Shoot & Edit ~ Green, Edited!

Hi there! Thanks for stopping in to check my edit for this week. I am having so much fun exploring all the different things I can do to pictures. The creative side of my brain thanks me. Profusely. I mean, I didn't do anything astounding this week ~ it's just fun to do. :)

Look and see!!

Here is the SOOC picture:

{boooooooooooooooring}

The first things I did

Some lighting adjustments, like:

{Brightness, +29}

{Contrast, +35}

{Shadows, 50%}

{Darken Highlights, 1%}

{Midtone Contrast, 13%}

Then I cropped it.

And adjusted the colors. I forget what I did, whatever the color curves suggested that I liked. :)

I add layers between almost every step by the way.

Added another layer and made it B&W. I adjusted the B&W to my liking.

Then I got out the handy-dandy eraser, and erased all the part where the main pepper was. 

I wanted the color to POP!! What do you think?

Then I Ctrl +Z'd until I got back to after the step where I adjusted the color curves. Here's where I had some real fun!!! If you go to the toolbar and check out the Filters --> Adjustments --> Posterize. This is my picture, Posterized. With a quote.

This is cute, yes?

Scratch back to after color curving.... I cropped the picture again. This time, getting as close to the pepper as possible. Then I went to the Filters tab --> Distort --> Polar Coordinates. Here's where it gets tricky, not really. I selected Polar to Rectangular. You could also choose Rectangular to Polar. {Some of you might remember when Ashley did a tutorial on the whole polar thing... I don't have the link but if you're a follower of her blog, you probably know what I'm talking about. I think hers was Rec. to Polar.} When you select Polar Coordinates, the program will prompt you to select either one. 

This is what that edit looked like.

I'm not "in love" but I don't hate it either. It's just weird. It makes me think of 'Monsters, Inc.' Or some sort of bad 60's horror flick. Anyone?

Okay, one more edit. You still there?? :) 

Back to right after cropping the picture for a second time.

Then, Filter -> Stylize --> Glowing Edges

Tubular! I was NOT expecting that outcome! 

Obviously this is my favorite edit of them all. 

I could see this in my beach house. You know, if I had one.

~

Check out all the other awesome edits this week from Shoot & Edit. Link up your SOOC shot on Monday at Jill's blog, and your edited one on Thursdays at Ashley's blog! Hope to see you there. 

Thanks again for stopping by my blog. :) 

Shoot & Edit ~ Green

Green is the theme this week for Shoot & Edit with Jill & Ashley! Share and post your SOOC shot over at Jill's blog today, and share your edited picture at Ashley's blog on Thursday! Ok? Awesome!!~
Here's my SOOC for this week:

Come back & check out my edited picture on Thursday!! Thanks for stopping by. :) 

Green ~ A Paper Mama Photo Challenge

~ Green ~

This is one of the pictures I took on Saint Patrick's Day! I wore the leprechaun costume when I was a baby (for Halloween); my mom made it! My grandma (dad's mom) made the shamrock dresses ~ you can't really tell from the picture, but the green spots on the dresses are shamrocks. :) 

These two dresses have been sent all over the country to our relatives on my dad's side. So many cousins have worn them! My aunt unexpectedly sent them to me in 2009! I was so excited to be "let in" on such a special family tradition. A cousin of mine is expecting her first baby later this year so I'm hoping it's a girl so I can send one out East to her so she can enjoy the family dress, too!

Check out all the other awesome GREEN entries over at The Paper Mama!