The original photo was taken in New Zealand. I love the mood of it, but it has a lot of noise, so I tried to mitigate that by making it more like a painting than a photo. First,
I cropped it and took out some of the distracting elements. At first I left in the boat, but later decided it looked too modern for the scene I ended up with and used an old
row boat photo tied up at the shore instead. After I added the house, extra cows, and birds, I added the sun with a soft white paint brush and the path down to the river
with a brown brush. The path looked too painted-in, so I reduced the opacity and that seemed to blend it into the grass a bit. Next, I flattened the image and used PS
filters Poster Edges and Oil Paint on two new layers so I could adjust the opacity of each for the best effect. Original 3 was the result at that point. I wanted it to look
more like an old painting, so I used Distressed EFX on my iPad and experimented with the many filters until I found something I liked.
5 comments posted
Mary Hinsen
Kia ora Jan - I love the story you have created with a simple New Zealand rural scene that otherwise would have been very ordinary. What you have created is very artistic, and tells a lovely story! Posted: 03/11/2025 15:18:29
Denise McKay
This looks like a wonderful old folk art painting on wood. All of your choices for the added elements, composition, and editing really brought this pastoral image to life. I love the result! Posted: 03/13/2025 13:59:27
Rita Johnston
Jan, this is a beautiful creation. It looks like a postcard for the area, and that is a compliment. Very creative and well done. Posted: 03/19/2025 19:03:34
Georgianne Giese
OMG Jan! As is normal for you, this image is spectacular. In my opinion, it is worthy of a display in an art museum. The addition of the house and the birds brings out the astounding sense of this scene. Great work! Posted: 03/22/2025 18:04:26
Carol Watson
A really well put together composite image Jan. For me the boat is a little lost in the scene so I would be tempted to remove it. The distressed effect certainly gives the feel of an old painting. Posted: 03/23/2025 09:54:21
