Dual Guitars - Shadows and Colors - Adobe Lightroom Trial

I am running out of time on my Adobe Lightroom Trial, 9 days after today. In keeping with my guitar motif I selected a photograph of my two, a Lyon by Washburn 6-string, and a Seagull 12-string.

I again used my SAD daylight lighting on this exposure. It gave it the wonderful shadows. Adjusting in Lightroom I brought out the shadows and darks, adding some highlights and increased saturation as well. I vignetted somewhat but added a film frame from Filter Forge's Freepack - Frames, while in PhotoPaint, to emphasize the darks and shadows in today's image.

Busy today so I will keep the posting shorter than usual. Some days are just like that.

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Listening to: Ace of Base - The Sign
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Two Guitars Grayscale - Adobe Lightroom Trial

Well, my trial period with Adobe's Lightroom is rapidly coming to a close. So I chose one of my guitar photographs to experiment on. The original photograph was taken using lighting from a day light SAD light source, thus giving me shadows to work with.

The original wall was a purple color with a purple rug at the bottom. But the SAD light source really made the image. The overlapping shadows created much interest for the piece.

I used the Tone Curve, Saturation, Vignetting, and a couple other adjustments with the last being Grayscale. Lightroom is a wonderful product with many tools I haven't even touched. Like the Print and Web features, which are full and robust.

The subject matter is a Lyon by Washburn 6-string guitar and a Seagull 12-string guitar. Both are fairly playable, but my favorite is the Seagull. I do a lot of my songwriting on it. It has a full bodied tone quality that the 6-string doesn't come near to.

I've been practicing a song with some flatpicking and some hammerons on the 12-string. It sounds great!

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Listening to: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Mystified
via FoxyTunes

Custom Hot Rod Pick up Truck - ArtRage - Lightroom Trial

While I am testing out the Adobe Lightroom 2 Trial version (full version sells for around $299.00) I am trying it on several differing images.

This image was first of all painted in the Free ArtRage with oil brushes. I added back in just enough detail using PhotoPaint to overlay the original photograph with transparency. I added the frame using Filter Forges' Freepack Frames. Then I saved the image.

I opened the piece in Adobe's Lightroom 2 Trial version and adjusted the Tone Curve, Saturation, and gave it some depth increasing the Shadows a bit.

I really like this program and would like to own it, but it doesn't fit the budget for now, maybe somewhat later. I love the way it brings out details and deepens the coloring and effects the lighting. Makes the image really POP!

I don't have the credits for the original photographer, so if you recognize it let me know so I can give full credit to them.

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Listening to: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - Mischief Maker Makeshift Taker
via FoxyTunes

A Falling Barn - Adobe Lightroom Trial

I combined this black and white photo-
graph, taken by my son Keir M. Gatzka, and opening in PhotoPaint I created a quadtone, altering back to RGB 24-bit, of this decrepit barn. With a full rust texture background from CGTextures.com I combined the two using the object property of Multiply. I adjusted the Tone Curve and Saturation lightly in PhotoPaint.

I then opened the file in Adobe's Lightroom 2 Trial program. There under Develop I adjusted the Tone Curve and Saturation again bringing out the shadows and sharpening the details. I added a bit of Vignetting to darken the tone around the main focus, the barn itself.

Exporting this to my folder, I again opened it in PhotoPaint and added a frame using the Filter Forge's Freepack Frames. I adjusted the settings to make the frame smaller and added the rounded corners. I made the white outer frame black instead.

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Listening to: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - GDEmAmD
via FoxyTunes

Old Ford Sedan - Lightroom 2 Trial

Still trying out my 30 day trial of Adobe's Lightroom 2. I garnered this photograph from FontPlay.com as a freebie. As you can see it is an Old Ford Sedan taken slightly at an angle.

I applied many adjustments including Tone Curve and Shadows and Saturation and tried the Vignette as well. All of this deepened the colors and focused the viewer on the car, getting rid of too much white on the right hand side of the image.

I also saved the file and opened it in PhotoPaint to add a Photo Frame using Filter Forge's Frames. A narrow addition to the photograph.

I am enjoying using Lightroom 2 and will continue to experiment with it's features during the trail period. Buying it is another thing as we had car trouble this month that cost us a pretty penny to get it back on the road. It's always something!

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Listening to: Eric Clapton - White Room
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Trial 30 Days with Adobe Lightroom 2

I downloaded the trial copy of Adobe's Lightroom 2 yesterday and decided to give it a try. What can it hurt? 30 days of trial and error to play creatively with.

Only problem is I don't remember all the settings I changed doing this current vintage Dodge Truck photograph. I know I changed the Tone Curve, and I changed the contrast and saturation but don't ask me how I did it.

Anyway this photograph was taken some time ago and I have many versions of the truck. I like this one because of the light on the foreground. And the depth my changes in Lightroom made to it really takes the viewer there. It was a bright and sunny afternoon, so the truck was partially in shadow and in the light. I tried to enhance the effect in Lightroom. Take a look at the larger image in your browser and I think you'll agree.

I was also finding time for some recording again yesterday. I used my 12-string and the Toneport UX1 with Gearbox and Audacity. I did two instrumentals, one with a drum backbeat, uptempo, and another without. The second song I played is very light and soft for my playing. My wife liked it, so I guess it must be OK. She is my best critic, I am always hard on myself, I hear all the little mistakes. I truly am an amateur! But I enjoy it so much.

I did post a song for critique on The Acoustic Guitar Community I belong to. I don't know if you have to be a member to download the MP3 of "The Last Good Cowboy" or not. But here is a link to the discussion about the song and one of the comments has a link to the song's MP3. If you would like to hear it go HERE.

If you must join to share I don't have anywhere else to place the MP3'S at this time for storage online. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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Listening to: Kirk Mathew Gatzka - The Last Good Cowboy
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