Make your own backgrounds...mats?

okieinalaska · 05-19-2005, 01:07 AM

Don't know what to call them...I took some fabulous photos today while hiking with my kids out at the glacier. One is just some rocks on the beach, reflections on water and more. Can I use these for backgrounds? Do I need to do anything to them first or just put them in as the bottom layer?

For example this is one of them:
Rocks

I guess I just don't even know what you CAN do with them, LOL.

Amy in Alaska

edited to add: ooh, look at this one!
water

Samara · 05-19-2005, 01:09 AM

How cool!!! Of course you can use it as a background!!! You can do anything you want with it!!!

I can't wait to see your glacier pictures.

hummingbird · 05-19-2005, 01:13 AM

Photographs can make great backgrounds. I have started a folder with backgrounds I have make from photos and more. Try changing the colors or taking the colors out slowly to see the difference. Also try some of the filters on the photos. I had a picture of a big tree, that's Arizona style of big, and used the glass destortion filter. It came out looking great. I have also used just a piece of lumber, gravel, and stone. Stone can be really great for a background. Just start with them and play around.

I can't wait to see your pictures of Alaska. Always wanted to go there.

Kathy

Starling · 05-19-2005, 05:52 AM

There are a lot of things you can do with those photos.

You can use them just the way they are in small amounts as mats. You might find them overwhelming if they are the background as is.

You can change the opacity on them. That will give you the faded, light look you see in some layouts. Here is one of mine.

You can run a filter on them. The artistic filters, with or without the blur filters, can look pretty wonderful. Like this one.

You can turn them into patterns (if you are using Photoshop) and there are multiple uses for patterns. You can make them the basis for whole groups of background papers with various recoloring techniques. There are masking techniques that use photos like that for special effects.

Etc., etc., etc.

Karen · 05-19-2005, 06:15 AM

Those are fantastic images and would make perfect backgrounds, I would probably just use them above a solid layer of white and lower the opacity

You have an excellent eye, would love to see more of your photos!

rebecca burkett · 05-19-2005, 06:35 AM

Another thing I like to do with photo backgrounds is to make a design on a layer just below the picture to be used for a background. Then, change the mode on the picture layer to screen. Once a mode is highlighted in the box (at the top of the layers palette) use the scroll arrow on the keyboard to quickly check out all of the modes...something really cool might just pop up! I love your photo by the way!

valeri · 05-19-2005, 07:12 AM

great photos! I think they would make wonderful backgrounds!

WyoGal · 05-19-2005, 08:58 AM

Wonderful photos! The water one looks like a painting! I can't wait to see what you do with these! NEAT!

andyapc · 05-19-2005, 09:02 AM

OMG - that water one is soooooo cool - would make for an awesome background just the way it is.

dlhoffer · 05-19-2005, 09:37 AM

Fabulous photos! The one of the water really does look like a painting. I think they would make beautiful backgrounds. Please post when you use them so we can all see what wonderful things you did with them!

Lisa

bpalmer · 05-19-2005, 11:00 AM

I agree with everyone else! Can't wait to see what you do with these!

Emma · 05-19-2005, 02:20 PM

Great ideas so far, I'll add a few

Textures: make a seamless pattern for texture. Use it as a base for making elements, adding texture to papers (embossed look)

small accent photos. I often use stock images for smaller accents on my pages, either montaged in, or just in squares. For instance, a masculine theme about a husband or boyfriend with some small "tile" photos of rocks. That type of thing.

bars. if it's too much for an entire background, lowering opacity is great, but so is using as a bar along one side. A great effect

mats. just slip them under your portraits for a touch of texture. can alter them to be more subtle to make the background paper too

have fun, neat pics

hummingbird · 05-19-2005, 02:37 PM

I love your photos, you do have a good eye. I'm glad you posted this thread. I have learned a lot just reading all the things people have added to it. Now I have to go try some of them. I would like to use your photos for my backgrounds. Think about it, I'm really interested. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

Kathy

okieinalaska · 05-19-2005, 06:40 PM

Thanks everyone for the great responses! I will try some of those. I figured out how to lower the opacity so that is a good first step, LOL.

I have some other really nice ones if anyone wants to see them. One is of some glacier ice that floated to shore and we got a close up. It shimmers really pretty.

Anyone can use the photos anyway you want, I don't mind at all and would love to see what you do with them! : 0 )

Can I post photos like these in the gallery? or where should they go?

Starling · 05-20-2005, 07:20 AM

You can post photos of anything you want in your gallery, as long as it is G rated. If you click on New Layouts above and look at several pages you will see photos from the photo classes and challenges, homework from verious DSU classes, and people discussing various techniques they have just learned. Your photos will fit right in.

You might want to expand on the descriptions in the gallery and post links in threads in the forums so people know what they are looking at.