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!