Cyanotype Flower

[ShaneS]

While processing the original raw image of a flower I was in the process of inverting a sharpening mask when I inadvertently inverted the colors on the layer itself. I like what I saw and ran with it.

What I came up had the look of cyanotype print - presented here for your comments...

[gregj1763]

Very interesting Shane, I like it.
Just a point of interest, when you view it in light box it looks really great with the slim black frame around it.
Cheers, Greg

[Mike Buckley]

There is nothing quite like an accidental mistake to produce pleasing results. It's especially fitting that your mistake produced the look of a cyanotype, as that technology was first used to reproduce botanical specimens.

Consider eliminating the blurred shapes around the flower for a more dramatic presentation.

[ShaneS]

Thank you Greg & Mike. Attached are two additional images, the first combines both of your suggestions by eliminating the blurred parts of the background and adding a frame. I think you were both right but question my ability to make an acceptable mask - I am not sure whether I am losing some edge detail because of my poor masking technique or if it is simply due to the amount of white at the tips of the stamen?



Mike, I also think this is basically an inverted cyanotype as most I have seen online have a blue background with the subject in white.

Also, for those who might be interested here is the edited image that I was working on when the happy accident (artistic breakthrough? ) occurred.

[Mike Buckley]

It doesn't bother me that you lost some of the white tips. I think that's mostly because they're blending in with the white background.

Consider adding Local Contrast Enhancement. I did and liked it.

You're right that it's like an inverted cyanotype. Even so, the connection with the cyanotype process is immediately obvious and very nice.

If you're familiar with architectural drawings called blue prints, which were used until about 2000 and had white lines and text displayed on a blue background, they were also produced using the cyanotype process.

[ShaneS]

Thanks for taking an interest in this shot/conversion Mike it means a lot. I tried the LCE and once again you were right. I also found the tips of the stamen by utilizing the refine edge tool in CS5 to create the mask (I won't post the image here again for fear of being redundant unless you would like to see).

Overall the experience of working on this image has allowed me to learn some valuable editing tools that I will hopefully remember the next time I need them. I just hope that they will not be like the keys that I saw some talking about in another thread - I will store them away in a safe place in my brain but only remember that they exist not where they are...

Interesting about the architectural drawings, it makes sense but I had not made the connection until you mentioned it.

As we say in Hawaii, Mahalo Nui Loa (Thank you very much)

[Mike Buckley]

Yes, I would like to see your latest rendition. I have also seen comments in other threads by people appreciating being able to see the progressive improvement of an image as a result of the discussion, so have at it!

[ShaneS]

Version 3, with helpful advice and guidance this may be "the one". Maybe the start of a mini project? I think that the subject will need to be very graphic and delineated to work with this treatment so some experimentation is definitely in order. A useful exercises, project or not, to continue developing the skill to see in shape, form and line.

[Mike Buckley]

This is really terrific, Shane. Not at all what I imagined. I really like how you preserved the end points in the middle by keeping them bright but also preserved the end points near the edges by keeping them dark. I also like the creative mixture of blue and black tones. The overall result is that everything explodes outward from the center.

Well done! Move on to the next one.

[ShaneS]

Thank you! I think that the find/enhance edges tool really allowed me to fine tune the mask and the depth of color from black to blue was really enhanced by the LCE.

I'm off to search the archives for other specimens