Hot Pic of the Week

Get published, get famous! Each week, we select our favorite reader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, and technique. Every month, the best of the weekly winners gets a prize valued at between $15 and $50.

Here's how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format, at a resolution no higher than 640 by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediately disqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reduce the file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include the title of your photo along with a short description and how you photographed it. Don't forget to send your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Before entering, please read the full description of the contest rules and regulations.

This Week's Hot Pic: "1928 Chevy," by Stacy A. Niedzwiecki, Rockford, Michigan

Stacy explains her process for creating this week's photo:

I created this image using three layers in Photoshop. I took the original photo and made a duplicate layer that I converted to sepia tone. That sepia image layer went on the bottom.

With the color layer version of the car now on top, I carefully isolated the flags and erased everything else. At this point, the colored flags were resting on top of the sepia photo.

Then I made one more layer that had only a red border, and erased just the portion of the border at top where the opened car hood comes up so it looked like the hood is coming out over the border.

This was very time-consuming because I had to be careful and work slowly to get it right. When working on an image like this, you can't just erase and call it good enough or the photo will look like a cardboard cut-out. Instead, I used the Feather feature and soft edges on the eraser tool on the edges closest to the subject so it didn't look unnatural--it all has to blend together.

I want your feedback! Send your comments, questions, and suggestions about Digital Focus to comments@bydavejohnson.com. And be sure to sign up to have the Digital Focus Newsletter e-mailed to you each week.