Plein Air…

Plein air, the art of painting outdoors. I wonder if using a laptop and Snap Art on the porch counts? :o) I wish I was blessed with the genes and talent to paint. I would be outside in the fresh air, sipping on sweet tea and nibbling on pralines as I painted this scene in downtown Savannah.

The location reminded me a bit of Europe. I wanted to extend that feeling, and give the image a painterly look with brushstrokes of color. This is easy to do using a few Photoshop plug-ins designed to enhance color, detail and artistry in an image. If you like, use the discount code DEB0902 for Snap Art, deborahsandidge for Topaz, or use any of the codes for plug-ins in the sidebar.

Try using Topaz Adjust to start. The Spicify preset is one of my favorites. It warms things up, deepens tones, and is perfect for preparing the “painting” for the next step. Check out the various artistic effects within Snap Art and see which one best suits your image. I used an oil pastel with a small brush to create the painterly effect in the Savannah scene. Here’s a look at the detail…

Vary the effects by adjusting the different settings for a custom look, and save it as a preset. Don’t forget you can adjust the opacity of the filter layer, or even change the blending mode for a different look. Experiment, enjoy, pretend you’re outside in the fresh air…