I decided to change up my fireplace mantel again.
If you remember…this is what it looked like in February.
This time I wanted to create some art from my personal photos.
This is how it turned out.
I managed to score all of the fames on a weekend when Michaels had them all at 50% off. The other bits I already had in the house.
I’m very pleased with the clean, modern and very personal touch it added to the space. Each of those images speak to me. The one of me with the hat was when I was waiting at the airport in Germany on my way to visit bloggers in the Netherlands. So many great memories were made with Greetje, Anja & Sylvia. I love that the photo reminds me of that adventure.
Zoe my pug…well like any proud mother I love to show off my baby. #pugobsessedmuch?
And my husband holding out the perfect martini he just mixed…captures him completely.
Adobe Photoshop Actions
To create the “dreamy” effect in some of the images I went into Photoshop and played around using some homemade Actions. There are plenty of Actions that you can download for free online to help edit your photos to create unusual effects. Here are a few links to get you started…
What are Actions?
Actions are small plugin files for Photoshop. They’re preconfigured recordings of a sequence of manipulations which are automatically applied to your own images with just a single mouse click. They play out like a movie in front of your eyes transforming your original image into something brand new. I love them because you don’t need to constantly repeat steps.
Don’t have Photoshop? Or Photoshop skills? No worries!
Do you have a mobile phone or iPad? Are you signed up to Instagram? If you are, you will know that it comes with its very own filters that will help you edit your photos so that they all look like works of art. The interface is very user friendly. No real learning required.
Having worked for years in Photoshop I was surprised at just how many options Instagram offered to edit, resize and enhance photos. It is a mini version of Photoshop for your phone or iPad.
Other FREE Downloadable Photo Image Editing Solutions
If you don’t have Instagram or prefer the old fashioned way of taking photos with a “real camera” there are other options for editing your images into works of art.
Instead, consider some of the free downloadable versions of photo editing software.
Gimp – Most options but has a steep learning curve if you are a novice.
Paint.net – Interface isn’t too difficult to learn.
PhoXo – Simple but useful.
Chaseys Draw IES – Lots of great options and effects to choose from.
Also if you own a Mac it often comes with photo editing software included. Check your iPhotos panel.
Of course once you have edited your images you will need to print them out onto high quality photo paper. I’ve used large format Epson printers for years for my business. My preferred photo paper is the Luster. Not too glossy and it doesn’t show fingerprints but provides rich deep colours and great solid blacks. I have not been paid for this recommendation, it’s just what I use. Every printer has its own drawbacks, so do some research before you buy.
Have you ever altered your photos using filters? Do you like to use your own photos throughout your house as home decor?
These look great Suzanne! I keep debating getting PhotoShop. I agree that Gimp seems learning intensive; I’ll have a look at the other freebies you’ve mentioned…I hadn’t heard of any of them.
There is a smaller version of Photoshop called Photoshop Elements that is perfect if all you want to do is edit photos. It sells for about 1/8th the price of Photoshop. Photoshop is a big chunk of change unless you use it regularly.
LOVE IT!! Thanks for the idea and the links Suzanne! You are so talented and creative! You already know how much I loved your Valentine decor and linked to it on my blog. This is definitely a post I will bookmark.
♥ carmen
PS. I have a lovely shabby chic frame collage with family photos but they are not photoshopped. I actually plan to post it someday. The frames are all glued together, very artistic. Right now the photos are in colour (which I already had) but I thought getting them printed in black and white or sepia would be interesting.
I’d love to see it Camen : )
I love this photos on your mantle, very artsy! I love using iG filters since they are so fool proof. I am horrible at printing any of my pictures from my phone and need to create a photo book of them.
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
Your mantle looks lovely! And yep, use filters all the time. Another very good freebie software is Photoscape. And two other programs I like, not free (well, actually there are free versions, but they don’t do as much )but very reasonably priced are Craft Artist II (I use this one ALL the time) and Serif Photoplus X5. I like these two and Photoscape so much that I’m hardly using Photoshop anymore (I haven’t even bothered to upgrade from CS4).
It looks worthy of an art gallery, Suzanne! Gorgeous, personal images. Love the one of you anticipating meeting up with the bloggers and of course, darling Zoe. Hope she’s recovering well. xxx
Very nice. Photos make great decorations.
Your fireplace arrangement is beautiful!! This inspires me to get more photos of our dog, Link, and frame them in creative ways.
I think you wall looks great. Indeed modern with a personal touch. You did a great job. Who took the picture at Germany airport?
I never use filters. I am a freak when it comes to photos … I want them to be as sharp and clear as possible.
I use Lightroom, PicMonkey and a little bit of Gimp (indeed difficult). But no filters.
Greetje
Love these Suzanne! First I like the clean white frames, which unify the photos and give the photos the
blank canvas they need to shine! Love the choices of each photo, too.
I wish I knew Photoshop, but it seems so unwieldy to use, but I may try one day, I do use filters, though, from free apps, and I have learned to do some artistic things to some photos that I hope to turn into wall art soon.
xx, Elle
http://mydailycostume.com
I used to do this but I haven’t in a very long time. I got too lazy and too cheap to buy a friggin $1 print online.
I LOVE this idea! Your mantel is stunning–I love the personalized nature of it & the fact that it’s completly unique. I’m not that good in Photoshop & I’ve never heard of using “actions”–but I’m super intrigued. Great idea!
Can I add PicMonkey to the list of Photoediting tools? It’s super easy, very cool and the basics are free. I have upgraded to premium and that is not expensive either.