I said I love you, my pretty little doll

Just a little something I stumbled upon in YouTube. Not a perfect execution, but one with a lot of heart I thought.

P.S. My translation of the title might not be perfect, but it's close.

Tutorial # 1 - the Marquee Tool

I am beginning a series of Adobe Photoshop tutorials. Originally this was for my mom who is new to Photoshop, but as I was preparing today's tutorial I realized (duh!) that there is still much I can learn and doing tutorials will help me learn new things too.

I am using Photoshop 5.5. I'd be interested to know if this tutorial is similar to later versions of Photoshop, or if I've missed any tricks and effects you have discovered.

Marquee Tool
The marquee tool might not be what you think of as a complex tool, but no doubt about it, it is one of the tools you'll use the most in Photoshop. I wondered what I might be missing, so I played and read the online help for it.

The marquee is the tool on the top left. It allows you to select portions of your image, marking your selection with the little marching ants outlining it. After you have selected a portion of your image you can crop, copy to the memory clipboard, apply effects to just that portion of the image, etc.

The vast majority of the time I'm using marquee to crop my image.

If you left click on the default marquee box, you'll see more marquee options fly out, like this:

Left to right these are the rectangular, elliptical, single pixel horizontal, single pixel vertical, and crop marquee tools.

I'll go ahead and get the two single pixel tools out of the way. They allow you to select a single pixel width or height. I haven't had much use for those options. (Have you?)

Perfect Squares & Circles

The rectangular and elliptical are my most used. Of course, with either tool you can free-form it by left-clicking and dragging to create your selection. Did you know, though, that while left-clicking and pressing SHIFT, you can restrain the rectangular option so it is a perfect square, or SHIFT with the elliptical option to make a perfect circle.

You could press ALT, which changes the drag option starting from the left top corner to instead starting your drag outward from the center. I find this especially helpful with the elliptical option.

And here's something fabulous I learned today -- you can press SHIFT and ALT at the same time while left-clicking and dragging so that you are creating a perfect square or circle dragging outward from the center of your selection.

Other Styles for Rectangular and Elliptical marquees
The rectangular and elliptical marquees also give you some other options, seen in the Options box. (If you don't see your option box, select View > Show Options). That box, by default looks like this:


Feather is what you think it is. I don't use it much, but a value other than zero feathers your outside edges so they are soft, rather than sharp.

But there are two other options in the Style drop down box that I found very interesting today:

The Constrained Aspect Ratio allows you to enter things like width = 2 and height = 1, for a double wide X single high selection. You can still drag your selection to whatever size you like, but it will keep the box (or ellipse) in that ratio. You can see I entered 600 by 450, but that doesn't mean it will force that dimension, but rather that ratio. So I might end up with a marquee selection of, say, 200 X 150, or 60 X 45.

The Fixed Size could be very handy too. In this case you are entering the exact dimension you want. No dragging to fiddle with your size, instead with a click you have the instant size you entered in the width and height. I can see how this would be handy if you were wanting to grab a bunch of crops and have them all the same size. (Previously I would create the size I wanted and then kept moving that marquee around. This could be better, I think.)

Crop marquee
I have never used the crop marquee, but after working with I now see I was missing a tool I could use effectively and frequently. This tool will allow me to not only crop but also resize (down from the 2560X1920 size from my camera to 600X450 I use for most posts here) in one go.

The cool thing is that it allows me to drag my marquee, not only keeping this ratio, but when I press the crop marquee tool again, it instantly resizes the cropped image to that selection in that pixel size (and resolution depth).

Compare this to my steps before when I wanted to crop an image and to have it result in 600X450:

• Eye-ball the image to get an idea of where I would want to crop it, say roughly 2/3 of the current image.
• Resize the image from 2560X1920 to 900X675, which is 1/3 size larger than 600X450. Already you can see ugly math is involved.
  
• Open a new blank image sized at 600X450. Go to Select > All.
• Drag that marquee to the first image and place it where I want.
  
• Crop.

And frequently, it wouldn't be quite right. I would then do the steps again, adjusting my eyeball size again, more rough math, etc.

With crop tool, I can do this more precisely and can do it in virtually one step. Select crop marquee (and it keeps my settings from one time to the next, so I don't have to set the 600X450 pixels each time), drag my marquee to the part of the image I want. When I like it, press the marquee tool again. It does all the other steps for me.

Summary
The Marquee tool might not be the most exciting of the tools, but it's on the top left for a reason -- it's one you'll be using frequently. And after playing and learning today, I think I have found more effective ways to make those little marching ants do my bidding.

Trumpet vine pods

Trumpet vine pods (outside)

I liked the shape of these trumpet vine pods, especially the little "hats" at the top, and the bumpy texture of the pods themselves. I had no idea I was getting such a nice shot of the yellow jacket wasp. A happy accident.

Rima's Digital Art Workshop Deux

Rima's Marazine blog Assignment #2 Frida Opens a Flower Shop

What I did:

I would select various parts of the image and while still selected, I would use "paste into" to paste various photographs of mine of flowers, a broken window, a clay head I made of Frida, a shot of the moon, etc. It is a different technique than regular paste and I would highly recommend your trying it some time. While in that mode you can "transform" that pasted item to rotate it, resize it, skew it, etc. which I did to scale things to my liking.

I changed the "Gift" shop to a "Flower" shop.

After I got all the components in (when to stop?), I flattened all the layers and then pasted another layer of the same image at 50% opacity, and did a guassian blur on it. This helped blend the image a little better.

Again, I flattened all the layers, and then using lighting effects, I put a soft light on it (this helped give it the dreamy evening look), and then lastly, put a film grain on it, and faded the effect down to 30%.

Summary:
This is one of the more complex things I've done, and I'm not entirely satisfied with the results (I see quite a few impatient boo-boos), but I did stretch my abilities. I had often thought I would like to try a digital collage using my own images only. As an opportunity to try new things, and to learn, it was a huge success and I appreciate Rima putting us to this challenge!

FifteenSixteen images I used (can you find them all in the Flower shop?):

Worker Bee

One of the pleasures of having Kitten last week was this: Kitten working (just like Mommy).

• She made her list of things she had to do.
• She touch typed at remarkable speed, composing a "report."
• She had to call support (kept saying something about "program").
• And in the end, a most productive day. All things on her list crossed off.

All's well (burp)

Trumpet vine... inside

Antigone was discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon. Thank heaven! Antigone, baby, and Katlynn are all well.

Now, I can turn my concerns elsewhere. Hm, should I be worrying about this vine, which is now growing two tendrils (and the start of a third), creeping in from my bedroom window. Apparently it's looking for something to grab onto but so far it's only reached....arrrrrrrggggh, gurgle, gurgle.

Shhh, Sleeping in

Angel sleeping in

For the first time in her life, Kitten has spent the last two days and nights away from her mother. Antigone, who is pregnant, is in the hospital. She got a virus on the cruise they took and didn't recover from it. She got dehydrated and has spent the last two nights at the hospital. Hopefully she comes home today.

Kitten has been doing pretty good hanging out with me, but come bed time is the hardest for her. The last thing Kitten said last night, in brave tears, was "I hope my mommy gets feeling better." I think that little arm is reaching out for where she hopes her mommy will be again soon.

Just a weed

"Next to ingratitude the most painful thing to bear is gratitude." - Henry Ward Beecher

Just a lowly weed, until you look close. Then it reveals it is a miracle of divine, thriving, spectacular architecture. I am still amazed by what photography reveals to me -- this seeing of what has always been there.

Has anything like these photographs ever happened to you? Some thing, someone perhaps, comes into your life as a common weed, something you think you already know. A weed that you think has no place in your planned garden, but the winds blew in its wild seed without your invitation. On a whim you tolerate its persistence and the gentle straggler blooms in your backyard.

It is as beautiful as anything you've seen before, and once seen, everything else is also more beautiful because of it.

Suddenly and at last, you see. You are instantly possessed by a profundity of knowledge of what it is you vastly lacked before. This is the pain of gratitude. You cannot pay it back, you cannot undo the careless times you did not have it, you cannot even wish for more of it else it becomes ingratitude. You can only be open to its painful but tender, humbling lesson.


(Just call me Debi the currently philosophizing photo a day-er.)

Locked out

Locked gate with grass

Neda has been posing a series of serious questions on Papiers Collés about the truthfulness in blogging, in art, in our own "electronic persona," as she dubs it. It has been giving me much food for thought.

This is my photograph taken in recent days that I saved back. It was too personal to post. Seeing it made me feel exceedingly vulnerable. But, at the same time, seeing it I knew I was glad I captured it. I knew this was an important feeling for me, an important moment, too. I don't want to dwell on it needlessly, but I did see the powerful feelings in it (for me only, perhaps) and was glad I had captured a touch of it. I didn't believe I would ever post it.

But, in the interest of honesty to Neda's probing questions, and in thinking of the tribulations I know first-hand that some of you are going through, I post this picture. I hope this picture can convey to you that you are not alone in your feelings of being "locked out" of what it is you so desperately want, or "locked in" to something you desperately do not want or do not deserve.

If nothing else, I want this post today to simply recognize suffering as part of life. I don't know why it's that way. I don't know how to take your needless pain away. I don't know any important answers, I only know the same questions you wonder yourself. In difficult times, it's the only comfort we can share, these shared questions.

You've got mail!

Oh Goody! Goodies from Arizona

Look what arrived in the mail for me this weekend! What a charge this package was to receive, to open, and to slowly delve into. I relished each part, oozing with delight that it came from such a kind and generous soul, Windy in Arizona as part of her Giveaway. I loved every thoughtful element, from the sweet enclosed card to the unique wrapping paper of fabric.

I have to say when I won that I worried a bit about receiving another book for my too-large collection, but Windy found the perfect one for me, a real keeper! (How did you do that?) I have lamented many a time to myself that my bird book finally fell apart a few years ago. This one has lots of fascinating tidbits, just the kind I love, about the unique habits of the birds listed. Don't be surprised if you see me quoting from it here in the future. I'll be Ms. Smarty-Pants.

I also love the tea cup and saucer. Really love it. I love blue and love this one's beautiful flowers and crackled texture. Plus it came with tea. I have my choice of Calm, Zen, or Awake. I can't wait to try each one, and to think of Windy, Hannah, Todd, Michael, and the joy their Arizona life & blog imparts to me. Maybe some cold winter day, I'll even make the Valtrompia Bread in that pretty tube to go with the hot tea.

Thank you, Windy. Thank you so much for this bright, cheerful gift. You are a gem.

For Neda

My pomegranate tree has its first two blooms!

Skeleton Plant

lygodesmia texana

This is one of my all-time favorite wildflowers here in West Texas.

Usually I see only a few of them a year. This year, it is in almost every roadside and field. Could be all the rain we've been having, or could be that, with camera in hand, I'm more aware of what is blooming and where.

It is nicknamed skeleton plant because when the flower blooms -- that's when you notice it -- the leaves are all gone.

Supposedly it can be easily grown from seed. Why is it that flowers that grow wild are the most intimidating to grow to me? One day I am going to have an all-native wildflower garden.

Courageous Lion

Chinese lion

And some days are like this courageous lion. Here's hoping everyone has a courageous day.

Mopey Frog

cement frog

Some days are like this mopey old frog. Sorry for the belated post.

Dixie

Dixie jumping into the shot

This isn't a fresh PAD, but I thought Audrey and Windy might enjoy this picture taken last April, that I had previously posted on my other (defunct) blog.

My vet told me Dixie is a mix of White German Shepherd and perhaps Lab. Me, I call her breed Escaped Circus Dog. Sometimes I'll introduce her as full-sized Chihuahua.

I got her in April, I believe it was 2002. I had just had my lawnmower stolen and was looking for a dog to protect the place. About that time someone had left a stray at my boss's home in Midland and he didn't want a dog. He was about to take it to the pound, which would mean almost certain death for her. So at lunchtime, I went over to his place to take a look.

She was sweet and friendly, not quite the ferocious beast I had envisioned, and I knew at that one look she would be going home with me. I also knew upon seeing her that she would be "Dixie," named after one of my dad's dogs. I was hoping my Dixie would be as well-trained as his Dixie was.

Well, Dixie is a lot of things -- a lot of good, funny, lovable things -- but well-trained she is not. Nor is she a digger, a whiner, a wanderer, a car-chaser, or ferocious. She is wonderful with Katlynn, although in their playing they've made each other cry a time or two.

Here's something funny I watched her do recently. I fed her some leftover fast food, chicken strips. I set down for her the box with chicken, toast, salad and some fries left in it. She immediately sniffed out one chicken strip out and brought it to the yard and dropped it there. Then she went back to the box and chowed down, polishing off all, including the salad. She licked the box clean.

And when not a morsel was left, she went back to the yard to eat the saved chicken strip. She planned it that way. To save the best part for last.