Hi,Thanks to Trevor for creating our last 'Smörgåsbord' challenge, and thanks to all who took part in it. There were some very clever, and imaginative, images. For this week's starter image, we have these pebbles on a beach. You could use them as a background, a pattern, a texture, or cut them out and use them as indidividual objects. How far will your creativity take you? The “rules”: Use the starter image as at least part of your own image entry. Anything goes, as long as it meets the forum rules on decency, copyright, etc. Anyone, and everyone, is welcome to have a go, whether you are a complete beginner or a Photoshop expert. This is not just for our forum “regulars”. There are no prizes apart from the chance to practice, show off your skills, or bring a bit of humor and fun. Don't be shy, join in and have a go! The starter image is made available for you to use in this forum challenge only. To download the starter image, hover over the image and click on the circle with the arrows at the top right. Then, when the image opens in its own window, right click and choose “Save Image As/Save Target As” (or similar depending on your browser). When posting back your image — please use the blue reply button in this first post and use the 'Insert Photos' icon at the top of the reply box. If posting a comment on someone else’s entry, then please use the grey reply button next to their image post. Have fun! Dave

Community Expert

Question

Something for the Weekend - Part 243 - Stoned!

Forum|Forum|9 months ago
June 20, 2025
39 replies
6921 views

Hi,
Thanks to Trevor for creating our last 'Smörgåsbord' challenge, and thanks to all who took part in it. There were some very clever, and imaginative, images.

For this week's starter image, we have these pebbles on a beach. You could use them as a background, a pattern, a texture, or cut them out and use them as indidividual objects. How far will your creativity take you?

The “rules”:

Use the starter image as at least part of your own image entry.
Anything goes, as long as it meets the forum rules on decency, copyright, etc.
Anyone, and everyone, is welcome to have a go, whether you are a complete beginner or a Photoshop expert. This is not just for our forum “regulars”.
There are no prizes apart from the chance to practice, show off your skills, or bring a bit of humor and fun. Don't be shy, join in and have a go!
The starter image is made available for you to use in this forum challenge only.

To download the starter image, hover over the image and click on the circle with the arrows at the top right. Then, when the image opens in its own window, right click and choose “Save Image As/Save Target As” (or similar depending on your browser).

When posting back your image — please use the blue reply button in this first post and use the 'Insert Photos' icon at the top of the reply box. If posting a comment on someone else’s entry, then please use the grey reply button next to their image post.

Have fun!

Dave

Show previous replies

@mj

Community Expert

davescm

Author

Community Expert

Just queuing for a hairwash!

Dave

D

DeanUtian

Community Expert

Created some of the content with Firefly following a particular saying. Firefly was sensitive with some of the words. Anyway, here's what I have come up with.

davescm

Author

Community Expert

I wonder if they are sharing their perch or are about to fight over it! 🙂

Dave

Christelle RD

Community Expert

I used several water pattern and opacity modes to get the result of water under the stones, not sure it's ok....

davescm

Author

Community Expert

A nice abstract look to that, to me the water has movement.
Dave

Christelle RD

Community Expert

Thank you Dave!
Yes, it's exactly what I tried to do: movement 😁

Myra Ferguson

Community Expert

The rocks I added to the pic are ones that I actually hand painted. It was a project that parents of students at Colorado School of Mines coordinated during Covid to give to the students during lockdown when they returned to school so that they knew that we were thinking about them. I always wondered who picked the ones I made.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

I love them all Myra, but the lumberjack is my favourite, and the solar eclipse that thinks it's a flower is a close second. So is the starry starry night, and is that the Devil's Tower as featured in Close Encounters? And I think the bottom left night scene with the M could be another Devil's Tower? Do you remember all those people who became obsessed with the shape of the tower, and had to make it out of whatever came to hand? Could that be you? 🙂

Myra Ferguson

Community Expert

Oh, thank you! 🙂

Good guess on the geological formation, although the one without the M is South Table Mountain in Golden, Colorado. Like Devil's Tower, it was formed by igneous rocks and has columnar jointing, which are those distintive cracks. BTW, Close Encounters was one of my favorite movies when I was younger. I definitely remember thinking about sculpting Devil's Tower whenever I had mashed potatoes.

The rocks with the M are Mount Zion, also in Golden, that has an M made out of rocks that are whitewashed. It's part of a tradition at Mines where Freshmen bring a rock from their hometown, trek up Mount Zion, and place it to form the M. At graduation, the seniors retrieve a rock--it's not necessarily the same one. The idea is that they bring something with them when they start and take something else away once they're done. They also have it lit, so you can see the M at night.

The miner is one of their mascots, Marvin the Miner. Their other mascot is Blaster the burro, but I didn't make a rock for him.

The eclipse was an attempt to make it feather out and glowy--it kind of got the idea across. I liked the Moon, Mars, and the Milky Way better.

Peru Bob

Community Expert

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

A fine new fence for your house and garden, Bob, quite different to what was before, in more ways than one.

didiermazier

Community Expert

Only leave footprint

davescm

Author

Community Expert

Haha - fossilised remains of big-foot! 🙂
Dave

EuanWilliamson

Community Expert

Time and tide wait for no man

Best regards, Euan.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

Now that's nicely done Ewan. Did you do the marble effect with Render > Difference Clouds?

EuanWilliamson

Community Expert

I had thought about such means, but in the end I was very lazy and just did it with some simple compositing of some water reflections.

Best regards, Euan.

War Unicorn

Community Expert

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

RGB indeed. That definitely made me smile. 🙂 It's strange, but even though that departs from your usual style, it is still recognisable as your work. Is it the texture maybe? I'm not sure. If there's a problem with it, it's that Dag and his self promoting buddy are going to get all pedantic about colour profiles.