Lightroom Presets and Wynwood Walls

I love Lightroom, and I love the presets that you can use with Lightroom. The program already comes with a ton installed, but there are so many out in the internet that you can download. (My favorites are the free ones).

In the Develop Module you can run your cursor over the different presets you have loaded and it will show a preview of what the picture will look like if you have the Navigator tab open.

I’ll show you the difference two of my fave presets on a picture I took of my daughter at the Wynwood Walls in Miami.

The first preset is an HDR look by Matt Kloskowski.

Teen walks by one of the graffiti walls in the Wynwood Walls neighborhood of Miami. Not So SAHM
Walking in Wynwood – ProjectEdit365 – 28 Oct

I found it back in the day on his Lightroom Killer Tips blog, but it looks like it’s no longer available. To replicate the HDR look quickly you can increase your contrast a lot, your clarity a little, and lighten your shadows. I *know* it’s more detailed than that and you can google it if you want to get a technical play by play on creating it. HDR really brings out a lot of depth and dimension.

The second preset is Velvet Butter by the Coffeeshop Blog (I love her stuff!). You can still download this so I’m not going to attempt to explain how to replicate it (because I haven’t figured it out).

28octvelvetbutter

I love the grittiness of the first picture, especially since it’s urban and it’s graffiti, and she looks like she may be full of angst. But I also love the second picture because it’s bright and cheerful, and that matches the sentiment of the colors on the wall.

Which one do you prefer? Oh, here’s the original for comparison (darkish and flat):

28oct

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Leaf Peeping

Skyline Drive is a must in the fall if you’re ever near Virginia.

Girl looks out across the hills at all the turning fall leaves. Not So SAHM
Leaf Peeping – ProjectEdit365 – 27 Oct

The original shot was bright but dull. I decreased the highlights, which warmed it a little, and increased the vibrance. I then adjusted the luminance of the green and yellow colors because they were too bright. I used an adjustment brush on her hair to desaturate just a little, to take some of the orange out that was placed there when I increased the vibrance. I also lightened the shadow in the lower left corner. I finished with a small vignette. Here is the original:

27oct

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Pet Donkey and Juxtaposition

When your pet donkey is the only thing you have.

We went Mexico on a mission trip. We visited this neighborhood, I can’t remember the name, to deliver basic supplies. When I took this picture I was focused on the donkey and his rope lead. I don’t think I noticed the neighborhoods on the hill in the background. I can’t imagine what these people think when they see those neighborhoods looking down on them, and I can’t imagine what the people in those hilltop neighborhoods think when they look down into the valley.

A donkey stands with a rope lead in a destitute neighborhood with a wealthy neighborhood on a hilltop in the distance. Not So SAHM
Juxtaposition – ProjectEdit365 – 26 Oct

The original needed to be cropped a bit to get rid of much of the dirt and draw the eye from the donkey to the hilltop neighborhoods. I increased the exposure and clarity and lightened the shadows. I decreased the contrast, highlights, and blacks. I increased the vibrance of the blue in the sky and decreased the noise. Here’s the original:

26oct

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My first iPhone wallpaper

I love design and color and prints. One of the first planners I bought online was from May Designs. They have cute, cute stuff and it’s ever evolving. It kind of bummed me out that I really only needed to order ONE planner. I wanted about one of each!

Recently I realized that each month they publish two free wallpaper designs, both for your phone and for your desktop. So for several months I’ve been downloading their wallpapers. I at least can have a new design each month.

Then I started thinking. . . I take pictures. I like to tinker around with digital design. Why don’t I create my own wallpaper?! I googled what the dimensions of an iPhone 5 would be (because I’m still living in the past) and opened up my trusty old Photoshop Elements 8 (because I’m still living in the past). A little more googling to figure out how to make a gradient transparency.

This is what I designed:

A wallpaper design for an iphone featuring the Epcot ball in the background and a calendar. Not So SAHM                            iphonewallpaper

Freshly created                                                     On my phone

Super cute, right?!

Now, to not go overboard and create new ones for each day of the month. . .

Let me know what you think!

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Tacos El Paisano

When you’re traveling, it’s good to get pictures of the local life. This picture has so much detail and you can tell so much just by looking around. What I noticed that you can’t really tell though is that I was in Mexico! Most of the signage that catches your eye is in English! I guess it’s a touristy town. Anyway, if you’re ever in Rosarito, Mexico, you must get some tacos from this corner open-air restaurant. They are the best tacos I’ve ever had (and so cheap!).

Two chefs fix tacos at a street corner open restaurant in Rosarito, Mexico. Not So SAHM
Tacos El Paisano – ProjectEdit365 – 25 Oct

The original was dark so I lightened it (taken with an iphone). I increased the vibrance and used an adjustment brush to tone down the redness of the meat on the spit. I didn’t want to adjust too much because I want it to be true to life. Here’s the original:

25oct

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Excuse me, Sir

We visited the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C. and decided that the exhibits would be better as interactive ones. These men are waiting in a soup line during the Great Depression. I’m guessing Ash is going ask if she can cut in line.

Girl stands in the back of statues waiting in a soup kitchen line at the FDR Memorial in Washington DC. Not So SAHM
Excuse me, Sir – ProjectEdit365 – 24 Oct

I decided to crop a little to tighten the subject. Turning it black and white took care of the distracting color of her jacket and purse. I also gave it a little grain to make it look a little aged. Here’s the original:

24oct

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