Thanks Robert. This one is just natural window light that was really just so beautiful, I couldn't help but make this image after finishing my iced tea.
Ronny, the scratch out effect is made by using some "scratch brushes" I downloaded off of the Adobe website. It's been over a year, so I'm not sure how to find them other than to go there and do a search for "scratch brushes". After you have them, it's pretty simple. You create a separate layer, choose a color for the brush and then pretty much stamp that brush onto the layer. In the case of this image, I used white and then changed the layer blend mode to "soft light" to give it a more realistic blended effect.
Very interesting take on color and glass by having the color completely seperate. The most important thing about using an effect well is to use it when it is appropriate and you are perfectly "on the mark". Looks like you finished your ice tea about sixty years ago.
I hesitated and almost posted this image without the effect, but it just wasn't the image I was happy with, so I changed it to this version. I realize that images like this are automatically discounted by many purists, but I find - as you have stated - if it is done well, it can really make an entirely new statement. It is definitely a fine balance between being effective and being a distraction. And I would guess that on an image like this, it would be easy to find opinions on either side. But at the end of the day, it's my image and this is how I felt to create it.
