playing with color

Making the jump into Photoshop Elements is daunting! At first, I was disappointed that I didn't have the budget to purchase the larger version of Photoshop, but as I started fooling around with Elements, I realized that having anything more would have been totally overwhelming. For the first few months, I gained limited skills with things I am already familiar with: contrast, sharpness, minor hue and saturation adjustments. All the while knowing there were endless possibilities that I had no idea how to tap into. Thanks to
Pioneer Woman, I have learned so much in just this last month! Although she does work with the larger version of Photoshop, her tips and suggestions led me to a more guided search of internet tutorials that allowed me to attempt her image magic.

This morning I spent a few hours playing with color. The actions required switching the color image to B&W, then brushing back selected areas full of color. Here are the results. I am so proud!

Here was a chance to take a "typical" flower shot and transform it into something that brightens the color of the peony:





After I had a grasp of how to perform these little miracles, I started searching my whole catalog of images to play with. This little lizard was on the patio of a villa we visited in Port Antonio, Jamaica.





This shot in color is gorgeous. I have a tendency to photograph my meager harvest from my front-yard urban garden each year. The images remind me each Spring of the possibilities waiting to bloom in the garden. It was fun to take this previously colorful image, and change in a way that highlights the bright red of the chili peppers.



The only problem with this morning's project is that now I miss my garden so much! After seeing his shadow, Punxsutawney Phil forecasts another six weeks of winter. Jeez louise! Winter this year seems so long!