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.

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.

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 :)

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.