stackables formula

June 15, 2016 by Kat

Begin with a Background (Mobile Tutorial + Stackables Formula)

I’m already learning from my #30edits Abstract Challenge! Just what I was hoping would happen. And that, of course, means I have new things to share.

One of my early observations: The first step in any abstract edit is removing the connection to reality in the image.

Abstract Kat Sloma iPhone Photography

Turns out, that is harder to do than I realized! Our brains seem to want to make meaning out of the slightest texture and pattern, so removing that connection to reality requires some work. One way to do this is through blur of the image, which softens the lines and textures which provide a lot of information to our brain.

Today I’m sharing my favorite method for creating background blur using the Stackables app, using an image I shared last week in another post. I think this forest fern image was leading me toward my abstract project.

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I started with this forest image, which caught me eye due to the interesting repetition in the ferns and fir needles.

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In Stackables, you can add a blur layer by going to the Adjustments menu (top bar) and selecting the Blur effect (right menu). You can increase the blur by selecting Intensity (lower left), and then increasing the slider (bottom bar). Layer 6 in this iPad screen shot is the blur layer in the Stackables formula I’m sharing with you today.

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If you want to increase blur more than possible with a single layer, no problem. Just duplicate the layer. You can keep adding Blur layers to reach the desired effect. Increasing blur increases abstraction, by taking away the edges and textures of the object you photographed.

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The final image (here again) was created by blending the blurred background with some other fern images. It is not a full abstract, but you might be able to see how the original image comes through as a background layer.

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Now I have the Stackables Formula for you! This formula, called Bluish Blur, was used to create the fern background above. It shows you how you can use blur along with other Stackables layers to begin changing an image toward abstract. Have fun abstracting!

To download the “Bluish Blur” formula for your own use in the Stackables app, do the following:
1. Make sure the Stackables app is installed on your iOS device.
2. On your iOS device, download the formula file from this link. (This is a Dropbox link, and you may be prompted to save the file to your Dropbox account, if you have one. Go ahead and save it to your Dropbox and then download from there.)
3. When you go to download or open the file on your device, use “Open in…” and choose the “Open in Stackables” option.
4. Stackables will open and ask if you want to import the formula, tap “Import.”
5. To use the formula, load a photo, go to Formulas (1), choose Favorite Formulas (2). You will see the imported formula (3), so tap to preview. Click the wrench icon (4) to apply the formula and make changes to the layers.

March 8, 2016 by Kat

Campus Colors (New Stackables Formula)

It was back to school for me last week, attending a week of training at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. I had a bit of time over the weekend to do a photo walk on campus and found some fantastic scenes which have given me a week’s worth of inspiration.

I loved the warm tones in the buildings on the Stanford campus, so I created a new formula in Stackables called Campus Colors to really bring out these tones. Starting each edit with the formula, I removed or adjusted layers depending on what the image seemed to need. Less texture? Stronger color? All adjustable. You can find the link and instructions for installing the Campus Colors formula at the end of this post. Enjoy Stanford!

There were many lovely places to sit on campus…

Oh, that blue chair! What a find. It was sitting outside the Biological Sciences building.

And more benches… You are never at a loss for a place to sit on this campus!

Great bicycles, good colors, fantastic texture… what could be better?

Another great find! The break area outside of a lab. I don’t think they expect any visitors to wander by this little corner of campus. I loved it!

To download the “Campus Colors” formula for your own use in the Stackables app, do the following:
1. Make sure the Stackables app is installed on your iOS device.
2. On your iOS device, download the formula file from this link. (This is a Dropbox link, and you may be prompted to save the file to your Dropbox account, if you have one. Go ahead and save it to your Dropbox and then download from there.)
3. When you go to download or open the file on your device, use “Open in…” and choose the “Open in Stackables” option.
4. Stackables will open and ask if you want to import the formula, tap “Import.”
5. To use the formula, load a photo, go to Formulas (1), choose Favorite Formulas (2). You will see the imported formula (3), so tap to preview. Click the wrench icon (4) to apply the formula and make changes to the layers.

December 4, 2015 by Kat

Join me for the #30edits challenge (plus a new Stackables formula)

December is usually a slow creative time for me. Too much to do, too little light, not many photographs. Instead of dropping into a creative funk this year, I’m giving myself a challenge. I’m going to edit the same photo, 30 different ways.

Winter Fog Lake Tree Kat Sloma iPhone Photography #30edits

At the Edge, edit #5 of 30

Care to join me? Pick a photo, and start editing. Post using #30edits on Instagram. There are no additional requirements, no time limits, no awards for finishing except the creative boost you might receive.

Winter Tree Orange Brown Kat Sloma iPhone Photography #30edits

Life Force, edit #4 of 30

It’s already got my creative juices flowing. Ideas are popping on to my head to try during the day. So many options! So hard to choose what to do! What a fun problem to have.

Winter Tree Sky Blue Purple Kat Sloma iPhone Photography #30edits

Blueberry Sky, edit #3 of 30

To get you started, how about a new Stackables formula? This one is called Blueberry Sky.

To download the “Blueberry Sky” formula for your own use, do the following:
1. Make sure the Stackables app is installed on your iOS device.
2. On your iOS device, download the formula file from this link. (This is a Dropbox link, and you may be prompted to save the file to your Dropbox account, if you have one. Go ahead and save it to your Dropbox and then download from there.)
3. When you go to download or open the file on your device, use “Open in…” and choose the “Open in Stackables” option.
4. Stackables will open and ask if you want to import the formula, tap “Import.”
5. To use the formula, load a photo, go to Formulas (1), choose Favorite Formulas (2). You will see the imported formula (3), so tap to preview. Click the wrench icon (4) to apply the formula and make changes to the layers.

Join me in the #30edits fun!

PS – If you are anxiously awaiting Part 2 of the Cleaning and Cutting for Compositing Images tutorial, it will post next week!

October 31, 2015 by Kat

Late Sunrise (New Stackables Formula)

Time changes tomorrow! Don’t forget to move your clocks back tonight. I am personally very happy to get that hour of morning light back. It’s been hard to get out and hike in the mornings and still get in to the office at a reasonable time. I have to get out on the trail before sunrise, so I’ve seen a lot of sunrises lately.

This has made for some interesting autumn photographs in the early morning light, though. And I’ve been enjoying some of the heavily textured nature looks I’ve been seeing around Instagram, so I created this Stackables formula called “Late Sunrise” that I’m sharing with you today.

To download the “Late Sunrise” formula for your own use, do the following:
1. Make sure the Stackables app is installed on your iOS device.
2. On your iOS device, download the formula file from this link. (This is a Dropbox link, and you may be prompted to save the file to your Dropbox account, if you have one. Go ahead and save it to your Dropbox and then download from there.)
3. When you go to download or open the file on your device, use “Open in…” and choose the “Open in Stackables” option.
4. Stackables will open and ask if you want to import the formula, click “Import.”
5. To use the formula, load a photo and then go to Favorite Formulas (the ones with a heart!). You will see the imported formula there.

Here is the original photo, before applying the formula. Big difference, huh? I just love what you can do with post-processing!

Here are a couple of different images, using the same formula…

For this next one, I modified a few of the layers, removing, lightening and/or rotating them. Don’t forget that you can continue to make adjustments after you apply the formula! It’s one of the great features of the Stackables app.

Today sunrise was at 7:47am where I live. It was the latest sunrise until late December/early January, so I get a little reprieve on the morning light. I don’t know how those of you further north do it in the winters! People around here complain about the rain, but I think it’s the short days that get me the most.

I’m very happy to “fall back” to tonight!

August 14, 2015 by Kat

A Visit to Victoria

You can get addicted to visiting other countries. After living abroad and traveling, when I have a chance to visit another country, I take it! I’ve missed the ability to just travel and our or two to visit another culture than mine. Since we were a 90 minute ferry ride from Victoria, BC on our trip to Port Angeles last week, we decided we’d pop on over and explore!

The day we chose was a chilly, grey, blustery day, but it was fun to walk around and get a feel for this city. It feels very European, both in the architecture and the mix of cultures and languages heard. One day was barely enough to scratch the surface. We definitely need to go back!

It was a good chance to practice my urban travel photography, which is a bit rusty since I’ve been photographing so much in nature. I’ve still got it in me, though! There’s nothing like an interesting bicycle scene to spark the creative juices.

I think the bill postings you find always say a lot about a city, don’t you?

I love Chinatown, in any city. There is something so interesting about the shops crammed with merchandise…

Of course, there is a requisite stop at the Parliament building…

And the silly family selfie! We call this the “Patrick face.” In a family selfie a while ago, my husband was making this weird face that made Brandon and I giggle, so it’s become a family joke.

I stopped in to see some art at the Robert Bateman gallery. He is a very talented painter who does realistic wildlife scenes, although I preferred some of his early abstract work on display. Next time, I want to get to the art museum to see the work of Emily Carr.

Chilled and tired of walking, we stopped into a coffee shop for a warm chai and some free WiFi. My son was going into smartphone withdrawal without connectivity all day!

Unfortunately, we didn’t make plans early enough to include a tea at the Empress Hotel. Maybe next time!

The images were all captured using ProCamera, had basic adjustments in Snapseed, and then edited with my new Klahhane Ridge formula in the Stackables App. You can download the Klahhane Ridge formula from my last blog post here.

That last image of the Empress Hotel, with the interesting angle and grey skies made me think “film noir.” Experimenting with it, the Tintype formula in the Stackables App gave the feel I was looking for. Not the usual view of the Empress, but I think it works well for the architecture and the dreary sky.

It was a fun day of wandering a beautiful city. I can’t believe we had never gotten up there for a visit in our all of our years of living so close. Now we need to plan a trip specifically to Victoria, so we can see everything we missed!

August 4, 2015 by Kat

Bald Hill: New Stackables Formula

Last week on a morning hike I came up the side of Bald Hill into this gorgeous light, just peeking over the hill. The clear blue sky and morning light inspired me to take a few photographs, which in turn inspired me to create a new Stackables formula. This formula increases the light contrast, warms the bottom portion of the image and creates a beautiful “blue jean” sky. Today I’m sharing the formula along with a few example photographs edited with it, and hopefully it will inspire good things for you too!

To download the “Bald Hill” formula for your own use, do the following:
1. Make sure the Stackables app is installed on your iOS device.
2. On your iOS device, download the formula file from this link. (This is a Dropbox link, and you may be prompted to save the file to your Dropbox account, if you have one. Go ahead and save it to your Dropbox and then download from there.)
3. When you go to download or open the file, use “Open in…” and choose the “Open in Stackables” option.
4. Stackables will open and ask if you want to import the formula, click “Import.”
5. To use the formula, load a photo and then go to Favorite Formulas (the ones with a heart!). You will see the imported formula there.

You can see the formula has a different result depending on the exposure and color of the sky. Experiment with exposure as you capture your images and see the variation in the results.

If you find that the textures don’t look right for your image, play around with rotating the texture layers. For the image below, I rotated and lightened Layer 3 in the formula.

Have fun! Let me know what you think, and tag me if you share any results on Instagram. I’d love to see what you do with it!

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