"Vintage Abandoned House" PicsArt Photo Studio Plus

Vintage Abandoned House

I opened this photograph of a "Vintage Abandoned House," in PicsArt Photo Studio on my computer. I applied a tool to make it a Sketch-like image. After that, I used the Draw tools to select a couple of different Brushes to hand paint the sketch in color. (I have a Wacom USB Tablet with stylus connected to my computer for painting.)

I used the Mask tools to add a Border to the piece. Not quite what I wanted I added a Photo of a Rusty Texture using the Screen property. Using the Text tool I added my name and the year. I saved that image to my computer.

I went to Paint.NET and adjusted the Saturation for additional color. The blue painted sky lost some of it's blue to an overcast look. I saved the large image again.

The steps were simple, except for the painting by hand which took some time. I used Paint.NET to resize to display size. 95dpi, 1220 X 813 pixels, with 85 Compression for a smaller image. I save it with a new name.

I have three differing views of this Abandoned House in photographs. I did one other prior to this one. I may do the other photograph in a similar way. I think that the decay displayed is of interest to many readers.

With this post, I reached the Milestone of over 175,000 Plus Pageviews! Thank you for your patronage!

"How To: Double Embarrassment" PicsArt Plus

Double Embarrassment

I began today's image with a photograph of a Young Lady with her Guitar. Her hand is covering her face in a gesture of embarrassment. I opened it in PicsArt Photo Studio on my computer. I applied the Effects tool HDR2 to it. This gave me a base image to work with.

I opened another image of a Group of Trees for Texture and adjusted the property and opacity of it to allow the main image of the Young Lady show through. I merged these together. I used the Curves Tool to add some depth. Next, I used the Mask Border Tool for a border to the image. It was coming out as a Sepia toned visual.

I added the clipart of an old Camera in the corner. Then using the Clone Tool I duplicated the Young Lady, thus the title, "Double Embarrassment."

I added the image of my signature and date in PicsArt. I merged all layers and saved the large piece.

I used Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5) next. I chose the Watercolor Sketch setting with a Dry Brush and painted the scene. I used the Soft Cloner Brush to add back in details to the face, hands, and guitar. I saved with a new name.

Now I reopened the image in Paint.NET to Adjust the Saturation to about 175. This brought out many additional colors in the image. I saved again as a large image.

For display size, I used Corel PhotoPaint and resampled the image. 96dpi, 1220 X 813 pixels, 75 Compression, 25 Smoothing, saving the smaller image with a new name.

I have recently found out that when viewing my blog page on my Android Tablet, using the Chrome browser, I can no longer play any of the songs on the CDBaby Kiosks. This may be Adobe Flash Player related, as I can play them with no trouble on my computer using Firefox, and I have an updated version of Flash Player. So I apologize in advance if you also have similar problems with playing the songs Full Previews. (May also be a JavaScript problem.)

I looked for HTML5 music player code on CDBaby's site but they haven't changed any of it. If you have any difficulty please leave a note on the blog about this issue. Thank you.

"How to: Alone with Her Thoughts" PicsArt Plus and Recording Setup Noise

Alone with Her Thoughts

I recently found this photograph of a young gal "Alone with Her Thoughts," by this magnificent Tree. I wanted to try some experiments on it with my computer software. I first chose the PicsArt App and used a Local Boost Tool (enhance,) next I applied the Effects FX HDR1 tool. With this tool, I upped the Unsharp Mask and upped the Saturation. Then I used the Curves tool to add color depth. I adjusted the Brightness to -20, and the Hue to -23.

I went to Mask, to add some Texture using the property Multiply reducing the Opacity. Again in Mask I added the Black Border. I used the Text tool to select my font and added my name and year.

I saved that iteration and opened it in Corel's PhotoPaint. Here, I increased the saturation again by 25. I saved the file. I Resampled for display at 72dpi, 1220 X 813, an Optimized JPG with 75 Compression, 25 Smoothing. I saved with a new name.

I did have some time this Sunday afternoon to practice playing scales on my Martin DRS1 6-String Guitar. I again was using QuistJam Backing Tracks on YouTube through my Line 6 PodXT Live and headphones as to not disturb my wife or the neighbors.

I also did some reading on "Electronic Noise," that troubles my PC setup with the PodXT Live. I believe, through my reading that I have two culprits for noise. My RCA cables are not shielded and the fans of my PC add noise when I use the Microphone. I may have another problem with unshielded USB cables and the main USB cable from the PodXT Live to the PC may add to noise or hum problems. Interesting reading with some expensive solutions ranging from $20.00 to $630.00.

I learned that proper Grounding is also an important key to reduction of noise with electronic components. I have some investigating to do now with my current setup. 1) I have the PodXT Live connected with a basic quality USB cable. 2) I have the Speakers and Headphones connected to a Technics SA EX320 amplifier, using the Phono Aux output with the unshielded RCA cables.

I can either plug in the Shure PG58 Microphone in (on a boom stand,) or plug in my Guitar into the PodXT Live. I can't do both at the same time. I have two other input jacks on the PodXT Live, one for an additional guitar pedal, and an Aux input for playing MP3's through the system. The MP3's would not be recorded onto the DAW or recording software I use.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Step by Step: Bluegrass Guitar Session at the Library" PE5 Plus

Bluegrass Guitar Session at the Library

I have another Guitarists photograph to share after I worked on it digitally. The "Bluegrass Guitar Session at the Library," is the image for today's post.

Working on my computer I opened the large photograph in Windows 10 Photos. I enhanced the image and added some shadows to it, saving it with a new name.

My next step was to open it in Corel Painter Essentials 5 (PE5.) Here I selected the Illustration settings. I grabbed a brush from the Pencils, Pens and Markers called the Thick N Thin Marker Brush. I digitally painted the image as an Illustration.

I then added back in some details, like the strings of the guitars, the hands, and faces, painting by hand using the Soft Cloner Brush. I wanted to add some texture to the image so I applied the Apply Surface Texture tool.

I selected a coarse paper type, adjusting the Lighting with a quiet flesh tone color. This added warmth as well as the texture to the piece. I saved this large iteration at 300dpi using the same name.

Now I opened the file in Corel's PhotoPaint. I adjusted the Hue to 0, the Saturation to 25, and the Lightness to -10. I added my signature layer to the file, sized and placed it and merged the layers. I saved that iteration with a new name.

For my final steps, I used PicsArt. I applied a black lines border Mask from PicsArt. I used the Tool Curves to add depth to the colors just a bit. I saved that file with a new name.

I had used the large file to make changes in PicsArt, so I had to resize the image for display. I did this in Paint.NET 72dpi, 1220 X 813, 75 Compression, I saved this with a new name.

Be sure to click on the image to observe it at the large size for detail and texture. 

Musically, I have been practicing on my new Martin DRS1 6-String Acoustic Electric Guitar, acoustically without amplification. I have been working on accurate finger placement for my chord playing. Along with that, I listen to Backing Tracks from QuistJam on YouTube, playing scales by ear trying out differing keys and leads. It is improving my playing as I do this, really enjoying the time spent.

"Step by Step: Electric Guitar Player XI" PicsArt App Plus

Electric Guitar Player XI

Another free to edit, a photograph here is the "Electric Guitar Player XI." I opened the picture in the PicsArt App in Windows 10 on my computer. I selected the Tools Enhance and upped the color a tad.

I used the filter in Artistic Effects called Polygon. This gave me some triangular shapes within the image. I adjusted them to show as many as I could without losing the piece's stability. I saved the large picture.

Next, I went to Lighting and grabbed a Bokeh layer, on this I used rotate tools to place the bulk of the lights on the bottom of the image. I used the property Screen to add the lighting. I went back to the Tools and chose the Curves to add depth to the colors, using the full RGB setting.

I added a border, selecting a blue and black balance for it. I then went to the Text tools and added my name and the year choosing black for the fill and outline. I saved this again.

I looked at the image in Picasa 3+ and decided to add some HDR appearance to the piece. I adjusted the Radius to a level setting and the Strength to a medium low one. I did this with Picasa's HDR Tool. Saving that I opened the image in Paint.Net to resize the piece for display.

72dpi, 1220 X 813, with 75 for compression, were the settings for the display picture. Be sure to click on the image for the larger view in your browser. Use F11 to see the Full Screen and F11 to return to the browser's regular setting.

"Digital Collage of Images Created with PicsArt App" Picasa

Collage of Images

While ill I created some images on my Tablet using the PicsArt App. I enjoyed using this App so much I got the Windows 10 version installed now along with AutoDesk's Sketchbook on my computer.

I did quite a bit of layering and using of PicsArt filters to create each image you see in the collage. I used polygon tools, mask layers, some clipart, some hand painting as well. Each piece will stand on its own, but I wanted to show the versatility of PicsArt.

I like the selection of tool for each thing you may want to do. I can "Enhance," a photograph, with a simple click, alter the strength of the changes with embedded tools. I can adjust Curves for RGB or the differing colors Red, Green, Blue individually.

I add layers directly and quickly by adding a photograph, with the selection of different properties, and adjust the opacity, too. Free clipart comes with the App as well as some great Fonts.

And the App will let you buy more Fonts and Collections for only about $00.99 each. I have not purchased any additional ones myself, and I am still finding many ways of creating great images without adding any yet.

PicsArt also has many #freetoedit photographs to offer to the user. I used some of them and some from Pixabay, and Unsplash. It also has multiple FX, Artistic, and other Filters to apply to your works.

I created the Digital Collage with Picasa 3+, which is no longer being supported, but still the current version works fine. After creating the Collage I saved it and opened it with Corel PhotoPaint. There I resampled from 120dpi to a 72dpi image, 1220 X 763. I saved it as an Optimized JPG 75 compression and 25 smoothing. I saved the display image with a new name.

As you share your works with the PicsArt Community, you can set it up to share with your other Social Media, too. I share with my Facebook timeline each time I post a new image to the Community. You can select how and where to share.

One other thing to mention is PicsArt App allows you to create Gif Animations of your creations in a step by step manner. Gif Animations are not accepted everywhere but are great fun to create.

"Street Musicians" PicsArt App

I downloaded a number of great photos from Pixabay today.  I have been using my Tablet to create images with the PicsArt App. I did at least four images that I posted to PicsArt and Facebook.

This image was one of those I created. I used a number of filters one called Comic Effect. I also increased the Saturation of the piece adding depth with the Curves tool.

I highly recommend both Pixabay and PicsArt App. They are among the top features on the Internet.

I searched for "Street Musicians," on Pixabay, also for free to edit content on the PicsArt community.  They have many choices for doing digital artwork.

I have found that PicsArt has many tools for layering, drawing, and other things that make it a great app.

Some people who want to may get the latest version of PicsArt App for Android devices on the Google Play Store. It is currently free to download and install.

Join Pixabay for the larger image download. I have been very pleased with the content of photos and textures there.

You can also use Pixabay from a browser.

Street Musicians 

"Vintage Truck and Arches" PicsArt App

I utilized PicsArt App for this image today and yesterday. I began working on it on my tablet. I layered two photos of the Truck and Arches.

I applied enhanced color, and saturation to the truck,  then I added a watercolor filter. I took the Arches photo and added it. I resized the image of the Arches to fit the Truck. I changed the opacity, to allow the Truck to show through, using the property Overlay.

I next used the painting tools on the Truck. Slightly more color depth for the next step,  I hand painted it. I used the Text tool for my name and year.

I saved at various times before the final product. "Vintage Truck and Arches."

Vintage Truck and Arches 

"White Bicycle with Flowers in a Field" PicsArt App Plus

White Bicycle with Flowers in a Field

I have been garnering some photographs from various sources, and unfortunately, I did not keep track of the sources. This image was started on my Tablet in the PicsArt App. I applied a few different filters. First, I used the Artistic Watercolor filter increasing the color a bit. I also used the Fx filter HDR1 for that sharpness on the White Bicycle and Flowers. I added my name and year with the Text tools. I saved that large image, and it backed up to my Google Photos.

I downloaded the image to my computer. Opening in Paint.NET,  I adjusted the Saturation to 110. Then I used the Curves tool to add color depth to the piece. I saved this iteration.

Opening in Corel PhotoPaint, I resampled the image. 120dpi 1220 X 813 pixels, I saved as an Optimized JPG with 75 compression, and 25 smoothing.

I enjoy using the PicsArt App on my Tablet and combining the image creation with programs on my computer.

"Woman Portrait" PicsArt App Pixabay

Found a new listing of free to edit sites. Chose Pixabay and selected this Woman Portrait.

I saved it and opened it up in the PicsArt App. I applied a Artistic pastel filter, and saved it. Then I hand selected colors to paint with using different types of brushes. Hand painting on the Tablet Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is a lot of fun.

I use a Stylus for the hand painting. It is a little awkward but I think I have been doing this fairly well.

I have been care giving for a family member of late. So I post on the blog using the Blogger App. Still learning and enjoying the apps that I am using.

I have not been able to play the guitars,  neither of them. There is a time to keep quiet and a time to make music. I have found that I am writing a bit of poetry. This is a good time for me to do it.

Soon enough I will be playing guitar again.

"Redheaded Gal" PicsArt App

I did another image of a Redheaded woman portrait in PicsArt App on my tablet. I used a Pastel filter first,  then I added a line drawing on the image by hand. I also added some blended color with the different brushes.

I really like the App thus far,  as I continue to grow in learning how to use it. I'm sure that as time passes I will improve.

Nonetheless this is a great influence on my tablet created artworks. This was another #free to edit photo from the PicsArt community.  They have many more to select from.  Different types of people, things, and objects to choose from. 

A continuous improvement cycle.

"Arches and Shadows" PicsArt App

Continuing to work with the PicsArt App on my tablet. I used a Pastel filter first, then I added a Gouache filter, lightening the fade.

Got my Stylus in hand, choosing colors and adjusting the opacity, size, of the Brush. I painted on the image. I applied enhanced color according to my mood.

I tried to make sure that I painted lightly.  I'm sure that as I gain experience with this approach to digital painting I will improve. There are many different types of brushes to choose from but two of them are my favorites right now.

I have found that PicsArt has many #freetoedit, photographs of many different kinds.

I chose the Arches for the shadows and great perspective.

"Acoustic Guitar Player" PicsArt App

More painting on my tablet. I used the PicsArt App. I applied some Curves and a HDR filter. Then I hand selected colors to paint with the stylus on the image.

I applied an Artistic filter like a Lomo effect. The surrounding area was darkened a bit.

I did not resize the image of the Acoustic guitar player so it may be larger on the blog than what I can see on this tablet.

Still learning how to use the Blogger App, along with the images I create with the PicsArt App. So blame it on the learning curve and my inexperienced ways.

Away from my own guitars and missing practice. I have found that I enjoy learning the song "The End of the Line," by the Traveling Wilbery's. Also a good Tom Petty song "Learning to Fly". I recently got a Martin DRS1 6 string that I really like. A great addition to my Seagull S12 Cedar 12-String Guitar.

I have been working on a new chord progression as well. Missing my guitars while away. I use the program Verse Perfect for writing lyrics on my PC. I recommend that program to help rhyme lyrics.

"Woman Scarf Portrait" PicsArt App

#FreeToEdit #PicsArt done with my phone. LG G2 average screen to work with.

Used my Stylus to hand paint after I applied a sketch filter. I made the lines of the image a bit darker.

Selected colors by adjusting each with the palette sliders. Did not use the standard colors.

First image on a phone. Typing this with the Stylus.

More time spent on PicsArt App. Learning how to get the image I want.

"Abandoned House" PicsArt App

Another piece of digital art done with the PicsArt App on my tablet. I used a Sketch filter then selected painting.  I used a painterly brush, adjusting the opacity.

I chose the colors carefully and painted by hand, with a Stylus. Using the tools I resized the image. I applied enhanced color saturation as well. Saved the file for posting. 

As I am using the PicsArt App I am learning a lot of fun in image creation. 

Abandoned House

"Windswept Woman and Blue" PicsArt App

I have been using free to edit pictures from PicsArt App, on my tablet. I layered the Woman using a Sketch filter set to Multiply over an enhanced Blue photo of a set of what appears to be shutters.

I'm continuing to work with my tablet for experimental art. I am using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 tablet. I have a stylus for sketching, but did not use it for this post.

I have Autodesk Sketchbook, and PicsArt App. Also a interesting app called Motion Portrait for animating faces.

I am not sure about sizing the images on the Tablet yet. If you want to coach me let me know what I can do.

I will be receiving the Martin DRS1 for a gift. I have it now and I have found jam tracks on YouTube by QuistJam. Practicing scales by ear as I jam with it. I am using the Line 6 PodXT Live and my PC set up to do so. Enjoying the new guitar and the jams. Now I need a new guitar amp! It is always something.

"Old Man Reading" PicsArt App

Working with the Tablet Galaxy Tab S 8.4, I used the Artistic Sketches tool. This gave me the opportunity to paint on the Old Man Reading.

I selected the option to draw with a brush and I adjusted the opacity. I chose the colors carefully and I left the background sketch like to focus on the Old Man.

This will probably be a large piece on the blog. I have not been able to figure out how to make it smaller.

Using the Blogger app for Android devices. A few tricks to get down yet.

Old Man Reading

"Trumpet Player" Done with Tablet

Playing some with PicsArt on my tablet. Used different types of settings for this post. Enhanced, Gouache artistic setting. Tone curve for depth. Corrections Fix face.

Photograph by Unsplash. Free to edit. Limited to playing on 8.4 screen. Fun!

"Where We Live" PicsArt App Collage

I am not sleepy, yet. So playing with the new Tablet and the PicsÀrt App, I have created a collage.
It's probably too large for the blog. I'm still trying out the different Apps.

These photos are of our own yard, and  part of the neighbors yard,  too.

I altered the curves for some depth of the colors. I did not do much more.

"Penciled, Painted, Bird" PicsArt

Done with PicsArt App on my tablet. Simple post mobile device.  Photo by Chris Allsebrook.