More autumn color

[Diane Miller]

This was a simple scene that just didn't have much pop, and the flow of the leaves was obscured by too much BG detail. I made an underpainting in Topaz Simplify and used Corel Painter 12. Painted by hand, not an auto-paint thing. It's a clone painting, where all the color is pulled from the original image.

Warning: highly addictive.

[Anita Bower]

I love the colors--bright and happy. The lines of the leaves and the tree trunks flow gracefully, causing my eye to travel around the image. The simplified shapes are just right--enough detail to know what they are, but not too much to detract from the color and flow. The blue trunk in the left rule of thirds position keeps drawing my eye in a distracting way. Maybe tone it down a bit? I'm tempted by Corel Painter, but the price dampens my temptation. Excellent work.

[Diane Miller]

Anita, I agree -- at first I liked the way that trunk took on color that wasn't really there (I think from Pro Contrast in Nik CEP) but now I do think it's a bit much.

Here's a RP with some toning down, and a few brush strokes tweaked. (I can't keep my hands off of wet paint.)

There is a simpler and much less expensive version of Painter (called Elements, I think) that I haven't used but I think it has clone painting, in addition to auto-painting. If that is the case, a Wacom is mandatory for any control, and gives an almost real brush-like feeling.

[Judy Howle]

Very nice interplay of bokeh blur and sharper leaves. Love the soft yellow colors of the leaves. The repost does look better.

[Kerry Perkins]

Very pretty Diane, I like the method and application you used. The sunlight just waltzes through the image. I like the repost better also. Good job!

[gary ellwein]

The image pops now. I like the flow of the leaves on the soft bg. Toning down the blue tree is an improvement.

[Anita Bower]

Diane: I know what it is like to bring out colors in an image--so much fun! I like the more subdued color of the tree trunk--it is still colorful, but does not compete with the leaves. I now think the blues on the right side of the image might be toned down just a touch. That would make this an outstanding image. I'll look for the cheaper version. thanks.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Diane, this is absolutely lovely! I love the colors and the painterly feel. I like both posts a lot:S3: I can see where it would be highly addictive.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Very pretty autumn hues, I think Anita made a good point and I have a preference for the repost.

[Nancy Bell]

This is simply beautiful! Love all the soft colors & blurred shapes with the sharper yellow leaves as a place to focus your eyes first. How about a short tutorial on this kind of painting? I don't know anything about this and it looks like fun!

[Diane Miller]

Thanks, everyone! I agree with Anita again -- after I toned down the trunk on the left, the blue area on the right stood out. I'll go back and "smear" it a little more, which will blend the color, and then tone it down if it still stands out.

One thing I love about clone painting is that after smearing something out, you can bring back as much detail from the original as you want, with a couple of the brushes. I love to do that with eyes.

Everything I know about Painter (I use it in a very simple manner) is in one of my tutorials:

http://www.adorama.com/alc/0013243/article/Corel-Painter-12-for-Photographers

In the past I have seen a good discount offered when bundled with a Wacom tablet, but no idea how common that is.

[Mitch Carucci]

Beautiful colors. Almost a stained glass look. Fun to look at.

[Nancy Bell]

Diane, thanks for the web site and your tutorial.

[Diane Miller]

Just for whatever interest, here's the original, after some tonal work in LR. This was the basis for a Simplify, which then went into Painter.

[Hazel Grant]

amazing the difference between the original and the post. what fun that must be.

[dankearl]

Nice watercolor look to this, very attractive and much better than the original OOC photo.

[Nancy Bell]

Diane, I always like to see the "before" and "after" images. That really allows me to see how an image develops and get a bit of an idea of what the photographer was thinking.

[Anita Bower]

Thanks for sharing the original. I went back and forth several times noting differences. Quite amazing. Excellent editing.

[Diane Miller]

Thanks, everyone!