One evening in Ghent, recently, we were out in the cold taking pix of the reflections on the canals. Apparently the tourists do that a lot, there -
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnS4XGSknQvJwWOC1R1rzoD6jo4BX18dNU_QJC50-3hvi2mkMynqnKQUzgLf3rEx5JDqjd-vO5xnRcNwVB_zQG_yy9LvIw-4Tn9cOtwDjDoa7Gyfsb3oTbYpWmnv1yy7gyKV3/s280/snowFirst.jpg)
The blowing snow got in the way! I took lots of photos of the travelling snowflakes, under various wind conditions. The ones that look like lines of machine stitching are my favourites - but rather dark. So let's see what can be done with Photoshop. Here's the original -
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqwTAjU2as5haEripydkG94TI2pZYCg3L3feZDoLJMWlQNNUizN_1rTAcfo6-scQ2csAPw8_Bz-aWqqcrouqKWWOBqMeXjIyYEUkHEQ5nzEzAotZLl32GLnBW41JqTM3QVDJj/s280/snowAtNight-(16).jpg)
First, my usual adjustment - Levels, to get the photo brighter -
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCsv2C0rcZuf4lMp60xkPEEm8znABBYxKn6hbk3t-seWQvBg1n7faUeKqTGcFFm_2yAb24iinr5AbxLvDu0Fxs1nHn-YB-tc1JUi0BtVd-BuhlksTaywicDULHQfiVyZy3mJ0/s280/snowAtNight-(16)levels.jpg)
No, now it's tooooo yellow.
This is what happens with one click, Autocolour -
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkQLLlvLvWWKk8sI0tqP5DHQ53lrLsZlQVbLu_juAR9egSGLl9hnGv0NwpE8TgAYpGZoyOuOavB7E1hnGbI2j8O-ukWbB5323WnrDue5_285KOA-1JHVDjDih5kqV4RUuW53b/s280/snowAtNight-(16)autocolour.jpg)
At the time I didn't think to try adjusting the lighting on the camera (it was cooooold...!), so maybe Greyscale will be the answer? -
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoidqIVM7S5BUhV257IbF9iGiCTrxzIi0EJb7tvzpP0hT2cTwejaHM8PkA5_84APag89VtPCKxoOz1K6HVr3onHzADOOlDhh5GjEFpx_YdOngvfKhyXSww-PIXLaqvZhTaU5fp/s280/snowAtNight-(16)grey100br&c.jpg)
No, too dark. Back to the original...
Couldn't resist trying the Invert tool -
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFn1TqIA6h3J0BExzziprEoEbcid4f7LUQF9Ghd91JT1fu5oyD5El1qToORw7QfB0mwvtfSyL4lQfSWpuw656MC5tUP7vvADDja0y6fx9vEzqaq8OA8WMmSzLxYdcOi2bomTKm/s280/snowAtNight-(16)invert.jpg)
Those colours give much more of a "snowy" feeling than black and yellow! (But I'd like to pick up those three blobs on the left and move them a little to the right...)
With the Selective Colour tool, you can adjust each colour separately - this has been adjusted for yellow and the settings are magenta -25, yellow -50, black -75:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG4aV-mkfqQ31V52zoStNFIJD9fdCcoZ0L4LyWC223KGJ8CqwUoaKpze1C3ui6u_o7nDeuV0cP1lBSFJQznil6TOhnPf8FvKh1weHHxe_gKEPpXtQCX6RBeFzwXD1s8UachKC/s280/snowAtNight-(16)m25y50black75.jpg)
You get much the same effect with one click, using Vibrance:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PS-RaebuVpaY7BnWpII7FbvYSiuRTqFbbR3YfNYHTRY7DLev6eUirGOpSFZZoaufo16zJS0GODvHn4JPuvOJVshCuM3diYnhOyxkBFWytIcWAIdfqeA-MraQ0sCYrN43-BIl/s280/snowAtNight-(16)vibrance-100.jpg)
and to get it lighter, adjust Brightness (here it's -100; max setting is -150):
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispKh3QRsO6mS67JIOPK8r86UoOK9AQLyci_KDEB01YIHwi9HbyW57YazgRyGIycin2qbdk2CRluNyDBYLezdHJGnmKp6iaxxZOkxSBYrcx2gdzsu_m-FJMvOOy-4GzdX_OUGf/s280/snowAtNight-(16)vibBr100.jpg)
What I've found with these experiments, many of which aren't shown here, is that there's certainly more than one way to skin a cat in Photoshop.
After our photography (the temperature dropped to -10, we learned later), we went to the pub -
Loved those lines. I can understand your fascination. Hope that the rest of your time in Ghent was enjoyable. Happy 2010.
ReplyDeleteI can see black discharge fabric, bleach dribbled along...... stitches.... great inspiration.
ReplyDelete