digital photo modification software

If you don't know what you're doing, your result is going to look like crap. Just circle the elements of the pictures you like and write what you like about them and where you'd like them on the back. Your architect can then take them into account as he creates a design that works as a whole. If you have limited to no architectural skills and you're trying to show your architect what to do, he's going to dread the job. Just give him the pieces as suggestions and let him go to work. - j

while jay may be correct.. or is rather..

He is right.. your result will probably look like crap. i have been photoshopping for 3+ years and thats a feat even the most seasoned veteran would have a "fun time" with. not impossible, but not easy by any means. I would like however for you to attempt this as a learning experience, if nothing else for the fun of it, and post your results here.

Agreed! If you or your wife really want to get creative to help the architect out, then make up a 'mood board'.

Collect pictures of interiors and exteriors that you like, materials that you like (even if you can't see an immediate use for them) perhaps even any interests that you share and really enjoy. That will give the architect a far better sense of what makes you and your wife tick and help design a house that you will feel comfortable in.

You don't have to try to combine stuff - that's the architect's job. Yours is to tell him that, for example, you like lots of natural light, space and glass - so you've put a picture of Apple's glass staircase. You're not asking for a glass staircase but you're presenting an image to him/her.

For you (and me) Photoshop Elements does everything that you can figure out how to do well in the full version of Photoshop. Even with great software like Photoshop (and even Elements), it takes skill to put together an image.

But, don't let me discourage you. Get a book or two on Photoshop at the library and a demo version of Photoshop (I think they have demo versions, I know you can get a demo of Elements) and see what you can do. Maybe you're ready for Photoshop.

pcpacker said:

My wife wants me to take digital photos of a couple of different houses and combine the features into her "dream house." Then, we will take that picture to an architect and have him draw up the plans.

Will photoshop elements do this?

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As the others have mentioned, both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements can do that. And like they say, it's not easy and takes a lot of practice before your results look acceptable.

However, because a lot of software writers know that most of us are not masochists and just don't have the inclination to spend hundreds of hours perfecting our PS skills, there are PS plug-ins that will work almost as well and give you more than acceptable results right off the bat.

Image Doctor is great for removing unwanted backgrounds and replacing them with different ones. PS Elements plus this plug-in is a good place for her to start.

http://www.alienskin.com/idoc/idoc_main.html

Another plug-in that I use all the time is this one, Digital ROC (ROC = Restoration of Color) which was developed by Applied Science Fiction and bought out over a year ago by Kodak. This plug-in saves an enormous amount of time by making color correction quick, simple and easy. The Pro version adds contrast and brightness correction.

http://www.asf.com/products/plugins/rocpro/pluginROCPRO.asp

Both of them have trial versions for you to try out so that your wife can see if these plug-ins satisfy her needs.

pcpacker said:

3 hours of work.

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I think....you're a natural!

I also wonder what the owner of the house on the left was thinking, with the brick lower floor and the stucco upper...it's a strange match.

Are those two chimneys at either end of the upper floor of the mod version?

pcpacker said:

I think it turned out great.

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Excellent work for a first attempt. With a little more practise you'll get better results in considerably less time

Very nice work... don't think I would have had the patience, but now I understand better what you wanted to do, I didn't quite get it from the original post...

I think a photoshop job like that, combined with a 'scrapbook' of elements, like most other has recommended, will make it very easy for the architect to make something you'll really like...

Good luck with the house building...

when my brother planned his house last year he used a program on his wintel machine that allows you to build a 3d house. it's not a real planning software, more an easy software to draw the floorplan, put in windows, doors, walls. after that you can look at it in 3d. helps a lot to decide what you want and talk to the architects. like all windows software it was a good idea with a crappy implementation. is there something similar for the mac?

andi