This image started out to be more realistic than it ended up, but once I got the house and front yard combined, I struggled to figure out something else to give the image some reason for being. Once I found the street performers photo from a visit to New Orleans several years ago, it headed in a more unrealistic direction. The girl obviously needed something to be looking at, so I tried a couple of cats, a dog, and finally settled on the unlikely duck. I came upon him while out on a neighborhood walk, and he cooperated nicely and posed for a clear shot. He needed some personality, so that was how the hat, scarf, and feather came about. After all the photos were combined, I used my usual PS Poster Edges and Oil Paint to give everything a consistent look. Then, into On1 for Texture and Glow filters. Finally, I applied a vignette back in PS.
2 comments posted
Peter Katz
Jan, this image is altogether enchanting. Replacing the front yard with the selection from Original 2 works great - were the cottage and garden from the Cotswolds in England, by any chance? The way you integrated those two images already gives the piece a fairy tale feel - even before the addition of the girl and the duck. Regarding the girl, starting with an out of focus photo limits her sharpness in the composite image - which contrasts against the relative sharpness of the cottage. I used your final image and reduced saturation and vibrance of the girl and duck which makes them blend in more with the surroundings and de-emphasizes the soft focus on the girl. I like how you managed to change the position of her hand from the original to allow for her to hold the umbrella upright - very nice! Posted: 05/07/2025 20:31:18
Jan Handman
Hi Peter. The cottage was at Epcot Center and the garden was in New Zealand. You're right about the out of focus shot of the girl. The use of Poster Edges in PS frequently serves the purpose of making things more crisp, in addition to making different photos take on a consistent look in a composite. Thanks for your re-work. I guess I was thinking that keeping the main subjects brighter than the background helped them stand out better. Posted: 05/12/2025 20:37:15
