The end of another month, doing this challenge really emphasizes how quickly a week goes by. I have six versions for this month due to the FotoSketcher processing in the first week. There were quite a few of you who enjoyed the Emergence effect over the Merged images, so I thought I would include it in the gallery.
This week, I tried to capture some sharpness in the center of the flower, it was really bothering me that the center was so soft. It is still a bit soft but better than in previous weeks, at least I think so. I also wanted to see if I could find a crop that filled the frame with the flower.
Photo By: Carrie
Please click on the image directly to get the best view.
Details:
- I went back to the original image and I played around with different crops, nothing was working. This was mostly due to the different shapes of each petal and distance between each. When I tried a close crop there were distracting elements of the background or a given petal that I didn’t enjoy.
- So, I decided to flip the image horizontally but, it wasn’t enough. It made the image feel like it was going to fly away. So I also rotated the image 90 degrees to the left. This brought a balance to the image that I liked. I cropped vertically because I liked seeing the fullness of the petals this way.
- Then I touched up the image by adding a radial filter to the center and adjusting the outside of that radial filter so the petals were soft yet detailed. Within the radial filter I brought up the luminescence of the oranges and yellows.
- I added an adjustment brush to the petals brushing some contrast and highlights to give more detail to the petals without overwhelming them.
- The final step was to add a radial filter in an oval shape over the majority of the image. I was looking for a soft border on this image. I played with the clarity, contrast until I liked it and I added a lot of saturation as well which helped soften the brightness of the center of the flower by bring the color up on the edges.
Please let me know which version you enjoy the most in the poll below and offering why in the comments would be very helpful. I really do use this challenge as a way to make mistakes and learn. I always appreciate your feedback and support.
Next month, we are sharing past edits. So, I think I will post two One Four Challenge posts next month. The first being, the images with the most votes. The second, what I have learned so far and which images did I learn the most from. Please check out Robyn’s blog, Captivate Me, click HERE to see all the details and look in the comments to find links to other participants. You can also find all of our entries for this week by using your tag search with the key word One Four Challenge.
The Shady Tree 
I love what you have done this week Carrie- my favourite. The luminous and clear centre, the delicate petal, the reorienting of the flower… And reading of the steps you followed is very helpful as I am learning LR and PS! So thank you for the detailed explanations.
You are most welcome, Chris. If you have questions let me know…I think I remembered most of the steps. I am so happy you enjoyed this week’s edit. I really appreciate your feedback and support, it is really helpful!
Carrie I love it also – the composition really appeals to me. Such a lovely delicate flower, which still shows in this edition.
My fave for March is Emergence. A wonderful month for you 😃😃
It appeals to me too, Robyn. When I took the photograph I was drawn to the petals looking like they were blowing in the wind. But, moving in closely proved a bit of a challenge. I like that my eye moved up the image this way instead of side to side like past edits.
Thanks for voting and always encouraging! It is so nice to hear from you each week 🙂
PS Taking another look 😃
Just wanted to add that I liked the brightness and heightened colours of the centre. Its like its in a sun spot!
I like your ideas for April – looking forward to it!
🙂 Thanks for a second look. I was surprised at the nice colors in the center too but, when I turned the image I realized that was the more appealing part of the center, so it worked!
Thanks on the April ideas, I am looking forward to a bit of a break, my brain hurts. 🙂
I love all of your edits for this month, Carrie! It’s so hard to choose a favourite. I love the added detail at the center this week but I also like the softness of the previous ones. 🙂
Oh you are so kind, Louise. This was a challenging month for me. I am so happy you enjoyed the edits. I am looking forward to the break, to spark some new creativity 🙂