It's another beautiful day to stop using Photoshop, as Adobe continue being utter bastards!

There's so very many alternatives but after 25 years of using PS I didn't like any of them enough, I just wanted to edit my photos and scanned paintings, not learn a new system... And I've been very happy with Affinity! I kept meaning to watch even one tutorial but never did. It just worked intuitively enough, and with but one two digit purchase of the program forever.
The RAW editing is also nice enough that now I only use one program instead of another one for that.

sometimes what i see in my mind and what comes out when i practice a simple sky replacement exercise is not... really the same

but this Goldfinch keeps moving forward anyway so there's that...

my first beta test of Affinity Photo 2.6 object selection

Boobear the 28-year-old cockatiel is helping me by posing on a white/messy background, i think that's a tough enough test

snap the photo, select the bird, select the not bird, apply gaussian blur & desaturate to the not bird channel

had to do a little tinkering because object selection missed part of the crest but it's... semi-OK?

comments welcome

After hours of staking out the river over quite a few days, Mr Kingfisher finally decided to pose. #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2 #BirdsOfMastodon

"Are you sure? I think we're sposed to go that way..."

This is a two image focus stack, dunno about the background but i wanted to capture the look of perplexity on both bird's faces...

Senegal Thickknee Pair, Djoudj, Senegal

The theme for Earth Day 2024 is "Planet vs Plastics" , took this image recently on the banks of The White Cart River. The planet is losing with some irony it would seem. #EarthDay2024 #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2 #PlasticPollution #Environment

VR not working on my big lens. Don't want to be without it as repair would take at least six weeks. As I had to wait 5 months last year while they tried to procure parts, the prospect of a repeat means I'm holding off. Fast shutter speeds and tripod/gimbal is the solution for now. Blow me down if I didn't get this shot which I've only been trying to get for five freaking years. #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2 #BlueTit #BirdsOfMastodon

Eurasian Nuthatch photographed on Friday in a moment of good light. #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2 #BirdsOfMastodon

Common Buzzard from earlier on today, nice banking turn after avoiding some crows. #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2 #Raptors #BirdsOfMastodon

First birdie image of 2024 a grey wagtail looking very dapper. #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2 #BirdsOfMastodon

On a much healthier note, here's an image of a female goosander aka common merganser that I photographed the other day just as the sun was going down. #BirdsOfMastodon #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2

A male blackbird enjoying the holly berry feast available in the park just now. #BirdsOfMastodon #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2

One of the great things about keeping an archive of unprocessed images is being able to revisit the warmer months in the depths of winter. I edited this Saxon wasp in a different frame before but this one is actually sharper, don't know why it was overlooked at the time. Vilified by the general population, loved by naturalists and photographers. There is beauty everywhere if you care to look. These insects love woodland figwort, the flower you see here. #Insects #Nikon #Sigma #AffinityPhoto2

Our nearest star about to set behind a horizon full of deciduous trees in wintertime. #Landscape #Panorama #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2

Long tailed tits are one of the cutest birds in the park. Here's a rare image of one without a twig in the foreground, taken earlier today. #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2 #BirdsOfMastodon

Didn't make it to the park before or at dawn, it's volunteer work party day today so started working as soon as I arrived. Then it was lunch with the group, then chatting with a friend, next thing I know it's 50mins till sundown. Somehow managed to get a reasonably good image in that time. #BirdsOfMastodon #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2

There is another leg tucked away...Don't worry. Grey heron photographed an hour after dawn this morning. #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2 #BirdsOfMastodon

"Pretending to be a leaf is my superpower." #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2 #BirdsOfMastodon

If you are going to look for insects or spiders under leaves...This is the way to do it. #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2 #BirdsOfMastodon #LongTailedTit

The bridge over the White Cart River at Pollok House, putting on a lightshow and interrupting the wildlife photography. #Nikon #AffinityPhoto2