Glass Flower

It started with an idea how to improve the edges slightly to give the photo more punch but I got a bit carried away, it was an orange flower

Please click on it since this little size deforms the effect.
[IMG]http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk244/Anvh/_IGP6046-Edit.jpg[/IMG]

Well I quite like it, it's just the blown highlights I'm not happy with, does anyone have an idea how to reduce that?
Any other suggestions and tips or questions are also welcome

ps. here is the original link

An different question, is this a photograph or not?
And why so?

I cannot answer either of your questions but I like it, a great deal. I don't really think the argument of "graphic art" v. "photography" matters really. Would I be happy with this on my wall? Yes! Job done...

K.

Oh Stefan...that colour and the black background and beautifully bevelled frame...did I even notice the blown highlights?

Regards,

Andrew

Thank you Kris.
I'm indeed also tempted to print it out and see how it would look on paper but the amount of inkt there might go into

About the "graphic art" vs "photography" came to me because in the last few months my view on what's a photograph or not has broaden a lot. I was one of the purists when I began but now I just throw in any effect or what not to make it different, I would not have called this a photograph but I do now.

Can you let us know how you made the graduated border? I like it a great deal in this shot.

Thanks, Kris.

Thank you Andrew, not bad for an accident
The blue was also accidental because I was trying to recover the highlights and I inverse some layers (i Believe this image counts 12 layers in total) and it became blue and I loved it.

And the framing, I took that from someone else so feel free to copy it from me.
If you've photoshop I can explain it to you how to do it.

CS3 here!

Stefan, stuff the blown highlights. This is a great image, no matter whether it is a photo or other image.

I have tried, though, to make the highlights a bit less dominating. I don't think it improves the image much, though...

[IMG]http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t5/Prieni/Pentax%20user/_IGP6046-Edit2.jpg[/IMG]

Prieni

I've done it in photoshop and it's really simple really.

There is one thing you need and that's 2 or more layers.

If you're done with your photo you enlarge the canvas to create the border, do that to your own judgement. If everything is alight it will enlarge the canvas but not the photo so you get an border.
Then select the top layer of the photo and go into the layer option (double click), and the option you want to check on is "Outer Glow", I think that one is self explaining what it does.
In that option you can select the colour, how big and how the steep the transition must be and more things, just have a play with things.

The best effects are created with a gradient from a colour to transparent and the background colour is simply a "fill" in the extra created pixels when you enlarge the canvas.

So Basicly
- Enlarge canvas creates the broader
- layer above that with an "outer glow" from the layer options, creates the glow which is blue in my photo.

Is this understandable or do you want some pictures?

ps. this can also be done with other pixel editing programs most likely so give it a try.

Thank you Preini, I had the same problem, you will lose the 3D, but your attempt is better then that from mine.

I will just have to live with it.

This is a seriously beautiful image, well done. I guess the highlights are blown due to too much contrast boost? They don't look blown in the original, so maybe just keep an eye on the histogram in Photoshop when tweaking

I think I prefer it with the highlights. It is eye catching

Yes, they do work don't they. Possibly because the image is black & white and blue only.

Lovely work Stefan