Stage 1 : Start your image-editing application and open a photo you would like to intensify. Any image-editor will do as long as it supports layers and different blending modes. Of course, it is also possible to add these effects to video material. Paint Shop Pro was used to create the above examples.

Stage 2 : Open a texture from the Mutation or Abstraction CD. Select a texture whose pattern and color will fit for creating a special effect like one of the above ones. If necessary resize the texture to fit the photo or to make it larger than the photo.

When choosing a texture it is good to try to imagine the effect the appropriate texture could produce or to search for a texture that could produce the effect you want to achieve. For example in the top left image a texture was used to turn the summer photo into an autumn-like landscape, the city panorama photo was intensified with more colors, the fog of the upper left image was given a more structured look and finally a texture adds a sunset look to the window shot.

Stage 3 : Copy and paste the texture as a new layer on top of the photo.

Stage 4 : Experiment with different blending modes like Multiply, Lighten, Overlay, Soft Light, Dodge etc. Also adjust the transparency slider somewhere between 1 and 100% to avoid that the effect becomes too dominant. If the texture layer is larger than the photo, try moving it around until you got the best fitting section of the texture.

Stage 5 : Finally merge the photo and texture layer and save the image.