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This tutorial is available as a PDF. Click here to view or download it Polish physicist and photographer Andrzej Dragan applies special style to his own portraits photos that express the depth of the person and their character by enhancing facial features usually hidden away in modern photography. This style was named Dragan effect. There are many tutorials for Photoshop on the Internet to create a similar effect. Let's try to reproduce this effect in Paint.NET in two methods. Method 1. One of the variants to create the effect shown in the article Create the Dragan photo effect in Photoshop. I will not describe it in detail, but only explain with the help of images and a brief description. Download the image (the link to the image taken from article above) and create a copy of the 'Background' layer. Consistently apply to a copy of the layer function from the menu Adjustments, Levels, Hue / Saturation, Curves with the parameters given in the figures below. Apply to a copy of the layer effects High Pass (menu Effects -> Photo -> High Pass) with the default settings. Change the layer's blending mode to Overlay and merge the both layers. Result: before and after Method 2. Load the previous image and create a copy of the 'Background' layer. Consistently apply to a copy of the layer effects Sharpen and High Pass (menu Effects -> Photo -> Sharpen and Photo -> High Pass) with the settings shown in figures below. Change the layer's blending mode to Overlay and merge the both layers. If necessary apply to the image the Hue / Saturation function (menu Adjustments -> Hue / Saturation), changing a saturation from 60 to 140. Result: In my opinion, the second method is more expressive. Also see: CodeLab - First Steps (Dragan Effect).

I made a version of the photo with the only changes being to remove the change in contrast on one side, and the substitution of a new background. I wanted to show how much that improves the image. I didn't do some of the feathering tricks which would improve the blending of the foreground and background. I'd first want to adjust the contrast and such of the foreground. BTW, I should mention BoltBait's Photo>Combined Photo Adjustments. It contains a number of adjustments to spiff up photos. To erase around something in an image, I suggest first using a fairly large eraser -- say a radius of 10. Erase all the large curves. When you reach areas with sharp curves or angles, or small indentations, skip them. When done, go back with a small eraser size and take care of the tight areas. Remember to erase short strokes, letting up on the mouse button often. If you don't, when you make a mistake and erase something you didn't mean to, the Undo will undo all the good erasures along with the bad. (As often as I remind myself to do that, I always forget!) Make sure you keep the original version around. Sometimes when you finish, you'll find you erased too far in on an edge. Just use the Lasso tool to cut the area from the original photo, and paste it as a new layer into the edited photo. (It will paste into the exact same location, as long as you haven't cropped the new version -- which you should not do!) Then merge down. You'll have a second opportunity to erase it correctly. One additional comment. You might think it would be a good idea to use the Magic Wand in areas where the contrast is high between the foreground and background, I've seldom had good luck with that method. I almost always end up with a raggedy edge, and pixels erased that shouldn't have been.Perhaps it's just my technique, or lack there of.

And the winners are: First place with 10 votes is SiBorg Sharing Second place with 7 votes each is Pixey and Dipstick Third place with 6 votes is Sasha. Well done to winner & placers and to all who took part, thanks also to the voters and supporters. I will PM the winner and launch the next comp very soon.

At the time of typing, no reply from @Si Borg with regards to a topic for the next SOTW. I will wait until this Wednesday (19 / Oct) and if no response I will open up the selection for the next topic with either of the runners up / placers.

RickHum! Really they are an artist. Flora dora oh, those are so beautiful! Excellent, i love it. Thank you so much.

Some of last month Signatures with My icons. I'm kind off in the middle of road, and need some advise how to continue with them. Any suggestions will be welcome

Your wish is my command Seerose

How's ya flora Dora.

Thank you very much @Seerose so glad you liked them. Something different - again! If only cars could fly . Adapted from a tutorial here.