How to Make a Killer Promo Shot – Digital Artwork

Do you own a Nightclub in Ibiza?   Want to make your own Promo Artwork, SIMPLE !   Just follow my 4 step plan !!

One model,  One camera, One Studio , One computer , CS3 or 4 (photoshop) and10 mins ! Thats all you need , Sorta…

Its been a while since my last Photoshop blog, so i wanted to create something fun for everyone !!  Because I am nice like that.. I thought summer style Party Promo Club might be just the thing to bring summer here ! Lets make a HEDKANDI STYLE PHOTO !!

So then STEP ONE !!

Find a model, my lovely model was Nicola Stevens, My photo was taken f4.8 @ 135mm,   A little light from either side and a blue gel from the back. A fan was used to lift the hair.  The photo was kept darker to enusre no detail was lost . I knew there was going to be loads of post pro , so i was not too worried about make up. It was more of a snap than a proper Photo Shoot…..

Once you have your photograph, Pop into into photoshop direct. Edit up the skin, Make up , body shapes, and all the stuff that you want to do. I use a few ticks using lens blur layers after a good going over with the stamp tool Blur sharpen, repeat…   If you do wanna know more about this, section…  fire me an e-mail or get a make-up artist !!

STEP TWO !!

Create 2 new layers -

Make some funky over lays and pretty patterns.  This is very random and hit or miss.  I kept very simple and created two quick elements that sit into my comp.

These elemets very very simple and created using the Brush tool and some very simple layer styles, a simple inner glow and outer glow, A flip into screen colour mode and your done.

Lets work on the lighting cord. (Pen tool> creat wiggle>remove sections behind arm>add layer style)      I used a custom shape brush and a Wacom Tablet set on the airbrush mode to let me fade in and out,  a nice soft brush does work well here.

Here I again made a custom brush for my fake Bokeh effect. (create brush shape>edit brush settings>paint>done !!)    Once you have your settings for the brush its half the battle.  You dont have to make your own brush.. but i think its cool.  The settings…  F5 will make your brush manager pop if you have not got it open. play around with some stuff in there like size and shizzle.. I dont really want to say what i used.. just play and see. Its a very very Powerful tool.

After you have made your layer,  add about 3 or 4 more layers..  paint some whacky colours on there (one colour per layer)  , Pop them into colour mode (blending layer)  and see your Bokeh colour up !!  This should start to colour your background photo now too..

STEP THREE !!

Colour up your photo and merge it all !!

You should almost have your comp done.. A few more colour layers set to Colour blend mode and some more whacky colours should start to build up the over all photo..

Dont be worried if your photo looks like this  !!  its cool..   Build it up duplicate the layer, add some Lens Blur, Screen mode , sharpen this.. add that and add back in your  elements you make and Bingp Bango

Watch it all come together..

STEP FOUR !!

Opps.. ok .. so only 3 steps..   Erm..  ADD MORE LAYERS , work some cool layer styles and build build build !!   Dont be worried about trying things !   I have about 20 odd layers in mine.. some pure blue layers, some blurred up layers.  Lots of screen mode layers. God Bless the Alpha Channel !!

Thank you !!  send me your versions !!

LABB Magazine | Art & Design

WELCOME TO LABB . . .   j’adorable!

The  role as Art Director for LABB MAGAZINE, has been almost a total life consuming role. But I am told that is the Fashion Industry, and to just get on with it… Which is exactly what I have done.  On the LABB team, There is George Eko (Editor in chief ), OscarAlexander Lunburg (Creative Editor) , Ozzy Shah (Features Editor), Abiola Salami (Managing Editor) and myself.  Quite a small team!

“LABB is a quarterly ‘coffee table’ glossy which will be aimed at designers, photographers and artists from all different backgrounds. It’s very easy to read as the written features will be minimal and main focus will be on the editorial spreads.”   – OZZY

As I am writing this blog, half the team is in London preparing the final order for the magazine. Its a strange feeling,  I have been working on the layout for months now, sometimes 20 hours a day. Its a strange feeling to think when the next few changes that I make (when i get the new notes) will be the last changes, LABB will have its first ever magazine.

Its been a Rocky birth, its been hard and stressful. But I am very sure I speak for the whole of the LABB  team when I say that , “we are confident in our product”.

I have a duel interest in this magazine as a number of  the submissions and commissions in the magazine are mine.  Whats really strange is that putting the layout together is not the scary part for me.  there are 238 pages of pure Photographic and Fashion goodness, each of those pages is a worry, each tiny element on the cover pages, each tiny drop shadow, the position of each photo, each page should be able to stand up on it own yet work with the page next to it and with the whole of the magazine.  Its be a learning curve that’s for sure. But still, for me, my big buzz is that my photography has been included in the magazine. Seeing my work along Danny Tang, Andrew Bainbridge, Squiz Hamilton , Natalie J Watts and Karl Baxter, is an amazing feeling.  Which is a bigger achievement for me?  that’s hard to answer. But on thing is for sure.  I feel a MASSIVE  sense of achievement for just being where I am.

“If Vogue is your bible then LABB Magazine is going to be your Qur’an, Torah & Bible all in one!It is a fashionista’s dream put together all in one and oh my… Its definitely a rollercoaster to go through!” -OZZY

Below are some screen shoots from my computer of the magazine,  Please be sure to check out www.Labbmagazine.com

( oh..  if you are on Facebook too.. there links to our Facebook page via the website)

Lightroom – Workflow

Adobe Lightroom 2 +

Just some workflow insight ,

I have been a HUGE fan of Lightroom for a while. Proof checking, editing, printing, web gallery creation,  the list of time saving functions is crazy.  If your a Pro photographer and your not using Lightroom, your doing something wrong. If your working with a batch of frames, Photoshop is only really used in a final editing stage. Most of my edit work happens with in Lightroom these days.

There are a few functions that I would still love to see in Lightroom, It would be great to able to run Photoshop actions (using the photoshop engine) inside Lightroom, Add layer styles, create comp layers also, it would be really cool to able to sync your Presets into layer styles in Photoshop. Just some of these little additions would make Cross Platform (cross software) editing much streamlined projects when colour matching is important. Using the correct tool for the correct job. Why use Photoshop for simple things like contrast changes.

Anyway,  here is some Lightroom fun , You can put the Web module of Lightroom into “advanced mode” (an “experimental and unsupported” feature – so try this at your own risk) which will expose MANY more customization options in the Lightroom panels.

To go into Advanced Mode you’ll need to use a keyboard combo:

“Control Alt Shift /” on PC
“Cmd Alt Shift /” on Mac

Do the same to Return back to the normal version.

I get asked alot, what the best editing processes are , Its really simple.  Do whats best and most logical for you.  I use this work-flow as a rule

Adobe Bridge > Lighroom > Photoshop > Lightroom > Bridge

Bridge -

I use Bridge to remove blank frames or frames that are clearly not useable, Rename files and upload into Lightroom a quick selection of photos that are going to be edited.

Lightroom -

Lighroom is used to pull out a final selection of photos, Crop and Colour the photos, Overall pages edits are done. Vignettes, tones, curves, hue, saturation and Camera Calibrations are also done ( I never sharpen at this stage !!- you only ever want to sharpen a Final Product. Its always the last step. If you are not going into Photoshop after, then finish your photo in Lighroom )

Photoshop -

There is no way I could list the steps in here of what can you can do.  As a rule though, Skin is touched up and sharpened for which ever media the product is headed towards, Change colour Sets depending on the Products destination ie : RGB or CYMK  etc..

After this stage no other editing process should be needed.

Lightroom  -

Back into lightroom to make batch size changes, Create Web Galleries, Contact sheets, Slide shows etc..

Bridge -

Bridge is then used as the content management  tool, Using the Pre-made Actions you can send photos into other programs such as Photoshop to add watermarks borders, Prep for web, Border or any other Presets that you use.

Each stage is very important, and should leave you with a clear workflow.    Pick the Photos, Edit the Photos, Make them PERFECT, Edit them for purpose. Store them in a correct manner.

If you use your noodle, you should not go far wrong.  Just do what works for you, but ONLY IF YOU ARE USING LIGHTROOM !!

Digital Wings – (Danny Bennett) | Digital Art

The main idea behind this project was the angel wings. I have been wanting to find some good angel wings for quite while.  I really wanted to build some proper ones of my own.

Our Model is Danny Bennett,  who is playing the role of the devil.

This one is a little harder than the last

Step one !

Build some wings!  Last year I was down in London, walking around the Natural History Museum, I grabbed a few photos that I could use at stock photos for some projects just like this one.

Having a good stock libary is a very important tool in the birth process of any project. The first step was to strip back all the things I didn’t want to use in this photo. Using the EXTRACT tool I freed my bones wings that would become the main shape of the wing and give me a proper shape to work from.  Once the wings were free I used the STAMP tool to smarten back up the wings. For me building things up in layers in the main object here.

Once I have my bone wings, I used the PERSPECTIVE tool to shape the wings ( you can use any tools you like.) Using two Wings shaped to show the top of the wing and the under-feathers ( I can build up the feathers and colours to show the different sorts of feathers) I want real looking wings, yet wings that can not attached to any normal bird, after all, we are making Angel wings ! I created a few patterns using brushes and started to work on the wings to give them texture and depth. Using about 4 or 5 layers in different shapes and sizes, using blurring effects to blend them I started to build them up. Remember, you only have to build one wing !

Once you have your wing, ( mine took quite a time to build ) you can spin a copy over to make your full set. Maybe again shape them to give you a shape you like when you have your full wing span.  Most people never colour angel wings, its up to you though. Since you should have all your wings elements in at least 3 layers ( top layer, middle layer, bottom layer, the top layer being the bigger feathers at the bottom of your layers ) They should be really easy to colour.  Make a Layer section for each wing section, Flip the layer into some nice blending mode and colour, Simple.  Using a Layer mask, remove the bits to show off the parts of the wings that have colour and give them a realistic looking layer system.  I have built some quite Gothic looking wings with sharp feathers and lines. I used some photos of Bats and Insect wings as my references.

So you have some KILLER wings..     Lets make our Angel.

Our Model is Danny Bennett , but use anyone of anything you like !!  Get your self a cool photo, Cut them out and  attach.  Simple.  This is your first chance to see how your wings really sit and what they look like. After I had placed Danny infront of the wings, they looked light and unreal. I added some heavy black feathers that curl over. and gave some darker colours to the underneath. Go away, Have some tea and come back to have a look at what you have with some fresh eyes.

So now after your break, What have you got. Is it any good ?  what changes would really make this photo POP out ?  I decided the end of the world was about the right setting for my new Demon.  After a quick flick over my stock image gallery, I pulled out some good stuff that I was going to use as my background. Pull them all out, open them all up and place them over the screen. work out where they can go, where they fit best and look good. I have used a flaming Demon and a Sewer Drain. The ideas behind this setting are taken from a comic book.

Once you have your background layered up and blending all sorted. ( I have about 20 layers just for the background ) Use Alt+Ctrl+E to merge them, Group up the layers you don’t want and clean up your layer stack. Keep stuff named and grouped, Colours are cool to use too ! I would expect you to have about 40-50 odd layers at this stage.  A cool tip is to drop some DOF (Depth of Field) in the photo, mask out the layers that are far away and use a nice LENS BLUR to work in a nice look.

Bring in the final element, (top layer elements, that are not affected by your background light sources ) In this case is only Dan with his new wings. Place him where you feel fits in the photo. Remember the golden rules. Work in thirds and you can not go far wrong. If you need to edit the top layer ( Dan ) now is  the time, clear up skin, tones, curves colours and anything else you want to fiddle with. I decided that Dan wanted to be Hell Boys little son, So painted him red. ( new layer>Sat blend>mask layer>paint out> Done.)

So your done!  you should have your New Born Angel with a pair of stunning wings !!   Now is a good time to go to town and edit your photo as if you have just taken a snap of the world burning.  Not 100% sure why the Angel is posing for a photo while there is a Flaming Demon behind him, but that’s art  

Final Photo

Thanks to Jak Flash, George Eko and Danny Bennett

Stock photos from Div Art

thewolf1607

tankphoto

Fire Wings- (Emma Kate Dawson) | Digital Art

Mini Guide to how I made this.

Photoshop CS3 ,

Stock Photo taken by myself,

I just wanted to show how quick and simple a couple of photos can be used to create some dramatic photo-manipulations. This one has yet to be named, It took less than an hour. I guess if you have used photoshop before at some level, you should be able to follow this.   If not. sorry !!

There are roughly 8 or 9 steps, I have tried to keep it nice and simple. Using a process of layers and masks it should be pretty easy to follow. Remember, using masks, is great for going back to re-edit steps at later levels. Photoshop is designed to edit in a non-distuctive way.

To start with, open up your main photo element, make sure you have a clear focus on where you want to go and ensure you have enough room to work with. Any simple photo edits should be done now. The photo I used was a pretty good starting point, I used the stamp tool (key short-cut (s)) and did some quick free hand work to clean up the back drop. There is not a lot of point in doing any make up changes or skin changes at this point as I know we are going to use lots of colour in the final photo.

I wanted to keep some light background clouds and tree line, using the mask layers remove the bits you dont want.

Using another layer and another stock photo, I added some more baseline details, the layer was flipped into screen mode (blending layer). This dropped out the darker sections of the photo and gave me just the details i needed. Create a mask and remove the bits you dont want.

Create a couple of new layers, I used 3 or 4. Using the brush tool, add some funky details. I grabbed some custom brushes, created some layer styles and combined them down into a group, then flipped them in to Colour Burn mode.  I kept most of my small details away from my Treeline on the bottom layer and away from the main subject. If you just Google for Photoshop brushes you can find loads of great freebies out there. Next step is to add some colour.

Open up another layer ( try and keep them named and group them !)  I used a golden gradient set at a 45 degree across the photo to give stronger colours at the edges. I think the layer was in screen mode, or overlay. Have a play around, see what fits for you. If you want, mask the layer, highlight areas or darken others. Remember, using masks is the only way you should be doing this. Next step is to add the main element, the wings. Don’t worry to much about your main photo getting hidden. Everything is masked, or maskable. we can go back and sort this later.

Using the stock photo of the flames (try i-stock or something), I cut out one section, created another layer, flipped it over, grouped them and duplicated them a couple of times. Once I had a couple of wings, I used some motion blur, made some bigger and layered them up to give me a fuller wing shape. Once I was happy with the shape. Once again the mask tool was used to leave some flick of flame across the photo. So we should have almost our photo coming to shape at this point. For my photo, a really strong facial look was important so i could not leave my model under the flames. I went back the very first layer (the stock photo of Emma), duplicated it and brought her onto  the top of the stack and masked out the the background.

Once I have my photo its time to make the fire burn. I find its much better than having to worry about colour as I go. Using some photo filters, curves and levels ( all using masks to place where I want the certain changes to fit on the photo), I brought in the sides and started to enhance the flames. I use the rule, of masking every single layer. Its very rare a change I make will look good on the whole photo.

This paper look texture, flipped into overlay, or colour burn, or what ever funky layer style will give you a great look and save you a whole bunch of time . Using textures combined with a mask is fun and effective. From here, I edited up the skin, the border with another set of levels and curves. Added my logo, added some smoke to the flames and gave Emma some evil skin. Simple ! Oh some cool motion blur around the feet with some flames around the feet.  There is no limit to the things you can add !  Just remember to use lots of layers, masks and you wont go far wrong.

Send some sample of what you can come up with !  All the elements used are below !!

Skyhook TV | EuroDip Stop Frame Animation Project

Text is lifted from The Skyhook Blog.

Film Trailer:

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/3188684[/vimeo]

(now stepping back in time to November 08…)

Today I was preparing for shooting the animation scenes that would represent a big step towards the long-overdue completion of my first full-length bike film, EuroDip.

It was a while back that I wanted to have a crack at animation, and below is the result of my first attempt at storyboarding one of the sequences (which was never made in the ends, as it happens). So with car and bike pictures, and South Park characters printed out and cut to size, and using a couple of pencils, a packet of sweets for the car boot and an apple to imitate the sunset, me and Dave went for it.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/3052695[/vimeo]

Unbelievably bad-looking? Yes. Useful to have done? Definitely.

Moving on a few months then, I had more of an idea of what the animation scenes would entail.

They involve two model cars (vans in fact) that move along a large old map of Europe by way of stop-frame animation, and thus represent the journeys that were made on the trip. It’s a nice way to break up the different sections of the film, and add a little bit of production value in there too.

Thanks to Birmingham University geography department for trusting me with an old a probably valuable piece of cartography.

The hire car we had on the trip was a black Ford Galaxy which wasn’t too hard to source as a model on Ebay, but the Howies van, a white Toyota Hi-Ace was not so easy to find. So had to settle for the next best thing, a VW Sharan, and  paint white over the back windows. This was not quite as simple as it sounds, but luckily I had the services of aerosol art extraordinaire and ambassador of all things Black Country, Stuart Styles to my semi-disposal.

Just masking the model was effort enough, then making sure the paint did not go on so thick as to run was a fair job.

Once it was drying, I went to get custom mini-prints of the howies logo to stick on the van. This was hassle again, but thanks to a friend of Stuart and his trusty CAD / cutting machine, it was sorted and looking good.

With everything ready it was time to head home, ready for a long shoot tomorrow…

We had to transport an impressive amount of kit to Miles and Stuart’s office for this shoot.

• One video camera,
• 2 digital SLRs,
• one large map,
• 2 tripods,
• one desktop computer,
• remote flash and a white umbrella.
• Coffee  (Dave)

It took an hour or so to set up, then over the next 9 hours we took a total of 780 photos, most of which were taken whilst I was in very uncomforable positions, as I had to move both cars minute distances for each shot, then roll out the way so as not to get in the way of the flash, roll back in again, and so on.

The easiest shots were the ones where the camera was locked off on the tripod and the model vans moved into, or out of shot.

Harder shots included tracking shots where the camera was moving along with the models so they appeared still, with the ground moving underneath. It was important here to make sure the wheels of the models moved for every shot, otherwise it would have looked cack and unrealistic.

But the hardest shots (like the title sequence) involved a combination of tracking shots and movements away from the models to show a larger area of the map. This was particularly hard because in addition to making sure the models were moving the right distance each time (my job), Dave had to move away with the camera for each shot whilst keeping the models in the same place on screen.

One sequence was imitating us travelling at night, so we had to try and get a different kind of light on the map. I used my Pag camera light with the dichroic filter to give the light a blue-ish look.

Over the following weeks, Dave pulled off some pixel-magic with After Effects. We layed a clip of blank super-8 footage (thanks to www.videocopilot.net) over the top of the sequences to give them a bit of an old feel.
Dave also digitally super-imposed headlights and brakelights onto the models for the night time shot. I’ve no idea of how he did it exactly – i found it best not to ask but rather just let him get on with it!
The night time sequence:

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/3055555[/vimeo]

And the intro / title sequence:

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/3055570[/vimeo]

So glad to have this film complete – work is now beginning one editing the second bike film which was a road trip through Southern California and Nevada. I aim to have it done and finished in 3 to 4 months!

[View with PicLens]

Rogue Maidens – Edit Work

Just a mini update on some editing work i am doing for Rogue Maidens,

The model is Eden Falls

(this is only my digital photoshop, edit work)

Simple HDR Tutorial

As promised here is another simple way to use Photoshop for the stuff it was designed for.

——

A HDR photo of Claverdon church

HDR Tutorial

Afternoon,

I was out on another wedding last weekend, we was at a stunning little Church in Claverdon.  I thought it might be a great subject to use as for a HDR photo. But before we start, i know there are lots of software packages that can produce HDR work, but i am just going to use Photoshop.

Where to start ?   With most editing work you can pick and choose the effects post shoot, but with a good HDR photo you need to plan a little bit. you need a set of photos (RAW or Jpg) that are of the same view, see sample photo. If you need to use a tripod, that’s cool. The aim is to get a light (over exposed) version, a normal version and a darker (under) photo. your range of photos should cover and show examples of all the details that you are aiming to capture in your HDR photo, why, I hear you ask.  HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, you are going to make a photo from a set of photos, its going to be a combination of all the elements in the photos combined to show a larger range of colours than one photo could show on its own. So, pick your photos in Bridge using CTRL to highlight the photos you want to use and lets build.

Go up to the menus and find the open in Photoshop menu, then find the merge to HDR  button. see the photo if you need help. The next box you will see will be Photoshop asking some questions about which photos you want used, the Bit depth you require and where you want the white balance set. Leave the bit depth at 8 for now or unless you want 16 or 32 bits. Then set the white balance where is seems to set the photo sample next to it at the nicest level to see all the detail. The next step is really simple. Just wait for Photoshop to do all the hard work. If you are new to working in any other bit rate than 8, you should be aware that Photoshop will react different, For example, you can not use all the filters on a 32bit file.  Have a read up before jumping in.

After Photoshop and built your photo from the elements of all the 3 that you started with you should have a box pop up on your screen. This is the HDR Conversion tool box. In here you have all the normal levels and sliders that you would expect to see. The tool box is giving you the choice in how you wish to convert your photo, have a play with the settings here. I use the Local Adaptation method as my common conversion. Use the Radius and Threshold sliders to see how they effect the output then have a look at the curve and histogram at the bottom. See how the output is changed and find a nice looking combination for your photo and click to set those settings.  Let photo shop convert your photo.

You should now be left with a ok looking HDR photo, this time its only 8 bit, but try again with 16 and 32 to see how that effects the look of the photo.  But before you do that, we should finish this photo. As always, whenever I can, make your self duplicate layer and hide it, then make another and set a nice blur on your new layer. I like the Lens Blur with some nice soft settings, but feel free to pick what ever blur you like unless its somthing silly like motion blur. Set your blur and then pick Colour Dodge mode for that layer.

Select you magic wand, we need to bring back that detail that we lost when setting the screen mode, in my photo I just want to bring the sky back, so I have selected the layer below my blured layer (even though that is the layer i am going to remove bits from) and used the sharper image to set my selection around the walls and trees, use the Refine edge tools to get a really good mask. When happy, flip back to your colour dodged blur layer using the same selection you set and remove the bits over the sky, or what ever you are trying to let show though.

The next few steps are very simple and invole the Dodge, burn and Sponge tools. Go in and really show off some of those highlighted areas, use the Eraser to smarten up and bits of the layers that the mask did not get to, and you should have a photo which looks pretty much finished. On my photo, I have converted merged the layers together with CTRL+ALT+E, set them as a Smart Object then added some Lens filters while playing with some colour settings.

Enjoy,   As always, Please send me some samples of edits you have made!

Mail them to Dave@davepiper.org.uk

Some Photoshop Magic,

Afternoon, Good Morning and Good Evening,

A thought i might share a photoshoped photo with the world since photoshoping photos has been in the public eye a bit this month. There have been a few programs about the whole topic on BBC i, My thoughts and views on photoshop are quite simple, its a working tool, its a creative tool, its a means to an end.

I get the impression that people say dont like photoshoped photos in there magazines, adverts, newspapers and everywhere else that you can ever think of, i also get the impression that alot of people play dumb when asked about how much digital work goes into a single photo. ( i am going to be carefull this does not turn into a rant here) But come on, 100% of girls put on make up in the morning, but then say that the photoshopped photos in there copy of OK, Cosmo, Vanity Fair or what ever magazine there are reading, is wrong. Come on grow up a bit – photoshop is only another type of make up that is used to convey the same message that the eyeliner that lives in there handbag does. Well, what about creating false images, what about making making people skinner, teeth whiter and changes that hold ethics. well, its quite simple really its about meeting demand from the market, its about sales, its all about keeping people happy.

Vix - Photoshop edit

Photoshop – Image Enhancements – A Tilt/Shift Photoshop tutorial

“Adobe Photoshop, or simply Photoshop, is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems. It is the current and primary market leader for commercial bitmap and image manipulation, and is the flagship product of Adobe Systems. It has been described as “an industry standard for graphics professionals”  says Wikipedia,

Adobe’s Photoshop is a powerful work tool. As the whole world is pretty much using digital cameras now Adobe Photoshop is becoming a household name when it comes to editing photos. But, using Photoshop to do simple contrast and white balance changes seems a bit overkill for me, most cameras these days come with tools just for those jobs. All the time I am asked what programs i use to edit, store and look after my photos; what is a photo’s digital life like;  how does a photo end up in a usable size and format.   I am going to do a set of blogs covering these mini topics and try and cover some of the time when Photoshop should be used and when it should not be used.

For the first instalment, I am going to use a wedding shot of a bride and take it though the steps to making an photo suitable for online display.

A Tilt/Shift Photoshop tutorial

—————————————————————————————

compare before and after photos

( I am using CS3 extended, with Camera Raw 4.0, on a Windows Vista machine, any questions, ask away if i can answer them I will.)

—-

Adobe bridge screen shot

1) After you have the photos backed up, stored safe on your drive, its time to think about how you are going to use them. I pick photos for a use, rather than find a nice photo and think what can i use it for. It’s better to have an end product in mind. Adobe Bridge is the first step,  so open Bridge and find your photo, click open.

2) If you are using a raw file, then Camera Raw should open as your RAW converter. Even if you are using JPEGS, you can still use Camera Raw to do a pre-edit on your photos and save them back into the folder. It’s a simple and useful way of editing on mass, but we want to take this photo into Photoshop and prep it for the web, giving it some sparkle along the way. So tweak your colours, your white balance and the rest of the normal changes, then open the photo into Photoshop using the OPEN button. I have increased the Saturation, Vibrancy, Fill light and introduced some slight vignetting to brighten up the corners.

camera raw screen shot

3) You should now have a colour corrected photo open in Photoshop. For good practice I always create a duplicate copy of the layer and hide the background. Dunno why, it just makes me happier. If you need to use levels or curves to perfect the photo, now is a good time. Crop away to get the perfect look you’re after: cropping photos after you have started to put effects on the them is a not a good idea – its simpler to get it right in camera, then to perfect in the edit. Once happy with the photo, lets play with photoshop. I want to use a Tilt/Shift lens effect on the photo, its something that i think looks great on portraits.

lens blur menu screen shot

4) Another layer is needed to create the blur, so duplicate the layer with your photo again, (you should have 3 layers the same), the background is hidden and 2 are visible. Using the top layer to work on, and making sure it’s highlighted, go up to your Filters menu (alt + t), select the Blurs menu then Lens Blur. ( If your not sure what all the sliders do, have a play and find out. Be creative, that’s what is all about.) Once you have your nicely blurred layer its time to mix it in to create our simple effect. We are going to use a layer mask, some funky gradients and the salt and pepper of the Photoshop world, the Dodge’n Burn tools. The Sponge tool will be used to highlight the bits we want to sparkle.

lens blur menu

5)  Open a layer mask (on the bottom of the layers selection box), making sure it’s going to effect the correct layer.  Select the layer mask you just made, and ensure your colour selections are set to black and white. We are going to use the Gradient tool (G) with a Radial effect to mask the blur over the sections of the photo that we want in focus. When you have selected the black to transparent style in the gradient tool box, start the radial effect over the main feature of the photo moving away into the foreground. Once done, you get a good idea of how the effect can be used, it might take a few goes to get the perfect size and placement, I find a quick ctrl-alt-z (backstep) and redraw is the best way, but keeping the layer mask selected and using the levels (ctrl-L) can give fast control over the power and size of the effect.

6) The effect is pretty much complete – all that really needs doing now is dodge and burn to suit your creative style. Use the Sponge tool to create the contrasts that make the effect look more realistic. Its always a good idea to compare how real focus blur effects things and bring those into your digital work. Have a look at how the light would fall, how would it change after the effects that you have created?
7)  Time to save your photo for the web, remember to size the image at a good size for how you intend to display it, there is no point in uploading 5mb files to the web. Use the Ctrl + Alt + I  selection to size your work. Save as jpeg. If you want to use the SAVE FOR WEB tools, feel free to have a play, but i find unless you want a .gif or .png its not really needed.

8)Have a play, save the stuff you have just made and then have 5 minutes changing effects. Motion blurs, zig zag effects, ice effects, go crazy if you are going to edit in photoshop you might as well use 100% of the program.

E-mail me the results!  Dave@davepiper.org.uk

Tilt/shift lense effect