Aquarella app

App Happy Wednesday brings another experiment with watercolor effects. This time the app Aquarella was used to give this photo of a fish sculpture (from Pixabay)  a more abstract and watery feel. 

 Before

The Aquarella setting used was style bloom number 14.

The final image was then opened in PSE 12 and texture, text, bubbles and threads were added to create a scrapbook page. The materials used to create the page are all by Anna Aspnes.

app happy impatients

This weeks post is a summary of what I did and what I learned. As a beginner I am learning not only how to use the apps but also which results are pleasing to me. There is a tendency to try "everything" yet this week I learned less can in deed be more.

Original image taken on an iPad in the backyard. It is dark and blurred.

I began by trying two apps, Brushstroke using style "simple 3" and Mexture "frozen" with a normal blend mode.  I chose to continue the processing using the Brushstroke version but upon completion I wish I had used the Mexture version as it offered a more detailed image.

Brushstroke

Mexture

The Brushstroke version went into app Repix and i painted on cracks and a few Bokeh effects. This was saved and then it went into Snapseed where it was cropped and a tilt shift effect applied. The next stage was Mexture where i used two or three layers and various textures which unfortunately I failed to write down.

The process was finished in Snapseed where a frame was added.

Final Result

What I learned - I like more detail than I ended up with, I lost the edges of the leaves and flowers which I feel detracts from the impact of the image. I also learned when using Repix adding only one effect as a beginner is a good idea as two was a bit too much for my tastes and skill level.

Once again click to enlarge images as I have not figured out how to add them so they show up full sized.

App Envy

Ever since Barb at Keeping Up with the Times began her weekly link up feature, "app" happy wednesday, I have been suffering from "app envy." Barb is providing a platform for lovers of photo editing apps used with iPhones/iPads to share their creations. The link ups have provided not only an  education but also inspiration which left me saying, "I would love to try that."

Well I finally gave in to this desire and now have an iPad and a growing library of photo editing apps. As a beginner I mostly just play and experiment but even with limited knowledge and experience I've gotten some stunning results.

So here is one of my first attempts, a very basic, one step edit using Glaze with word art and frame by Anna Aspnes added via Photoshop Elements 12. The photo itself is from the photo sharing site Pixabay which has high quality public domain images.  Click to enlarge and see more detail.