Mmmm....Milkweed

[Steve Adkins]

Bee on milkweed blossom. Frac bee layer masked with PB oil applied to desaturated BG layer.
Color cast applied in LR
All C&C welcome.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Steve, this is a great look! It looks kind of like science fiction with the desaturated bg. I like the blues and greens in the bee and the effect of PB in the bg. :)

[Nancy Bell]

I really like the silky colored texture of the bee with the deep saturated blacks all on the desaturated BG with just enough details to give the bee a place to be. The blacks in the BG tie in with the bee nicely, not so black to become spots, but just black enough to add continuity. The 2 flowers to the right balance the curved body of the bee nicely. BTW, what is PB?

[Christopher Miller]

You achieved a great effect on this one, Steve! Love the wavy painted look, and the sepia-toned BG goes perfectly with the bee colors. Very nicely done.

[Steve Adkins]

I really like the silky colored texture of the bee with the deep saturated blacks all on the desaturated BG with just enough details to give the bee a place to be. The blacks in the BG tie in with the bee nicely, not so black to become spots, but just black enough to add continuity. The 2 flowers to the right balance the curved body of the bee nicely. BTW, what is PB?

Thanks Nancy, the PB is Pixel Bender from Adobe. It's a free filter add-on to Photoshop with a gallery of effects to choose from and some more being developed ... lots of fun :) ... info at http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/pixelbender/

[Steve Adkins]

Thanks Cheryl and Christopher! Appreciate your views and comments as I experiment a bit...

[denise ippolito]

Steve, I really like the look you got here with the use of the filter and color. Nice softness with just enough detail:)

[Arthur Morris]

The bee FRACT is too luscious. Try one with the lens directly over the bee and looking straight down on it.

Hey wait a second, what FRACT pre-set? What is PB oil? (This looks more like some kind of liquefy....) I still love it.

[Hilary Hann]

This has really worked, I love the tones and the melting effect of the filters you've used. Sometimes everything comes together and this certainly has happened here.

[Steve Adkins]

Thanks denise, Artie and Hilary! I'm having fun tweaking these new toys... er, I mean tools. ;)


The bee FRACT is too luscious. Try one with the lens directly over the bee and looking straight down on it.

Hey wait a second, what FRACT pre-set? What is PB oil? (This looks more like some kind of liquefy....) I still love it.

Artie, I afraid that I played with ALL the sliders in Frac to get this look and should have recorded the settings. It's a very light adjustment, however. The PB oil is Pixel Bender - Oil Paint filter with sliders to taste. :)

[Jim Bridges]

This is a beautiful creation and I'm very glad you posted it...pure pleasure to see!

[Steve Adkins]

Thanks, Jim. Appreciate your comments. :)