add remaining ingredients and stir

[Dennis Bishop]

This one evolved. What you see was not the original intent.

iPhone 5s, PureShot camera app, ISO 200, three-exposure HDR at 2 EV increments

processing highlights

• I took the photo because of the smooth rocks rounded by the water at the shore of the lake. Others, though, were substantially different in texture. I selected the textured ones and a few smaller smooth ones and subjected all that (about a third of the area) to Content Aware Fill. The transition was too abrupt, but a second attempt with the selection feathered, worked.
• Topaz Simplify -- saved watercolor preset
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- saved watercolor wash preset, Hard Light blend mode
• Topaz Glow -- three saved black-on-white presets; Multiply, Divide, Multiply
• Snap Art -- saved black-on-white edges preset with the black changed to green, Multiply
• Simplify -- saved black-on-white edges preset, Multiply
• Filter>Distort>Twirl
• Belle Fleur texture -- blurred, Soft Light

[Cheryl Slechta]

Dennis, this is very interesting. I like the curves and especially the way the rock in the center is being cradled - it has a very tender feeling (at least to me).

[Dennis Bishop]

Thanks, Cheryl. That rock in the center depression (and some others with it that aren't so noticeable) is one of the things that made me take the photo.

[Anita Bower]

I find the colors and textures especially appealing.
Did you swirl it just for fun? I'd be interested in seeing it not-swirled.

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . Did you swirl it just for fun? I'd be interested in seeing it not-swirled.

It wasn't just for fun, but it was fun doing it. Here are a couple stages along the way. The bottom one is what was at the bottom of the layer stack, the tone-mapped HDR. The upper one is how it looked just before the Twirl filter. Besides what happened in processing to that point, you can get a good idea of the before and after related to the Content Aware fill.

I wanted that light area to be in the upper left, but just rotating it 90 degrees clockwise would've left those two small cradled stones (as Cheryl so nicely put it) in a very tenuous position. I tried a couple different twirl amounts and directions before settling on the combination I finally used.

[Anita Bower]

You did an outstanding job with content aware fill! Wow!

It wasn't just for fun, but it was fun doing it. Here are a couple stages along the way. The bottom one is what was at the bottom of the layer stack, the tone-mapped HDR. The upper one is how it looked just before the Twirl filter. Besides what happened in processing to that point, you can get a good idea of the before and after related to the Content Aware fill. Very nice looking rocks. Thanks for sharing these two steps.

I wanted that light area to be in the upper left, but just rotating it 90 degrees clockwise would've left those two small cradled stones (as Cheryl so nicely put it) in a very tenuous position. I tried a couple different twirl amounts and directions before settling on the combination I finally used.

[Arthur Morris]

Love the curves, lines, and especially the greens in the image in Pane #1.

a

[Bob Miller]

Dennis...I spent a long time looking at this and the more I looked the more I liked it. Wow! great processing ...an intriguing image!