thanks guys! HC...maybe we can just open up the hatch and blow them out into space!!!! bsteph...by all means, help yourself and play with my images as much as you like! You make me laugh! Well, you're exactly right...stagnant water with some floating leaves...not exactly scenic...and well, let's face it...not much pretty about stagnant water, is there!? but for some reason, i do like it. yeah, a bit more contrast would probably help. and that bottom part does need some work. I'll give it a try later. i'm heading to work in a few minutes though. i've tried it in blue and orange (seems to be my colors of choice these days) and preferred the orange for some reason. i'll try your other suggestions and see. Thanks so much for your help!!!!