Honest opinions wanted because with my vision I’m not sure what other people are seeing. I’m usually not a fan of applying gimmicky effects to my images but I often quite like what the PS oil paint filter does to things like foliage, trees, etc.
I applied this filter and from a normal viewing distance of around 2’ from my 27" monitor I quite like it. But when I put on my reading glasses and get closer I hate it.
So is it trash or not?
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
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i pretty much experienced the same. i loved the thumbail and was prepared to praise the image. then, after reading and taking a closer look, the only thing that comes to my mind is „meh“. i‘d recommend trashing the filter.
Thanks @Harley_Goldman, @Marc_Brawer, @Joerg_Bonner. I know it’s a small sample size but so far its 2 to 1 against. Like I say, I think it’s my not so great eyesight.
I certainly do not think it is trash Mike. It has been a while since I played around with the oil filter brush, but it seems to me that you could dial the effect back some so that it would not be so pronounced. Was this one of the soft images? Just wondering because I love the warm colors on the hillside so I would play around with it some more.
Looks like a lovely base image but I’m not a fan of the filter. Just for fun, I wonder about Topaz Simplify. There may be too much fine detail for it to work well, but it can give a very pleasing result in many cases.
Thanks @Ed_Lowe , @Igor_Doncov, @Diane_Miller. Ed, that’s what I was getting at. I look at it without my reading glasses and it looks great. Nice and subtle but when I put them on it looks like it needs to be dialed back as you say. Way too strong. Yes I think it was one of the oof ones.
I’m not a big fan of the Oil Paint filter either Mike. I agree with @Diane_Miller, I think Topaz Simplify may be more of the ticket for this type of stuff. I don’t own it anymore, but when i did I thought it did a much better job than the PS filters.
Michael - I too like the oil paint filter and have tended to use it on multiple exposures. I did use it once on a single shot, not unlike yours and I liked the way it looked. The colors were really saturated, and it was in 2011, I haven’t seen color like that since.
I don’t consider it a gimmick when it is used intentionally and in a considered manner. It won’t make the headlines, but it does provide interest to me.
For what its worth, I’ll share my single shot that I like as a “oil paint” rendition…
A bit late, but wanted to chime in and let you know that I like the effect very much. As noted, can’t tell from the thumb, but the larger view really shows the artsy effect well.
This would make for an awesome large print - I could see hanging in the hallways of an office or medical building. Something a passerby would stop and stare at.
Yes, not for everyone - much like the ICM’s… but as with those, image independent and can be very fascinating and enjoying to view. The variety of colors and textures really help pull this one off.
Hi Michael, I’ll give an honest opinion and I’m glad you asked.
I’m generally not a fan of a PS filter or effect being the final edit or expression of one’s vision since it is not one’s vision. It is a digital effect. I have explored various digital effects to see what I find but feel they were not original ideas of mine so ultimately I rejected them.
I don’t reject digital techniques of processing but feel they alone are not my goal. I don’t want the tool to make the image. Or the tail to wag the dog.
Perhaps there is a very fine line between processing an image using digital tools and creating a digitally manipulated image. And that line may very well be legitimately drawn by each viewer.
And yet, if you are only trying g to please yourself then you can do whatever you wish. I think that is the only thing that ultimately matters.
For what it’s worth, me being late here Michael, I think I would like it more if it was toned down just a little bitbut I like it plenty as is. I also really like Igor’s idea of leaving the pine tree tack sharp as a juxtaposition. I love @Jim_McGovern post as well. I do feel like these need to be seen from a distance though. Too close and they start to look a little bit wonky.
