Today we have a lovely little tutorial set for you straight from our friend, @mariahalv! Her photos are always moody and beautiful and her formulas show off some of the best aspects of Mextures. Read on for a behind-the-scenes snapshot of her formula creation process!

FORMULA CODE: VWEAJRK

Its no secret that I’m all about moodiness when it comes to photography and edits.   Fog is my favourite thing to shoot. I’ve only been using a dslr camera for just over a year, so I’m still learning the tricks of the trade. When looking at an original, I generally know how I want the edit to make it look—enter Mextures.   This original was taken on a foggy afternoon.  I wanted to create a tunnel like effect on the road, so I started by using the Vintage and Soil from the Vintage Gradients package to get the outer edges a bit darker,  with the overlay blending mode.  Next I used Winter Skies from the Landscape Enhance package to brighten up the bottom half of the shot—also using the overlay blending mode. In order to make the leaves a bit greener, I brought in Gloom_N_Doom from Atmospheric using the hard light blending mode.  To bring in a bit of texture and warmth, I used Tesla from the Emulsion package, Leaker from  Grit And Grain , Sunflower from Light Leaks  and finally Enchanter from Light Leaks 4; all in Screen blending mode.  It still wasn’t warm enough, so I chose the UV Film preset and increased the saturation.  To maintain the foggy feel, I cranked up the Fade and Highlight and dropped the Contrast just a smidge.  Finally, I sharpened things up a fair bit for definition.

FORMULA CODE: BSSJGNQ

I wanted to make this shot moody and super textured.  I started with Vintage and Twilight from the Vintage Gradients package-both Overlay Blending Mode.  Vintage darkened the perimeter and Twilight lightened the centre.  To further make the centre the focus, I added Apotheosis from the Anomaly. package with the screen blending mode.  In order to make the overall look a bit less green, I added Elation from the Atmospheric package (Hard Light blending mode) for a tinge if orange/red.   Next came the texture with a double hit of Franklin from the Emulsion package in screen mode.  Finally Swamped from the Intensity package (overlay blending mode) for a twinge if warmth and depth.  I used K-Porta film preset because I love the faded effect it gives and lessened the exposure to -28 and increased the contrast to add to the dark moodiness.  To add to this moodiness, I lessened the saturation and  fade. I wanted the Tint to be less pinky so I  set it to -21.  To give it a more airy/eerie feel, I cranked up  the Shadows.

See all of Maria’s beautiful photos here!