Smoothing out textures . . .

On the face of it this seems an odd thing to want to do but when I mentioned this tip on my Facebook page Teresa Pople Photography somebody asked me if I could give instructions . . .so this is for you Kathy and anyone else who may be interested.

This is the original shot on which I did the preliminary work. I always shoot in Raw so I made the exposure adjustments I wanted to, sharpened the areas of the photo I wanted to enhance and then started to apply the texture.

I find it's quite hit and miss deciding which texture to use, sometimes a certain colour is what I want and I go with that but at other times I just experiment and may open 4 or 5 different textures before I get something I can work with.

I never feel that I have to complete a layer before moving on to the next one and  usually only do a bit of work on the first layer before I duplicate the texture and try a different blend mode, I like to quickly build the image before refining it. Each layer can be worked on as and when you want and  you can jump around the different layers masking and  revealing a little here and a little there . . .I find it difficult if not almost impossible to finish with one layer before I start another.

Here's the layers panel for this image

So . .. I reached a stage where I wanted to intensify the colour but not intensify the texture . . .and this is one of the snags with using multiple layers of texture . . .it can become too texturised.
 I found the effect I wanted which was linear burn blend mode at 45% and then blurred the texture using the gaussian blur filter. This gave me what I was looking for.
To do this simply click on the particular layer of texture you want to blur, select filter . .gaussian blur and decide how much of a blur you want . . .check the preview button and click ok. If you decide you then don't like it just undo. It's that simple and can produce some beautifully creamy effects.

I hope this was helpful . .if anyone wants any further info just let me know.

Love xx :-)

Settled . . . . . .

Well . . .we've moved countries,houses,flown over to the UK with the dog in the hold of the plane and we're at last settled . . .I can breathe a huge sigh of relief and look forward to getting back into a routine.

It was all ok actually and everything went to schedule except the telephone and internet . . .when the man came to connect us there was no cable in the ducting so we had top wait a few more weeks for this to be done but all is finished now.

I'm going to redesign the blog and start to included little tips I've found useful when I use textures . . .quite a few people have asked if I would do this . . . so I'll give it a go. If you've got any questions about how I do things I'm very happy to share with you.

Ok . . .see you all soon . . . . big happy sigh . .:-)

Oh and I couldn't go without sharing one of my recent pieces with you could I . . .

                                                                                    "Lily Pond" (textures by French Kiss Textures)
Love . . .xxx

On the move . . . ..

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to let you know that I'm not going to be around much for the next few weeks . . . we've recently sold our house here in Greece and are relocating to the UK. So, what with the move, house hunting and trips backwards and forwards I'm not going to have much time for anything else.
As soon as we're settled I'll start posting again . . .but it may be a couple of months before I'm back in the swing of things.
Love to you all . . .see you soon . . xxx

Back to normal . . .

Well the telephone company came to the house and I think they have finally sorted out my internet problems . . .what a relief . . .The two young men who came were very helpful and thankfully, spoke good English.

It was always my intention when we came here to speak Greek fluently but I haven't progressed past the basic stage and I've  finally had to admit that because we speak English at home I'm not immersed in the language enough to be really fluent . . .I have found it a nightmare language to learn but fortunately the Greek people are so encouraging when a person tries to speak their language that it makes it really worthwhile. . . .so I have my "pidgin" Greek conversations whenever I can . . . :-)

But back to the main purpose of this post which is Texture Tuesday  over at Kim Klassen's. The theme is to use Kim's texture "Felicity" as part of the processing. I've chosen a shot of my little roses in a vase with a quote from Henri Matisse. . . . .

"Cheery"

                                             . . . .and here's the workflow 

The weather is due to warm up in the next day or so . . . .happy days . .. 

Happy Tuesday everyone . . .Teresa xx :-)

Happiness is . . . . . . . .

What a week . . .violent storms . . .no electricity for 20 hours and no telephone and internet for 3 days . . . internet still not fixed properly yet . . . phew !!!

The weather this winter seems to mirror the turmoil that the country is going through and whilst I am unhappy about the inconveniences I have to put up with, they really are quite insignificant when compared to the very real suffering that some people here are experiencing and that more will certainly experience in the future. . . . very difficult times for a lot of people . . . ..

Actually I'm really on the wrong tack here because the challenge this week at Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday is happiness . . . . .and I thank God that no matter what,  there is a place where I can be at peace . . . . .wonderful . . .

For my entry this week I've returned to flowers . . .

"Happiness is Togetherness"

  . . . . .this is the workflow . .

Hopefully the internet will still be up tomorrow when I come to post this on Kim's site and I'll be able to visit you. It tends to be up and down like a yo yo :-)

Happy Tuesday everyone,
Teresa :-) xx

Sugar and . . . . . .more sugar

At my favourite cafe they have the little sugar sachets in a stainless steel pot which caught my eye the other day as the sun was shining on them . I had my camera with me so was able to snap away.

I used Kim's "poetic" texture and then converted it to b/w and selectively added a little colour back to the sugar sachets. I think I added a "magic" texture as an edging but I didn't make a note of it . . . . :-(

"Sugar and . . . ."

I used the texture at soft light 100% and mutiply 34%.

I'll be posting this at     and I'm looking forward to seeing some lovely work . . .

It's blowing a gale . . . literally . . . . as I write this . . the chimney is whistling and the shutters are rattling . . ..but I picked my first narcissus toady . . .oh the fragrance :-)

Teresa xx :-)

Storyboards . . . . .

The talk was all about storyboards over at  at Kim Klassen cafe.

These are the two I produced.

"Greece"

 . . . . . . . . . .and "My Roses" 

We've had sun today . . . . . .woo hoo . . . . 

Teresa xx  :-)

Something gentle . . . . . .

These are my "rescued"roses . . picked before we had some very strong winds. I wanted a really gentle and soft treatment for them so used the "golden" texture from Kim Klassen and reduced the saturation of the texture.

"Floral Dreams

At last today we have a bit of sunshine but it's literally the calm before the storm . . .gales on the way. . .and to all of my English friends . . .stay warm . . .such icy weather there.

Happy Sunday everyone, Teresa xx :-)

Simplicity . . . . .

That's the name of the texture for the challenge for Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen's so I decided to use "simplicity" as my inspiration for the finished look of the image.

 . . . . ."Simplicity"

                

                     . . . . . . . .and this is my workflow 

The weather here is still cold . . . we've lived here for 13 years and this is the coldest winter I can remember.  . .. . .but it should all change by the weekend . . .-))

Looking forward to seeing lots of inspired work today, Happy Tuesday,

Teresa xx :-)

. . . .and another . . . . .

A close up of one of the wild anemones . . .

"Words and Flowers"

                                                                                                                                                         (texture and brush by French Kiss Textures)

We had sunshine yesterday . . .woo hoo . . . . but there's more rain on the way :-( This is turning out to be one of the coldest winters we have had in years  . . .I told my friend the other day that if I ever say I like winter  . . .she has my permission to kick me . . .

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,
Teresa xx :-)

The anemones have returned . . . . .

 . . . . .so Spring is on its way . . . not that you would believe it today . . .cold . . rain . . thunder . . .hail . . .lightning . . .

I spoke some time ago about the fields of wild anemones we have here in certain areas and I was visiting them on Saturday . . .what a treat.

This is one of the shots I got . . . .luckily the field was higher than the road so I was able to get a level view of them.

"Windflowers"

                                                                                (texture by Distressed textures)

I've included the layers panel because I know that some people like to see how the image is constructed.























I love the wildflowers we have here . . not only because of their variety but also their abundance . . . . .roll on warmer weather :-)

Love Teresa xx :-)

New days . . . .

Sometimes we all need a little encouragement . . .

 . . . . .for anyone who needs to see that things will change . . . .

Teresa xx :-)

Spicy . . . . . .

Or rather spices . . . . a shot of my little spice jars which are jewel bright coloured glass and even look lovely without anything in them.
Spices conjure up for me the smells of exotic places . . . . magic carpets  . . .and tales from far flung places.. . .so they tie in nicely with the theme over at Kim Klassen's "Texture Tuesday" where this week it's  . . . "story" .

So here is "Sunshine and Spice"

I used two textures "Walnut Ink" and "Magic Scratches" and layer masks to remove the texture in places that I wanted the full depth of the detail and colour to come through . . .

I'll post this as soon as I can because we have been informed that we will have no power from 8.30 until 12.30. . . .  .at least we've been warned in advance and not just had the plug pulled, which is what usually happens here :-)

Happy Tuesday everyone, Teresa xx :-)

A page from winter . . . .

I don't know if this umbrella will survive until the summer . . . . .somehow I don't think so . . .  :-)

                                                                                              (texture by Distressed Textures)

Have a lovely weekend everyone
Teresa xx :-)                                                                                               

Woo hoo . . . . .back online . . .

Well, the title of the post says it all . . . .I hate not to have the internet . . .I feel so out of touch. Fortunately I've got a very good friend so I was able to take my laptop to her house and use her wi fi . . . so at least I could do some of the things I needed to.

But enough of that . . . we've had such a cold spell here .  .take yesterday . . . three layers plus thick jacket plus scarf and gloves so I promise I will never complain about the heat of the summer again :-)

But back to the nice stuff . . . .this pic is of a little bunch of winter flowering roses that I rescued from the weather.


"Words and Flowers"

                                                                                                  (textures by Kim Klassen)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone,
Teresa xx :-)

Internet problems . . . .

I'm off line at home and have taken my laptop to my friends to use her wi fi for an hour or so . . . .I'll get back to you a.s.a.p
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (not really) xxx :-)

Photo Art Friday . . . .

The challenge over at Bonnie's was to use her textures to create a piece of artwork.

I've been on the beach a few times lately and had taken lots of shots of the waves crashing. . . . . this is one of those shots with the textures "Medieval Magic" and "Abstract scratches" applied.

"Turmoil"

The sea has calmed down now . . . . I love it when the waves are crashing ashore . . . .but the weather is still cold and very changeable but at least the sun shone today :-)

Have a wonderful weekend, Teresa xx 

At the edge . . . .

My rescued roses . . . . .strong winds and rain  . . . . .have provided me with lots of photo opportunites and I've been enjoying using my macro lens without having any wind to move the flowers.

For our Texture Tuesday challenge over at Kim Klassen's  we had to use a layer of "Embrace".  . . . . .so here is . . . "At the edge"

I used "embrace" at soft light 37% and "serious magic" at screen 100%

It's still wet and windy today . . . .but it should clear later . . . . at least the days are becoming longer :-)

See you at the cafe later . . . .Teresa xx :-)

And the New Year begins . . .

I came across this quote the other day and thought how true . . . "I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past" . . . .It's easy to look at the past through a rosy glow . . .something I have a tendency to do . . . but it's good to have dreams and hopes for the future and I hope that this year sees your dreams materialise.

"Dreams"

Monday tomorrow . . .have a good week everyone.
Love Teresa xx :-)

Texture Tuesday . . .

Does anyone else feel like me  ? . . . . . . it's nice to get back to normal . . .happy sigh. . . .so it's into the first Texture Tuesday of the year.

We've got some roses which are starting to bloom again . . .they always do this at this time of year here on Kos . . .so I've been taking photos of them whenever I can. this is a shot of a lovely pink tinged bud which will turn into a highly scented white rose. . .the scent is delicious.

I've called this "poignant" as there seemed to be that sort of quality to it when I had finished . . . .kind of wistful.

and this is a screenshot of the layers

I'll post this to Kim's site as soon as . . . .and I can have  a good look at what everyone has been producing.


This second image is in respone to a challenge of Kim's in the Test Kitchen.
this is my version of her "red barn" using the "embrace" texture.

Happy Tuesday everyone,
Love Teresa xx :-)

Winter brightness . . . .

Something cheery to start the new year . . . .this geranium was flowering away the other day.

                                                                                                                             Textures are by French kiss and Distressed Textures

So a new year . . .hope it's a good one for us all.
Love Teresa xx :-)