Doing Virtuals

garywood

Chumono
Messages
945
Reaction score
713
Location
N. Alabama
USDA Zone
7
Hey Guys and Gals, how does one go about doing virtuals
or inserting colored lines. I'm very limited in my computer skills and need a primer. Simple to complex, whatever anyone does. Thanks
Wood
 

roelex14

Mame
Messages
140
Reaction score
1
Location
Milan, Illinois
USDA Zone
5
simple lines (though it could be a bit tough) could be done in a simple program such as MSpaint using the paint brush tool. But if you want to actually alter a photo to actually see what a tree could look like, a more advanced program is best. I use Adobe Photoshop CS2 (I believe its up to CS4 now?) for editing, the only thing about photoshop is that it can take some time to learn. I taught myself, so it can be done, it'll just take some time. Best thing is to look up tutorials online and just start playing with images. The good thing is, images are not like trees, so you can always click the undo botton (now if there was just one for real life) :p
 

garywood

Chumono
Messages
945
Reaction score
713
Location
N. Alabama
USDA Zone
7
Thanks RO, I've searched several bonsai sites without much info, I'll expand it.
Wood
 

milehigh_7

Mister 500,000
Messages
4,920
Reaction score
6,096
Location
Somewhere South of Phoenix
USDA Zone
Hot
As I just don't have the hundreds of dollars for Photoshop I use Gimp 2.6. It is free, it works on any operating system and just as powerful (better in some areas not as good in others) as Photoshop albeit there is a learning curve to the commands.

http://www.gimp.org/
 

garywood

Chumono
Messages
945
Reaction score
713
Location
N. Alabama
USDA Zone
7
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the info!
Wood
 

roelex14

Mame
Messages
140
Reaction score
1
Location
Milan, Illinois
USDA Zone
5
Yeah the prices for photoshop are outrageous. Even for photoshop elements (the watered down photoshop). Fortunately I got a free copy from school:D
 

fredtruck

Omono
Messages
1,232
Reaction score
2,464
Location
West Des Moines, IA
USDA Zone
5
You can do a lot with Photoshop, or even Photoshop Elements--but the software is not really the key.

There are 2 things you have to know: 1) You have to have a very clear idea of what direction you want to take your tree in, and 2) You have to know the tools that Photoshop has, and be able to use them with some skill, in order to make the right decisions, graphically, to achieve your aim.

Most virtuals I see don't display enough basic familiarity with Photoshop to be able to express the user's intentions clearly.

But there are some that are truly wonderful.
 

Zournathan

Yamadori
Messages
51
Reaction score
0
Location
Houston
USDA Zone
9a
If you want most of the functionality of Photoshop without the price, try using the Phoenix image editor at http://aviary.com

They have several other image and audio editing programs that are all free, web based, and named after birds. You have to create an account to save whatever images you create. You can use an existing twitter, facebook, google, or yahoo account to log in also.
 
Top Bottom