Playing with Photoshop Elements

For a big project that is coming up, I needed to purchase Photoshop. I only need it for some basic changes to photos, but I decided to test it out today beyond that and show you all here. I'll be using the same photo for this experiment. It's a photo of a flower from a bush that is in my front yard.

This the original photo with the resolution and pixels set to the basic ones I'll be using for the project.

This is using the Plastic Wrap effect. The original photo is the flower after a morning rain, so I liked how this effect over emphasized water. It's a bit whimsical and cartoon like, but I like it.

This is using the Ink Outlines effect. This was an interesting one to see available since when I was younger, I used to paint water colors of random blends of colors, then outline them with a black pen. It was an assignment I had in elementary school that I really loved then and still do obviously. I think my mom might still have the light switch plate that I did for her. Which goes on a different topic of how I painted or switched out the light switch plates in my house to make them fancier. I love little details.

This is using the Glow Outlines effect. Reminds me of drawing with crayons and pastels on black paper. Also another project I liked as a kid.

This is using the Bas Relief effect. It reminds me of those photos of craters on the moon. This one would be a flower crater.

This is using the Liquefy effect. This is one that I had to hand do vs the others where you just set the parameters to change the appearance of the effect. There is not a lot of control with it, but it's still a neat effect.

This one is using the Ocean Ripple effect. I like the Impressionist quality that it gives.

This is using the Patchwork effect. Now, this one is a more practical application of an effect. Using this patchwork of color variations for an image can be translated into embroidery, hook rugs, quilts, mosaics, tiling, filet crochet, etc...the applications are endless. I will probably use this for a Filet crochet lace that I'm going to make using a skull for the center. This will help me mark out the pattern because Filet crochet uses a grid pattern of open and worked crochet squares to create an image within the piece.

This is using the Stained Glass effect. The practical applications are pretty much the same as the patchwork one. This reminds me more of a wall mosaic.

This is using the Cutout effect. This is another practical application. This could be translated into stencils, machine embroidery programs, appliques, etc.,...again the possibilities are endless. I will probably use it for making stencils and reverse applique patterns. Probably nothing this highly detailed as cutting out all the little areas and then painting or appliquéing them would be painful.

Ok, that is it for now. I will start working on weekly projects for "the big project" soon and will post instructions to them here with the final result on both this blog and "the big project" blog (not it's real name, but I'm keeping it secret...well secret enough for a few more weeks). Anyway, more crafty things to come...I promise!