One-to-Three Photo Processing Challenge-October 2021

Join the One-to-Three Photo Processing Challenge to have some creative fun with photos.

The purpose of the One-to-Three Photo Processing Challenge is to play. These days we have so many different ways to process a photo: from phone apps to Photoshop. And these different software options make it accessible for anyone to get fun and beautiful effects. Whether you have a lot of time or a little.

I’ve been spending a lot of my pandemic playing with photo processing. Because it is a relaxing indoor activity that I can do for free (I mostly use open-source programs and old versions of paid programs). And I thought it might be fun to share what I’ve been doing and see what other folks are trying out.

No complicated rules, just:

1. Pick a photo you want to play with.
2. Process it using three different methods.
3. After that create a blog post with the original and your creative products.
4. If you can, please include a description of your methods. So others can give them a whirl.
5. Then add a comment below containing the link to you post (pingbacks don’t seem to work, I’m trying to figure out why). So we can all see your creations.
6. Check out what other folks are doing for new ideas.

I can hardly wait to see what you create.

September creations:

• Geriatri’x’ Fotogallerie
• Cath’s Camera
• Xingfu Mama blog
• Pictures Imperfect blog

Here’s my one-to-three contribution for this month:

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Directions for my methods:

This month I played with Topaz Studio 2. It’s really impressive how many different looks one can get from using a combination of the different filter settings, the preset “looks” and different blend modes. While I’ve experimented with Topaz on and off this past month is the first time I’ve tried out the different blend modes.

The original is kind of drab. It was taken from a bridge across the Seine looking down river toward the famous Pont Neuf. I was really pleased with the results I got in Topaz for this one.

1. The AI Remix filter combines the style of a selected drawing or painting with the photograph. Topaz has several to choose from, in this case I used the one they call “Parting ways” it is of two paths around a meadow (you’d never know that from the result!). I used the overlay blend mode because it really increased the drama.
2. I used one of the grungy looks for this: Color Blast Grit. This look uses two different overlays and blend modes in addition to adjusting the exposure, clarity and contrast. I again used the overlay blend mode.
3. For this one I used the impressions filter with brush type 2 and number of strokes high. Then I applied the division blend mode, which made it look like a pencil sketch.

Just for fun: A second trio of images.

Last month I was experimenting with blend modes in the GIMP, this month it’s Topaz. I get dizzy from all of the possibilities from just the one setting. These illustrate how much difference the blend mode can make:

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I used the impression filter with the same settings as for the third effect above, but changed the blend mode. In the normal mode the photo is replaced with the effect. In the overlay mode the two are combined with the top layer acting like a transparency over the original. The division blend mode uses a more complex calculation.