Wheat Texture Blending into Bald Blue Sky - iPad Processing Tutorial

Abandoned Combine of Yesteryear

The Palouse is known for its incredible puffy blue skies, however the week of the workshop they were often bald blue.

In this particular multi-stitch image I wanted to find a creative texture for the sky. I tried some app textures but they didn't quite create the look I hoped. So I looked through the many images I captured that week and was inspired by the simple concept of the wheat field.

Bald Blue Sky before adding wheat texture

Wheat Image used for Blending

Using Image Blender, I first imported the Combine photo into the left (dominate) corner. Then I imported the wheat image into the right corner. For this blend I chose Overlay at about 25%.

Filterstorm was used for the next step. First I imported the Blended image. Next in the Filters tab, click on Add Exposure and import the original bald blue image. After tapping on 'Fit to Image' you can then paint away the texture from everywhere except the sky. When applying this method I prefer to have a large soft brush with a low opacity. It is suggested that you zoom into the image for final touch up.

I continued the processing of the final image with fxPhotoStudio, Vintage HD, blending in ImageBlender, TouchRetouch and final touches in Filterstorm. The step by step process will be taught in my iCreativity course soon, as I am totally rewriting the online course materials.

On a final note: Even after all the processing was complete, this image can easily be printed 11x27 inches in size and is 12 megapixels.

Learn how to create artistic iPhone Photography images with easy to follow online courses. Both iPhoneography 101 and iCreativity starts September 3rd. Please see side bar for more information. Come join me on Google+ Hangouts. Circle me and I will invite you to join in the fun.