Alyice on June 8th, 2009

Thanks For Digital Darkrooms

When I decided to get more serious with my photography a few years back, I became very disillusioned with the entire industry. I could not believe that many of the natural landscapes, that had literally captivated my soul, were actually altered in a digital darkroom or that so many people were airbrushed, touched-up, and given digital plastic surgery. And yet, it gave me hope!

I may never be a master photographer, but thanks to programs like Paint Shop Pro® and Photoshop®, I can take ordinary looking photographs—and even goof-ups—and turn them into beautiful works of art.

Take this Zebra for instance. I absolutely love the digital alteration but was very disappointed in the original photograph.

You see, I was visiting a small, family-owned, zoo in Wisconsin a month ago when I came across two beautiful zebras. They were full of energy and I desperately wanted to capture that energy on film. There was just one problem: they were surrounded by ugly chain-link fencing. After observing the zebras for awhile, I realized that the only clear shot I had was a tiny peep hole in the barn door. Looking through my camera’s lens, I knew the shot wasn’t going to be perfect but I had high hopes that I could manipulate it digitally.

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Upon downloading the images, however, I was really disappointed. The image wasn’t nearly as clear as I had hoped, I had cut off the zebras’ behinds, they were further away than I anticipated, and there were two golfers in the background that I hadn’t noticed before.

And yet, with a little digital magic, I believed I could salvage part of the photo so I opened up Paint Shop Pro® and got to work. First, I cropped out the part that I felt was worth salvaging, then I removed the digital camera noise, clarified the image, and played with the contrast. Once the colors were pleasing to the eye, I jumped over to the “effects” area where I played with various textures and effects until I was able to create something I could use.

Now, I have the perfect image for handmade greeting cards—as it only measures 2.2 x 2.9 inches. And, with a little more digital manipulation, I can also create an inchie for an altered trading card!

Give thanks…

Disclosure: I paid for the product mentioned here. This is “my opinion”. It is not an endorsement, express or implied. I was not paid to give a positive review.

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