Friday, August 21, 2009

quick & easy photo editing tips!

hello old friends!
it's been awhile since my last post, hasn't it?

since last month we have enjoyed every last drop of our summer & have now started school again!
don't you think that went by way too fast? ;)
thank goodness i have all the photos i took of everything from vacations to everyday playtime, or else i probably wouldn't remember!

i love taking pictures... editing them, on the other hand, is something i don't love!
i'm not super knowledgeable when it comes to adobe photoshop or any other elaborate editing program & i just don't have the time (or patience) to learn.

i'm sure a lot of you busy mommies feel the same way, and i get a lot of questions on how i edit my photos & get them to have that "vintage wash" effect with the rounded corners.
i use www.picnik.com and i absolutely love it... it's easy, fast & free!

i'm going to walk you through a few steps on which "actions" i use so you can see how easy it really is:


let's start with a regular photo:
*go to the top of the page & click the "create" tab.
you will see all the actions on the left.
*scroll down until you see the "cross process" button.
*click & adjust the slider to your desired look. i usually slide it anywhere from about 45-75%.
*hit apply
your photo should look something like this:

*now, find the "vignette" action (still to the left of the page) & click.
*slide your percentages to desired strength or leave as it is & hit apply.
*for this photo i used: size-50, strength-40%, & fade-20%.
this is what it looks like:

*next, go back to the side actions & click on "1960's" button.
*adjust slider to desired look (i adjusted mine to 90%), hit apply
you should have something that looks like this:

*now, for the final steps you can leave as it, or you can go to the "edit" tab on the top of the page & fade your colors a bit:

perfect!

*or, for a more "grainier" effect, go back to the "create" tab and choose the "cinemascope" action on the left. then uncheck the "letterbox my photo" square.
it should look like this:

done!

do you see how easy it was...

to go from this: to this:













some of my other favorite "actions" to use are "lomo-ish" (for more vibrant color) & also "orton-ish" (for a softer look).
there are lots of fun effects to try, and the more you get used to the format of the site, the easier & faster it will become.
have fun & experiment ;)


i'm ready for the weekend, how about you?

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

if you're happy & you're...

Blogger amy said...

so cool! thanks for the chance to win!

July 11, 2009 9:45 PM



then you've won!

amy, please e-mail me at lisagaray@comcast (dot) net & i'll let kerry know so she can mail your kit to you asap! thanks everyone for playing!


did you guys see the reveal of the main kit?!:


i adore this & all the new add-on kits...
here are just a couple of my projects: (i'll have more to share soon!)


Delete

i hope you're having a wonderful summer... we're getting ready to go to disney land soon!
do you have anything fun planned!

Friday, July 10, 2009

give away, give away!!!

the mister mister:

do you want it want it?

can you believe that kenner road is giving away A TON of kits this weekend?!?!

each & every creative team member is giving away a separate kit, and all you have to do to is comment to win!!!

the more blogs you visit the more chances you get ;)
(see my links to the right)

so, just leave me a little comment & i will pick a winner on sunday night, 9pm PST.

ready?
steady?
GO!


Saturday, July 04, 2009

let freedom ring...

it's Independance Day!

(photos from our last year's hometown parade)
my franki sue making her first appearance in the parade with her girl-scout troop:

...and the big brother waiting for the candy to be thrown:

fireworks (2 blocks from our house!)


i'm going to attempt to make these:
(click on photo for link & recipe)


i hope you have a very safe & fun holiday!!!