The composite is a combination of 5 images merged together and blended to create what you see here.
A full tutorial about how to achieve a result like this will follow shortly.
Friday, 11 February 2011
Photomerge
Just completed work on this merged image of a cornering Mitsubishi Evolution.
The composite is a combination of 5 images merged together and blended to create what you see here.
A full tutorial about how to achieve a result like this will follow shortly.
The composite is a combination of 5 images merged together and blended to create what you see here.
A full tutorial about how to achieve a result like this will follow shortly.
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Man without a face
Recently I've become more interested in portrait photography. A lot of my work has always been indirectly about people and the social consequences of the way we live, but until recently I've never really consciously shot portraits.
A portrait should tell you something about a person, but sometimes a face is simply not enough. By focusing on other aspects of a person, it is often possible to tell more of a story.
The photograph below was taken of a traditional carver in Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada in the summer of 2010. This was a trip where I did actually start to shoot portraits and this is the one that says the most to me.
A portrait should tell you something about a person, but sometimes a face is simply not enough. By focusing on other aspects of a person, it is often possible to tell more of a story.
The photograph below was taken of a traditional carver in Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada in the summer of 2010. This was a trip where I did actually start to shoot portraits and this is the one that says the most to me.
Monday, 22 November 2010
Photoshop technique:
Clipping Masks: the basics.
Clipping masks are a really useful tool in Photoshop and can help you put an image into a specific shape or even inside your text. Perfect for those little design touches without delving into the world of InDesign.
This brief tutorial will show how to use clipping masks to create text which is filled with an image of your choice.
Step 1: Create a canvas and text layer.
Create a new canvas by clicking File > New and set your background colour to grey. Select the Type Tool by pressing T on your keyboard. Now select your desired font. The effect works best with chunky fonts (I chose Poplar Std). Choose white as your foreground and type your desired text. (Using white for your text makes it possible to reduce the opacity of your clipping mask later on)
Step 2: Choose the image you want to use.
Open up the image you want to use to fill your text. I decided on an image of clouds.
Now select all (cmd+A or ctrl+A) and click Edit > Copy.
Step 3: Create a new layer for your image.
Go back to the document with your text in and Paste your new image into a new layer by pressing cmd+V (Mac) or ctrl+V (PC) and make sure that the layer is directly above the layer with the text in.
Step 4: Make your clipping mask.
To make the clipping mask, hover your cursor over the line between the two layers in your Layers palette. Now press and hold alt and you will see a symbol that looks like two overlapping circles appear.
Click your mouse and Photoshop will create the clipping mask, pushing the image layer into the shape of your text layer.
It's worth noting at this point that once your clipping mask is created you can still amend your text layer, so if you need to adjust the size or spacing or fill, simply select the text layer and adjust away.
Step 5: Adjust.
Now you have your clipping mask, you can move the text layer around, adjust the size, change the opacity or change your font to give the desired effect. By pasting the same image into a layer below your text, and using the Bevel and Emboss Layer style, you can get a cool effect like this:
So there you have it. A simple way to use Photoshop's clipping masks to fill your text with an image. The technique works with any shape, and you can be used to add shading and highlights to shapes.
This brief tutorial will show how to use clipping masks to create text which is filled with an image of your choice.
Step 1: Create a canvas and text layer.
Create a new canvas by clicking File > New and set your background colour to grey. Select the Type Tool by pressing T on your keyboard. Now select your desired font. The effect works best with chunky fonts (I chose Poplar Std). Choose white as your foreground and type your desired text. (Using white for your text makes it possible to reduce the opacity of your clipping mask later on)
Step 2: Choose the image you want to use.
Open up the image you want to use to fill your text. I decided on an image of clouds.
Now select all (cmd+A or ctrl+A) and click Edit > Copy.
Step 3: Create a new layer for your image.
Go back to the document with your text in and Paste your new image into a new layer by pressing cmd+V (Mac) or ctrl+V (PC) and make sure that the layer is directly above the layer with the text in.
Step 4: Make your clipping mask.
To make the clipping mask, hover your cursor over the line between the two layers in your Layers palette. Now press and hold alt and you will see a symbol that looks like two overlapping circles appear.
Click your mouse and Photoshop will create the clipping mask, pushing the image layer into the shape of your text layer.
It's worth noting at this point that once your clipping mask is created you can still amend your text layer, so if you need to adjust the size or spacing or fill, simply select the text layer and adjust away.
Step 5: Adjust.
Now you have your clipping mask, you can move the text layer around, adjust the size, change the opacity or change your font to give the desired effect. By pasting the same image into a layer below your text, and using the Bevel and Emboss Layer style, you can get a cool effect like this:
So there you have it. A simple way to use Photoshop's clipping masks to fill your text with an image. The technique works with any shape, and you can be used to add shading and highlights to shapes.
Monday, 1 November 2010
Fake tilt and shift miniature models.
Make your favourite urban landscapes look like models with this effective fake tilt and shift technique using Photoshop’s Lens Blur filter.
Step 1: Duplicate layer.
Open your image and create a duplicate of your background layer by right clicking on it and selecting Duplicate Layer. Working on the duplicate, makes it possible to revert to the original should we make any mistakes along the way. With the Model layer active, create a new layer mask by clicking on the white circle inside a grey rectangle at the bottom of the layers palette.
Step 2: Make your layer mask channel visible.
By default, when you apply a layer mask, the mask channel is invisible. Making it visible will place an overlay of our mask on top of our image, which will help with creating and editing the mask. Click on the Channels tab and click in the box to the left of the Model Mask channel to make it visible.
Step 3: Choosing the correct mask.
To create the narrow depth of field, we need to use the reflected gradient mask. Select gradient by pressing G and ensure that your foreground and background are black and white respectively. In the gradient options, chose foreground to background and reflected gradient. Keep Mode set to Normal and Opacity at 100%.
Step 4: Placing the gradient.
To place your gradient, think about the plane you want your sharp focus on and imagine a line across your image. Place your cursor on your imaginary focal plane and then click and drag a line at 90o to the plane approximately a quarter of the length of the image. A red gradient overlay will appear. The deepest red represents the sharpest focus, dropping off through the gradient. Re-draw the gradient until you are happy.
Step 5: Apply the Lens Blur filter.
To apply the filter, click the Channels tab and ensure the RGB channel is active. Click Filter > Blur > Lens Blur to open the preview window. Make sure Depth Map Source is set to Layer Mask and then set the Iris options to Shape: Hexagon and Radius: 30 leaving all other settings at default. Your preview pane will show the effect. If you’re happy, click OK or cancel out to redraw your gradient
Step 6: Reveal your image.
To remove the red overlay, click the Channels tab and make the Model Mask channel invisible by clicking on the eye icon. This removes the mask overlay and shows the full effect of the Lens Blur filter on the image and makes it easier to amend your mask using the brush tool if you need to.
Step 7: Refine your mask.
Now we see the full effect of the mask, we can look if there are any areas that need to be in sharper focus or more blurred. To add focus to an area select the Mask Channel then click the Brush tool and choose a soft brush at about 50% opacity. Carefully brush over the desired area with a black brush to reveal sharp focus. To remove focus, use a white brush.
Step 8: Saturate the scene.
Brightening the colours will help to increase the model effect by making the whole image look more like plastic. Click Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Saturation/Hue and adjust the Saturation slider to suit. Now make a new Layer Adjustment for Brightness/Contrast and set your Brightness and Contrast.
Step 9: Amend Shadows and Highlights.
Finally we will edit the Shadows and Highlights. Click Image > Adjustments > Shadow/Highlight and check the Show More Options box. Set the Shadows and Highlights options to finish off the effect.
Step 10: Crop and save.
To add to the illusion that your scene is a model, crop out the majority of the sky. Cropping to a ratio of around 5:4 is a good idea as this is traditionally the aspect ratio of a large format negative, but you can crop however you want.
So that's it. An easy way to make your images look like miniature models.
This technique works best with landscapes shot from an elevated position as the perspective helps to add to the illusion of a miniature scene.
Step 1: Duplicate layer.
Open your image and create a duplicate of your background layer by right clicking on it and selecting Duplicate Layer. Working on the duplicate, makes it possible to revert to the original should we make any mistakes along the way. With the Model layer active, create a new layer mask by clicking on the white circle inside a grey rectangle at the bottom of the layers palette.
Step 2: Make your layer mask channel visible.
By default, when you apply a layer mask, the mask channel is invisible. Making it visible will place an overlay of our mask on top of our image, which will help with creating and editing the mask. Click on the Channels tab and click in the box to the left of the Model Mask channel to make it visible.
Step 3: Choosing the correct mask.
To create the narrow depth of field, we need to use the reflected gradient mask. Select gradient by pressing G and ensure that your foreground and background are black and white respectively. In the gradient options, chose foreground to background and reflected gradient. Keep Mode set to Normal and Opacity at 100%.
Step 4: Placing the gradient.
To place your gradient, think about the plane you want your sharp focus on and imagine a line across your image. Place your cursor on your imaginary focal plane and then click and drag a line at 90o to the plane approximately a quarter of the length of the image. A red gradient overlay will appear. The deepest red represents the sharpest focus, dropping off through the gradient. Re-draw the gradient until you are happy.
Step 5: Apply the Lens Blur filter.
To apply the filter, click the Channels tab and ensure the RGB channel is active. Click Filter > Blur > Lens Blur to open the preview window. Make sure Depth Map Source is set to Layer Mask and then set the Iris options to Shape: Hexagon and Radius: 30 leaving all other settings at default. Your preview pane will show the effect. If you’re happy, click OK or cancel out to redraw your gradient
Step 6: Reveal your image.
To remove the red overlay, click the Channels tab and make the Model Mask channel invisible by clicking on the eye icon. This removes the mask overlay and shows the full effect of the Lens Blur filter on the image and makes it easier to amend your mask using the brush tool if you need to.
Step 7: Refine your mask.
Now we see the full effect of the mask, we can look if there are any areas that need to be in sharper focus or more blurred. To add focus to an area select the Mask Channel then click the Brush tool and choose a soft brush at about 50% opacity. Carefully brush over the desired area with a black brush to reveal sharp focus. To remove focus, use a white brush.
Step 8: Saturate the scene.
Brightening the colours will help to increase the model effect by making the whole image look more like plastic. Click Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Saturation/Hue and adjust the Saturation slider to suit. Now make a new Layer Adjustment for Brightness/Contrast and set your Brightness and Contrast.
Step 9: Amend Shadows and Highlights.
Finally we will edit the Shadows and Highlights. Click Image > Adjustments > Shadow/Highlight and check the Show More Options box. Set the Shadows and Highlights options to finish off the effect.
Step 10: Crop and save.
To add to the illusion that your scene is a model, crop out the majority of the sky. Cropping to a ratio of around 5:4 is a good idea as this is traditionally the aspect ratio of a large format negative, but you can crop however you want.
So that's it. An easy way to make your images look like miniature models.
This technique works best with landscapes shot from an elevated position as the perspective helps to add to the illusion of a miniature scene.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Death of the 365
Yesterday marked the 62nd day of my project 365, and I'm afraid to say I've fallen by the wayside. I contemplated making a photograph a day late and carrying on but it just didn't feel right- I can't live that lie!
So there it is. 61 days. Virtually 1/6th of the projected completed, but it is no more.
Honestly, it's been a bit of a struggle to keep it up, and inspiration has been severely lacking for quite a while, to the point where making photographs was becoming a bit of a pain. Although I'm sad that I didn't keep going for longer, I didn't want it to feel like a chore.
I plan to have another go at some point but want to make sure I'm in the right place first. I want to love making photographs.
So there it is. 61 days. Virtually 1/6th of the projected completed, but it is no more.
Honestly, it's been a bit of a struggle to keep it up, and inspiration has been severely lacking for quite a while, to the point where making photographs was becoming a bit of a pain. Although I'm sad that I didn't keep going for longer, I didn't want it to feel like a chore.
I plan to have another go at some point but want to make sure I'm in the right place first. I want to love making photographs.
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Day 43 through 61 of 365 Catchup.
Day 61 of 365: White beer
Day 60 of 365: Lightning bolt
Day 59 of 365: The hat that keeps you going
Day 58 of 365: Chandelier
Day 57 of 365: The little details
Day 56 of 365: Manmade landscape
Day 55 of 365: No almonds here!
Day 54 of 365: Poor, ugly, grumpy
Day 53 of 365: Green bay
Day 52 of 365: Johnny 5 is alive!
Day 51 of 365: Red arrow
Day 50 of 365: Hopper
Day 49 of 365: Room with a view
Day 48 of 365: Crawl space
Day 47 of 365: View through
Day 46 of 365: Flow
Day 45 of 365: House on the hill
Day 44 of 365: No stopping
Day 43 of 365: Coffee and nut cake
Day 60 of 365: Lightning bolt
Day 59 of 365: The hat that keeps you going
Day 58 of 365: Chandelier
Day 57 of 365: The little details
Day 56 of 365: Manmade landscape
Day 55 of 365: No almonds here!
Day 54 of 365: Poor, ugly, grumpy
Day 53 of 365: Green bay
Day 52 of 365: Johnny 5 is alive!
Day 51 of 365: Red arrow
Day 50 of 365: Hopper
Day 49 of 365: Room with a view
Day 48 of 365: Crawl space
Day 47 of 365: View through
Day 46 of 365: Flow
Day 45 of 365: House on the hill
Day 44 of 365: No stopping
Day 43 of 365: Coffee and nut cake
Monday, 27 September 2010
Day 25 through 42 of 365 Catchup.
I was without internet for a while and have since had issues with my computer so I have decided to do a bulk catchup of my Project 365:
Day 42 of 365: Carapace
Day 41 of 365: Georgie
Day 40 of 365: Light Industry
Day 39 of 365: Wista VX
Day 38 of 365: Fading Apple
Day 37 of 365: Joseph Joseph
Day 36 of 365: Relax
Day 35 of 365: Genius
Day 34 of 365: Noah's Hot Air Balloon
Day 33 of 365: Land Ho!
Day 32 of 365: Eruption
Day 31 of 365: Tarbert
Day 30 of 365: Refraction
Day 29 of 365: Connect Four
Day 28 of 365: Chimes
Day 27 of 365: Splashback
Day 26 of 365: Church Yard
Day 25 of 365: Tools of the trade
Day 42 of 365: Carapace
Day 41 of 365: Georgie
Day 40 of 365: Light Industry
Day 39 of 365: Wista VX
Day 38 of 365: Fading Apple
Day 37 of 365: Joseph Joseph
Day 36 of 365: Relax
Day 35 of 365: Genius
Day 34 of 365: Noah's Hot Air Balloon
Day 33 of 365: Land Ho!
Day 32 of 365: Eruption
Day 31 of 365: Tarbert
Day 30 of 365: Refraction
Day 29 of 365: Connect Four
Day 28 of 365: Chimes
Day 27 of 365: Splashback
Day 26 of 365: Church Yard
Day 25 of 365: Tools of the trade
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