Play Time........Photoshop Style

For those of you who may not know, Photoshop is a program which you can use to do many graphically inspired things, including adjust photographs.  It's part of the Adobe Creative Suite of programs that I use in my office for my business Speakeasy, and also for my 'I need to create more' online business, Bates Mercantile Co.

Now, on a daily basis I work in Illustrator, another program in the creative suite, than in Photoshop, but I love learning new things in each.

Lately, I'm falling in love with 'actions' in photoshop. Basically, 'actions' take a group of actions you might use to say, adjust a photo, and records them or saves that group of tasks as one action. The results..........it saves me a lot of tweaking time to get the look I want. 

Yesterday the farmer mowed the hay field across the street, and parked his tractor overnight in front of the barn. Not his barn. The barn that goes to the house that sits in front of the field. The farmer is from down the road a bit, and leases the field to grow his hay. Just thought you should know that.

Here's the picture I took around 7:30 a.m. this morning. Love morning light.

Pretty light. Pretty colors.

But perhaps I want the picture to have a 70s vibe? Apply an action (thanks to some freebies from pioneerwoman).

Nice, huh?

Then again, I might want it too look like something from the 'Old West'. Again, apply an action (this one another from pioneerwoman).

I really like that one. Gives it a moody feel.

What if I want to give it an even older look?

I applied the vintage action. LOVE that one.

Here's another with a vintage feel.

I used the 'heartland' action for that version.

You'll find this barn in many of my sunset shots. It's just across the street and my neighbors did a fantastic restoration a couple of years ago. That makes me happy. It also makes me happy to have such a lovely subject right outside my door.

Here's a close up of the tractor.

I love pictures of things aren't just for looking at, but actually are workhorses. Pretty in it's own right, at least I think so.

Now, a tweak with the 'Old West' action again.

Very cool? Yes?

As I crossed the street to the field this morning, I looked up and spied this pair. 

Rather than an Photoshop 'action', I applied a Photoshop 'filter' to these mourning doves. 'Paint daubs'. I like the way they turned out. The one on the right really made me laugh, the way he was puffing himself up.

Another beautiful day, made even more beautiful by the fact that our nectarines are ripe. We didn't get as many as last year, but they sure are tasty and purty (sorry, just channelling my best walter brennan impersonation).

I adjusted these lovelies with the Watercolor Filter. Mmmmm.

Now, if you have photoshop, be sure to check out Pioneer Woman's free action sets! And have some fun.

Sunset Meadows

No action sets applied to these. Just a little brightness adjustment so you could see the Queen Anne's Lace better.

Mellow and pretty last night at Sunset Meadows.

From my little corner of the world to yours.....have a fantastic Tuesday.



So Happens It's Thursday

So happens it's Thursday....That's Gar's answer to T.G.I.F. Get it? S.H.I.T.? I kind of like it. Though I'm not feeling particularly smarmy today, I just thought I'd throw it out there since it was 'day appropriate'.

I've been fiddling around with headers for Mercantile Muse. And as you can see, I've gone with a simple white background as well. I think it shows everything off in a crisper,cleaner way. I really like the way it makes photos pop. Siss, boom, bang! (sorry, getting a little geared up for the 4th and the big losbta bake!)



Can you say lobster? But here are two experts on lobster bakes- G man and Cap'
(as in Captain', aka Ralph, who I've been best pals with since
1st Grade and is a Fisherman and Captain...hence the nickname).
  OK, I'll stop for now.  Back to the subject at hand........the blog header.


I designed the first header for our blog last night, and it looked really nice. I liked all of the components including some of our very own stone wall and roses, and a picture of a ship's masthead that I took in NYC's South Street Seaport.  In the end, it just wasn't working for me.  It seemed to be just a little too much- too much for this particular blog anyway.



See what I mean?

Then I designed one that incorporated a piece of one of my printable wall art designs, Three Feathers. Except, I only used one of the feathers (see bottom of this post for picture). This one I like a lot for it's simple, clean look.



Straight and to the point. Opposite of the first......not busy at all.

Then I woke to a new day and new eyes and thought, with all those neutrals a pop of bright yellow might be kind of nice- sans quill/feather. I edited the picture of our 'Pot of Gold' coreopsis in photoshop and included that in the design for the splash of color. After looking at it though, I kind of missed the feather because it represents the writing/talking/blog lovin' rants I'll be throwing out there on Mercantile Muse, as well representing my designs in our etsy shop.



Pow. Pop of happy yellow. Not to quill?

 Being the fickle gal I am and since I wasn't sure about the quill being missing, I worked it back into the design. First I faded the flower behind it a little bit more so they weren't competing so much. Somehow I still can't decide.



Or to quill? That is the question.

 Liking this one. Although, I think I'll have to walk away, and come back and look at with fresh eyes before I make a final decision. Then again, does the decision really have to be final? It's a work in progress, just like me.

Any thoughts, feel free to share them.  And as promised.........Three Feathers, available on etsy at Bates Mercantile Co.


Glory be, the sun is shining again and there is a lovely breeze. It's a great laundry day, as far as laundry goes. Perfect for line drying. I'm sounding more and more like my mother (not that that is a bad thing).

And since it's Mercantile Muse's first week anniversary, I'm adding to my good things list. Just because. Feel free to add your own good things.

Good Things

That lucan is sleeping soundly on the futon,

instead of running across the street and getting into a

tussle with a very nice Dobie Girl getting a walk on a

leash, the way he did last night. Bad dog.

Sleeping soundly is much better.

lovely breezes

blog followers and online friends- givin' ya'll a wahooli!

a screen tent/house

(someday a house/room, for now a screen tent.

the mosquitoes were vicious last night)

visitors to look forward to

checking things off of lists

work on my desk

SKYPE

(I know it was on the list last week, but last night we got to skype with our friend's

mom who we haven't seen in.....oh....say about 24 years! LOVE skype.)

Have a good one. Or as Walter Brennan says in Rio Bravo- have 'a goodn'.