Are you a CRAZY CHICK????

Join me at the CRAZY CHICKS CHAT at DSP on....

TUESDAY, JANUARY 13th at 9:15AM EASTERN and you can get THIS PLOPPER for FREE!!!

You will also have a chance to WIN THIS KIT before you can buy it!!! This kit will be hitting the DSP store in February of 2009, but you can have a chance to WIN IT at the chat!!!


Hope to see you there!!!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO DSP's CHAT AREA!

DRAMATIC photo effects tutorial NOW for PS!

I have had lots of requests for a photoshop version of the tutorial I did for PSP that was published in Digital Scrapbooking Magazine. It can also be found at DSP HERE if you have Paint Shop Pro!

First open the photo that you want to enhance. I always copy my photo and make a new image and paste it, so that I am working on a copy of the photo and not the original.

Pre-work: If your photo is under or overexposed you can spruce it up a bit before we start the tutorial. Here are some simple hints: If your photo is overexposed and too bright, duplicate it and set the top layer to OVERLAY and adjust the opacity until it has good coloring. Merge your layers afterward.
If it is too dark (underexposed), duplicate it and set the top layer to screen, again adjust the opacity until you get decent coloring in your photo. Again merge your layers after this step if you choose to do this.



Now lets get started:
1. Duplicate your photo 3 times. While on the top layer choose IMAGE> Adjustments> Black and White. Dont change any of the settings. Just hit OK.
2. Duplicate the black and white layer. On the top most layer change the blend mode to COLOR. On the second to the top layer change the blend mode to MULTIPLY. If this causes your photo to be too dark, then you can adjust the opacity on the middle layer (that is set to MULTIPLY). You should now have 4layers.




Bottom Layer: color photo
Second Layer: Color photo copy
Middle Layer: Black and white version set to MULTIPLY
Top Layer: Black and White Version set to COLOR.

3. Merge the top 3 layers. Do this by holding down your shift key and in your layers palette select the top 3 layers. Right click in the layers palette and choose MERGE LAYERS.

4. Duplicate your merged layer. Set the TOP most layer to the blend mode of COLOR BURN and adjust the opacity to about 15-25%.
On the middle layer change the opacity to OVERLAY and adjust the opacity to 40-50%.




5. Merge all layers. Then duplicate your merged layers so that you have 2 copies of your current photo. On the top layer we are going to do some burning by hand.




6. Choose a soft brush set to a size of about 50-60 and choose range of shadows and exposure of about 10%. Darken up all the dark areas of the face and hair that you want to stand out. You want to exaggerate this, so make the areas darker than you normally would think. Set this layer to a blend mode of MULTIPLY and change the opacity to anywhere between 30-70% depending on the color of your photo and how dark you want it.

Take a small eraser brush set to about a size of 30, an opacity of 100% and a flow of 50% and erase an areas of the top layer that you want to stand out and be bright. For mine I usually do the irises of the eyes and sometimes the lips. Merge all your layers.

7. Duplicate the image. While sitting on the top layer go to IMAGE> Adjustments>Black and White. Leave all the settings the same but click TINT and change it to the following:
Hue: 42
Saturation: 15
CLICK OK.

8. Set your new sepia toned layer to OVERLAY and adjust your opacity to between 20-50% depending on the darkness of your photo. I adjusted mine down to 40%.

9. Merge layers.



10. Duplicate Layers.


11. While on the top layer got to FILTER>Sharpen>Unsharpen mask.
Change your settings to the following:
AMOUNT: 100%
RADIUS: 7.0 Pixels
THRESHOLD: 0
CLICK OK

Change the opacity of this layer to 60-70%.



At this point you can add your own details to the image. Maybe adding a small amount of color to the cheeks, dodging the eyes for some added POP. And then you are DONE!!! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!!

New Products In the store!

I have a few new products in the store! I know a few of you asked about Storybook Dreams and it is now available at the DSP store :)

Storybook Dreams Page Kit


At Midnight Alpha

I want to know how to do that.....

OK...when it comes to photoshop photo effects, there are SO many cool and unique things to do! Where do we start??? So....I want YOU to show ME what YOU want to learn how to do! I am not promising to be able to always figure out how it was done, but I will certainly do my best and post a photo effect tutorial every other week or so! So if you see a cool photo effect somewhere and think to yourself....

I WANT TO KNOW HOW TO DO THAT.....

share the link to the photo with me! And I will do my best!

And for those that want to figure out your OWN way to do it, if you send me the steps to create a cool effect, I will post the tutorial on my blog with the before and afters! With credit to YOU! So everyone can check out your killer photoshop skills!!!

So....
1. Send me a link to a photo effect example that you are dying to learn!
or
2. Send me the directions for a cool photo effect that YOU figured out, to be featured on my blog!

THANKS and Happy Scrapping!!!

May the Force Be With You.....

Hey guys!!! Ok...I have something that I have to

admit...I am one of THOSE people that read the

Twilight series....ok....not just READ it but DEVOURED it.

Spending sleepless (well almost sleepless) days and

nights getting through the entire 4 book series

(took 6 days! Boy I am such a slacker! LOL) THEN

I sat on a 150 person waiting list at the library

for The Host (Stephenie Meyers only other

novel)...why not go buy it?? Well cuz I am

cheap...and my hubby would have strung me up by my

toes if I spent money on a book about aliens....so I

waited...and waited....and waited....for over 2

months I WAAAAIIIITTTEEEDDDDD...and FINALLY 2 days

ago my SWEET little library calls! THE HOST IS

IN!!! And it was waiting for me...and now I am

again...sucked in to another bizarre book by the

fabulous Stephenie Meyers...I dont even LIKE sci-fi

(ok, other than Star Wars...I can handle that). But

come on?!?!?! Aliens??? Vampires??? Werewolves???

So I am admitting outloud to all you wonderful

readers that I am an addict! So you guys should not

be even slightly surprised that I wanted to do an

"OUT OF THIS WORLD" page kit...ok, so honestly, I

totally didnt plan that...but hey...it sounds good

right????

I really hope you enjoy this weeks BLOG FREEBIE

called Lil' Meteorites. This link has been taken down, but the kit will be in the store soon!



It is part of the Moonbeams

and Meteorites Series. The coordinating kit Lil'

Moonbeam is in the DSP store and is currently the

CAF-e! Challenge kit!


So you can get MORE Moonbeams

and Meteorites Elements for FREE!!! Click here to

check out the challenge!

Also, if you missed the announcement DSP now offers

products in 300ppi!!! So my blog freebies will be

available in BOTH 200ppi and 300ppi!!! ENJOY!!!!

and HAPPY SCRAPPING!!!!

Want More Mocha Latte Love????

The CAF-E! Freebie is done!!! And you still have time to get it for FREE....



Check out details HERE!!!!

And watch for a new Blog Freebie coming in the next couple days!!!

Mocha Latte HAPPINESS and a HUGE announcement!!!

A NEW KIT for you to download just cuz you guys always give me so much love on my blog and over at DSP!!! You guys inspire me to create more fun kits that I love seeing you enjoy!!! So THANK YOU !!!! Here is this weeks freebie:


Link has been taken down! Look for it in the DSP store soon!

AND EVEN BIGGER NEWS......

are you ready for this????

YOU TOLD US AND WE LISTENED......

DSP IS NOW OFFERING PRODUCTS IN 300PPI!!!!!!!!

are you totally pumped like me????? WOO HOO!!!!!! We will still be offering all our products in 200ppi, so you now have a choice!!!! Isnt that awesome!!!

HAVE A VERY VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!