Pretty excited about this

[Nevermore]

made Joe come and look at it and all the variations I have cooked up so far. Joe wouldn't know a layout unless it tried to change the channel so that gives some clue how happy I am (or else how so dumbed down I will take anything as an achievement at present). Enough foreplay, I think I have figured out how to make a beautiful translucency that looks like watercolour or ink on a transparency. Not explaining it right but I will post a few things and you will see what I mean. Problem is I have already come up with about ten variations so will have to nail it down.

For anyone interested who has a clue what I am talking about, try this. My standard basic recipe is always to duplicate the photo, gaussian blur the duplicate (at about 15 to 20 depending) and blend on overlay or soft. Same effect as dreamy filters but far more subtle and manipulable because you can change the blur level (and kind, too: I have also used motion blur and shape blur and even radial blur. Haven't tried surface yet.) Anyway, tonight I reversed it. Put the normal layer ON TOP of the blurred layer and kept the blurred layer on normal blend and put the top layer on darken. It is so so so so neat. Really. Haven't had time to do more than two half layouts and umpteen variations but have tried it on photos, clip art and black and white clip art. Works on all of 'em but keep the blur down to 3 to 5 on the black and white clip art.

Variations: all involve blend modes. I have gone nuts doing different pairings and it very much depends on the background paper but using exclusion mode and a lighter mode together gives you painted enamel. Very rich and striking but dark. Suggest some turquoise or red to give it a bit of a kick. Try different background colours to give whole new set of results. Background paper is another story again. Black and white clip art is gorgeous if a colour adjustment layer is added, gives you a painted porcelain effect.

[coffeequeen]

Hahaha! So I am reading along on this..d yes, you explained it well enough that I'm pretty sure I could give it a whirl in DIP...and was all excited to see your examples...and ...NO EXAMPLES!!! Talk about dangling the carrot in front of the horse, hay in front of the cow, skinny caramel-almond cappucino in front of, well, ME! Show us! Show us!!!!:D :D :D

[webchyck]

I am off to try this right now! Looks like fun!!!! (Even though we SEE nothing except what is in our mind's eye!)

[happyrobyn]

This sounds cool! I'm gonna have to give it a try!

[Nevermore]

Point taken. Will post some stuff tonight. Got so excited I forgot to upload and now I am at (ahem) work. As in the kind that pays me.

[Nevermore]

http://www.digitalartquirks.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1729&nocache=1

is a simple example but it is not showing up the way it does on screen. Too tiny and condensed. You have to believe me and just go for it!

http://www.digitalartquirks.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1730&cat=500&ppuser=47

is easier to see the difference between the two recipes and the original. These are all just thrown together--stunning results if you take some time to think about the amount of blur etcetera. Really looks like painted porcelain. Will try to throw an enamel example up if I get a second.

[SteinwaysMom]

made Joe come and look at it and all the variations I have cooked up so far. Joe wouldn't know a layout unless it tried to change the channel so that gives some clue how happy I am (or else how so dumbed down I will take anything as an achievement at present). Enough foreplay

hehehehe

Kim, do you still belong to Digiscrapdesigner? I joined and saw some posts by you.

Maybe you can turn these cool ideas into Photoshop actions and have your own little business (or maybe you don't use PS, can't remember)...

[Nevermore]

Kiddo, I was one of the very first members! However, I was never into designing. I did make an action for viewing pngs but it is free (should still be up there) as was / are my kits (all two of them). I have no desire whatsoever for my own little business--I have enough trouble with my big business, lol! :)

[Mish]

This is great...thanks for posting this! I never really understood blending modes until you explained it. I'm going to use your recipe on the stock photo ATC challenge!

[Nevermore]

Mish, not sure I have actually explained them, lol. But I can tell you that I nearly always go through the list of blend modes every time I add something to a layout. Even if it is not in a duplicated layer situation. You will get some wonderful results doing this. After a while you will start to know which ones tend to be really useful (overlay, multiply, soft light, luminosity and I like colour burn, too) and which ones are totally bizarre (hard mix, exclusion etcetera). There are technical explanations for why what mode produces what result but they are way over my head and I glaze out no matter how often I read them. I just play. So, I guess my first step in nearly every situation is to place an element and then immediately activate the blend mode drop down box, scroll with my mouse wheel down through all the modes. Sometimes I just end back up at normal but often I don't. The basic recipe (duplicate the layer, blur the duplicate and put blend mode on overlay) is probably in 99% of my pieces. It makes colours pop. Even playing with the basic recipe can take a bit of time because the results depend on the amount of blur and because even though it is my basic recipe, I still go through all the blend modes on the blurred duplicate just in case soft light or pin light or screen will give a better result in a specific case.

When I type it out like this, it sounds mechanical and tedious. It is fair to say it adds a bit of time but it is also fair to say that once you get your head around it, it becomes far less mechanical (I pretty much know which modes I want by now) and it is never ever ever tedious because it is fascinating to watch. I have not yet found a television show that I like even half as much as watching the changes to my images as I drill down through the blend modes.

[graybonnie]

I hope to find time this evening to try your tip. I am very exciting to see what I can create!

Your instructions remind me of the Photoshop Cookbooks by O'Reilly Publishing (http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/photoblend/). I have recently got hooked on photoshop blending modes thanks to these books. Shelleyrae at Scrapbookbytes has been running a challenge using one of the books. She is planning on starting a new one the first week in September using the Photoshop Photo Effects Cookbook. FYI - books are cheaper at Amazon.com.

[kygirl]

If you've thought about buying any of the O'Reilly books (which I highly recommend), you might try Safari Books Online first. It's an online library offered by subscription for $20 a month that includes hundreds of books about Photoshop and design. Right now, there's a free 14-day trial. So you can go check out some great Photoshop and O'Reilly books at no cost.

[Nevermore]

Wow, that sounds great! I didn't not buy it because of the price, to tell you the truth (although I appreciate the tips about Amazon and Safari :) ). I just haven't really used all the stuff I have. So every now and then I crack the whip and tell myself I have to use what I have. For example, Nancie Rowe Janitz sold (sells) an amazing distressing kit. I never used the darn thing. Was checking it out last night and was upset that I hadn't explored it. And the only reason I was exploring it was that I said I could not buy one more thing until I did some layouts. Not a question of money but a question of shopping instead of creating. Each has its place but I felt like I was shopping as a substitute for creating rather than as a pleasure in and of its own right. Ditto with that great book. But now that I have pounded out a few, sounds like a great time to shop!

[Mish]

Nevermore I love your comment about blending modes being more entertaining than TV...ain't that the truth!

I want you to know that I just did a whole chat over at RAKScraps tonight teaching people your blending recipe. It was great, because most of them had no idea how to do it. I can't wait to see what they come up with. Maybe we'll get some new quirks here. I used my ATC that I made for the stock exchange photo challenge as the example over there, so I probably freaked a bunch of people out! LOL

Thanks again for sharing.

[webchyck]

I have to put a spending freeze on myself. But even that doesn't help me sometimes...I get so much stuff for free! I really am starting to forget what I have. Need to go exploring on my own HD...call it shopping at home! LOL

[lisadozknit]

I can't wait to try it! I feel like I have not touched the tip of an iceberg with PS~ thanks so much! Lisa