Abstract Steps for Pastel Dream

Just finished a fantastic iPhone Creative Adventures class with Teri Lou Dantzler and a bunch of really talented participants. In response to a request by one of them, I am outlining the steps I took for the abstract I call Pastel Dreams. Here's the process to the best of my recollection:

I started with this photo; it's either a pink painted wall or a texture I had already. I then upped the structure and saturation to the nth degree in Snapseed.

Next I went into Pixite's app Fragment, which added the circular shapes.

Fragment again.

Fragment again.

Fragment another time.

Fragment once more added the triangle in the center.

Next I went into Matter app for the shape at the bottom right.

 Matter again for bottom left shape.

 Lightened in Shift app.

 

I added bubbles (because they seemed right somehow) in an app called Paint FX.

I added lines at the bottom with Lory Stripes app and the unicorn from Simple app. (This is a free app that has many of the effects in Master FX app which I usually use for my little additions. Only trouble is that it puts the word Simple on it - see bottom right.

So I used TouchRetouch app to remove the word Simple.

 

Took it back into Fragment - didn't like it. It distorted the outline of the face I saw lower right and just generally messed it up as far as I could see.

 

Went back to the earlier version and called it a day. It's done when it's done. I titled it "Pastel Dream".

My Own Private Paris

It can be challenging to find  new views of places that have been photographed so much. Even more so with iPhoneography where you have a single focal length and fixed aperture (unless you app it to approximate a larger one). So I'm always thrilled when I can take a photo that I've not seen before of a popular destination. Here are three views of my last trip to Paris that fit the bill.

The Peace Wall was shattered on one side and had not been fixed. It seemed a poignant frame for the Eiffel Tower. Apps: Camera+, Snapseed.

A rainy afternoon in the Latin Quarter seemed a busy colorful blur, so I used Slow Shutter app to capture the feeling. Optimized with Snapseed.

The Mona Lisa in the Louvre in the process of being captured by a Smart Phone. I like the blend of old and new image making. Apps: Camera+, Touch Retouch to remove distracting details like an arm coming in the left side.

iPhone Diva Lynette Sheppard’s 10 Must Have Apps

I've been asked by beginning iPhoneographers and professionals alike for a list of my fave apps. The problem, as I always tell them, is that I switch preferences day to day. My favorites are usually the one(s) I've just used. I'm not fickle - I just fall in love with new apps and/or old standbys on a moment to moment basis. However, if you could only have 10 apps (how crazy is that?), these are the ones I think you should start with:

Perfectly Clear        Best 1 stop shop to fix pix, superior noise removal

Snapseed                The baby photoshop - best optimizer by far

FXPhoto Studio        Special FX including frames

Pic Grunger              Vintage and grunge effects

Autostitch                Panoramic - best

Pro HDR                    Can shoot and do HDR or process from library

TouchRetouch           Content aware healing, removal unwanted objects

Simply BW                Absolute best B and W app - like a teeny Ansel Adams living in your phone

Autopainter              Cool painting app

Blender                    Great app for combining images

This will keep a photographer busy for years. And likely whet your app-etite for more.

The photo today showcases ProHDR and TouchRetouch in particular. When I drove past this Moloka`i Hawai`i church with the great Jesus Coming Soon sign, I stopped and took the photo in Pro HDR. This app combines a darker image exposed for the sky with a lighter image that opens up the church.

I then exaggerated the HDR with Simply HDR. (You could do a similar effect in Snapseed, using the Drama filters.)

I love how the image pops now, but those pesky telephone wires were bothering me. I took the image into TouchRetouch and erased them. Often TouchRetouch will easily remove an object or shadow within moments. This was quite a bit trickier, especially on the face of the building and took me a painstaking 20 minutes. But it worked, I'm happy with the final frame. I did all the processing on my phone (my iPad was home.)

FYI, the free version of TouchRetouch has a watermark on each image, so you'll want the one where you have to pay a whopping 99 cents. So so worth it!

Note: if you look closely, you might see the auntie sitting on a bench to the left of the church.

Content Aware Fill - There's An App For That

Yep. iPhone Diva has a new look. Every once in awhile, we all need a makeover, and this site was due. I hope you like it.

I have been on the fast track of learning in iPhoneography this past few months, thanks to an incredible group of iPhone fanatics who share their best with grace and humor. (Lots of humor). Expect to see lots of new apps and arty permutations in the upcoming months.

Some posts will be highlighting apps and what they do. Some may just be sharings of some cool iPhone photos. Some will illuminate some iPhoneography "pros" and how you can learn more from them.

This blog post concerns a terrific app called TouchRetouch. Adobe Photoshop CS5 users will be familiar with content aware fill. Basically, it takes out unwanted stuff like telephone wires and intelligently creates a 'fill' to keep the coherence of the photo.

Okay, photos are better than words. Check out the first image. Dewitt and I were hiking and came upon an old car, or rather the last remnants of a car. No roof, no seats or doors, hard to tell it was even an automobile, except for the gas gauge and instrument panel open to the elements.

I snapped a shot, but as you can see there's a huge white blob in the upper left and an annoying wire coming across the left of the gauge. Still, I loved the colors and textures of the rusted metal.


I selected the offending areas in TouchRetouch with the lasso tool and then asked it to work. The result below is amazing. I actually think it is magic.
To finish the photo, I sharpened it in Perfect Photo (my fave for sharpening and a whole lot more) and added PicGrunger for an antique look.
The grunge turned out to be a little too much for my taste; after all it's already grungy and old. So I backed it off and I like the rendition below best.