Recently, I was asked about textures. It is so easy to make your own. Of course, you can photograph textures all around you. But you can also make textures out of an image that has the color pallet that you wish to capture in a texture. I searched for classic images on the Internet, because I love the colors in most of those old images. I also used some of my own flower images.

1. Select your image and open it in PS CC.
2. Copy the first layer (Ctrl J).
3. Make any color adjustments you wish with Adjustment layers.
4. Play with your image. Here are a few tricks I used.
a. Copy the image to a new layer and invert that layer (Edit > Transpose > Invert (horizontal and/or verticle)
b. Change the blending mode on the inverted layer. Just page through the blending mode with the down arrow key on your keyboard.
c. Merge up to include a merged layer on top of your underlying layer, without loosing the underlying layers (Cntl Alt Shift E)
d. Take a merged layer into Topaz Studio Impressions and find an effect that you like and save it. You can also play with the properties of any effect, e.g., change the brush, change each color, smudge it, etc.

Here is a flower I put on a texture background that I created from a classic angel picture I found on the web.   Posted: 06/12/2020 15:25:06

CREATE AN OUTLINE OF AN IMAGE IN PHOTOSHOP

1. Select an image and keep the Marching Ants visible
2. CTRL-J to duplicate the image with the marching ants
3. Click Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer
4. Click "Clipping Mask" in Properties Panel to adjust only the layer directly under the adjustment layer you are using (It's a square, the first of 5 icons at the bottom right of the properties panel)
5. Drag the lightness slider all the way to the left creating a silhouette
6. Close the property panel
7. Select the layer with the Adjustment Layer, right click, and "Merge Down" the Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer with the silhouette layer
8. CTRL-Click the image to reveal the Marching Ants if they are not present
9. In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click Select > Modify > Contract
10. In Contract Selection dialogue box, "Contract By" 7 pixels
11. The Marching Ants will shrink away from the edge of the image
12. Use the Move Tool to click and drag the silhouette away from the image leaving an outline
13. Delete the image with the marching ants
14. Click the Lasso Tool in the tool bar to eliminate the bounding box
15. What is left is an outline of the image
16. You can make the silhouette any color you like and the outline will be the color of that silhouette
  Posted: 05/22/2020 17:32:49

Here's the link provided by Georgianne, to make the wonderful twirls:
https://www.slrlounge.com/twirls-hot-new-photoshop-trend/   Posted: 02/12/2018 15:12:15

You can download (or view) a PDF with a full listing of PhotoShop features, version by version.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/c7191893-fc7c-4b41-b61a-130dd125a1e7

Phil   Posted: 01/25/2018 12:55:45

Greetings and Happy New Year to all.

Perhaps you all know this, but if you are using Lightroom and ever have a problem or question, Victoria Bampton is the goto source. Check out https://www.lightroomqueen.com/
  Posted: 12/29/2017 19:33:57

Some Useful Software Links for Photoshop Plugins - the programmes in brackets are the ones I use regularly. Hope you find them useful:
Alien Skin (Eye Candy and Exposure) https://www.alienskin.com/
Anthropics (Portrait Pro and Portrait Pro Body) https://www.anthropics.com/
Flaming Pear (Flood) http://www.flamingpear.com/
Topaz Labs (lots of useful programs) https://www.topazlabs.com/
Redfield Plugins (Fractalius) https://www.redfieldplugins.com/
Corel (Paintshop Pro with free Particle Shop Plugin) http://learn.corel.com/photo-home/
Photomatix (Photomatix Pro HDR editing) https://www.hdrsoft.com/index.html
On1 (Photo RAW 2018) https://www.on1.com/products/
  Posted: 12/29/2017 14:30:52