Marmite. You either love it or you hate it. I love it but I’m in the minority in my household. But, what has marmite got to do with photography? Well to be honest, nothing. However, the images I created for this blog post will probably be like Marmite; some will love them, others will think I’ve lost the plot.
I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m quite lazy when it comes to processing images. I primarily use the Snapseed app on my tablet and only occasionally make use of Photoshop on my desktop computer. In the past I’ve tried all sorts of Apps on my tablet but most end up being deleted as I turn to Snapseed for most things. I do use a little App to create small collages, diptychs etcetera and another to resize images for this blog. So, not a particularly extravagant set up! I do have another App that has escaped the regular culls however. Step forward Distressed FX.
Creating gorgeous artwork from your photos has never been easier. With Distressed FX, simply take a photo and choose from a wide range of textured images and overlays. Transform even the most mundane photo into a work of art.
https://www.distressedfx.com
I’ve always tried to keep an open mind about photography. I’ve embraced the so-called hybrid approach; film capture, digitising the negatives and then digital post-processing. I also use a traditional approach in a darkroom. One thing I’ve also dabbled with in the past has been digital textures using Photoshop. I’ve created my own textures with a digital camera or scanner and then combined them in Photoshop with my own digital images. The Distressed FX App does the same sort of thing using it’s own library of textures and overlays. Less nuanced but quick, easy and highly effective. I confess to occasionally indulging myself!
So, here are a few images which all use Ilford HP5+ negatives from a recent outing with the Zorki 4, a Chroma Double Glass lens and a yellow/green filter. The negatives were digitised with a Fuji X-H1 and processed in Snapseed before being let loose within Distressed FX.
Love them or not I’d be interested in your views.
Dave's Place 
I can’t stand Marmite, horrible brown stuff, but … I love these. Mind you, when I saw the posts on Twitter I was completely unaware what DistressedFX was and thought you were so fortuitous getting a shot of those birds in flight. Nicely done, and now I don’t feel so guilty about using the occasional ‘styles’ in SnapSeed.
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Cheers Keith! Ironically, although these were added in post I do have a collection of images featuring flocks of birds to which I shall be adding textures next time I get the urge to play with Distressed FX. Glad you like them
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I like Marmite. It’s made a few miles from here from the excess yeast produced by the Burton breweries. I am also a fan of Distressed FX when used in moderation with the right image. I tend not to do anything with them but I enjoy ‘tinkering’ with the app. I think I may put one or two on my blog to see what the reaction is.
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I think you’re right to use “moderation”. I shall watch out for something on your blog in the future!
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Must admit I do like these, although knowing the history gives me a slightly weird feeling, for no reason I can put my finger on. They remind me that I tried a couple of posterising/fakepainting approaches with some images in the past. I thought they worked, kind of, but I wasn’t at all motivated to repeat the experience. I’d be interested to see if you do repeat this very often! Would you hang these on your wall? (BTW I’m not at all clear how much input you have to achieving the final image, which might make a difference to the amount of ownership/authenticity one would feel?)
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There’s facility for a reasonable amount of input. It uses templates, and there’s a fair number of them, each can be tweaked, the blending mode can be changed and it’s possible to create your own. I take the DFX output back into Snapseed to add finishing touches. I rarely share these so don’t expect a sudden rush of them 🤣 They aren’t the sort of image I’d hang on my wall, although they would probably appeal to some, but I enjoy the break from my normal urban grittiness
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