I used to process my photographs using Picasa 3, but it was scrapped in favour of the far less accommodating Microsoft version that now comes with most laptops, etc.
The photo below, for example, could have been enhanced to show the true colour of the Roses and Hibiscus, but I can no longer do so. I suppose I could pay for Photoshop, but I don't need all that extra stuff that comes with it.
Anyway, this is the inside of our entrance gate. The Rose is fabulous this year. It's called André le Notre, named after the man who designed the gardens at Versailles. It has a wonderful scent, and is a very subtle pink which isn't really visible.
The drought and excessive heat have played havoc with the garden this year, but some corners are OK. I always enjoy coming or going through the gate; on the other side (as one enters) there are hundreds of bunches of grapes hanging. I also like the entrance to our covered terrace, where the Oleander has grown so well that it now almost hinders our way.
Oh my god, the powers of Photoshop. Once upon a time the artist and my son gave me lilac hair and other "features" (warts and all). That was when I learnt how Cinderella's step sisters felt. Ugly.
ReplyDeleteOnly a few days ago the Angel showed me an app on his smartphone which "beautifies" at the press of a button. Nothing as involved as Photoshop was. A button. That's all. He brought up a natural, unvarnished photo of himself, then pressed the button and emerged with unblemished skin. What the eff? There is hope, Cro: Once we are dead we will be revived. At the press of a button.
Your flowers are lovely. I currently do have a large bunch of sunflowers dominating the lounge. Such joy.
U
We have fields of Sunflowers all around us. 'One-upmanship'.
DeleteGIMP is free but probably overkill if all you want is a saturation brush.
ReplyDeleteJust Google free photo software and pick one that suits your needs and ability. The better they are the steeper the learning curve. Always keep a copy of the original image.
Have fun.
I don't think I'll bother. I used to like the colour enhancing button on Picasa 3, and there was something else I liked too. These days I print them as they are; very occasionally trimming them.
DeleteDid you know that Oleander is poisonous when burned? The fumes can kill. So if you trim yours, don't burn the trimmings. I can see the delicate pink in those roses.
ReplyDeleteI believe that EVERYTHING about the Oleander is poisonous. There's a famous story about some boys who made a brochette from a twig, for grilling some freshly caught Trout; they died.
DeleteThere's a novel called White Oleander by Janet Fitch. Oleander being used as poison was the theme. It was an engrossing book.
DeleteWe used to grow Oleander in our garden when we lived in Tenerife. Such a beautiful flower.
ReplyDeleteI cannot take a decent garden photo in bright sunlight. The colours are all bleached out.
I didn't know you'd lived in Tenerife. Yes, they are the flower of the Mediterranean. I especially like the very deep red ones.
DeleteThe smell of the oleander is the smell of my childhood. It grows everywhere here.
ReplyDeleteThey don't grow wild here, but there are plenty of them in people's gardens. They always look so healthy!
DeleteAs long as they are well watered, roses just love the heat. Are they grapes suitable for making wine?
ReplyDeleteThe grapes make good juice, but not wine. I've just started to cut them off before they begin to attract the Hornets.
DeleteDespite the heat and lack of rain, your plantings look beautiful. We've had the same heat and drought conditions.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't look like this all over, mostly it's beige dry and dusty.
DeleteI have used a few photo editing suites and some are certainly better than others. It can all be rather frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI was very happy with Picasa 3. I can't understand why they scrapped it.
DeleteHow hard it must have been for you to have to keep leaving your lovely home in France to come home for the new E U rules.
ReplyDeleteIt's also very inconvenient. Just when we thought we had our lives settled, we now have all this upheaval. Anyway, we're really enjoying the contrasts.
DeleteCro... you are bemoaning the loss of editing facilities...
ReplyDeleteI now use FastStone Image Viewer 7.6 for Windows... it is Freeware.
It has a lot of the power of Photoshop at a basic level....
I now only use Pottyshop for complex jobs...
FastStone Image Viewer 7.6 Freeware (Last Update: 2022-03-31)
An image browser, converter and editor that supports all major graphic formats including BMP, JPEG, JPEG 2000, GIF, PNG, PCX, TIFF, WMF, ICO, TGA and camera raw files. It has a nice array of features such as image viewing, management, comparison, red-eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping, color adjustments, musical slideshow and much more.
https://www.faststone.org/
Thanks for that, I shall have a look. It sounds like just the job!
Delete