Comments on: beaver activity http://artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beaver-activity a multi-disciplinary dialog Mon, 07 May 2012 03:49:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: June http://artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html/comment-page-1#comment-3614 June Sat, 13 Jan 2007 03:41:56 +0000 http://www.artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html#comment-3614 What fun it is to see the original and the crops and to read the comments around each of them. A perfect example of good "critiques" -- or mind-playin -- words against visuals, ideas against other ideas, potential, possibility, and ultimately, choice. Or maybe not, because we have the privilege here of more space than we can perhaps fill. What fun it is to see the original and the crops and to read the comments around each of them. A perfect example of good “critiques” — or mind-playin — words against visuals, ideas against other ideas, potential, possibility, and ultimately, choice. Or maybe not, because we have the privilege here of more space than we can perhaps fill.

]]> By: Colin Jago http://artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html/comment-page-1#comment-3603 Colin Jago Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:29:57 +0000 http://www.artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html#comment-3603 Karl, The main advantages of Photoshop are that it is "the standard" and there is a vast amount of free and paid for tuition available. The disadvantage of it is that it needs all that tuition :-) Advice: start simple and cheap. Only trade up when you find yourself saying "I want to achieve x, but this product won't let me do it". Karl,

The main advantages of Photoshop are that it is “the standard” and there is a vast amount of free and paid for tuition available.

The disadvantage of it is that it needs all that tuition :-)

Advice: start simple and cheap. Only trade up when you find yourself saying “I want to achieve x, but this product won’t let me do it”.

]]> By: Karl Zipser http://artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html/comment-page-1#comment-3599 Karl Zipser Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:56:11 +0000 http://www.artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html#comment-3599 Steve, I tried your cropping idea. It makes a huge difference in the image, as you say. Amazing what cropping can do. Colin, Gimp has two big advantages: it is fully programable, and it is free. But I don't know how it compares to the real thing, Photoshop. Reading your comments, I realize how valuable a good processing program is. Man, there is so much to learn! Steve,

I tried your cropping idea. It makes a huge difference in the image, as you say. Amazing what cropping can do.

Colin,

Gimp has two big advantages: it is fully programable, and it is free. But I don’t know how it compares to the real thing, Photoshop. Reading your comments, I realize how valuable a good processing program is. Man, there is so much to learn!

]]> By: Colin Jago http://artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html/comment-page-1#comment-3598 Colin Jago Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:54:44 +0000 http://www.artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html#comment-3598 Karl, Never used it, although my favourite raw converter uses (in part) the same code - which suggests that the basic stuff is good. Karl,

Never used it, although my favourite raw converter uses (in part) the same code – which suggests that the basic stuff is good.

]]> By: Steve Durbin http://artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html/comment-page-1#comment-3597 Steve Durbin Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:54:14 +0000 http://www.artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html#comment-3597 Karl, The Gimp has some useful functionality, but is not a serious photo manipulation tool. For one thing, I believe it only works with 8-bit images. I use and recommend Picture Window Pro (just Google that name), which is far cheaper than Photoshop, and better for what I'm interested in. You can try it free for a month. Karl,
The Gimp has some useful functionality, but is not a serious photo manipulation tool. For one thing, I believe it only works with 8-bit images. I use and recommend Picture Window Pro (just Google that name), which is far cheaper than Photoshop, and better for what I’m interested in. You can try it free for a month.

]]> By: Steve Durbin http://artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html/comment-page-1#comment-3596 Steve Durbin Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:51:11 +0000 http://www.artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html#comment-3596 Birgit, I like your cropped version quite well. It focuses attention on the half-cut tree, and invites us to look closer to see how it was done: it doesn't look like an ax cut, but we don't have the clear sign of beavers that was provided by the other tree in the uncropped version. So we pay attention to the texture of teethmarks on the fresh wood, at least if we were looking at a print with better resolution than this jpg image. I also like how you chose the crop to get a dark strip on the left; that helps frame the subject. My example crop -- not necessarily a recommendation -- would have included only the lower half of your latest version, possibly with a little cut off the bottom as well. That makes it more abstract and more about the shapes of the light and dark tones, which is different, not necessarily better. Your version keeps the trees very recognizable and enhances their verticality, which I also find pleasing. It makes it appear that it is really one of the biggest trees that the beavers went after. Birgit,
I like your cropped version quite well. It focuses attention on the half-cut tree, and invites us to look closer to see how it was done: it doesn’t look like an ax cut, but we don’t have the clear sign of beavers that was provided by the other tree in the uncropped version. So we pay attention to the texture of teethmarks on the fresh wood, at least if we were looking at a print with better resolution than this jpg image. I also like how you chose the crop to get a dark strip on the left; that helps frame the subject.

My example crop — not necessarily a recommendation — would have included only the lower half of your latest version, possibly with a little cut off the bottom as well. That makes it more abstract and more about the shapes of the light and dark tones, which is different, not necessarily better. Your version keeps the trees very recognizable and enhances their verticality, which I also find pleasing. It makes it appear that it is really one of the biggest trees that the beavers went after.

]]> By: Karl Zipser http://artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html/comment-page-1#comment-3593 Karl Zipser Fri, 12 Jan 2007 20:35:23 +0000 http://www.artandperception.com/2007/01/beaver-activity.html#comment-3593 Colin, What do you think of the open source program "Gimp" which is meant to serve like photoshop? Colin,

What do you think of the open source program “Gimp” which is meant to serve like photoshop?

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