Three Speckled Mockingbird Eggs
I was walking around my backyard when I came across a birds nest with three speckled Mockingbird eggs lined up in a row. Stuck my IPhone 6 into the bush just above the nest to get a shot before the mommy bird attacked. While I was excited to get the photo I was not happy how the tone of the image came out. The photo had an ugly green cast to it. That is expected since the nest was in a bush of bright colored green leaves. This ended up being another great opportunity to practice what I have been learning in the Photoshop Artistry course by Sebastian Michaels.
My Arsenal
Did not use many grunge overlays in my process, this time, in order to achieve the look I was going for. Mainly I was trying to get rid of the ugly green cast and to give the photo some added interest.
The arsenal included
- Original image
- and two grunge overlays
Processing Steps
- Opened the original image in camera raw
- Cropped image 2400 pixels x 2400 pixels
- Duplicated layer, removed some artifacts and sharpened
- Applied Levels adjustment layer to get rid of the green cast
- Combined layers worked so far as one (Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E)
- Duplicated the newly combined layer, applied Topaz B&W filter, and set blending mode to Luminosity
- Repeated step 5
- Duplicated the newly created layer from step 7
- Sharpened the image using Topaz Detail, then applied a black layer mask and painted white to bring out the detail in the eggs only.
- Repeated step 5, then applied Photo Filter adjustment layer and set the filter to Magenta
- Combined layers worked so far as one (Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E)
- Laid grunge overlay 1 over the eggs, added a white layer mask and painted black on just the eggs to expose them, in additions to setting the blend mode to Overlay. The brush was set to opacity of 20-30%
- Repeated step 11
- Laid grunge overlay 2 over the eggs, set blend mode to Hard Light, added a white layer mask and painted black on just the eggs to expose them. The brush was set to opacity of 20-30%
- I duplicated the last layer, set blending mode to Hard Light, painted white on the layer mask to expose the eggs a little more.
- Applied my signature
Final Result
As a result of the above steps I was successful in removing the green cast. I created a dreamy, grungy piece of art with the focus on the three speckled Mockingbird eggs nestled in their nest.
Other Backyard Finds
Every time I walk around my yard and study my surroundings I always find something interesting that I have never seen before. You can check out my other backyard findings at “Strange Looking Insects“ and “Photo opportunities in your own backyard“.
Thank you so much for stopping by so I can share with you my artistic journey.
Happy Creating,
Bec
PS If you would like to see more of my work stop by my photo gallery.
Also, if you would like to purchase wall art for your home stop by my store.
“Soon the frail eggs they shall chip, and upspringing make all the April woods Merry with singing.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
