Pixelmator-ed Trees

Early June is the time for a tree-following report but … once again I’ve neglected my service berry. It’s become obvious that I picked the wrong tree. It’s too far away. It’s been a snowy spring. Now I have a lot of work. Maybe I’ll get back in late summer … maybe. But there is plenty of news from tree-followers around the world. Check it out at the virtual gathering kindly hosted by The Squirrel Basket.

Instead, I’m posting some experimental tree images, for I’ve been learning Pixelmator. I bought it last year, thinking it was time to get a true image editor. I had aspirations Preview couldn’t fulfill. Reviews were enthusiastic; at $29.99 it was cheap (still is). But then I didn’t use it … until last week.

I needed a figure for a paper about Black Hills Montane Grasslands—which I’ve been working on for years. Yes, this is my albatross!

Let me tell you my epic tale.

You see, I’m not a Compleat Scientist. I would rather put together blog posts—in fact do almost anything—than write a paper for a scientific journal. It’s a guaranteed way to take the joy out of a project.

It was enjoyable, once upon a time. Photo by D. Ode, 2011.

Native Black Hills Montane Grasslands (green and yellow dots) now occupy only 10% of original habitat.

One morning last week, I awoke knowing the manuscript was almost ready to submit, but I needed a figure. I sighed with dread, collected my jpegs, and opened Pixelmator. About an hour later the figure was done! I was excited—not about the paper, but about this easy and powerful image editor. I see a lot of fun creative opportunities ahead.

I’ve had it in mind for awhile to experiment with mixing color and black-and-white. The image at the top of the post was my first try. It was so easy … not just to do, but to learn how to do (it helps to have experience with Photoshop and understand layers). I made a duplicate layer, converted it to black-and-white, and used the “Magic Eraser Tool” to reveal some of the colors underneath. It took just a few minutes of trial-and-error to make something interesting, something I liked. That is magic!

This boxelder tree grows in Long Canyon off the Burr Trail, in Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument (Utah).

Original photo.

The Magic Eraser removed parts of the overlying black-and-white layer.

I met these ghostly travelers on the Old Spanish Trail near Fish Lake, Utah. The era (ca 1840) and the aspen trunks say black-and-white, but not the leaves …

It’s also easy to add color to black-and-white images—to create the look of old hand-colored photos, which I love. The subtle beauty is something to aspire to.

J. Garnier, hand-colored daguerreotype, circa 1850. Source.

A crude first try: My muse—the Ancient Mariner with his albatross.

Original illustration by Dore, from Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Source. 

Within the shadow of the ship

I watched their rich attire:

Blue, glossy green, and velvet black,

They coiled and swam; and every track

Was a flash of golden fire.

[UPDATE: As a reader pointed out—Pixelmator only runs on Macs.]

Geo-challenge in Space and Time

The American Serengeti. Where are we ... and when?

Be forewarned, happy scavenger—good times never last.

The rolling land is covered in grass, for as far as the eye can see. Hackberry trees, tall grasses and lush forbs line the streams … usually. But not now. Instead, there are hordes of thirsty starving animals. Predators feast upon easy prey, but soon they die too, as do the scavengers—all victims of a terrible drought. Yet it was because of climate change that they lived at all.

The bones pile up, are buried in sediment, become encased in rock. Then a cattle rancher finds some sticking out of a hillside, leading to a remarkable fossil quarry with millions of well-preserved bones. The animals rise again, to dwell in air-conditioned comfort.

“The valleys … although largely uninhabitable, are full of interest to the geologist. Located along these rivers is one of those grand cemeteries of extinct animals which have excited the wonder of intelligent men all over the world.” — Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, 1871

Where on Google Earth?