Honorary 10,000 Challange AKA Challenge #154

[Grant]

In honour of a stunning bench mark that Wendy Williams has passed I have selected one of her images for this weeks Challenge. Wendy is now know as "Enlightened Elder"

*Note* Extra points for including any or all of Wendy, Williams, Wendy Williams, Enlightened Elder or 10,000 into the Challenge!

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Since my hard disk failure I have had some wonder Challenges
suggestions submitted by a few people . I need more suggestions from more
people to be able to mix up the choices. Please send me *your*
suggestions for the Challenges. Part of what makes the Challenge great
is your input. Also please don't forget he Photo Challenge as
presently I have only one suggestion although it is a great one but I do
need more.

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http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/Challenges.html

Present and Past Challenges will remain Until tomorrow at 7:00 pm the then
the Present will be Past and new images will be posted.

* Important notice to all the new people in this forum. This is not a
close shop you are all invited to submit an image. If you don't think you
are good enough this is your first mistake, I think most have found that
working on the Challenge has improved their personal level. So young and
old, hot shots and cool dudes now is you time to post.
--
Grant

Home Pages: http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/index.html

Challenge Pages: http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/Challenges.html

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Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom, while
discouragement often nips it in the bud. Any of us will put out more and
better ideas if our efforts are appreciated.

Alexander Osborn (1888 - 1966)

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[Wendy]

Oh Grant ... that is just so funny.

Umm ... now what can I do with this one :eek: :eek:


Wendy

[Grant]

Umm ... now what can I do with this one :eek: :eek:


Wendy

Anything you want, my dear, just anything you want. There is no censourship and very few rules so have fun ... :twisted:

[mrod]

Well. That was fun! I'm not usually this on the ball, but I sacrificed a little time after school and sent off Entry #1 (if time permits, I have a couple more ideas--I want to get to that movie poster, though...). This must be some sort of record for me--doing one the day it's posted.

A couple of hack, obligitory, very un-creative additions to the original, and one section of the image that, actually, I'm sort of proud of. It took a little while to do...:)

Mike

[Wendy]

mike ...

Wow that was quick ... I haven't even thought about it yet :)


Wendy

[mrod]

Wendy-

Once in awhile, I need to ignore school work, and escape a little bit. The opportunity to do something challenging and creative rarely presents itself at the right moment--today, it did. :)

Mike

[Grant]

The first images are now being posted and again they are all great.

Notes for viewing.

1). Clicking on the thumbnail will open a larger image.
2). Clicking on the larger image will advance you to the next larger image.
3). If you are using Internet Explorer F11 will toggle a full screen view

... gives the images a view they deserve.

Grant

[Pauline]

Oh boy there are some fun ones in there this week!!! Wendy I believe you should save a couple of them. :D

Jodi your bouquet is stunning. And don't think I didn't notice that beautiful ray of light shining through that gorgeous window!

My creation 3 never got done. Kid needed picking up from school, husband came home early and ordered Chinese food...........There's always tomorrow.

[jazzfisher]

Wendy,
A fitting tribute I think. They are all wonderful!!!

[Wendy]

Oh drat ...

I haven't done mine yet so I can't go to look ... but just as soon as I have finished then I will be over there looking :) :)


Wendy

[Ward Grant]

Barbara Wayne: Whew! I get dizzy just looking at your whirling carousel. Would you mind sharing how you did it.

Butch Davis: Your T-Rex is T-Riffic. Is that you that is about to be a mid day snack?

[Pauline]

I wish I could see Wendy's face when she finally looks! :D

[Daviskw]

Hello Ward

Yes sad but so that is me.. real pain on my face from hanging over a chair taking that picture.... serves me right I did not read carefully about the tribute to Wendy. But I recovered and entered another one...lol

Butch

[NMarti]

Butch,
I really like the second one! How on earth did you get the head bent so well? I did an arm a time or two but the head is a lot bigger task and you did very well!

[Daviskw]

Hello Nancy Neighbor thank you

I used the Liquify tools, mostly the twirl with a very big brush. Every now and then I used the warp tool to pull the center of the twirl out and push the top center in, if I am making since. I've found you can do a lot with patience and choosing the right size brush... mostly Big. I only did a little at a time then copy the layer and did some more.. on an on till close.

Butch

[GaryK]

Drats..missed the bonus points part. :D

[Wendy]

Well ...

Mine are now submitted ... so I will soon go over there and take a look !!

Do I get bonus points because I signed my name on my entries :D :D :D


Wendy

[NMarti]

Thanks Butch. That's the second time today I've read about the twirl brush. I'm gonna have to check it out.

Wendy - have you done anything with the twirl brush to give us a tutorial? Neat effect both time's I've seen it mentioned.

[Wendy]

Hi Nancy ...

Its not too easy to do a tut on Liquify ... its best just to load up an image and play around with it:

The Warp tool ... you can use to push things in or out (good for firming up jaw lines, reducing waists etc :) )
Turbulance tool ... only use I have found for that is graining wood, flowing water etc.
Twirl Tools ... they speak for themselves
Pucker ... Sucks things in. Use them to make things like noses smaller
Bloat ... Blows them out. Use them to make eyes, lips bigger
Shift Pixels ...that is a weird one and I haven't found a use for it.
Reflection tool ... another funny one.
Reconstuction tool ... this one works in reverse and will reverse the changes you have made.
Zoom and the Hand tool ... are just like the ones in Elements.

The best way of using Liquify is to go slow and gentle and make any changes a little at a time.


Wendy

[NMarti]

Thanks Wendy - those descriptions are helpful. Like I said before - someday I will actually look at everything up there in those menus. Just having too much fun for now with what I have already learned. The challenges are a great way to see what those other things can do.

[Wendy]

Nancy ...

I find the Challenge a good way of learning new techniques and if I see something that I can't work out how it is done then I just ask. People usually are quite happy to share their techniques ...

.. it can be a little confusing as people from more than one forum send in entries and I post comments on both ... so sometimes the answer is given on the other forum and not this one :)

Wendy

[Pauline]

Darn, I missed the bonus points too Gary!! That's what I get for being in a hurry. I did 3 entries and I could have done the third one differently! Ah well, I think I'm all challenged out on this one.

[Ward Grant]

Pauline

I really like your stamp idea (and the way you carried it over to your other entry). I remember seeing some discussions some time back about creating stamp frames, but I can't seem to find that thread. Would you give a quick how-I-did-it on this effect?

[Wendy]

Hi Ward ...

Pauline isn't around at the moment but one way of doing a stamp edge is to:
Create a new layer above your image
select a hard edged brush
Now look at more options (top of the screen on the right hand side)
Click on that and increase the spacing until using it gives you a series of "holes"
Then paint in your stamp edge.

If you want to remove the area where the serations are then just select them on the top layer, click on the actual layer and do Edit>Delete.

Wendy

[NMarti]

Pauline,
That third image is amazing! I loved the stamp block because I collect not only carousel horses but any carousel stamps I find as well but the third image was awsome! Taking the stamp from the lower corner and putting it on the envelope was brilliant! Bet you spent a lot of time on that one!

[Wendy]

Well I don't normally do comments so early in the week but as there are already such a lot of entries I thought that I had better make a start. There really are some great imaginative entries this week and I am delighted by the range of them.


Alex ... Clever idea adding the photos (I managed to find 6) and you made a great job of changing the name !! Like the animation in No 2

Anne ... Oh very nice effect ... I like the use of B&W and the recoloured horse but that glow really adds the final touch !!

Barbara ... Stunning movement you have got into your entry, the horses really look as if they are racing around ... I would love to know how you did it. No 2 looks so three dimensional, it almost jumps off the page

Ben ... Love the noticeboard ... it has some really amusing things on it.

Butch .. Oh my ... now your No 1 is very scary. Good work on the substitution and the blending !! No 2 is really cleverly done ... the distortion of the horse is excellent. Well done !! Too funny adding Victoria, John Brown and little Turi :)

Byron ... That is so funny ... great idea for a challenge entry and well done too :)

Chris ... Oh that is stunning !!! Love the background and all the nice little touches ... especially the milometer just changing.

Cliff ... What cute horse .. and you added initials too !!

Carol ... I like the way you have used the diamond idea from the Carousel floor it makes a great background and I especially like the way you have extracted the banner from the horse and used it. That is so well done !!

Gary ... The cake looks good enough to eat ... look like it has lots of layers !

Jodi ... Oh that is simply beautiful. The flowers are stunning and I like the way you have echoed them on the vase ... its is so well done !!

Jeurgen ... Nice work on the glowing background it really does throw the horse forward in the image .. nice touch with the picture and the "lady". I still remember you turning "her" into Jodi !!

Kev ... Oh that is a nice one ... Miss Mini tut indeed !! ... and I see that you put in the grasshopper theme too. Nice one !!

Malcolm ... What a good idea .. it makes a great poster. Nice touch with the three horses !

Marilyn ... I wondered if you would use the smudge tool on this one ... and of course it has turned out wonderful. The mane and tail are so good ... how did you do that ???

MikeR ... Nice work on inserting the picture and the "new" name ... and good work on distorting the 10,000. It just looks as though it is really on the floor of the Carousel ... well done !!

Nancy ... Oh that is good ... nice idea making it into Newsletter about a horse race. Good work on it all ... and nice touch adding the time of the 10,000th post !! Like the way you have done No 2 it looks like a great trophy !

PatB ... Clever use of the image and well blended into the picture. Nice touch with the fireworks and very well done too !!

PatC ... What a great effect on the background. It really gives the impression of a carousel in the evening ... how did you do it ?

Pauline ... Nice illusion of movement in No 1 and a very interesting effect on the horse itself ... how did you get that effect? ... and I do like the Postage stamp theme in No 2. Good use of the image !! I have just revisited the Challenge and found your No 3 ... nice work indeed. It looks great. I especially like the way you have removed another stamp from the page. Very nice work !!

Rita ... Oh that does make an interesting image ... its a great effect and it just looks like he is racing past the moving Carousel. Very good work on the long grass ... I would love to know how you did that ? Great idea in No 2 .. it tells a nice little story. Excellent effect on the horse ! Did you use a difference blend on part of the image?

Tab ... I love it !! It seems to be spinning ... didn't make me feel too seasick though :) and great use of colours in there !

Terri ... How did you do that effect in No 1. Its a really good ... looks much better than I do :) No 2 does have a mystical feel to it ... you have got so much depth into the orbs ... how did you do it? ... but No 3 just has to be my favourite. It is stunning, wonderful metalic feel to the whole thing and those leaves look like spun glass. That is just so good and I would so like to know your techniques for that one ???

Terry ... Wonderful image of stampeding horses in No 1 and nice work popping him into it !! No 2 made me smile with the added pictures and the name change ... then the Union Jack on the base just finished it off. No 3 is lovely ... very imaginative use of the image ... Well done ! ... Just have to ask how you did No 4 !! ... Wow it is good. Looks like a lot of blending layers in there.

Tom ... Your No 1 image looks splendid .. all sorts of textures and effects going on in there and it works so well. ... I would love to know how you did it Same again with No 2 .. at the bottom the image it almost looks like paint blistering off wood ... do tell !! please ... ! I have just looked again and found your No 3 I think that I can spot plastic wrap on parts of the background but how did you do the metallic horse .. that is so good.

Tony ... Oh very nice. I like the way you have used one of my previous Challenge images and put my head on it ... you have done it very well !!. Nice work !! ... and if I ever manage to stop laughing at No 3 I'll let you know. Congratulations on making such a great job of it !!. Nice touch using the sign from my last weeks image ... you did well changing the lettering.

Ward .. Good work on using the pole as part of the frame ... that is a nice touch. Great gradient background .. suits the image well and what a great idea for the text !! ... and really like the way you blended my logo into your No 2 ... it looks part of it

Well done to everyone ...
Wendy

[Pauline]

Well thank you Nancy. That 3rd entry really was a labour of love. OF course I think of the idea when I'm in bed. :) I notice Wendy does theme ideas a lot and it really is fun to do which is how I got the idea. I figured put the stamp on an envelope, put all on a desk. In my how to cheat photoshop book one tutorial is a lamp shining on a desk.........so I incorporated that. The only thing I didn't create was the lamp. It was from the book. I probably don't have my envelope and stamps laying down perfect on the desk but they aren't too bad.

Ward, the stamps were made using the stamp shapes tool.
Get a background, and then select the stamp shape in the shape picker. Have the colour white selected and put your stamp on the page. (hold shift key to contrain the proportions). If you want more than one use the move tool and alt + shift key to duplicate (I realized after I sent it that my holes didn't match up to great on one sections). You can use the arrow keys to get more accurate. Once they are all together merge all the stamps together and then put a small shadow underneath.

If you are just doing one stamp you can resize your picture and place it on top of your stamp leaving the white border. If you want to do what I did and want to have a white space all the way around each photo you will have to add another step. Inside the first stamp use the rectangular marque tool and make a selection a little smaller than the area. Fill it with a colour other than white. Copy this selection to each stamp and when you have each stamp filled with these selection, merge all of them together in one layer. NOW take your photo and put it in a layer on top of this layer and CTRL + G to group it with the selection. You will end up having your photo show up with a white border around each individual stamp.

This is from this month's lesson from Linda Sattgast of scrappersguide.com

She does a lot of cool stuff and it's well worth joining, as not only do you get written instructions but also a video which really helps.

I hope my instructions were clear enough. If not ask and I'll try and help.

[ktnoon60]

Thanks Wendy. No. 4 started with the mehdi kaliodoscope filter in blend mode, used random until I got one I liked. I then duplicated the layer and did a hue saturation adjustment and set the blend mode to difference. Added an omni lighting effect filter. Then brought in the horse and used glowing effect filter on it, duplicated it and positioned them. Then used the chinese symbol custom shape and applied a layer style. Then applied the frame and used a eraser brush to get the jagged edges. I think thats the major stuff the problem with playing around is you do things and undo them and then forget how you did something.

Kt

[Wendy]

Hi ...

Thanks for all the information ... it ended up looking so good !!


Wendy

[NMarti]

Pauline,
Well - I followed your instructions and was able to make my stamp. I used the same picture with all four stamps because I couldn't find one that "spanned" all four that I thought would look good with the borders in there. I added more authentic things like USA and 39 to make it look like a real stamp but then decided I didn't want the feds coming after me so took it off before posting at imageshack just in case someone downloaded it and tried to use it :)
Thanks for the tut!
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/6752/rabbitstampposter2vt.th.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rabbitstampposter2vt.jpg)

[Ward Grant]

Pauline-Thanks for your tips on your stamp effect. I really like the effect and I may use it for some photos of my young nieces.

Wendy-Thanks for your comments and your tips on making stamps. It looked like some real creative images this week.

Nancy-I wish you had left the postage and markings on the stamps. With the increase this month for US postage, I could have used some "free" stamps.

[NMarti]

Ward
:D That's what I was afraid of! Didn't want W's g-men hunting me down!:eek: They looked wayyyy to authentic with it on there.

[Robyn]

Jodi,
Your entry is just beautiful. I sometimes feel so discouraged when I see what great images some of you guys create. I feel that even if one becomes technically proficient it still doesn't amount to much if there is an absence of natural creative talent....... which you obviously have in abundance.

[Wendy]

Nancy ...

Your stamps look really good ... :)


Wendy

[Wendy]

Robyn ...

I am sure that if you gave Jodi a stick and a patch of mud she would create the most beautiful images in it .. she is simply a superb artist :)

Please don't be put off .. the more you use Elements and the better you get .. I used to look at other people work and think that I could never do something like that. I just stuck at it and gradually my work improved :)


Wendy

[Jodi Frye]

Thanks for the wonderful comments !

I admit I did not use the carousel horse challenge to create my entry for this special Challenge #154. Since I wasn't being judged or graded I just didn't feel like using something else to display how I feel about Wendy. It was just a matter of letting it be from me and me only. I'm glad I found that time on Friday to get it accomplished.

[Juergen D]

> I still remember you turning "her" into Jodi !!

Thank you, Wendy. Unfortunately, I can't take credit for that. That must
have been somebody else. As a matter of fact that was one Challenge, which
I never entered. I worked on it, but never submitted, because we were
traveling or getting ready to. You took that shot of the "lady" in
Ruedesheim and it looks like you may have been there at about the same time
we were. But that's another story. :)

Juergen

[Wendy]

Jeurgen ...

I thought it was you who turned the lady into Jodi ... now I wonder just who it was. I do know that the arms got expanded into weight lifters arms ... and it was funny !!

I didn't realise that you were in Ruedesheim around that time ... we stayed in Koblenz and went to the Rhine in flames ... the whole holiday was so wonderful. I would so much like to go back again ...

Wendy

[Pauline]

Nancy great job on your stamp. (you did better than I did. I didn't have mine enlarged when I joined them and there is a crack between some! :(

Postage.......yes, don't you just love the annual increases. Thank goodness for e-mail. I do have to buy a US stamp today since someone I made a creation for had trouble printing it and asked if I would print them a copy. Their golden just passed away last week and I did the sunset with the Golden on it for them. It such a beautiful memory.

Robyn, don't get discouraged. Keep working. The more you do the more comfortable you get. My ideas...........well 99% are not mine but from a book. The odd time something stems from my own head which was the 3rd entry with the desk, but the lamp part was also part of a tutorial. Thursday night is tv night for me, so I usually come and look at the challenge entry and when I go to bed I think about it. Anything you do is better than never trying. WE ALL FELT THE SAME WAY YOU DO! At some point we are all beginners. Jump in and go for it. I've never read a post telling someone what a bad job they did so you don't have to worry about someone putting you down. :)

[kayser]

Pauline- I agree that the more we work, the better we'll get. But there's still the difference between people like you and Jodi and others and people like me- you guys actually have God-given artistic talent! I feel like Robyn does, that even if I get really proficient at Elements, I'm still not going to be top-notch because I don't have that artistic something. I stopped getting discouraged about it, though, because I'm having fun, and I'm not expecting to make a living, just hoping to enjoy what I am working on. And, there's always the praise from my mom who can't believe what I can do. (I tried to tell her that she should see what the real pros can do...)

[Pauline]

Kay, yes I admit to being artistic, but I am visual. I have to see it to do it. Not often do I see it in my head. The more I do with elements the more I find I can do without instructions because I know what I want to do. That said, however, if you get some good books that have tutorials in them, it will not only give you the ideas but tell you how to do it, and it really does help. Jodi designs from scratch. Wendy designs from using multiple pictures and making some stuff from scratch too. I haven't found my 'spot' yet. I just like too much of everything to have a 'method' and I've always been that way.

Art has always been a part of my life. I have studied colour theory (on my own from books) and perspective, etc. and that all does help, but we all get stumped and our creative brains run dry. Some times I get on a roll and I'm afraid to stop! :D

Regardless of what your level is, anything you do in elements is a lot more than most people can do, and to those people you look amazing because they feel they could never do what you do. We ALL have someone we look up to that pushes us to go further. Wendy and Jodi are my idols! It makes me work harder to catch up with them. It's not a competition ut it's what drives you to do better. So pick your idols and push yourself. It really does make a difference. :D

[Norm F]

Kay,

You say you're not creative. Your gallery tells a different story. You have some nice work in there that you can feel proud of.

[Daviskw]

You said it well Kay…..I feel a lot like you but I would like to add, all the God-given talent means nothing without hard work and dedication. The folks in here have plenty of those attributes. I will never have the talent but hard work is something I like and I will be happy if my daughter looks over my shoulder and goes…wow dad how did you do that.

I have spent a lot of time online in technical chat rooms from many different types of software. I last before Elements was video editing in Studio 10, what a terrible place. This room is different than any I have been in. In most others if you ask a newbie question you are told to read the FAQ or run a search and to stop wasting their important time. Here the same questions are asked over and over but with patience and encouragement the members answer all with a smile and welcome.

I hope it lasts
Butch

[CarolLHB]

Kay,
I have found that most people have a different veiw of their talents than everyone else, including me! Celebrate your gifts and strive to do what you don't think you do well a bit better. Our most fierce competition always seems to be with ourselves!:)

[kayser]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I am thoroughly enjoying all of this and can see my own progress. There's just a whole 'nother level of ability- like the difference between the person who can play an instrument and read music and the person who can improvise, or the seamstress who sews clothes and the person who designs her own clothing... I'm still getting to the first level with PSE. And, it WILL be an accomplishment to be able to claim proficiency in Elements. But, the next level, being able to create art from scratch, I'm not sure I'll ever really get there. Anyway, I'll have fun trying! And, I am certainly getting a lot from the forum: ideas, help, encouragement, inspiration...

And, Norm, thanks, that made me smile. Of course, I started to say, "but most of that wasn't my idea," but that just goes back to Pauline's point...

And, Butch, you're right about the hard work and dedication, and the point about your daughter, my daughter looked over my shoulder today and laughed excitedly, "That's me, that's me!"

Okay, it's back to learning...

[GaryK]

Kay

I feel the same as you, but I do find, that the more I use elements the more ideas I get, and the better I get at those. (at least in my eyes:D )


Wendy

Forget the cake...I just needed somewhere to put the candle... (nobody say it:D ).
I didn't feel like using the horse as my "element".:cool: :cool:

[Wendy]

Gary ...

The cake was lovely ... and I thought you made a great job of doing it :)


Wendy

[GaryK]

Wendy

Thanks anyway.. they both (cake and candle) took about the same amount of time:D .. felt like forever..but for you ..... ;) ;)

[Wendy]

Gary ...

:) :) :)


Wendy

[Robyn]

That said, however, if you get some good books that have tutorials in them, it will not only give you the ideas but tell you how to do it, and it really does help.
Pauline,
I know this has probably been done to death but which book/s would you recommend that have some good tutorials?

And Pauline, your other comments are very helpful. I have picked my idols.....and you are one of them. I'm going to stop tripping over my bottom lip and try, try, try. I never worry about someone putting me down (everyone on this forum are just brilliant) but I would much rather honest, constructive criticism.....it's the best learning tool.

Kay, you're right about family..... they all think I'm brilliant....it's all relative. I have been doing watercolour painting for just a couple of years and my husband thinks my paintings are better than those of my original tutor...............if only!

[Jodi Frye]

Hey, when it's stops being a challenge then I may as well drop dead. I've said it before so I wont say it again...those who know me know I'm never truly satisfied and thank goodness for that.

[Wendy]

Hi Jodi ...

It is never going to stop being a Challenge :) ...

I have just started a new image and so far its take me 2 hours to make a door and door frame ... I'm into Bert Monroy techniques at the moment and I beleive that some of his pictures take up to year to make :)

... What a challenge this is proving :)

Wendy

[Wendy]

Hi Everyone ...

I have just been to check and found even more entries. I would like to say thank you to everybody for making all the great images :)

Barbara ... Oh what a great effect you have done in No 3. I just have to ask how you did it??

BillZ ... Oh I like the effect ... nice idea doing it that way :)

Bob ... Very nice. Nice use of colours in No 1 and excellent textures you have put into the background, how did you make that? ... and what a great distortion you have done in No 2 ... the checkerboard makes it very effective!

Chris ... Cool effect in No 2. Is there some motion blur and a gradient in there?. I really like the colour effect.

Compooper Teach ... Clever idea using the number for colours. It makes a great pattern !! ... and then carrying on into + 1 and + 2 is a master stroke. How did you actually make the coloured layers??

Dave ... Stunning colours you have in there and nice work on the multiple images.

Gary ... Aww you added more icing to the cake in your second image :)

Kathy ... That is so nice ... you really have made a great job of using the image for the lettering. It must have taken you quite a while to do that !

Marilyn ... Wow that horses head is magnificent. I don't know how you managed to control the smudge tool like that ... when I try I just get a horrible mess ... you just do it so beautifully ! I have just found two new ones by you. What a great image No 3 makes not only does the horse look so good but great lighting effects and foreground. OK I give up ... how did you do No 4 it is simply amazing ... wonderful distortion and a terrific image !

PatC ... Oh nice work on your No 2 ... you have introduced some excellent textures into it.

Pauline ... Just found No 4 !! Very nice work on the the foreground cut out and great background effect too ... how did you do that?

Robin ... Great mosaic effect in No 1 and the horse looks really good .. the whole thing almost looks like a china plaque. I'd love to know how you did that ? ... and No 2 is great too. It is so effective as I said before it almost looks like china !



Wendy

[NMarti]

Wendy,
The great thing about the challenge is that after scrolling through them, I see how much I have yet to learn. There are some amazing images there and someday I hope to be able to do that too. In the meantime, it's nice to know you're here helping us along.:)

[Wendy]

Hi Nancy ...

I find that the Challenge is a great place to pick up ideas and techniques ...

You are doing well with Elements and the best thing to do is set yourself a goal of doing one Challenge image each week .... Its a great way to try out new ideas and experiments :)

Wendy

[NMarti]

Wendy,
You mentioned a project you're working on now. That sounds intriguing and way, way out of my league. Is this a "from scratch" project? I don't think I would have that kind of dedication to approach a project that would take that long to complete.

[Pauline]

Wendy, the only thing I didn't make in entry #4 was the lamp! It was from my 'how to cheat photoshop book.". So was the tutorial on making the light shine. Very cool. The pen was from the cookie cutter with a lot of fiddling with gradients. Envelope no biggie, just a rectangle that I wrote on and the stamps were the ones I made for challenge 3. It was a lot of fun doing that one.

[Wendy]

Hi Pauline ...

You did really well with that one ... there is a great sense of achievement with making something like that ... I bet you were so pleased with the result. It really is good ..

Wendy

[Wendy]

Hi Nancy ...

I have been working on my project for weeks now ... its coming along but it is slow to do.

Hopefully I will get there within the next few weeks ... :) :)

Wendy

[GaryK]

Wendy


Sweets for the sweet :D :D :D

In case you are wondering.. NO I don't want anything:p

[Wendy]

Gary ..

:) :)


Wendy

[Pauline]

Wendy I just realized I replied about the wrong entry!! The one I told you about was #3 with the lamp! Sheesh, did so many this week I can't keep track.

The fourth one didn't end up turning out like I had in mind, but I liked it and went with it. Cut out the horse and put it on it's own layer. Then above the original image, I put the patterned beige back ground. I then went back to the original and jaggedly cut out the four corners and put each on their own layer. I think I might have changed the blending mode for the corner layers too and lowered the opacity. I also used a bevel on them and then put a shadow around the inside of the centre and made a shadow for the horse. I just kind of went with the flow. Of course it has one of Jodi's frames around it. The 10 000 was done by filling in the numbers with the colours from the horse. I really enjoyed doing this one and the one with the lamp.

[Michellene]

Barbara Wayne: Whew! I get dizzy just looking at your whirling carousel. Would you mind sharing how you did it.

Butch Davis: Your T-Rex is T-Riffic. Is that you that is about to be a mid day snack?


OMG!! I am soooooooo blown away by how amazing you all are.

I can only aspire to someday be half as good.

[Wendy]

Hi there ...

Barbara replied on the other forum so I have copied her comments for you:

---------------------------
Ward ..


That's exactly the effect I was going for, glad it's spinning. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way I merged a number of layers and lost the step-by-step info. However, I will try to give you an overview of what I used.

To create the spinning effect, a Gaussian Blur was applied to a duplicate of the entire original image layer with a fairly high number and then I stretched it horizontally via Image->Resize->Scale. Next I typed 10,000 as a text layer, selected each number by using the Magic Wand (holding down the Shift key to add to the selections), deleted the numbers from the stretched Gaussian Blur layer, leaving the numbers cut-out. I believe I added a drop shadow to that. The curves were done by using Filter->Distort->Shear, but the layer had to be rotated 90 degrees to curve it in the proper direction, then un-rotated back to vertical. I duplicated this layer and flipped one horizontally, overlapped them and lowered the opacity to give the spinning see through illusion. Oh yeah almost forgot, I merged a black & white layer of the horse behind the above layer prior to curving.

That's about all I can recreate from my memory...creating is often a little chaotic.

Barbara
-------------------------------------

[Tom M]

Hi Wendy, Thanks for the comments.
Mine were all a variation on the alpha channel trick in section 10 of HowToCheatInPhotoshop.
#2 is a color/soft light layer over the carved effect.
#1 is the same with EyeCandy's chrome apllied to a highlight selection.
#3 is three layers:
1. color.
2. black and white.
3. The carved effect.
I painted on layer masks on all three to get the look on the horse.

[Wendy]

Hi Tom ...

Oh thanks for that ... they certainly looked really good. :)

Wendy

[Grant]

I have just posted an entry from Marty. For those that are not aware of it Marti posted the very first Challenge an here were are almost starting our fourth years. Well done Marti and thanks for entering.

Grant