The hot air balloon fun continues today! I’m having such a good time with these images from the balloon festival last weekend, I thought I would share a bit more with you today: A mobile tutorial of my latest piece and a print giveaway! Isn’t that a perfect way to kick off a holiday weekend and Paint Party Friday?
To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment and tell me which image you would like to receive if you win (images shown at bottom of post). Of course I’d love it if you subscribe to my newsletter, or like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Instagram… but none of that is required for entry. Just leave a comment. I’ll draw and announce the winner on my blog on Tuesday, September 3rd. Easy!
And now for the steps to create this piece, called “Lighter than Air”…
It starts with the image captured Saturday morning, using Slow Shutter Cam to provide me with some motion blur:
I’ve learned enough playing with balloon images this week to know that those little smears of balloons in the distance would be distracting in a final piece, so I removed them with the Retouch feature of Handy Photo:
Now into Snapseed to brighten the exposure up. I could have done this in Handy Photo too, but I prefer Snapseed for basic adjustments:
Next I started playing with textures. I decided that this one, out of Handy Photo, was starting to have the feel I wanted. Light, soft and bright!
I also liked this texture, out of XnView FX, but the color was a little more yellow than desired:
So I toned it down with a blend of the previous two images in Image Blender:
Another texture of the original image I kind of liked was this one, out of Distressed FX:
The “edginess” was great but the color was too strong and I didn’t like the way it created a bright hot spot in the middle, so… time to blend! Using my previously blended image (above) in Image Blender and the Luminosity blending mode I could get the edge effect without the distracting color. Be sure to play with your blending modes! You can do amazing things with modes like Luminosity at times.
I decided I wanted to soften it up further, so I took the original adjusted image, and ran it through the chalk filter of Autopainter II:
And then blended it with my image-in-progress. This not only provides softer edges, but shifts the color back toward neutral from the warmer tones it was starting to have.
Looking good! It’s close now. I took this blended output and ran it through Distressed FX again. There were two versions I liked. The first one, for it’s crackly texture and the second one for the color.
I brought these two into Image Blender for the final blend, and I’m done! The image met my desires… it’s soft and a bit dreamy, retains the brightness of the original color, and has warmth without an overall yellow cast. Here is the final image again:
So much fun! I’ve soooo enjoyed editing these hot air balloon images this week. I like each new one I complete better than the last. Unfortunately, I’m nearing the end of hot air balloon images from the launch that I like enough to edit, so this could be the last. It’s too bad I can’t run out and take more starting images, since the festival is only once a year! 🙂
Giveaway Time!!
Leave a comment on this post and tell me which of the following four images you would like to receive as a print if you win. I’ll draw and announce the winner here on the blog on Tuesday, September 3rd. Have a wonderful weekend!
Liftoff
Dream Flight
Postcard from the Air
Lighter than Air
Love your work! Especially Lighter Than Air in this series.
They are all beautiful, but I love Postcard from the Air.
All of your work is absolutely fantastic. You are so talented! I especially like dream flight.
Love it!!
Rochelle
I love these…so playful! My favorite is Postcard from the Air. I love the subtle text graphic in the image…really makes the Postcard work.
I’m wondering if you edit using your phone or iPad? I love the freedom of editing on my phone, but like the bigger view of the iPad. Just wondering what you do.
It is fascinating to read the process, and to see how many different apps you use for one image. I’ve played with snapseed and one or two others but never used multiple apps like that.
I love all these images, but the first one, Liftoff seems to call to me and is the one I keep coming back to. I love the softness to it and the hopeful arising.
These are wonderful Kat….and happy to hear all of the steps you went thru to achieve the look. I’m imagining you there with a tiny iphone and wondering if I’m crazy to think that. I still can’t seem to jump on board-I need a model of what to do I guess. Going from this app to that one and back and forth-seems hard. It’s probably not, I’m just kind of stuck.
I like this series a lot and have scrolled back and forth to find a fave. Legit, I like them all. I think it would depend on my mood to be drawn to one in particular. yesterday the first one would suit, today, I believe the last one is more appealing. Really lovely, soft, full of life.
Hi Kat, Here you are, still feeding my iPhone lust 🙂 Dream Flight for me
Dream flight is beautiful, it looks like flowers!
oh wow!!! I have been in love with hot air balloons as long as I can remember!!! love this post and have to love the Lighter than air piece!!!!
Love all the images and I would LOVE to have any of them. I’m already a follower, newsletter junky and just general groupie 🙂
M..x
LIghter than air…it looks like a painting to me! HPPF!
Wow I really love these images! Thanks for the tutorial!
Fantastic work. Very colorful. thanks
gloria
Beautiful! I love Lighter than Air but they are all wonderful!
Congrats Rita! You are the winner!
Oh My Goodness! Lucky me! I’m so excited. Thank you!!
Had me fooled…looks like a painting to me!! Beautiful!
Hugs Giggles
Kat I love these!! It was really interesting to see the process you went through to get the final result of Lighter than Air – so many different photoshop techniques I wouldn’t have a clue but wow, I love the end result! I would love to win Lighter than Air – it would look fab in our sun room!
I think Lighter than Air is the MOST awesome of a very beautiful set! Thank you so much for your generous spirit, Kat! I’ve only just started enjoying your blog and have a lot to catch up on.
Lighter than air, your post card, dreams…it’s all wonderfully dreamy. Happy PPF
fascinating seeing all the renderings-beautiful work! I especially love the “lighter than air” piece. Thank you for offering a generous give away. Happy PPF!
This is fun, love seeing the progression.
Wonderful post! I hope you have visited the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. It is such a feast for the eyes.
Wow, this is really interesting! Thank you for showing the progression of your work! My favorite is the last one, Lighter than Air… love the colors in it! Thanks for offering the giveaway! Happy PPF!
I love all the filters!! Awesome work ♥
Amazing series you show here! At first I thought “why does she post so many of the same picture” then I took a closer look (sorry I didn’t take the time to read through your post!)
Love your “Lighter than Air” post!
Happy PPF
Ilona
I am so glad I came across you – as a real “newbie” to using my phone to take photos I have found your tips amazingly helpful and would like to thank you for the skill you have shared so generously. I love what you have done with these images – they are amazing! My favourite is the Postcard from the Air – but I do love them all! Thanks gaig. Jen x
Beautiful work – I’m not sure I have a real favorite – but dream flight is the one that calls out to me most
Very inspiring!
My choice would be Dream Flight, but, wow, that’s a hard choice to make.
i like seeing your processes and hearing how you look at the results. i particularly like dream flight.
Thanks for a fun tutorial! I would love to win the last one, but they are all wonderful,
I love your photos – they look like oil paintings! Such an amazing array of effects.
Sarah @ A Cat-Like Curiosity
Each is inspired. Liftoff is my choice.
Gorgeous processing! And thank you for sharing the steps. I really like the way you blend together multiple layers -that’s something I haven’t experimented with yet.
Thanks, too, for the giveaway! It’s hard to pick a favourite, but I think I’ll go with the last one.
I really like the Lighter than Air print! Thanks!