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.

"Foggy Autumn Path" PainDotNET - Picasa - Irfranview

Foggy Autumn Path

I opened this photograph of a Foggy Autumn Path in Paint.NET. Here I played around with the Oil Paint Effects, adjusting the value and coarseness of the brush application. I also used the Curves and Saturation for a boost and depth to the colors, bringing out the Autumn trees in the background through the Fog.

I added my signature as a layer and am still learning how to resize it to a proper size for my images. I flattened the layers together. I opened the piece in Picasa and applied the Museum Matte for the framing.  I selected a light green for the Matte to enhance the greens in the mid-ground.

I experimented with Windows 10 Photo editing program. I enhanced the image. Then I increased the Ocher colors a tad for some interest on the Path and the main Tree on the right.

That program is limited in it's functionality but was worth the experiment with it.

I used Irfranview to resize the image for display, as the other programs saved my large views as large files.  Smaller files load more quickly. Be sure to click on the image for a larger view.

I noticed in my Stats that I am getting interest from both outside the US and other countries. Simpler posts seem appropriate for now. Thanks for your interest!

"How this was Done - Bearded Homeless Man" Corel

Another Bearded Homeless Man

I received this photograph of another "Homeless Bearded Man," from Morguefiles Free Photos. I opened it in Picasa and applied the HDR tool upping the Strength and Radius to give it a lot of grain.

Saving that, I opened it in Corel Painter 11 and used the Digital Watercolors Brushes to paint it. I varied the brushes from a Wash to a Dry brush, and used different sizes of brushes as I painted. I saved that large iteration to a JPEG format.

I opened it in Corel PSP Pro X3 and upped the Saturation Vibrancy by 33 for a punch to the colors. I added Image Information, Title, Artist, Date, Comments, and my signature as a layer, to the file and saved again.

I reopened in Corel PhotoPaint and resampled it to display size for this post.

I want to also mention I am CURRENTLY USING COREL PRODUCTS in Windows 10! I don't know what happened but Windows 10 began supporting my Legacy Corel Products! So I upgraded to Windows 10. I like it thus far, has many options for News and local weather and such. And most of my Apps (programs) are working fine in Windows 10.

I added VLC Media Player to my arsenal of Apps and listened to music the whole time I was creating todays piece. Not a glitch with the Apps I had opened at the same time.

Must say I am pleased that Microsoft and Corel were able to support Legacy Corel Products! Thanks to whom ever was listening to my posts!