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Well even if someone tells me like a tablet or a device is bad, I will still try it out. It was the same for the Huion Tablet I have (Huion H610 Pro) or the Headphones I have bought in the past. A lot of peoples mention the good, the bad of every product, but what feels bad for someone, isn't that much for another person. Of course I do not have access to try like an iPad Pro 12.9 inch, however from the folks I have seen doing work on it, and the transition between iPad Pro Files > PC, it gets the job done, and it does it well. Couple of peoples that comes to mind that I seen using iPad Pro : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwQ0ySicc9jpUka4n3S2gaA https://www.youtube.com/user/axis432 https://www.youtube.com/user/zatransis https://www.youtube.com/user/nikolailockertsen But my main focus for the iPad pro is going to be : - To use it on the go (drawing in nature, quick sketches etc.) - Start a concept on it, and continue with it on the PC (if I am out in town) - Full illustration depending how effective it will be to do so on it At some point in the foreseeable future I will get a drawing monitor (cintiq unless some others gets into the market that is good ) I did look into on-screen monitors like the same brand I am using (Huion) and some other. I am not doubting your knowledge/review by any means, its just that whether there is good/bad feedback, each individual will have a different experience with a given product. The same way that happened with me to a headphone I bought called Plugged, it just wasn't fit for the weather conditions I live in, which made it hard to use, while it still had a lot of good feedback + bad feedback about the product. If I were in a much more colder environment it would have been a perfect fit. So I just gave it away to a friend of mine, since I knew he needed a headphone, he was going into a colder environment. Appreciate your response though. Thank you. PS: Unless there is like higher percentage of bad review of a given product, then I would consider multiple times before purchasing.

Good redesign with a clean look, a mother-nature look, and good use of color.

Hello, Affinity Photo HDR image, for me it makes a good job. The frame is from Google Nik Collecttion Analog Efex Pro works well. If there is interest I put one more from 5 pictures. Pollux 5 Pictures Something different than nature, 3 Pictures.

Very cool… colours, tonalities… brilliant! If I may, I see two light sources in this scene… really? The projection of the reflection of NATURE in the water is not justified by the perspective nor the water. …but these are the view of a photographer and may be totally irrelevant!

An interesting image of a ..... is it a species of pelican? Whatever it is, I find the processing not convincing. The tail reflection confuses, should it not be slightly deflected in POV by refraction and also not visible at exactly the same colour and density of the real tail? It presents to me as a bird on a log, with another tail sticking out from behind the foreground log, it's just not believable. Sorry if this critique is too terse, but for me this image defies reality. Photo editing of this nature requires an advanced knowledge of perspective and reflection. It's not easy to replicate without reference. If you had the reference in the first place, then PP would not be required . Anyone who has not got lengthy experience on top of formal art training is doomed to have a hard time with this kind of photo manipulation. That said, everyone has the right to learn by posting their work and receiving honest feedback. My critique is offered in that spirit and hope it is received as such. In my painting career I can remember too many times feeling totally pleased with work I had done (now I consider that feeling a red light), only to wake up the next morning, go into my studio, look at the work I was so pleased with and wonder who the hell littered my studio with such garbage. Good work comes from being your own harshest critic. There is a colour shift between the foot on the log and the reflected foot that is more convincing than the tail, try to replicate this in the tail reflection, morph the shape and rotate it slightly upward plus desaturating it to give more of a reflected look. Hope this helps.

Really, fierce? My teddybear nature would shine through had he used a proper camera… but this is what you get when I have to look at the wrong kind of lens! :P :D :P :D :P

@ jer, I spent a long time on this -I was at it something like two full days. That's partly down to the ad hoc nature of the composition. It was all self-motivated so I didn't have a client on my back -which does concentrate the mind. When I started it, there was another cat piloting which was removed to show only Moggles clinging to the tail because it's funnier and more tragic.

Pure quality. Love the BGs. Nature provides the light but talent renders the image :)

• My only talent in this regard was to recognize it… as Mother Nature lit the scene!

• HI JoseConseco, No Jose! I took the shot because I saw what it shows. I didn't ever expect I would have a weak spot for blue- eyed geese! ;) For the record… I optimize my renditions in a RAW converter only I would never manipulate a "nature" shot and the only thing I permit myself is to clean up debris… which will be eventually done in AP. I don't use any product from the maker of the sug- tested software. I understand you dig'm… can't resist either!

I actually hadn't seen it till now... (if I don't comment in every pic is only lack of time.. ;)) I've suffered those... and the the hypocrisy... let alone when literally forced (well, I made my own set of advanced tactics (only some vets can do this... heh) to avoid those) to make those deeply stupid team work empowering exercises (like playing with a ball or a potato and stuff... next day they'll betray each other like in any regular day...) that some management person read in a not so good bestseller as the "last thing" to increase productivity... You know the stuff, scrums, forcing someone to dress with a giant rabbit disguise, super silly slogans, etc... As if stuff was not evident already to need a graphical depiction.... BUT.... if it did bring food to the table, it is welcome ! 'A man's gotta eat'. Indeed, mother nature treats you extremely well, judging the photos she allows you to make... My own soul got a rhinoceros' thickness skin... Nothing of that can affect... And it doesn't make one worse... ;) having things clear in your mind... The day I see myself back into a company as employee and accepting to play with the freaking potato between noses, and dance hula-hop while shouting something about how great my company is, even in a convinced tone, that day I'll begin to seriously worry... Until then... you know, is just work... Your pictures remind a lot certain paintings of the romantic period. Those lakes...

Hi Kodiak 1. On a full-frame sensor camera, the zoom would have a focal length range of 70-200mm. The same lens produces a 1.5X larger image in proportion to the smaller APS-C (crop frame) sensor in my camera. 2. No thinking at all, really. Just liked the way a small saturation boost looked. BTW, I've enjoyed your nature photographs.

• I think I always was, and still am and ever be, a sneaky hunter in Nature Reserves… image hunter that is! Armed with big guns (600mm on D810 among others), I love the peace and quiet of a close by marsh where I shoot not to kill but to immortalize. Not much of a harvest for a whole free day but is was a great time! In Fall poor light conditions and most of the time at the extreme reach of my combo, these marsh habitants are playing hard to get. So the lens focal length and the high pixel count were pushed to the limits of their possibilities in terms of capture and rendition. AP's "Inpainting Tool" was used to clean up the water sur- face in some cases. C&C Welcomed!

Hey Dalia, thanks for the link. Good to know there are others thinking along the same lines. no offence to the Forums admins - but sticking with one forum for all platforms is lazy administrating. Yes people get things wrong - it's human nature (the last perfect person I heard of, got crucified nearly 2000 years ago :wacko: ), but surely it would be up to the admins to monitor and place the thread or post in the correct section? Isn't that one of the roles of a forum admin?

Thanks for the kind words. Alfred: Were my photos like this straight out of the camera, I wouldn't need Affinity Photo. That said, I try not to process too much (and I typically jot down notes when I take a photo like this so later I can dredge up what I thought I was seeing so I don't over process). In this case, here are the adjustments I made: I typically start by creating a number of luminosity masks for different tonal ranges. 1) used a curves adjustment to darken the shadows in the hills and trees (the camera captured too much dynamic range); 2) used a color balance to bring out the yellow highlights on the trees; 3) used a curves adjustment to lighten the top of the sky (above the looming clouds); 4) used a color balance to bring out some of the tint in the clouds in that light area; 5) used a high pass filter to sharpen the clouds (used a gradient to restrict it to the sky and a luminosity mask to restrict it to the darker clouds). In each case, the adjustments were light. Once I was in the right place (I had hiked about an hour up to the point) at the right time (I made a cup of coffee and waited about 20 minutes for this scene) and with my camera pointed in the right direction (I guess that goes without saying), I didn't need to do much. Nature had done all the hard work. Thanks again for viewing and for the compliments. Darin

Shading...or the lack of it. Trees in spring: they are a work in progress. So by their very nature, they haven't reached their full glory...so like a king, they will never look complete without their crown.

The lightning looks fantastic! The only things I would add (since you asked for constructive criticism) is: 1. Correct the keystone/perspective of the shot by using the perspective/warp tool. 2. I would get rid of the construction crane and the scaffolding on the right of the building, as they're not a permanent part of the landscape nor do they really add much to the story of the shot. The Inpainting Brush should take care of that rather quickly... 3. You might try to get more contrast in the clouds behind the lightning bolt, specifically in the lower-right corner of the upper-left quadrant of the image (if that makes any sense). Making the brightest parts of the clouds brighter and the darker parts darker (using dodge and burn tools or a curves adjustment revealed through a local mask) would bring in more of the potent display of nature you so brilliantly captured! Keep on sharing! Looks great :)

You're right! This was never meant to be taken the wrong way. It's referring to an often used quote, that I'd just read this article below. This come from the Steve jobs quote (and others, Picasso?) http://www.cnet.com/news/what-steve-jobs-really-meant-when-he-said-good-artists-copy-great-artists-steal/#! What Steve Jobs really meant when he said 'Good artists copy; great artists steal'Apple's Bud Tribble: "If you take something and make it your own ... it's your design and that is the dividing line between copying and stealing. That is part of Apple's DNA." Think Andy Warhol and a certain tin of soup. Inventors do it all the time, copy mother nature's designs. Just like the AT-ATs in Star Wars, which resemble elephants/camels. Aeons of Beta testing and no copywriting issues. This is a quote from http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2014/09/08/great-innovators-steal/ Maxine Horn says: September 9, 2014 at 10:03 am An interesting article and of course the headline Great Innovators steal was just an attention grabber. Great Innovators ‘stand of the shoulders of giants’ – a quote arguably attributed to Issac Newton. Innovators might steal from many (be influenced /inspired by and connect new dots) but never steal from one. Meaning it is not innovative to copy the work of one person but taking unrelated influences from many different sources and applying new logic to create an entirely new solution in a different sector or circumstance is using many influences, new intelligence, knowledge and know how to innovate. The article puts the argument across extremely well and helps to differentiate between influence and inspiration and that of ‘stealing’ work from others. Reply - See more at: http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2014/09/08/great-innovators-steal/#sthash.X1PKaX00.dpuf Standing on the shoulders of giants. Is a much better quote.

Thank you MEB and Jasper. I appreciate your replies. I am continually fascinated by the small beautiful worlds that pop up inside these stones. Mother Nature is amazing. As you can see by the photo in this post, these stones are not spectacular gems. Just ordinary polished bits of rock. But, once "inside", who knows what you will find.

Hi, thank you all for the kind words. I've been using Affinity for some paid work, even full out illustrations, but unfortunately I can't share them for the usual NDAs...shame, but it's nice to see how it has become part of my daily routine and job life. Anyway, in between things today I started doing a thing out of the blue, with no intention of it being an illustration, but a study towards something that could be applied to future work. It's part of a series of studies to take vector illustration to a next level, somehow. And I've been thinking/obsessing on how to render nature, foliage etc. Without imitating it, but interpreting it.. Buildings and man-made stuff is in a way more straightforward - humans/animals, well, that's another stylistic problem but there is more literature. And anyway how you've seen from previous pics, I've addressed that quite a lot!!! This is just a quick experiment from lunch time - result of some recent handrawn sketches. I'm not sure if I'll add something or just use it as a stepping stone to apply it and perfect it, but I thought I'd share it with you thank you robert

Star Trek also has the Varon-T disrupter, banned by the federation due to its violent nature! Only five were ever made....

and this...mutlistrand Sometimes pinching ideas, from random places is a brilliant idea. This is called lateral thinking. Ever since the year dot, inventors have looked at Mother Nature for inspiration, shortcuts and answers to questions that weren't relevant. This is how so many questions got answered. retrograde: award one gold star :)

Thanks guys! The_Giant's_Bloomers: It seems that fact is stranger than fiction in ths case. Never heard of a Pacific Leaping Blenny. Nature is weird at times. George

Ronnie, Performance should be pretty snappy unless you do something truly outlandish - the only thing to keep in mind is that if you start creating large amounts of pixels then when you save the file they'll be saved too, so your file size will start to inflate hugely - not a problem for most people, but something to keep in mind. If you resize larger then you can decide in the Document Setup dialog which type of resampling to use when generating the new pixels - we've got some pretty fancy samplers there so you'll probably not see anything too noticeable. Best of all, the thing to remember with all of this is: Brushes are generally, by their nature, smooth and typically produced from blends of things - which translates perfectly into meaning that they generally don't show artefacts from being resized larger with a decent sampler. I think you'd find it would work pretty well, to be honest :) Matt

I think your method works well, whether you have the outline at the back or the front is up to you and the nature of the outline, I like working this way, it's easy to change things as you go. Very nice work :)