Challenge #53 posted

[Grant...@adobeforums.com]

Well Challenge #53 is posted. It is a free form challenge and to let you
celebrate in what everyway you want our anniversary. Be conservative or be
wild but have fun.

You will notice that there is a link to the original challenge.

http://home.cogeco.ca/~challenge/Challenges.html

Present and Past Challenges will remain Until tomorrow at 7:00 pm the then
the Present will be Past and new images will be posted.

* Important notice to all the new people in this forum. This is not a
close shop you are all invited to submit an image. If you don't think you
are good enough this is your first mistake, I think most have found that
working on the Challenge has improved their personal level. So young and
old, hot shots and cool dudes now is you time to post.
--
Grant

Home Pages http://home.cogeco.ca/~grant.dixon/index.htm

Challenge Pages: http://home.cogeco.ca/~challenge/

*********************************************************

Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom, while
discouragement often nips it in the bud. Any of us will put out more and
better ideas if our efforts are appreciated.

Alexander Osborn (1888 - 1966)

*********************************************************

[Jodi...@adobeforums.com]

wow now that's what I call reflections.

[Ray]

I can see we come a long way from a six entries challenge.. that's great!

Ray

[L...@adobeforums.com]

I've been working on my Illustrator skills today so this week's challenge is perfect for submitting my experiments.

[Nan...@adobeforums.com]

Oh, I found Grant

<http://www.pbase.com/digitalnuts/digital_nuts>

[Pet...@adobeforums.com]

Reflecting back and reading the posts of others doing the same there is
someone that we all liked having around and he has not been mentioned
recently; .... Jay!

(If you don't recognize Jay, it is Jay Arraich.
http://arraich.com/elements/psE_intro.htm)

Pete

[Grant...@adobeforums.com]

Nancy

Be careful there are more of me on the web than even I care to admit to....

Grant

[Jodi...@adobeforums.com]

My submission this week really has nothing to do with the challenges. Since there were really no obvious rules to Challenge #53 i sent in an image that i had been fiddling with and finished up today. The type of image and theme behind it is a taste of what i enjoy doing best during my personal 'creative' moments. So, soon you'll know what kind of freekazoid i really am. :)

[Susan_S.@adobeforums.com]

I took the cheat's route and pulled apart the psd's of a few of the earlier challenges that I did and recobbled them together to make something newish. I like your pic Jodi - I particularly like the little blue furry creatures - you have an amazing command over textures....

Linda - I love the illustrator piece - I'm still considering buying the CS suite, and that's yet another argument in its favour...not that i'd be able to do anything that accomplished, I'm sure, but it's fascinating to see what the program is capable of in skilled hands.

[Grant...@adobeforums.com]

The first entries are now posted.

g.

[Lo...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi,

Very cool. So when do you expect to get your first commission to do a book cover? :-)

[L...@adobeforums.com]

Susan,

Thank you for the complement. I've been practicing with the Gradient Mesh tool this week and the lamp was a fun project to use it on. I also like your entry this week.

Linda

[Nan...@adobeforums.com]

Grant,

I sent to Cavesofice.

Nancy

[be...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi, a very cool picture.

Susan - This is a great picture, I like what you have done with the images.

Terri - Your picture looks like it could be a book illustration. It's great!

beth

[Terri_...@adobeforums.com]

I can see I'm going to have to start early or end up with a big ole list again.

Thanks Beth. I wanted to combine Marty since she was the first challenge subject with my favorite challenge subject the rocking horse Christmas ornament. It worked out well since Marty was dressed for the occasion.

Beth- That is really cool how you did the chest. Great work! It must have been a real pain to shrink and organize all those photos.

Jodi- Have you been hanging out at Sci-Fi conventions? Awesome image. Her eyes are so expressive.

Susan- Can you imagine the field is wide open and we both incorporate yellow butterflies flying about. Spooky, huh. You gotta know I like it since we got the psychic link going today.

Nancy- That is tremendous, spectacular, the bomb...

Terri

[Marty_...@adobeforums.com]

PETE, Yes, I've also missed Jay. Just recently I saw his third "group" picture to catch up on the Artists ... Another great one.
Marty

[Susan_S.@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for the kind words -
Terri - the butterflies in mine come from challenges 13 and 24......I wanted to use images from my past challenge entries and for many of them I don't have the layered psds with the extracted images, only jpegs, or they weren't suitable to put on a white background... these were the only ones I could find...(There is also a flower from challenge 14, the beastie from challenge 15 and the boys from challenge 41...scarey bit is I can't work out how I did half of these - even the ones hat have separate layers - my beastie has 25 layers, and I didn't label them terribly well...!)

Susan S.

[be...@adobeforums.com]

Terri,
The Chest is a photo I took, as my friend designs and makes what he calls 'character wood' products from his many acres of sustainable forest. Each piece is different and rustic. As for the all the photos from all the challenges . . . I haven't been doing the challenges that long, so I went to Bob's website and borrowed the thumbnails from his site. :)
The pictures on the chest - an overlay effect.

beth

[Marty_...@adobeforums.com]

BETH, As I like old rustic things, your picture caught my eye.
I was snooping around in pbase and came upon this girl
pbase.com/pet_artist
She lives in Northern California and does nice work with pet in Water Color (taken from photos). Even if you aren't interested in having one made you might enjoy her site ... I did.
Did you catch my pbase to see my pets, Iaasic's friends, from Challenge #6? pbase.com/martyland
Marty

[be...@adobeforums.com]

Hi Marty,
I just checked out the pet_artist site . . .very good. . ..such expressions and actions.

No Marty, I didn't see all your pet photos - that are great! I have a cornish rex cat (not fluffy like yours) :)

Thanks for showing me the sites.

beth

[Terri_...@adobeforums.com]

Susan- I only bought PSE2 last September so almost all of the revamps are new to me. I think the first challenge I saw posted was with the lambs. I decided I wanted to learn how do something like I had seen posted. I remember the one that really inspired me to keep learning stuff was an entry with lambs as clouds. I don't remember whose entry it was but it really opened up my eyes to a whole world of digital manipulation.

Terri

[Terri_...@adobeforums.com]

Robert- How am I going to sleep now after seeing that? I already had dreams about furry critters and glowing eyes last night.

[be...@adobeforums.com]

Terri - that was my entry the lamb/clouds. I thought maybe I made it too subtle. Clouds are very inspiring. I'm glad you liked it.

beth

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

Terri,

I imagine those critters to be benign nature spirits -- at least in the
presence of their goddess. They're probably mischievous but not likely
malicious (at least I hope so). Perhaps Jodi would fill us in on their
character and demeanor.

I intended this to be a tribute to our resident "goddess" who creates the
most wonderful critters I've had the pleasure of seeing.

Sleep well!

Bob

[Jodi...@adobeforums.com]

wow, I see someone has been up to something. Mr jones, well, my thoughts are all over the place at this moment. You know too much already. nuf said

Marilyn, some very impressive images indeed. I knew you had it in you. not having any boundaries is your success. don't let go.

Nancy, that is sooo cool. The idea fits.

Chris, that must have taken a while. looks great.

Beth, wow, I see a resemblance in my life.

James, i couldn't agree more. well said

Anne, your collage is just great ! Isn't this fun ????

Susan, i'm glad you included those images, they were great the first time and even greater now...after all this time. reflecting is good.

Linda, the lamp is great, i really want illustrator.

Terri, very cute and wholesome. Much like marty ;)

Bob,
I feel the power hon.

[Maril...@adobeforums.com]

Thank you, Jodi. I wish that I could do "original" art work like you do so beautifully. I'm always amazed at the intricate illustrations you create using a mouse. Heck, they would be great even if they were created with a "normal" paint brush. And I LOVE fantasy. Keep 'em coming! Your imagination knows no bounds.

Marilyn

[Jodi...@adobeforums.com]

Marilyn, thanks. I think I prefer the mouse to the paintbrush these days...no paint drying up on my canvas before I get to finish....and best of all...no cleaning up brushes and all those other messes that accompany the job!

Rob, Oh please, use what you want, do what you want. I feel honored that you chose my critters and myself...to monkey with ;).

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi,

I really should have asked for permission to borrow your critter. Please
accept my sincere apology. I hope you aren't offended; Say the word, and
I'll have Grant remove my entry asap.

I really did mean it as a tribute as I have nothing but respect and
admiration for you.

Know too much already? Definitely! But, I'll keep it to myself.

Loved your picture, I'd like to see more.

Bob

[Susan_S.@adobeforums.com]

Marilyn - the lady with the long hair in your third image - am I right in thinking you used a different photo of the same person in one of your entries to the lighthouse challenge? That image of the tall woman and the lighthouse stuck with me in a way that other challenge images have not....it struck a chord somewhere.
Susan S

[L...@adobeforums.com]

Marilyn,

I am enjoying all of your images. The one of the fairy is beautiful. Are those pictures of you and your children?

Linda

[Maril...@adobeforums.com]

Susan S. - Yes, you are correct. The lady with the long hair is the same lady who appeared in my lighthouse picture, just a different photograph. She was my paternal Grandmother, and was only 41 when she passed away. She's special to me, though I never knew her.

Linda - Thanks! The dancing fairy is my niece, and the background is dill weed :) The lovely family in my second picture is that of my husband's grandaughter.

Marilyn

[Chris_...@adobeforums.com]

Marilyn,
I really like your #1. You did a nice job blending her in and the lighting effect is excellent.
Very nice job.

CR

[jh...@adobeforums.com]

Marilyn , I love your "Taffy" entry. We had all but decided not to get a
second dog yet but now I am rethinking the decision. The lady with the
long hair is stunning, my grandmother had hair like that as well but I
was fortunate enough to have spent a great deal of time with her.

--
Have A Nice Day, :-)
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
http://www.myeyesviewstudio.com/
<Grant...@adobeforums.com> wrote in message
news:C1DC7182A6E9721D...@in.webx.la2eafNXanI...
> Well Challenge #53 is posted. It is a free form challenge and to let
you
> celebrate in what everyway you want our anniversary. Be conservative
or be
> wild but have fun.
>
> You will notice that there is a link to the original challenge.
>
> http://home.cogeco.ca/~challenge/Challenges.html
>
> Present and Past Challenges will remain Until tomorrow at 7:00 pm the
then
> the Present will be Past and new images will be posted.
>
> * Important notice to all the new people in this forum. This is not
a
> close shop you are all invited to submit an image. If you don't think
you
> are good enough this is your first mistake, I think most have found
that
> working on the Challenge has improved their personal level. So young
and
> old, hot shots and cool dudes now is you time to post.
> --
> Grant
>
> Home Pages http://home.cogeco.ca/~grant.dixon/index.htm
>
> Challenge Pages: http://home.cogeco.ca/~challenge/
>
> *********************************************************
>
> Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom,
while
> discouragement often nips it in the bud. Any of us will put out more
and
> better ideas if our efforts are appreciated.
>
> Alexander Osborn (1888 - 1966)
>
> *********************************************************
>
>
>

[Nan...@adobeforums.com]

Terri,

Very funny...the old fart has his money ready I see!!

[Marty_...@adobeforums.com]

I've been missing a few artist here but, lo and behold, some are on the Photo Challenge ... that's good.
ANNE T. You did good! So many memories and I wanted to click on them in the large view to see even more details. And your Ph CH 7 is nice too. Hope an inebriated guy doesn't walk down those stairs ...
BETH C, Grant and I might be crushed by the weight next year ... won't that be fun!
BOB W, Oh but to reach a star! What do those words mean? My French diappeared after High School and 2 yrs College Spanish joined it.
CHRIS, That's quite a bunch around me ... I'm flattered.
JAMES H, Ph CH 7 -If I've learned my lessons, that is an alligator.
Regular CH- Who's thanking who? I sincerely thank you, Grant and all the Artist for making me feel at home here.
JODI, Saturday night I saw Cher on TV and just realized how very much you resemble her.The butterflies prbably think that's a roller coaster
LINDA, Proof that simplicity can be most attractive. The "Tree" is facsinating .. design and colors
MARILYN Lee, Nice Ferry Queen. What a charming way to be photgraphed with your adorable children. The photographer must be very sensitive
NANCY, A most unusual rendition of ....'s famous painting (Rembrant,
gosh my Art knowlege has wanned) As said about Artists "weather great or small, give away their beauty, and crave the work of other minds to feed their hungry eyes"
ROBERT J, Cute animatin, yes Jodi'a queen ... but then maybe she's just ruling over those mischievous creatures.
ROBERT Sch... I like your presentation of the images.
SUSAN , Thanks for putting me in the center but it was my bad hair day
... However, you did great with my image with the pony, took another
20 lbs off me
TERRI F, That one should go in the Photo Challenge 7 "Reflections"
GRANT - Ph CH 7- Who are the people in your very eye-catching display?
Sertainly a glance at a picture Reflects many memories
RAY R, Tell me about the picture .. Early Cool Fall Day at the Bridge
Who, What, Where ......?

Starting with the first challenge (54) of the second year I will be
commenting on images by my "Poker Chip Follies". Grabbing a handful of chips, each having an Artist's name on it, I'll comment on their image(s). What if I grab one I just hate? Ha, has that ever happened over the past year? There is always something good about every rendition and as the saying goes ... each gives away a little of the Artist's beauty.

Marty

[L...@adobeforums.com]

Marty: Thank you!

Susan: Just saw your celtic knots. I like them.

Marilyn: I like your new addition #6 of the orchids. Is this a water color that you actually painted?

[Maril...@adobeforums.com]

Chris - Thanks for the compliment on my picture, and for including me in your composite pic. I like the mood of your 2nd picture; can't resist sad old houses with eerie lighting.

James - Little Taffy is now a 100 lb. Big Taffy! We love her as well as overfeed her :) But have you noticed--almost all of the pictures of the fatty dogs on the Healthy Diet dog food sacks are Labs? I guess they're just too loveable :)

Marty - I'm pleased that you liked my photograph of the children and their mother; no one's ever paid me the compliment of being "sensitive" before--thanks! And I agree with you wholeheartedly -- everyone has something good to contribute to the Challenge series. And it's wonderful to see the endless variety of imagination that goes into the pictures. I didn't discover the Challenge until picture #2 was posted, so missed doing the signature Challenge with your photograph. I'm so glad that you initiated the Series--there isn't any better way to learn to use Photoshop Elements and to have fun in the process! Will look forward to seeing many more of your "Pictures with Personality!"

Marilyn

[Bob_E....@adobeforums.com]

Marty --
It's a Latin phrase: "Ad astra per aspera." I've seen various translations: "To the stars by effort.", "Reach the stars with hard work.". Perhaps the best translation I've seen is "Through our endeavors, the stars" which reverses the order but conveys the sense.
Bob Warren

[Anne_Tw...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks, Marty, for your nice comments. This is my first entry in the Photo Challenge. I took the photo in Bayeux, France last July. My quilt #2 is a scan of a post card of the original quilt with filters and sometimes saturation and/or contrast added. I tried to keep the individual parts of the quilt identifiable, although I failed in some instances I'm afraid (e.g., the lobster pots). The quilt was made by women at a summer resort town on Martha's Vineyard; it is really lovely and sentimental for me as I spent so many marvelous summers there as a teenager.

[Susan_S.@adobeforums.com]

Thanks Linda - the Celtic knot one is a mixture of my first attempt at photoshop airbrush painting and patterns. The celtic knot in the centre I plotted out and then painted by "hand" with an airbrush brush in shades of grey. Then I defined this as a pattern to fill the background and colourised center and backgrounds slightly with HSB. The outer border was done with the pattern stamp tool. Then I used a roughy M shaped curve layer to "shine up" the metal effect...
My second one is all layer styles and shapes - I was playing with some of David Nagel's shape downloads from Creativemac.com and layer styles - there was a fair amout of simplifying and overlaying layers with different blending modes to get the final effect.

All three of mine were done in Elements only, the only add-on being used was curves for the third one.
Susan S.

[Jodi...@adobeforums.com]

Chris, ya stole my heart again with that TLC house but i really love that boat.

rob Shrav...loving that purple one.

terri and Wendy really went all out for this. Terri, yyour illustrative touches are phenomnal while Wendy's personal achievements have flattered the challenge pages...nice stuff !!

[Terri_...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi- Thanks for the compliment! I've been practicing up on reflections and gradient effects over the course of last week which explains all the reflections and cylindrical objects. I thought your first was worthy of a poster, book cover, or album cover then you laid that second one on us. Wow, I didn't think it got better than the first...I stand corrected.

[Wendy_E_...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi,

Thanks for the nice words ... I have learned so much since I joined this forum. Did you notice that all the frames came from you ... since I got them I don't use any others. By the way earlier today, by accident, I clicked on one of your frames whilst I was in a text layer and it looked brilliant on text.

Your entries are superb (as usual)... I would love to know how you did some of the effects in the second one. How about a short tutorial? :)

Wendy

[Jodi...@adobeforums.com]

Wendy, thanks and I'm not really sure what part of the image you would like to know about. First off it's just a quarter of an image and then i duplicated and flipped it to have a mirror effect..vertically AND horizontally so it's only 1/4 of the work ;) anyways, honestly, the slide shape was done with the distort 'wave' on a rectangular marquee shape and then extensive manipulative tweeking to get it right. the funky lines on the surface are a freebie plug-in called 'dragonfly~Sinedots II'. I've had it for months. I rarely use it but it comes in handy at times ;)

<http://www.philipp-spoeth.de/index.html#Photoshop/PhotoshopIndex.html#SinedotsII/sinedotsII.html>

...yup, more goody bookmark for ya :)

[Wendy_E_...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi,

It was the funky lines I was wondering about .. you really do find the best goodies .... thanks for the bookmark.

I am just going over there now :)

Wendy

[Chris_...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi,
Thanks for the compliment on #1 but what took the longest was downloading the pics - and then I left some out.
As for the boat, it's a tug that brings fuel barges in off the bay from tankers. The first challenge I was in had the other boat and I used a space theme so the tug was a way to revisit the theme. The background was a night shot (30 sec exp.) of a constellation with an auto levels treatment to bring out the rest of the stars.

CR

[Susan_S.@adobeforums.com]

Wendy - if you want funky lines, of the mesh type variety that are not platform specific try out some of the custom shapes on creativemac.com - as well as the rather fun stained glasss window set (which is set 2 of the custom shapes) I used for my second challenge entry there are three sets of grids and meshes -
here's a link to one of them
<http://www.creativemac.com/HTM/HomeSet1.htm>

(set 3 and 4 also have meshes)

Susan S.
Hmm - won't let me direct link to the page - if you search for custom shapes on the site it brings up the pages...

[Wendy_E_...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi,

Just been over there but it seems to be windows only .... what a pain!!

Wendy

[Jodi...@adobeforums.com]

sorry Wendy, i guess I never bother to check that before posting. I really need to make a list of my apple buddies :) Anyways, as I said, i rarely use them...not like it's really a 'must have' plug in. The 'must haves' are already in the program ;)

[Schrave...@adobeforums.com]

jodi,

Thank you for liking my image.
Wanted to have a birthday cake in it with just one candle to celebrate the first year of elements. The idea was that both cake and candle should be kind of falling down rapidly between the endless strings of challenge entries. Unfortunately the image I took from the cake didn't work (you wouldn't recognise it was a birthday cake) so in fact the image is only half done.
By the way the cake may not have looked good on film but tasted darn good. :-)

Robert

[Marty_...@adobeforums.com]

MARILYN LEE, Your rearing horses ... quite apropos. I must be on my derriere under the water.
Marty

[Terri_...@adobeforums.com]

Marilyn, What a magical set of entries! I love them all. I got to go with the horses as my favorite.

Robin, Cool cake. There's that texture again (on the wall). I really like that look...maybe one day I'll have to experiment.

Robert S. Got to love those gradients!

Wendy, You must be the queen of photo restoration. I had to do a double look when I first enlarged your before and after restoration entry.

Susan S. Those are lovely. Did you create your own styles and shapes for these? I can't decide whether I like the fancy metal frame or chain link box entry. They are both divine.

Terri

[Terri_...@adobeforums.com]

Susan, Edit: I left out the word best in the above post. I slipped up and posted before reading back through.

Terri

[Susan_S.@adobeforums.com]

Thanks Terri - the styles and shapes in the green one are all either downloads (shapes from creativemac.com - I linked in an earlier post) or from Al Ward's book, or from PS7 1-click WOW (bought for virtually nothing the other day from a remainder bookshop!) - or from goodness know where - I have a Lot of styles and shapes in my installation of Elments and I couldn't tell you where half of them came from! I did use a lot of layering by simplifying the shape and layer style and playing around with blending modes and changing colours with hue/Saturation and replace colour. I have made a few styles of my own using the PS6 demo, but I didn't use them for this one.

The celtic knot one was all hand machined - I drafted and painted the original knot (in Elements), created a pattern from it and then used that as a fill for the inner background and with the pattern stamp tool and an odd brush for the outer background. The only "effects" that I used on the painting were a curves layer to make it look more metallic and some colourisation (fairly subtle - most of it got lost in the jpegging process!)

[Terri_...@adobeforums.com]

Ron M, Your filmstrip is one of my favorite entries this week.

Chris R, I like what you did with the old house. It's great. I cringe to think of all the selections you had to do on that oak tree.

Terri

[Wendy_E_...@adobeforums.com]

Terri,

I love doing photo restoration ... but by now have restored everything in sight and run out of photos to do. On the image are some very old views of the village I used to live in. I found them on a website, downloaded them, restored them and emailed them back to the website owner .... he was quite suprised to receive them. Since then I have done quite a lot for him. I'll do anything so that I can play with elements :)

Wendy

[Chris_...@adobeforums.com]

Terri,
It wasn't that bad, I did image>adjustments>invert on a layer and that turned the sky black, then I selected the black with the magic wand thingee, then select>inverse>layer via copy - which gave me the house and the tree as a layer. I did the image>adjustments>invert again to bring the tree and house back to the original black and white.
I used lens flare on the inverted layer to get the glow.

CR

[Marty_...@adobeforums.com]

LORACE, The nude sitting on the Egret..He He Ha Ha, and the girl doing a ... swan dive, shouldn't it be an Egret dive. The gray and white enhances your smooth transitions. Lorace, how do you pronounce your name, Lor ace' with a long a ???
MARILYN, Long as my mind is on names, I should, by now, know but can't remember if Lee is your middle or last name. No matter, I love the sound of it as is. That's such a pretty deep blue/purple for an Iris.
ROBERT J, One of my favorite 'old' songs is (forget the actual name),
"In a shanty, an old shanty town ... the roof was so slanty etc."
Ever hear of it? That house reminds me of many I'd admired for their interesting lonely atmosphere.
WENDY, You do very nice with old pictures. There's a thread of mine on "Removing orange spots ..." and somewhere a picture to work on.
If you ever go short on "old" pictures, I have a barrel full.
Are the last 2 pictures of your and your husband?

[Wendy_E_...@adobeforums.com]

Hi Marty,

The last two photographs are of my parents before they got married. The top three are of their wedding ... when they married (1946) only twelve photos were taken. On their wedding day someone tripped over the camera and broke it so some of the twelve were actually taken a week or two later. In the end there wasn't one photo where my parents were together and both looking OK. So I took my Father from the first picture, my mother from the second one, put them together and coloured it.

Me ... well I'm the little girl with the basket of flowers ... I suppose it was taken in about 1952/53.

I will try and find the thread you are talking about ... in the past I really have struggled with orange spots and could do with some tips on how to remove them.

Wendy

[Lorace...@adobeforums.com]

Marty, I loved the Egret Dive! How cute. Thank you.

Yes, I do pronounce it Lor Aaace (Long a). I love that song,
it's A Shanty in Old Shanty Town. One of my old favorites.

I enjoyed your cards, especially the red one! I like working in shadows, yet I love seeing colors.

And MARILYN, I have a Taffy, too. Taffy Girl Graham, a precious 6 yr old English Springer Spaniel - but you know what? She slinks the moment she sees my Digital and I can no longer get pictures of her. It infuriates me - she's so beautiful (it goes with the name - I love your Lab) but I can't show anyone anymore! I think I got her with the flash once, and she's been petrified ever since. What a sissy!

Thanks, again, Marty. I enjoyed your comment.

Lorace

[Kim_R...@adobeforums.com]

I am in awe and wonder of all of you. All the challenge art work is stupendous! Excellent excellent work! I look forward to seeing more.

[Marty_...@adobeforums.com]

WENDY, The thread was picked up and posted by Mark on 2-4-04
"Marty's Photo Posted/Removing 'orange' spots" I haven't tried them yet but there are some good ideas there. I didn't mean this to be a big deal but if you come up with any results please let me know. I think my email address is available when clicking on my name.
Marty

[Ron Minler]

Thanks Teri. I was standing where the train goes under the road and enters
a loop like a big horseshoe, which is about a mile around. The train then
comes back over the road about a 1/3 of a mile to my right. The engines are
crossing over the road while the tail end is still going under the road, all
the while climbing a 1 % grade to the top of the hill. You can stand there
and watch the train make the complete loop. It's like watching a model.
Ron
<Terri_...@adobeforums.com> wrote in message
news:2ccfd...@webx.la2eafNXanI...

> Ron M, Your filmstrip is one of my favorite entries this week.

> Terri

[Terri_...@adobeforums.com]

I see there are some more entries since last I time I looked.

Patti- Both of your entries are great. But that #2 takes the cake. It's a real beauty.

Cal- I like the #1 entry. You did an excellant job lighting your lamps.

Byron- That animation is cool. What a great way to exhibit your challenges.

Ron- Oh, that's the cutest. (#2)

Terry- I'm still laughing over your entry...you "evil doer".

Terri

[L...@adobeforums.com]

Thank you Professor Bob! I think we all look forward to your weekly evaluations. I know I do. :)

[Bob_E....@adobeforums.com]

Because of the nature of this week's Challenge, the
images are more varied -- it was interesting to see
how different folks interpreted the occasion.

ANNE T: I like the quilts -- #1 is a nice way to
present a retrospective and #2 has a great folk-art
look.

BARBARA W: Nice work with the embossing and shading
-- the 'X' is terrific.

BETH C: Using the chest was a great idea -- I'm glad
the web site came in handy for the thumbnails. No
resemblance to Pandora's, of course.

BYRON G: Great animation in the collage -- I was
particularly taken with the lighthouse changes.

CAL C: Wonderful atmosphere in #1 -- the clouds &
coloring are great. The lighthouse in #2 has a neat
setting -- where is it?

CARL S: Cute kid! He wouldn't be rubbing Jack Daniels
on the kid's gums would he (old family teething
remedy)?

CHRIS R: Nice collage of all the artist portraits in
#1. The old house in #2 is great -- did you darken
the interior or did it just look that way? I like the
way you used the lens flare in #3 and the way you
used the clip art in #4.

JAMES H: Great reflection of the first Challenge and
its anniversary.

JODI F: Interesting choices this week. I like the
geometry in #2 and the general weirdness of #1.

LINDA K: Looks like you're making great strides in
Illustrator!

LORACE G: I like the way you used the color in the
other wise black and white egrets to play off the
black and white of the other images.

MARILYN L: A unique set of images this time 'round: I
love the fairy in #1, the puppy and the irises, but I
have to go with #4 as my favorite -- impressive use
of setting.

MARTY L: Nice use of text in your two images.

NANCY S: I love the way you used Michaelangelo's
version of creation to reflect on the efforts of the
Challenge year -- great idea!

PAT C: Interesting patterns and use of light -- did
you draw the 'ribbons' or use liquify...?

PATTI A: I like the bulletin board screen shot in #2,
but I love the quilted star in #2!

ROBERT J: Cool version of the 'Army of the Night' in
#1 and a great reprise of the 'tourist' in LA in #2.

ROBERT S: The tubes and spheres are a terrific
setting for the image retrospective.

ROBIN S: I'll take a little slice from 'Creativity',
a little more from 'Inspiration' and a great hunk
from 'Fellowship' in #1, please.

RON M: Nice use of the film strip to frame the train
shot in #1. The critter in the flower in #2 is great!

SUSAN S: Love the way you used shadows and
perspective to give #1 a sense of depth. The 'glass'
in #2 & #3 is great.

TERRY F: Interesting set of images -- have to go with
#4 as my favorite -- I love the feathers and the
'mask'.

TERRY B: So THOSE are the 'Evil Doers' the 'W' is
always talking about!

WENDY W: Great set of images this week -- I really
like the two bulletin boards -- the restoration work
in #4 is very impressive.

Bob Warren
<http://www.rewarren.com/challenge/rsp53-1.htm>

[Patti_A...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks, Bob W. The screenshot was actually something I did because I couldn't think of anything else at the time for an anniversary card. :) The star block with my Manatee tree, took WAY too long to do in Elements! I could have had the Eight Point Star done in about 8 clicks with in CorelDraw, but I like to challenge myself to use JUST Elements...w/ all of its plugins and add-ons, of course. :)

Patti

[byron_gale]

Bob,

Thanks for your kind words -- it's always a treat to read the "Warren
Report".

Byron

[jh...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for the comments Bob. All are fun to read as always.

--
Have A Nice Day, :-)
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
http://www.myeyesviewstudio.com/

[be...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks Bob . .. and thanks for not minding me 'borrowing' the thumbnails from your website. :) I couldn't have done the picture otherwise.

beth

[Ron Minler]

Thanks Terri,

The flower is one of my Streptocarpus I grow. Plants are my main hobby.

Ron
<Terri_...@adobeforums.com> wrote in message
news:2ccfd...@webx.la2eafNXanI...

> Ron- Oh, that's the cutest. (#2)

> Terri

[Ron Minler]

Thanks a bunch Bob.

<Bob_E....@adobeforums.com> wrote in message
news:2ccfd...@webx.la2eafNXanI...

> RON M: Nice use of the film strip to frame the train
> shot in #1. The critter in the flower in #2 is great!
>

> Bob Warren
> <http://www.rewarren.com/challenge/rsp53-1.htm>

[Pat_C...@adobeforums.com]

Bob, I used liquify...thanks for your appraisal...

[Nan...@adobeforums.com]

I agree...I always look forward to the Warren Report!!

[Chris_...@adobeforums.com]

Bob,
Thanks. I didn't do anything to the house interior. Our endevours were similar this week, the background in my #3 is the same constellation as your statue.

CR

[Chris_...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi,
Your #4 is one of the best that I've seen you do. Very nice. And a self -portrait at that!

CR

[cal_...@adobeforums.com]

Bob, thanks for the comments. The venice picture was a lot of different pictures put together to make a composite, one of my first ever endevours in photoshop! The lighthouse was put together from a series of pictures taken in Devon, England ( I am English). I used levels to try to turn day into a brooding night. Don't think the lighting on that one came out quite right though. The pictures for the challenge this week are breathtaking, the talent of the group is amazing. I really look forward to it every week.

[L...@adobeforums.com]

Pat Coggins: Love your #2!

[Robin_...@adobeforums.com]

First of all thanks for the comments. I picked up a copy of the WOW Layer Styles from the bargain bin too and have been obsessing with the new toys for the last two weeks, thus my Glass Bhudda, originally a candle. The Chinese reads "rejoice". The cake was from a "Quinsinera" I went to last summer with my daughter who was an attendant. It was a full blown Mexican-American coming out party with strong religious overtones, Mariachis, and a pig that had been cooked underground all night, the centerpiece of a fantastic feast. The cake was baked by the Grandmother: a sponge cake with cooked icing from an old Mexican recipe.
I can't comment on all the fantastic entries this week, but a few really caught my eye. BYRON: I enjoyed the animated before and after. CHRIS: The house is great but I liked the Intergalactic Tugboat. JODI: The variety of your creativity amazes me. I especially like the red plate this week (the beginning of a set for Franklin Mint?) and that little fuzzy alien ... MARILYN: Your Fairy reminded me of Arthur Rackham's Victorian illustrations. PATTI: The eight pointed star could be part of a quilt. ROBERT J: Your tourist rocks. SUSAN: Both the stained glass and the Celtic Knot were beautiful. WENDY: Your restorations of the wedding were great, and what an idea about getting old pictures to retouch from Town Archives! I don't have a scanner and was wondering how to get images.
As usual this week's challenge and discussion has my brain buzzing with ideas. Thanks so much to all of you.

Robin S

[Jodi...@adobeforums.com]

Chris, self portrait ? Not bloody likely.....maybe in my next life :)

Robin, thanks,that's a fancy cake ya got there..yum !

Got my new monitor today...No Lines !!!!! YAY !!!

[Nan...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi,

GOOD DEAL!!

Nancy

[Chuck_...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi, that's a big 'hooray'; sorry if I talked you into buying a video card
you didn't need....
:-)/:-(

[Chuck_...@adobeforums.com]

James, I wasn't too worried about that in Jodi's case 'cause not everyone
has a 300 ppi compressor hanging around the house!
:-)

(now watch: she'll come back and say that of course she has such a
compressor...!!)

[jh...@adobeforums.com]

Chuck that is not as serious as me trying to get her to use 300 PPI air
pressure to clean her old one. You just cost her a few bucks while I was
going to put her in the E.R.

--
Have A Nice Day, :-)
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
http://www.myeyesviewstudio.com/

<Chuck_...@adobeforums.com> wrote in message
news:73E46FBB0A52720E...@in.webx.la2eafNXanI...

[Jodi...@adobeforums.com]

Nancy, ya it's cool ! ...running at recommended 1280 X 1024...beautiful !

Chuck, no, the new video card is great. Gives me more than I previously had...thank You !

James, the compression conversation scared me....i wouldn't have done it anyways...especially with the kids in the house ;)

[Chuck_...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi, re 1280x1024: that's a little off from a perfect 4:3 ratio; does that
cause a little squashing of the image? (this topic arose before but I don't
remember what the outcome was).

Chuck

[Dave McElderry]

Chuck, I'm glad you brought this back up because I've been meaning to. As you mentioned, this was never fully discussed to death <G>. I'm also running 1280 x 1024, which I believe is a 5:4 ratio. Although I sort of understand the logic behind the "squishing" idea, I find it hard to believe that any choice of standard resolution would result in deformed images. Just because I'm at 5:4, my visible screen area isn't a different proportion than it is at a 4:3 setting. It still fills the screen, if that makes sense.

I look at this as meaning that I just see things with a different number of pixels in one of the axes. In other words, I would get either more pixels per inch, or fewer, in either the horizontal or vertical direction. I'm not going to the trouble to figure out which right at this moment. This would mean that I would have greater or lesser image detail in that direction, but the image proportions remain the same. ???

If the squishing phemomenon was an issue I would have thought that I surely would have heard about it before. Wouldn't I???

My brain hurts.

[Dave McElderry]

Chuck, I started a rather lengthy reply and then realized that it wasn't making sense. I do understand what you're saying. I hope someone who has a handle on this will chime in.

[Chuck_...@adobeforums.com]

How about this as a way to confirm or disprove the squashing?

1. Set monitor on 1024x768
2. In Elements, create a 800 by 800 pixel canvas or square on a canvas.
Measure it with a ruler; is it a perfect square? If yes...
3. Switch to 1280x1024 on the fly; re-measure the (now smaller) 800 by 800
pixel square; still square?

I may give it a try....if I can find my ruler...

[Chuck_...@adobeforums.com]

Dave, if the image area of the screen is in a 4:3 ratio and I fill it with
pixels that are in a 5:4 ratio, something ain't square (as my carpenter
buddies are fond of saying when they view some of my woodworking...) Or so
it would seem....

It makes my head hurt, too...

[Ron Minler]

Hi Cal,

Did you submit this to Digital Photo magazine. Looks like the same one in
the PSP 8 tutorial in the magazine on page 11. Great work.

Ron

<cal_...@adobeforums.com> wrote in message
news:2ccfd...@webx.la2eafNXanI...

[Chuck_...@adobeforums.com]

OK, here are the results:

1. I created a 600 by 600 pixel canvas on my 19" monitor. At 1024 by 768,
it measured 8 1/16 inches by 8 1/16 inches - a perfect square.
2. I converted to 1280 by 1024 and remeasured the 600 pixel by 600 canvas;
it measured 6 1/2 inches wide by 6 inches tall; squashed!

I didn't notice whether there was room to adjust the horizontal size; maybe
the squashing could be reduced or eliminated in that manner.

[Dave McElderry]

Hey Chuck, I just tried something out. I have a web page that I maintain that I had created a masthead for using PE. There are two logos in it that are supposed to be perfectly round. I just changed my screen resolution to 800 x 600 and went to take a look at the web page. Sure enough, the "round" logos were squashed in the horizontal direction. I feel like I've been living in a cave to have not heard of this before. Now I've got a real problem because the next lower 4:3 resolution that my monitor supports is 1152 x 864, and I'm not happy with it. Bah humbug! I was happier when I was in the dark.

[L...@adobeforums.com]

Jody: Your #3 is cool and love the message.

[jh...@adobeforums.com]

Jodi just think about it. If you wrote that book you could buy all of us
a copy of Illustrator.

[Jodi...@adobeforums.com]

Chuck, yes I used the screen positioning options ( those buttons on the bottom of the monitor ;) ) to get my pixel dimensions square. I did a test print and measured with ruler afterwards as well. All seems fine and square and dandy. Isn't that what those buttons are supposed to be used for ?

[L...@adobeforums.com]

Jody: Maybe you could find a new shrink-wrapped copy of a slightly older version at eBay. Just watch out for the Educational ones (unless you are an educator or student) and make sure the seller is reputable and that it's not been registered before.

[Jodi...@adobeforums.com]

Linda, thank You. It's actually an older image I had done a while back just for fun and didn't expect to ever use it...t'il now. The wolf is my graphic but the chief isn't...obviously. So when R U going to send me a copy of your illustrator ??? :)...just kidding. Don't want Adobe slappin the cuffs on us..my kids would rather have money home ;)

[jh...@adobeforums.com]

If you took pixel dimensions that were not square and forced them into a
square wouldn't that have to distort something? I am reading this with
interest as I have never heard of this problem before and I am
considering a new monitor. See what you started Jodi.

[Pat_C...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks LRK....fun doing that stuff. I am on an outer space kick. Suggested to Grant that might be a Challenge some day.