Thanks for the compliments and kudos folks. I’m glad I can contribute helpful things like this at least on occasion.
Actually, the flattening of some of the layers in the image was something I did at the time of providing this example only for the sake of keeping the file size small for downloading. I kept the park scene in Holland as an intact layer in the example file so that others could move it around to experiment with different crops, if not using an image of their own. Originally I kept each mat layer, image layer, and frame layer separate so that all could be moved around to also pre-visualize offset crops. I also tried penciling in a darker 1-pixel edge to the upper mat bevels where they meet the lower mat, to see if that would add any apparent sharpness to the bevel cut. Overall, I find my first approach pleases me more.
Apart from this useful application of Photoshop to visualize artwork, I recently explored another idea that also worked wonderfully. This may not be all that unique an idea, but after having recently moved into a new house, I needed to decide how I wanted to hang various framed art, photos and collectible dishes. Well, with digital camera handy and my parents visiting me, I had my mother hold up each of my collectible dishes as I snapped a photo of each. Then I snapped photos of my framed art that I’d already hung on the walls. Taking the images into Photoshop, I easily cut out the dishes as individual layers and and then composited them into new images with the framed art, moving them as desired to visualize different layouts. It worked great and saved me from too many holes in the walls from trial and error. While interior designers may not like the result, it worked well for me and really showed me yet another way Photoshop and digital cameras can be put to quite practical use! Here’s one image that illustrates the end result: <
http://www.jazzdiver.com/homes/images/P7080268.jpg>
In yet another idea where I was buying a large media storage cabinet, an online image was combined with one I’d taken of my family room, to determine how well the cabinet would blend with my other furniture. With a little masking and repositioning of the cabinet, I decided I did like it well enough to order. Too bad I couldn’t also pre-visualize that the doors wouldn’t be hung as squarely as I’d like, but I kept it anyway.
Regards,
Daryl