One-to-Three Photo Processing Challenge-October 2023

Someone cut down this venerable tree last week, which caused me to wander down memory lane. This was a view of the tree as we approached it from the west along Hadrian’s Wall National Path.

I used a different, more classic view of the tree for the One-to-three on my personal blog.

Directions for my methods:

This month I used the GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program) Artistic group of filters to play with this photo.

First, I always use Raw Therapee to process and convert the RAW image before I bring it into the GIMP. In this case Raw Therapee recovered a lot of the detail in the sky.

The “starting point” image is after that step. In the GIMP I used luminosity masks to bring out the textures of the sky. I’ve never posted about how to use them, and maybe should, except that there are many more technically adept resources out there. Basically you create a set of masks from a desaturated version of the image. Then use them as layers so you can adjust each brightness level individually. You can also use different blend methods. I often use these filters to isolate the sky and the multiply blend mode to bring out details in the clouds.

Simple Linear Iterative Clustering is built into the GIMP. It is found in the Artistic group in teh Filters drop down menu (Filters>Artistic>Simple Linear Iterative Clustering). I used the settings 32 for the regions size, 11 for the compactness and 7 iterations. This filter is a favorite of mine at the moment. You can get some really different looks by varying the parameters so don’t give up if you don’t like the effect right after opening the filter. For contrast you might look at my post last month where I used the same filter with different settings on a rose.

The next version uses a filter in the G’MIC plug-in for the GIMP: the Illustration Look in the artistic group. I used the defaults. This was my favorite this month. It seems to bring out the drama of the scene.

For the last version I used a tinted sketch effect. The directions for this method are in this post: How to get a tinted sketch effect using the GIMP.

If you want to 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. Swing on over to my personal blog to join in.

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. Alternatively, if it is easier for you, you could post a gallery on Instagram with #tsc_1to3.
4. If you can, please include a description of your methods. So others can give them a whirl.
5. Then add a comment or ping back so we can all see your creations.
6. Check out what other folks are doing for new ideas.