I Heart Faces | Fix it Friday #96

It's been several weeks since I've participated in Fix-It Friday over on I Heart Faces.  I'm trying to get back in the routine of it.  So here's the scoop--I Heart Faces provides a photo to be edited.  Everyone has the chance to work on their editing skills and share it with others.  I LOVE Fix-It Fridays!  It really gives me a chance to play in Photoshop on an image that I don't have any emotional attachment to.  Very different from editing a photo that I took because I usually have some preconceived notion of how my photos should look. But with something that I didn't shoot...anything goes :)

So here is this week's photo straight from I Heart Faces.  It's very dark so the first thing to do is lighten it up.  I wanted an open field so I got rid of the kneeling man.  Then more adjustments which I can't list because I just play until I get a look that I like.

And here is my final edit.  This is the first time I've ever added clouds to a picture! 

That is a memory worth keeping.

I Heart Faces | Fix it Friday #87

It's Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces!  They provide the photo and I get a chance to practice editing in Photoshop.  I love it!  This week they provided an adorable newborn/daddy picture. 

Here is the original photo from I Heart Faces.  There is a messy area in the bottom corner...I thought my kids had been touching the computer with their sticky little hands!  Other than that, this is already a great picture.  I don't think I'll be able to improve it too much.

Edit #1

The first thing I did was use the back drop fix from The CoffeeShop Blog.  I usually crop right away.  More face, less background.  But not with this image.  I tried a crop but I really like it better with the whole arms.  It shows that there really is a person back there and not just a black backdrop.  It makes it a little more personal.  Which is also why I left some of the t-shirt creases instead of blacking it all out in the backdrop fix action.

Edit #2

Edit #3
This is my favorite of the week.  I used a blur layer to soften the arms a little.  I like how it brings the focus to the baby but leaves dad in the picture.

Edit #4
This is my "just for fun" edit.  Every week I try to do an edit that is something different from my usual preference.  It just helps me experiment with different editing techniques.  I was trying for a vintage look.  I used the Vintage action from Pioneer Woman.  



Head on over to I Heart Faces for more edits!

I Heart Faces | Fix it Friday #86

It's Fix It Friday over at I Heart Faces. I love Fix It Fridays! It really helps me learn when I can edit photos that I didn't take. I think because I don't have any preconceived notions about how it should look. Here are my edits:

This is the photo provided for edit by I Heart Faces.

Edit # 1

Edit #2:  A little too close

Edit #3:  Too close again

Edit # 4:  This is my favorite of the week.

Edit # 5:  Just for fun

Head on over to I Heart Faces for more edits!

Photo Edit #4

The goose was just hanging out watching TV and I was sitting behind her on the couch messing with some settings on my camera.  I told her to look at me and snapped three quick pics.

The first one had hair in her face.

The second one had a weird flash problem.

The third one was good enough to edit.  And here is what I got from it:

I'm loving the BackDrop Fix action from The CoffeeShop Blog.  After fixing the background, I also ran the Perfect Portrait 2 action from the same website.

Here is a B&W version too.  I like the colored one better this time.

I Heart Faces| Best Face Photo in January

This week the challenge at I Heart Faces is "Best Face in January".  When I saw the theme, I had no hesitation.  This is my favorite picture from this month.  I love that he is just being himself and his amazing sense of humor is shining through.  It's not posed or planned.  I just took out the camera and started taking pictures of him as we were unloading the car after grocery shopping.  He was making a funny face in every shot that I got! 

This is his "shark face".  It's not unusual for him to give this face to random people who approach him in the grocery store.  And its never failed to get a laugh, even from the sweet old men who hand out pennies for the coin-operated horse at the local store.  I ♥ this kid!!

Head on over to I Heart Faces for more January favorites!

Photo Edit #3

Two kids were watching a movie and one was sleeping so I decided to work on another edit.

Here is the before picture.  We were working on a picture for a Valentine's Day card and I took this one when she looked away for a second.

And here is my edit.  I'm not sure who this kid is.  Certainly not my baby anymore.

Photo Edit #2

This poor little guy had a bad rash a few weeks ago. I didn't know if I could save any of the pictures that I took of him during that time. I thought I would give it a shot. Here is my edit:

Before:  Wow, that looks even worse than I thought it did at the time.

After:  Maybe I overdid the skin smoothing.  Still, its a lot better than the rash!  BTW, his rash is gone and he is all baby-faced again!

I Heart Faces | Fix it Friday #84

Today is Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces.  I love Fix it Friday!  I'm learning so many new editing techniques.  I feel like my Photoshop skills have improved so much in the last few weeks.  Since I was starting at zero skills, I still have a LONG way to go :)

Here is the image provided for edit by I Heart Faces.

Here is my first edit.  I used the dodge and burn tool (for the first time!) to lighten the shadows on her face.

Here is my 2nd edit, I used the Vintage Blush action from The CoffeeShop Blog.  I've been wanting to practice with this action.  I like the feminine antique look.

My next edit is a black and white conversion.

 And here is my last edit.  With this one I started over with the SOOC photo.  I dodged the shadows off her face, cloned away some of the spit, got a closer crop, and used the Perfect Portrait 2 action from The CoffeeShop Blog.  This is my favorite edit for this week.

Innocent Wonder

The theme for the weekly photo challenge at I Heart Faces is Innocent Wonder.  I had a few different photos that I was considering using for this.  But yesterday when we were playing in the snow I got a shot that I really like.  She looks so contemplative.  And innocent.  Just the way I want her to stay forever.

Head on over to I Heart Faces to see more Innocent Wonder entries!

Photo Edit #1

Since I didn't participate in the Fix it Fridays photo editing challenge from I Heart Faces this week, I thought I would post a few of my own edits over the course of this week.

Here is the picture Straight out of the camera.  Which I've just learned from reading all these awesome photography blogs is also known as SOOC.  LOL, I feel so knowledgeable! 

Here was my first edit which I love!  I didn't know how much I was going to be able to brighten it up coming out of my point and shoot. 

And my favorite, just because I prefer Black and Whites.  Only I think he looks a little too pretty here.  Don't tell his dad that I said that!  Maybe I need to add some texture to roughen him up :)

Project 52/ Week 3

 The theme this week for Project 52 is shades of grey.  I LOVE this theme. I just really like black and white pictures.  Here is my favorite shot from the week.  He's pouting because he couldn't have any chocolate!  He did his best to avoid looking at the camera.  Which I think is what made the shot work.

And here are some other black and whites from this week.

Winter Wonderland

This week's challenge at I Heart Faces is Winter Wonderland.

What you can't see in this picture is that there is a snowball aimed right at me.  And though it looks like she's giving me a dirty look, she's just in the moment of a serious snowball fight!

Head on over to I Heart Faces for more Winter Wonderland photos!

Fix-it Friday #82

I'm so glad that I found the website I Heart Faces!  In addition to the weekly themed challenges they also host Fix-it Fridays. This is great for me since one of my goals this year is to finally learn more than just the basics of Photoshop.  I love the tutorials that they post to go with the photos!

Here is the original photo provided for edit by I Heart Faces.

Edit #1:  Cropped, brightened the eyes, and sharpened it to add some definition to the freckles.  I just messed around with levels until I got a look that I liked.  I don't know Photoshop well enough to list out all the steps that I took.

Edit #2:  This is my favorite.  I love black and white photos. 

Project 52/Week 2

The theme for Project 52/week 2 is "Illustrate a Song".  

The song is "SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE".  Because to a 6-year old girl on a snowy and cold winter day, a cup of hot cocoa with extra marshmallows definitely qualifies as irresistible! 

And since I'm practicing using texture overlays, here's another song.  Monster Mash.  Yeah, its a bit of a stretch.  The overlay is a bit exaggerated but this was just practice.  I wanted it to look monster-ish.

This Week's Challenges

The two photo challenges that I'm participating in this week are "Winter Wonderland" and "Illustrate a Song".  I haven't had much of a chance to really think about what pictures I want to take yet.  This morning I thought that maybe I could get a picture of "winter wonderland" without having to leave the house.  Wishful thinking on my part!  I tried sticking the camera out the window to get some pictures of the icicles.  The result was not what I was looking for...

I don't think this picture portrays a winter wonderland as much as it does an icicle prison!  Which is kind of accurate in my feelings toward winter.  But not what I was looking for.  I guess I will have to actually go outside to look for a better shot.

 

The cat couldn't figure out why I was hanging halfway out the window.  Above she was looking very inquisitive.  Below she was looking a little like a psychopath!