The third tutorial in the Scribble This! series was on making your photos look sharp — as a tack!  Read the tutorial here, or click over here to see past tutorials.

The challenge entries are all super great — and yep, I looked at each and every one!  I wanted to highlight some + their words so that we can all learn from each other.

First off, check out this card from Chris Millar — in her words “As you can see from the ‘after’ shot the card is so much more crisp and defined. It really makes everything pop!”

Oh yeah, Chris!  What a difference!

Next, take a look at this set of before + afters from Bianca from Germany. The difference here is more subtle, but I think it adds just the right touch.  Bianca says:  “I’m not sure if there is a big difference to see at all. If you look really close there is a slight difference to notice.”

Next I wanted to share this set from Lucy! She also fixed the levels to get rid of the grey gloom — you can read more about that here in this tutorial.  Lucy used iPhoto to make her adjustments, and that’s perfectly okay for the challenges — use what you have! She says: “I don’t actually have a photo editing programme other than iPhoto – but just playing around with the sharpness settings made a big difference.”

Thanks Lucy!  I can really see the difference!

Now for some from Kelly! Kelly says: “I first edited the Levels and then sharpened it (Look at the speck of BIRD P–P on the ledge or whatever it is??) you can see the difference….I used the GIMP software……It has been so much fun learning a little more about photo’s and how to Edit them!”

Oh yeah, Kelly, the details on the doll’s dress really pop, too!  And!  If you’re new to the tutorial series, find out more about GIMP here.

Finally, I wanted to share TWO sets from Jane — she also used multiple techniques!  She says: “It’s cold, grey and damp here in Zagreb and I too these photos yesterday early morning. Lisa’s instructions are so easy to follow! Believe me….I have issues when I need to copy and paste something”

Wow, what a difference!  And if you thought that was impressive, check out these photos of buttons Jane made from Fimo clay:

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the challenge! Check them all out here.

And! I’m working on the next tutorial in the series — it will be on focusing tips + tricks. Until then, keep playing with your camera + photo editing software, experimenting, and — most of all — have fun!

Hi everyone!  It took me a while to go through all of the entries for the Scribble This! Week #2 Challenge — but I loved seeing each and every one.  Wow, what a difference the levels adjustment makes!

So, without further ado, here are ten to share!  On the left is the original grey, gloomy photo, and on the right is the edited one — click on the card to go to the post about it:

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the challenge!  If you missed the tutorial, you can still read it here.

And!  There’s still time to enter the Scribble This! #3 Challenge– more here!

For the third challenge in the Scribble This! series, learn how to make your images look sharp as a tack! Here’s how to enter the challenge:

1. First, read this tutorial that covers two ways to sharpen your images.
2. Next, create a card with any theme. Post a picture before you sharpen it and again after.  You can use any sharpening filter that you like.  Write about any interesting discoveries!
3. Leave a link below to your card — be sure not to link to your whole blog.

Can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!

This challenge is now closed. Thanks to everyone for playing!

Have a great weekend,

For this second challenge in the Scribble This! series, learn how to get rid of the grey blahs in your photos by adjusting the levels!  Here’s how to enter the challenge:

1. First, read this tutorial on adjusting levels.
2. Next, create a card with at least a bit of white in it — you’ll need a bit of white so that you can adjust the levels correctly.  The rest of the colors + theme are all up to you!  Post a picture before you adjust the levels and again after.  Write about any interesting things you discover!
3. Leave a link below to the post with your card — be sure not to link to your whole blog.

This challenge is now closed — thanks to everyone who entered!

AND!  Feel free to add the challenge image to your post — you’ll want to save the image to your computer and then upload it like you do a photo.

Most of all, have fun!  Can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Wow, y’all really outdid yourselves on the first ever Scribble This! Challenge! And just look at the awesome results — nice bright whites and colors that pop! On the left is the non-custom white balance, or the one that the poster said she’d normally use, and on the right is the poster’s favorite or custom white balance. What a difference!

Thanks to all who joined in the challenge! If you missed it, you can still check out the tutorial here.

Stay tuned for the next tutorial + challenge,

Hi there blog readers!  I’ve been looking through the submissions for the first ever Scribble This! challenge — and I have just one word: WOW!  BIG kudos to all who participated.  I hope to have some featured submissions up here tomorrow — but in the meantime, I thought you’d like to get ready for the next challenge because you’ll need some photo editing software such as Photoshop Elements, CS3, or GIMP!

What’s GIMP, you ask?  It’s FREE software that’s super similar to Photoshop — in both features + controls.  In fact, if you’ve never used Photoshop and aren’t sure if it’s right for you, save money and try out GIMP!  Click on over here and download the latest released version.  Besides, who can resist that cute face?

Hi everyone!  I’m super excited to announce the first ever “scribble this!” challenge — hope you can join in the fun!  It’s a cardmaking challenge with a little twist — part of the challenge is to learn new photography skills!

For this first challenge we’re going to start with what I consider to be the key to taking good photos of crafty projects: white balance — because if the whites in your photo don’t look good, the rest of the colors won’t look good either!  Here’s how to enter the challenge:

1. First, read this tutorial on white balance.
2. Next, create a card that has lots of white in it.  Take pictures of your card with different white balance settings and post them on your blog, Flickr, or wherever you like!  Experiment, have fun, and write about what you’ve learned.  If your camera doesn’t have a white balance feature, not to worry — just write about that. AND, you’ll be definitely want to play in next week’s challenge where we learn about levels!
3. Leave a link below to the post with your card — be sure not to leave a link to your whole blog.

Thanks for playing in the first ever Scribble This! Challenge.

AND!  Feel free to add the challenge image to your post — you’ll want to save the image to your computer and then upload it like you do a photo.  Thanks so much to my friend Mon Thai for creating it — she’s a graphic designer who does work for Hero Arts and a super friend — I just love what she did!  Thanks again Mon, had fun!  Hugs! Can’t wait until Mon has a blog and then you can see more of her wonderful work!

Can’t wait to see the cards! Here’s some ideas: weddings, graduations, black + white cards, bright summery cards with a white background, or soft soothing pastels with lotsa white. And, can’t wait to see your photo experiments, too — I bet we all learn from each other! I’ll pick some cards to feature next week.  I’m thinking 10 — unless there’s a huge response, and then I’ll share more!

One more thing! I wanted to say thanks so much to everyone who helped me test Mr. Linky on this post! If you posted a link to your card there, please re-link it here so that they are all in one place.

Let the first ever “scribble this!” challenge begin! YEAH!