Doorways - First Try

This was my first go at the Doorways challenge Kate and I are doing. It's such a great theme with so many ways to go. No pun attended! I did this long enough ago that I don't recall if I had any learning breakthroughs while I was doing it. But while I was trying to explain layer masks to Kate over the phone, I realized how they get used with adjustment layers. I didn't go back and change this collage because I liked how grungy it turned out, but I'll definitely use that knowledge in the future. The grunginess occurs when an adjustment layer filters down and effects lower layers that you had no intention of effecting.

Kate keeps saying that she will just finish up and post her projects as if there were gobs more to do to them but her doorways collage here: http://katemarkey.blogspot.com/

seems just perfect to me.

Warding Off Claustrophobia

My sister and I are doing another PS CS5 challenge - this time the theme is doors. This isn't my first attempt but I'll save that one for another post. So what have I learned with this one? One thing is how to make the files float in the document window. That's not the default in CS5 anymore but it's how I prefer to work. The tab system had led to more than one time that an open file had been inadvertently closed resulting in lost work.

I'm also getting proficient switching layer order with the control plus [ or]. That's a great thing to know when you're dragging lots of little stuff in from other files.

The background here was the inside of a vat and although I loved the curved walls, I had to create corners to keep the furniture grounded. One thing I would like to learn to do is more realistic shadows.

Another memory tweek was how much I love Billy Collins. I came across this poem while hunting for one of his containing the word "home", and after a certain point in this process, the line I used kept echoing in my head.

The fountain overflow into the vat drain hole was fun too.