Inside the boathouse

[HarveyDarkey]

another old one I just scanned

[Adsos Letter]

1. I think your shot is interesting; how about black and white...

and a bit of blurring at the doorway?

[HarveyDarkey]

2. I'd considered B&W, but not the blurring

How did you do the blurring, and more importantly how did you level it off? I'm trying to find a software that is easier to learn than GIMP. As a Linux user, my options are somewhat limited.

[Adsos Letter]

3. I admit to total ignorance on OS's (among my many other deficits)...

I downloaded the free trial version of Photoshop Elements the other day (free for 30 days) and used it for the tweaks. Straightening is a simple, straightforward operation with every processing program I have seen. You simply choose a line in the shot which you want to correct, and the program uses it as a baseline for the entire shot. The blurring was done by using the "magic wand" tool, in "non-contiguous" mode, to select and isolate the highlights in the doorway; once isolated, I simply pushed "blur" for the result.

As for operating systems for Linux: I just don't know, but I am certain that others here will have an answer for you! :D