howdy, howdy, howdy. :)

2009-07-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Come on, who doesn't like Toy Story? Hehe. So Catherine does word art pieces and I usually just stick to making the backgrounds, but these two scripture verses found in Moroni, which is contained in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, were just asking to be put on backgrounds. :)

Details: I used portions of the font Scriptina to make the design for the white flowers. Then I used the following fonts for the text: Scriptina, Journal, BlackChancery Ultra-Light, and Book Antiqua.

Making Your Own Scrapbook Supplies

2009-07-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

Digital Scrapbooking: How to Make Your Own Frames, Borders & Other Embellishments "A how-to in creating your own embellishments for digital scrapbooking and other computer-based crafts. Whether you can't find what you want, or you just want something uniquely yours, knowing how to create your own supplies is a great skill to have."

I've been working on a lot of random scrapbooking stuff lately in GIMP. Good times. :)

Love One Another

2009-07-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

So I made this, but I realize it looks really tiny on the blog. Although not amazing, it really does look better as the .jpg itself. :)

Playing around with various textures in the editing program GIMP, I inserted one of the classic Bible scriptures from John to make a WordArt. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).

I used three free downloadable fonts in the image: "Journal" for the main text, "Beyond Wonderland" for the word "LOVE," and a self-edited version of "Scriptina" for the shape of the background hearts.

Mystery Party Game on Ebay! :)

2009-07-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to sell a mystery party game I wrote on ebay: Clean "Murder" Mystery Party Game for 8: Missing Jewels. Since I needed a picture to go with it, I whipped out my old jewelry photo shoot and found one that I thought would be okay. I used the free Scriptina and Journal fonts and designed the graphic in GIMP.

And you can see the cute screenshot. :)

Recipe Cards

2009-07-10T01:45:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with posting my mom's chicken enchilada recipe, I wanted to find a picture to go with it. I couldn't find anything that really worked, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. :) And I'll go ahead and post the recipe link for if you're interested.

Easy Recipe: Chicken & Green Chili Enchiladas (Gluten Free)
"Want a chicken enchiladas recipe that will feed gluten and gluten free eaters alike? Look no further: your gluten free chicken, cheese, and green chili enchiladas recipe is here!"

Details: I edited my note cards photograph in GIMP, adding a black overlay to the edges and using the free font Dear Joe for the lettering. Dear Joe is my current go-to font; I just love it! You can download it from 1001Fonts.com.

Abstract Editing

2009-07-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

I already posted some of the pictures on this blog, but if you want more and with full descriptions, here you go. :)

Do You See What I See? Abstract Photographs Edited
"Using various digital editing transformations, here are a few graphics constructed using ordinary photographs."

No New News

2009-07-08T01:28:00.001-07:00

I've actually worked on taking and editing some pictures lately, but none of them have turned out. And since you know I often have sub-par posts, you can guess at how bad these ones of late really are. :)

Today I took some more but haven't looked at them yet. Maybe there's hope for another day. Or, maybe not.

Happy 4th of July! :)

2009-07-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

Details: Edited in GIMP using a font downloaded from 1001fonts.com.

Original Blog Backgrounds

2009-07-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

I finally broke down and wrote an article about creating your own blog background. :)

Do-It-Yourself Blog Background Ideas: How to Create Your Own!
"Want a personalized blog background but not quite sure what to create or how to go about it? Here's a tutorial on how to create your own blog background."

You can see my latest blog background here at Guide to Denver. I know it's really simple, but I only have html coding experience from an introductory college class so I was pretty pleased. :) I don't like how my blog backgrounds don't scroll up and down along with text, and this latest background kind of disguises that. Good stuff. Hehe.

Blessings of Liberty

2009-06-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

4th of July Word Art Images
"With thoughts taken from the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, here are a few patriotic word art images in honor of July 4."

Details: Made in GIMP with the background originating from a photograph of a piece of wood. Font downloaded from 1001Fonts.com. And a shout out to Catherine for exposing me to this kind of stuff. :)

Tutorial: How to Create Your Own Word Art!

2009-06-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

Digital Scrapbooking: How to Create Your Own Word Art
"Do you want cute and customized text for digital scrapbooking, but you're not quite sure where to start? Here's a how-to in creating your own word art designs."

Details:

(1) The "Smile" is in the free font Scriptina and is filled with a gradient fill pattern in GIMP.

(2) The "David & Sara" is in the free font Beyond Wonderland and is filled with the same edited photograph that I used to make this blog's background.

(3) The "Best Friends" is in the free font Love Letters and another free font that I downloaded from 1001Fonts.com, but I can't seem to recall it's name. If it comes to me, I'll let you know. :) "Friends" is filled with a GIMP preset pattern--I think called water. I did this one a while ago, can you tell? Hehe.

Orange Marigolds

2009-06-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

My mommy told me I should take some pictures of her flowers, so I did. :) Here's a teaser and you can view the rest of the slideshow with the link below.

Flower Garden Pictures: Orange Marigolds
"Here are a few shots of the orange marigolds in our backyard flower garden."

Details: I know it's hard to believe, knowing me, but I actually didn't edit this. Hehe, I tried, but it didn't make it look any better. :)

"Top Ten Mistakes Fine Art Photographers Make" by Mark Raymond Mason

2009-06-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Professional photographer Mark Raymond Mason has a top ten list of mistakes photographers make. I found some of his tips really helpful and wanted to share the link.

"Top Ten Mistakes Fine Art Photographers Make" by Mark Raymond Mason
"This article navigates some common pitfalls fine art photographers fall victim to as they follow their unique artistic paths. Not all of these issues apply to every photographer, but most of us will commit at least a few of these blunders at some time in our careers. Save yourself years of creative time - read this!"

Photo Editing Tutorial: Digital Cosmetic Surgery

2009-06-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the article you've been waiting for: "How to Digitally Lose 10 Pounds, Rewind 10 Years, and Get the Look You've Always Wanted." :) As I say in the article, even if you're not seriously entertaining the idea of getting plastic surgery, it can still be fun to digitally alter pictures and see how your look can change. If you're interested, here's my tutorial.

Photo Editing Tutorial: Digital Cosmetic Surgery
"Digital Cosmetic Surgery made easy with the help of editing programs like Adobe Photoshop and GIMP. How to get the surgical results you want in your digital pictures."

In my own picture, working in GIMP and Microsoft Office Picture Manager, I used IWarp to adjust the jawline, airbrush tools to smooth skin and even out imperfections, paint tools to add false eyelashes, smudge tools to recreate the eyebrows, coloring tools to remove gray hair--you name it! :)

Old Sundance Pictures

2009-06-23T00:39:00.000-07:00

So, a few summers ago I took a day trip to Sundance. You can click on the link to see a few pics from the experience. :)

Visiting Sundance, Utah: Slideshow
"Here's a photographic look at some of the beautiful scenery of Sundance, Utah, in the summer."

Details: Lightly edited in Microsoft Office Picture Manager.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

Hope the daddies out there have a great day! :)

Font: Scriptina. Edited in GIMP.

My Favorite Fonts

2009-06-20T01:01:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Free Fonts from 1001Fonts.com
"My top picks for free font downloads from the website 1001Fonts.com."

Click on the link above to visit my slideshow containing font names, pictures, and links to download these amazing fonts for free.

Article: Tips on Photo Shoots with Kids

2009-06-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

How to Improve Your Home Photo Shoots of Small Kids
"Having great family photographs shouldn't have to cost a fortune. Documenting the child-stage of life can be easy to do yourself when remembering these three simple tips."

Details: I edited this photograph in GIMP, basically just blacking out much of the mother-son duo and then inserting a gradient fill for the background (and color inverting the gradient fill to get it leading to white instead of black).

But, even if you're not interested in these weird kinds of pictures, hehe, the article is about steps to take when actually photographing--not about random editing effects. :)

Grandmother's Jewelry

2009-06-16T23:15:00.000-07:00

I dusted off my grandmother's old jewelry the other day and took some pictures, which I lightly edited in Microsoft Office Picture Manager. :)

Click here for a few more pictures of My Grandmother's Jewelry.

Father's Day

2009-06-16T02:10:00.000-07:00

With Father's Day coming up, I decided to try and make a card or something. But, neither attempt really turned out. And then I gave up. :)

Details: I used a background image from Stock.Xchng's ilco and free fonts downloadable* from 1001fonts.com. Then I added some borders and arranged the text in Microsoft PowerPoint.

Details: I got this Word Art design from Bethany and added a border and the shading in GIMP.

* "Downloadable" may not be a real word. But it should be. He he.

Little Red Flower Clip :)

2009-06-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

Who knows why I take pictures of the things I do.

Details: Lightly edited in Microsoft Office Picture Manager.

My Mommy's Shoes

2009-06-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Her feet are so little. :)

Details: I did a little touching up in Microsoft Office Picture Manager and GIMP. Why should I get to get airbrushed and not give my mommy's shoes the same V.I.P. treatment? Ha ha. Ya, I really am that crazy! :)

Rain and Rubber Ducks! :)

2009-06-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

Weather Pictures: Summer Showers in Denver, Colorado
"Colorado has recently had its share of tornadoes and thunderstorms, but here's a look at the more mild summer showers and brief hailstorm of June 10, 2009 taken just outside the city of Denver."

Associated Content Slideshows

2009-06-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

I added my first two picture slideshows on Associated Content, with five photos in each. I've previously posted some of them here, but not all of them. So, if you're dying to see an additional few pics I edited, here are the links. :)

Pictures of a Woman's Face Digitally Edited in GIMP
"Here's an edited photograph I took with various overlays added in each version. You can learn more about GIMP (the free version of Adobe Photoshop) from my source page, if you're interested."

Digitally Cartooned and Edited Portraits
"Here's a collection of a few photographs I altered in GIMP (a free version of Photoshop) using the cartoon effect as well as various others."

P.S. I know it's weird I use quotation marks even when the text being inserted is something I wrote. But it feels wrong to copy and paste and not use quotation marks. So I thing I just have to go with it. Hehe.

Fill Tool (Bucket Tool) in GIMP

2009-06-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

So, I'm still obsessed with Gimp's Fill Tool, which looks like a bucket of paint. I edited a picture and then noticed that the background was mostly the same color, so I just filled it with some of the preset designs that come in GIMP.

Details: The Fill Tool is just located on the main toolbar in GIMP. Once you've clicked on the icon, the corresponding settings will appear at the bottom of the toolbar where you can choose what fill gradient or design to use.

"Daddy's Home"

2009-06-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

And for the unrelated video of the day, he he, here's a link to a clip of The Today Show featuring a soldier's reunion with his ten-year old daughter after being deployed in Iraq for a year. It kind of puts things in perspective, at least it did for me. :)

http://living.aol.com/morning-rush/daddys-home-today/25434372001

Wordle.net

2009-06-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

So I think I may have just come across the coolest wordart site ever created for lazy people! :) It's called Wordle.

You can insert your own words or a url to extract text from. The design is automatically computer generated and you can play around with the format to customize it to your likings. I entered this site's url and here are some of the designs. Not bad for three seconds of effort each. He he.

Obviously, this has a lot of potential if you want to do specific themes, like religion, or father's day or whatever. The site asks you to always cite them, but they even give permission for commercial use of the designs. And that's pretty incredible.

One tip: a url must have an associated feed in order to work. So when I tried Lds.org and Mormon.org, it didn't work. But when I tried LDS Newsroom, it worked just fine. So keep that in mind if you're like me and can't fathom actually coming up with a whole list or words. :)

Blog Background Take 2

2009-06-03T23:24:00.001-07:00

So, remember how I wasn't that content about my new cosmetics blog background? I decided to give it another go. I don't know why I'm being picky, it's not like this photo one is good. Or my free samples one. Or my new finance one. I guess I just think that a cosmetics blog deserves a pretty background. :)

I got the original makeup photograph from Val-J at Stock.Xchng. And the Swingset BB font from 1001 Fonts. Then I put everything together in GIMP.

But I can't decide. What do you think? Do we need a Take 3? :)

Tripod

2009-06-03T04:04:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the movie Disney's The Kid with Bruce Willis? I don't think I even liked the film, but I find it extremely hard now to hear the word Tripod and not think of it. :) Anyway, I got lent a camera tripod and played around with it last week. Generally I just hold the camera in my hand, hence I usually only have face shots. He he. So I gave it the old college try. (Can you tell it's 5 am and I haven't been to bed yet? Ya, I can.)

Makeup Article

2009-06-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

Now, the reason this article is relevant here is that I apply makeup pretty much the same whether it's digitally and in GIMP or it's with real-life products in the real-world. :) So, with only some minor adjustments, this article will fill you in on the digital makeup process I undergo when touching up photos for cosmetic reasons.

How to Do a Five-Minute Makeup Makeover
"Whether we're going to the office, running errands, or just staying at home, we--in general--want to look good. For busy days when all we need is a small pick-me-up, here are some basic steps in getting the most out of a five-minute makeover."

Forever

2009-06-01T04:01:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday at Church, a 19-year old--who is preparing to go on a two-year mission starting next week--spoke to the congregation as well as two members who joined our Church later in life. The stories and testimonies were all so touching and it reminded me how truly blessed I am to know that Jesus is the Christ and God has restored His Church on the earth.

My sister took these photographs of the Denver, Colorado Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and wanted me to play around with them. No disrespect to my sister, but I don't think a photograph can capture the majesty of this building. If you're ever in the area, you should check it out for yourself. :)

Details: I made the black border overlay in GIMP and then I pieced together the photograph, overlay, and text in Microsoft PowerPoint. The font is a free download but I cannot remember what the name is. Do you really want me to go back and look it up? :) We put "Forever" on there because of our belief that, in the Temple, families can be sealed together for eternity.

The second image I did all sorts of weird stuff to. :) I combined various versions and layers of the original photograph with an Embossed version, something that can be accomplished using the GIMP tool of the same name (which can be found under the "Filters" tab in the category "Distortions").

Mosaic Effect

2009-05-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

I often play around with the Mosiac Effect in GIMP but I've never had it work out well. Probably because I'm using it on the wrong kinds of pictures. Anyway, I was editing a photograph today, and with only a minor amount of adjusting, I noticed a portion of the picture looked something like this first image. Thinking it was too good to pass up, I swirled my pic using the Liquify distortion.

Then I kept playing around and added a Mosaic-ed layer. :)

Details: The Liquify and Mosaic Effects can be found in GIMP under "Filters" and then "Distortions."

New Hat! :)

2009-05-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

I got a crazy-cool yarn hat at a free stuff swap. So, of course, we had to do a photo shoot. He he. (Don't worry, it was after I soaked it in Lysol.) :)

Details: An edited photograph using GIMP tools and effects, particularly, the cartoon effect and some recoloring features.

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T17:07:00.001-07:00

Details: Here's an edited photograph I took of the American flag. :)

Blog Makeover

2009-05-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

So I decided to give my cosmetics blog a makeover. I don't know if I actually like it, but it's something. :) The header and background don't really match each other, in color or style, but I didn't know which I liked better to then change the other. So I just let them both be.

Details: I used the free font Loveletters 2 for the words "Cosmetics Wonderland" and I used the free font Scriptina for the white background lettering behind the title. The background image for the overall blog was highly edited, but originally from a free Stock.Xchng picture.

Challenges

2009-05-22T13:59:00.001-07:00

So this is a departure of my normal photo posts, but I just felt like sharing this touching video filled with hope and love. We all face adversity in various capacities and I found this video extremely uplifting. I hope you watch it.

Scrapbook Page Progression

2009-05-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

So some day last week (I think, who can keep track of time, he he) I was doing a photo shoot but didn't have anyone over so I just started taking pictures of random objects in my room. I wanted to really lay out props and do this whole elaborate setup, but you know me, I get really lazy. :) I ended up at one point just throwing some necklaces on a table. With only a little effort, the original picture edited and duplicated in Microsoft PowerPoint turned into the latter.

Which, when duplicated and resized and further edited in GIMP, turned into these. Nothing special, it's just the whole I-made-it factor. :)

Details: Edited in Microsoft PowerPoint and GIMP.

Digital Scrapbooking How-To

2009-05-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

How to Make Your Own Digital Scrapbook Papers
"In a world of digital scrapbooking, here are some tips on customizing images and creating your own scrapbook papers and accessories for all occasions."

I think I want to write a post too about the process of making some of these pages from a random photograph I took. Coming soon. :)

Tips on Photo Shoots!

2009-05-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

How To Make An Amateur Photo Shoot Look Professional
"With digital cameras in abundance, taking your own pictures has never been easier or more cost-effective. Here are some quick tips to making the results of home photo shoots more professional looking."

Do You Twitter?

2009-05-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

Matt Giraud just got an account. :) http://twitter.com/MGiraudOfficial

New Tutorial: Layers in GIMP

2009-05-15T10:47:00.001-07:00

How to Manage Layers in GIMP
"Learning how to master layering in GIMP--the free, public domain version of Adobe Photoshop."

Congratulations!

2009-05-15T00:34:00.000-07:00

I have a special friend graduating from Kindergarten next week. He he. Congratulations to you other graduates out there as well. :)

Details: I took a photograph of a frame my sister gave me, and then I edited it a bit and inserted text. The fonts can be downloaded free from 1001 Fonts. The word "Congratulations" is in Scriptina and "Graduation" is in Cheri Liney.

"Maybe She's Born With It. Maybe it's Maybelline." :)

2009-05-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

So I got some free samples of Maybelline Liquid Dream Mousse Foundation in the mail the other day. There were like twelve samples ranging from a light, light ivory to a dark cocoa so, naturally, I decided to put on the nine darkest colors and then do a photoshoot. He he. It looked really freaky in person but in the edited pictures you can't even really tell, since you don't know how pasty white I am to begin with.

Details: Edited in GIMP. The pictures basically underwent airbrushing and other beautification steps. :) Then they were additionally recolored and lighting-adjusted.

Happy Birthday!

2009-05-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

Guess who turned 24 today... okay I'll tell you. Matt Giraud. He he. Since I posted his rendition of "Who's Lovin You" last month, maybe I better go snatch another video to embed. Decisions, decisions. :)

Patterns

2009-05-06T13:28:00.001-07:00

The Bucket Fill Tool in GIMP not only lets you paint with colors but also offers like 30 or so patterns to fill an area as well. I used some to fill the face on this picture.

Details: Edited in GIMP using pattern presets.

Free 8x10 Print from Walgreens!

2009-05-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

You may have already seen this on my free samples blog, but just in case you didn't, here you go:

Walgreens Photo is offering a free 8x10 Photo Print when you use the code MOTHER at checkout thru Wednesday, May 6th (at 11:59 Central Time). Here's the email they sent which has a link you can subscribe yourself to receive Photo offers in the future.

I love Walgreens! :)

My Trip

2009-05-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

I had my first visit to the Bountiful, Utah Temple last Wednesday on my trip. Although I didn't take any photographs myself, LDS Newsroom has so kindly stepped in with a download. :)

Isn't it beautiful?

And While We're . . .

2009-05-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

on the topic of old pictures I never posted, here goes. :)

The first picture in this series of three was taken by Chris Chris and is of some water tower structure. The second entry is an edited version I did in GIMP. The third is the combination of the edited pic repeated as well as a cropped, rotated, and resized version of the edited pic, which was all performed in Microsoft PowerPoint.

And finally we come to this, a random kindergarten-like graphic of a tree and some flowers, compiled in PowerPoint. :)

2 New GIMP Articles

2009-05-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm back!! I had a nice trip but I didn't take any pictures. Tragic, I know. :) Well anyway, here are two new articles for you discussing the editing program GIMP.

How to Get Started Using GIMP
Every new program requires some learning and/or adjusting. Here's a how-to on gaining exposure to and familiarity with the free, public-domain version of Adobe Photoshop.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1660831/how_to_get_started_using_gimp.html

What is the Liquify Tool in GIMP?
How to find and use the equivalent of Adobe Photoshop's Liquify Tool in the free image-editing program GIMP.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1670627/what_is_the_liquify_tool_in_gimp_.html

See Ya

2009-04-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm leaving town for a bit of a holiday. You can watch this video until I get back. :)

(I know I normally stay pretty politically neutral, but sometimes things are too important: Go Matt Giraud!)

Some Lady

2009-04-21T00:41:00.000-07:00

Details: Edited in GIMP.

I Couldn't Resist! :)

2009-04-15T00:24:00.000-07:00

I know I just did a Photofunia post, but they got a new background and it was too good to pass up. "How could I refuse?" He he, that's a song in the movie "Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper." What's your favorite Barbie movie? :)

(For me, I think it's a tie between "Barbie in the Nutcracker" and "Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses." And while we're sharing insights into my life that you neither need nor care about, I think I have only seen 4 non-Barbie movies in the last, oh, year-and-a-half. And if we were to exclude this past month, I could say I have seen no non-Barbie movies in the last 15 months. So cool! He he.)

Details: I uploaded my GIMP-edited picture into a Photofunia background. (And then I cropped it.)

Photofunia Revisited

2009-04-08T23:34:00.000-07:00

Photofunia got another upgrade. :)

Details: I simply uploaded my edited pictures into some of the provided settings by Photofunia. As always, here's your Photofunia warning: not all the provided backgrounds are suitable for conservative consumption. If you're like me, you'll want to occasionally avert your eyes. :)

Makeover Time! :)

2009-04-08T00:54:00.000-07:00

So I'm pretty sure Instyle.com's Hollywood Hair and Makeup Virtual Makeover is my favorite thing to play with right now. He he. You upload your picture and get to add celebrity hair and makeup. So great!

The only thing is, my computer apparently doesn't approve of my continued quest for youth and beauty, and as a consequence, won't let me use the site's software. So I have to go on another computer to actually use it. Tragic, I know. :)

Because We All Have to Start Somewhere . . .

2009-04-08T00:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a basic tutorial on desaturating pictures. :)

How to Change Digital Photos from Colored to Black-and-White with Microsoft Office
"A step-by-step guide on how to convert colored photographs into black and white masterpieces using either Microsoft Office's Picture Manager or PowerPoint."

WordArt

2009-04-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

So I came across this fun blogspot Elegant WordArt by Bethany. She creates various WordArt pieces and has both freebies and kits you can purchase on her sites. Seeing her stuff made me want to play around with text, but my WordArt attempts were certainly less than par. Hence, I finally succumbed to just throwing some text in the background of a picture. :)

Details: I edited the photograph in GIMP and used Scriptina font for the text, which can be downloaded for free from 1001Fonts.com.

While We're At It . . .

2009-04-02T23:42:00.000-07:00

The campus of my youth, he he, Brigham Young University.

Details: The outside and inside of my favorite (non-religious) building in the world: the N. Eldon Tanner Building, named after the great man characterized "as a practitioner and exemplar of the arts of management, as a man who has made a profound impact on the Church [of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] and its members, and as an appropriate role model for our students in management." The photographs were lightly edited in Microsoft Office Picture Manager.

And while we're on such a tangent already . . . :)

Is Brigham Young University the Right Choice for You?
"A look at some of the pros and cons of attending Brigham Young University."

I Heart Provo

2009-04-02T23:33:00.000-07:00

Oh to be young again. :) I don't think I've mentioned this, but I'm possibly in the midst of a mid-life crisis. It may or may not go away. He he.

Details: A photograph of the Provo Public Library.

"Bread Art"

2009-04-02T21:07:00.000-07:00

This cool website lets you "toast" an uploaded photo, which creates some interesting bread art. $1 will be donated to feeding America for every piece of bread art created. It's sponsored by some company. (I'm really good at details, can't you tell? He he.) http://breadartproject.com/

Mine didn't turn out so well, as you can see, but the site's gallery is pretty cool. :)

Details: The picture I uploaded to the site is an edited version of a photograph I took of the Provo, Utah Temple, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And while I'm thinking about it, you should visit this site. There are 124 images of beautiful Temples around the world. Neat stuff. :)

Eliminating Unwanted Backgrounds

2009-03-31T17:58:00.000-07:00

Here's that article I was talking about before. :)

How to Eliminate Unwanted Backgrounds in Digital Pictures
"A step-by-step guide discussing the five best tools for eliminating cluttered and unwanted backgrounds in digital photographs."

"Be Funky" Part 2

2009-03-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

BeFunky got an upgrade! :) Upload your photos and edit away with their cool new effects and updated software.

Castles and Such

2009-03-27T21:47:00.001-07:00

So Chris-Chris took the original photograph and gave it to me to play with.

I did the initial editing in GIMP and then switched over to PowerPoint to reproduce and arrange the image.

Details: I was going for a castle in the first one, which I may or may not have achieved. :) And who knows with the second. It kind of reminds me of something M.C. Escher would do if he had less talent. He he.

GIMP Explained

2009-03-27T14:55:00.001-07:00

I know I'm always raving about the remarkable and free editing program GIMP. Here's an article explaining the program and how to download it for free.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1581188/what_is_gimp.html

"Do you want the results of Adobe Photoshop without the high cost of such elite software? The answer to your problem has never been easier: it's called GIMP."

Details: This is a screenshot of GIMP 2.4.5 with a photograph I edited using the program.

Brightness-Contrast

2009-03-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

Brightness-Contrast is one of those really useful tools in making a picture look crazy. :)

Details: Using the brightness-contrast wizard in GIMP, I adjusted both levels of brightness and contrast to the far right. I may have done something with the light curves as well, but it's been a few days and I don't remember. Whoops. In any event, you get the idea. :) You have to play around with the levels, balancing all options, to get a favorable outcome.

I Don't Know . . .

2009-03-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

which one is better. But maybe out of A and B, you'd take C. :)

Details: Same old, same old. Mainly edited in GIMP with a little bit of touch-up afterward performed in Microsoft Office Picture Manager. (By now, does it go without saying that I airbrushed the picture and cleaned it up in ways like that? I think it should.) :)

Red Photo Shoot

2009-03-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

I did a red lipstick photo shoot. For no reason, of course. :)

I've mentioned this before, about the whole upside down Monalisa thing, but it's just as true now as it was before. My pictures look better upside down. :)

Details: Edited in GIMP and Microsoft Office Picture Manager. And if you were wondering, yes, the IWarp tool really is a girl's best friend. Well, at least out of non-living things. :)

Sleepy Time :)

2009-03-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

Details: This may shock you, but I actually didn't edit this photograph. I know, so weird. I guess I'm not as obsessed with GIMP as you think. He he.

A Title Eludes Me :)

2009-03-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've posted these before. And I'm not that interested in reviewing all of my previous posts to double check. :)

Details: Edited in Microsoft Office Picture Manager. I just did some recoloring and brightness-contrast adjustments. And the fact that I used a really nice camera (checked out from the library) helped. :)

Basic Editing

2009-03-10T01:16:00.000-07:00

Here's an easy, how-to guide on basic digital photo editing.
"4 Quick Fixes to Make Your Photos Look Clean and Professional"

P.S. I tried doing the snowfall trick from the tutorial. Let's just say, no luck. And, I won't be posting my attempts. :)

Snowfall!

2009-03-03T23:06:00.000-08:00

This is a Photoshop Tutorial done by Howard from Tutcast.com. He's a genius! If you don't care to watch for the whole 8 minutes plus, just watch for the last 35 seconds to see his before and after pics. Amazing, just amazing! I'm going to try this out sometime. I'll keep you posted. :)

Stock Photography

2009-03-03T04:02:00.000-08:00

You may or may not remember my previous post about the free stock photography site http://www.sxc.hu/index.phtml. I recently rekindled my love affair with the site and found some photographic gems to edit. Not that they needed editing, that's just what I do. :)

The original photographs are on the left and my versions are on the right. Their respective photographers are binababy12, leroys, and hara18.

Details: I edited the photographs in GIMP and PowerPoint. With the first picture, I loved the boy's face and just wanted to do some light touching up. The second picture is so powerful, that's what first caught my attention. And although it's not intended to be a glamour shot, I did wonder if I was up to the challenge of smoothing out some of those wrinkles. The model in the third picture is beautiful and I just wanted to add some color to the face and shade to the background. Just for my own amusement, of course. :)

Upside Down

2009-03-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

I edited some pictures today, but it's funny because they look so much better upside down than right side up. Have you ever seen that optical illusion trick where you look at the real Monalisa and a fake Monalisa upside down and can't really tell the difference, and then you look at them both right side up and see the fake has a really funky looking face? That's like the set I edited today. Well sorta. :) But upside down certainly masked some of the weirdness. Hehe.

Airbrushing Article

2009-02-27T15:04:00.001-08:00

As promised. Or threatened, depending on your point of view. :)

"How to Get Model-Perfect Skin in Your Digital Photos"

So I'm Crazy . . .

2009-02-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

What's new? :)

Details: I edited this photograph multiple times in GIMP. Airbrushing, recoloring, overlay paint brushing, you name it. :)

And on a slightly related (but mostly unrelated) note, you can learn the steps to applying "smoky eyes" makeup HERE. I wrote the article, and the tie-in is that I use the same techniques whether I'm applying real makeup or digital, GIMP-land makeup. He he.

Orthodontics

2009-02-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

I haven't figured out yet how to digitally replace trips to the orthodontist. Teeth are just really tricky for me. You can't make them too white because that looks notably unnatural, but you still want them whiter and straighter than they are normally. Tricky, tricky! :)

P.S. I also wrote a full article today on how to digitally airbrush skin, so when that gets published I'll post the link. Not that you care either way. He he.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-16T09:31:00.000-08:00

A few days ago. :)

Details: I mentioned in a previous post how cool the paint brush copy feature is in GIMP. I used that again when I did these basic designs for my sister. I started out with a photograph of wood, then recolored it to pink, added some stripes, then used the paint brush copy feature over and over again at different radiuses (radii?) to get the designs here.

A Little Bit of Change :)

2009-02-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

If you live in America, you're perhaps sick of the word "change" like I am. :)

But alas, Digital Photo Mania is going to get a new design layout. I rarely read posts in their completed form in front of the actual background, so I didn't realize until recently how tricky it was to read the purple text on black, to have the columns so squished together, and to have to ignore the clashing background when looking at some of the pictures.

So, white will have to do for now until I come up with something that bugs me a little less. He he.

Welp...

2009-02-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

I've got nothing to show for the last week. I've been editing some baby pictures lately, but I'm sure that without permission I shouldn't post them on the internet. You'll just have to take my word for them that they turned out okay. :)

And I've been working on inserting Model S into a picture with the oh-so-talented Michael Castro of American Idol Season 8 fame, but its been very unsuccessful thus far. Fine, I'll just keep trucking away. But you have a good tuesday! He he.

RedKid.Net

2009-02-02T10:33:00.000-08:00

I was introduced to this cool photo site over the weekend. I don't know about the other capabilities yet, but the site has a sign generator with over 40 images to choose from, allowing you to insert a limited amount of text in each. Some are really fun, some are just so-so. But I certainly enjoyed myself overall. :) Red Kid Sign Generator

"Beauty and the Beast"

2009-01-29T06:04:00.000-08:00

I was just reading about the Disney classic on Wikipedia and learned that Beauty and the Beast "is the only full-length animated feature film to ever be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture." Crazy! Anyway, this little girl wanted to be a Disney princess so we made her dreams come true and stuck her head on some Belle in a parade. Do you have a dream too? :)

Details: I edited this photograph in GIMP. (The original photograph I simply found on the internet. Using copyrighted materials to create parodies falls under fair use in America, thankfully!) :) When blending two images (in this case, the face with the background), I find it very helpful to keep the two layers separate while working so that towards the end you can recolor the layers to better match one another. I like the "Curves" tool best for this kind of recoloring.

Blog Headers and Backgrounds

2009-01-29T05:42:00.000-08:00

You remember my needy sister from last post, he he, right? :) She commissioned for a header and some background images for a family site she runs. The font I used is called "Scriptina" and was created by Apostrophic Labs. It's a freeware font you can download from 1001 Fonts.

Details: I made these in GIMP. I recolored a photograph I took of a wooden door for the base of the images and then overlayed text at various opacities. Have I mentioned how to do that before? I can't remember, so let's just go over it again.

In GIMP, when you select a layer, you can see at the top of the layer toolbox a range of 0 to 100 with the label of opacity. By lowering the opacity, you decrease the visibility-factor making the layer more transparent. My cousin taught me that. So thanks goes to her. :)

A Holly Jolly Christmas!

2009-01-27T04:54:00.000-08:00

Update: That third image looks really bad against the black and purple of the blog. Picture it against a cream or a white. :)

I know I really missed the boat on posting these Christmas designs in a timely manner, but I didn't think about posting them here until a few days ago. And then I was lazy. :) I made them for my sister who wanted some digital scrapbook-like images to mix and match.

Details: I know they're nothing revolutionary, but for my lack-of-being-able-to-make-scrapbook-paper, I was happy. Most of the others were much worse, if you can imagine. :) I made these in GIMP. I inserted a photo of a wooden door that I took and used that as overlay and background to get a textured look on the holly. I then used GIMP's cool paint brush copy feature* to produce multiple hollies at different sizes and so on. I did some recoloring and other stuff, but you get the idea. :)

*If you select an area in GIMP, copy the selection, and then click on the paint brush tool, you will see the selected area as the first paint brush tool option when choosing which brush to use. It's amazing! You can still resize the brush like normal and continue to paste until your little heart's content. :) I kept pasting hollies at different sizes, then copying all of my new hollies together in order to paste and re-paste them. Among other things, this tool really helps in simplifying what would otherwise be a time-consuming copy-and-paste job.

Request for Pictures! :)

2009-01-08T01:27:00.000-08:00

I've had a few requests in my life to do some fun editing to pictures from my family and friends. I want to extend the offer out to you now. If you think it'd be fun to have a model airbrushed picture of you, or a different hair color, or a pencil sketch, or a mystical background inserted, or a different race, or whatever, email me a picture to work on.

I think this sounds really fun, so I hope at least a few of you really will send me pictures. Keep in mind, I'm a prude, but other than that, I really will work on pictures sent to me. :) elizabeth.photomania @ gmail.com.