harycover wrote:
> wow this is very very nice congrats
>
> there is two steps I don't understand though :
>
> > split channels
> I never "splitted" channels

Ok, it's possible I may need to learn to explain things better here :-)
I am using Photoshop CS but you could do this in version 7 (haven't checked with earlier versions).... Photoshop lets you split the channels of a flattened image into separate images. To do this, open the channels menu palette and click on Split channels. For an RGB image, you will then have three separate greyscale images (one each for the red, green and blue channels in place of your original full RGB image). I did this and just used greyscale image made from the red channel, closed the other two. Then I reopened my original image. I made the red channel image background into a layer and shift-dragged it into the original image as a top layer. I guess I've been doing this stuff so long I forgot to write down some of it. (Sorry, am learning :-) Once you have the separate channel layers, they can be used as regular flattened greyscale images. I didn't even need to convert the greyscale image to RGB...just had to make it a layer and shift-drag it into the RGB image.

>
> > original color layer--vivid light, 53% opacity
>
> what do you mean by "original color layer" ? a new one ? wich color ?

....just meant the full color RGB image..... After I dragged in the greyscale layer I made from the red channel, i made the background--full RGB image-- into a layer. This is what I meant as the "original color layer". Sorry if I confused things.

****
BUT.....The best thing about Photoshop is that it's just like life.... always another lesson and another way to do things....
While I was looking at this thing early this morning, I found a much easier way of doing it all :-) I didn't even need to split the channels, just duplicated the red channel and used copy and paste (see new method below)

NEW METHOD:

open original RGB image (flattened)
in channels palette, duplicate the red channel
in this duplicate.... stylize>find edges
then edit>fade find edges--difference mode 100% opacity
still in the duplicate....Select>Select All, then Edit>Copy
choose the RGB channel, then go back to the layers palette
make a new blank layer above the background
Edit>Paste, then make this layer luminosity mode, 77% opacity
choose background, make it a layer, then vivid light mode, 53% opacity
make a new blank layer, place it at the bottom
make white the foreground color and light blue the background color
then Filter>Render>Clouds (maybe apply this filter a couple times)
flatten image
add matting

****

> beautiful result anyway :-)
>

Thank you.... I find that there is always a surprise when you experiment in Photoshop. I like this forum... people sharing those surprises and also sharing their own time-honored methods, which in turn become someone else's 'surprises'. Am glad to be here :-)
.


Sharon
http://www.pbase.com/photofixer