Monday, November 16, 2009

The Perfect Time Waster

I bought Photoshop Elements 6 and never put it to use. It's so out of date that I had to buy a used book in order to learn how to use it. One day I'll open it and see if I can understand how it works.



Meanwhile, I started fooling around in it with the photos I took in New York and I was smitten. Some people play Mafia Wars, some people play Farmville, I play at Photoshop. It's almost like painting but not. You build a picture, save it and then start to build again. I have massaged just four pictures so far and each one has taken me about an hour.

I'm not sure how or why it works, but before I know it - the hour is gone. Wasted!

I'm sucked into the - what if I try this set of colors. It's not totally unrelated to dyeing, spinning or weaving since it does involve the interrelationship of color. One friend asked me if I need an intervention. Yes please. For each image I have posted, I have a dozen variations. They are all so cool and I love every one I make. I finish one and then I think - what if...

7 comments:

Wool Enough said...

Version 6 is old? But I just got it last year. Well, maybe it was the year before, and that is a long while in software years. But I love it. Nothing is more fun than dinking around with Elements. Although I have never completely gotten the hang of the "layers" thing. Sometimes I think I'm only affecting a layer, and it turns out I'm changing the entire image, and vice versa.

Theresa said...

Isn't it amazing the time sinks we can find?

bspinner said...

May not be spinning, weaving or knitting but still very creative. Pictures are nice!!

Benita said...

Whoa! I am totally in love with that bottom picture. You know, you could use this type of things in textiles - just translate some of the color schemes into cloth and show them side by side at a show. Think of the inspiration here!!!

Life Looms Large said...

The photos do look cool that way!

And don't jacquard weavers manipulate photos to reduce the number of colors before basing weaving on them?? Maybe you're getting ready for some kind of jacquard loom experience!

Or maybe you'll be making a tapestry based on one of these pictures.

Almost anything can be weaving-related!

Sue

Leigh said...

Don't think of it as wasting time, think of it as expanding your creativity. ;)

woolydaisy said...

love the color and the photos!