10e20 Blog

Often with digital photographs taken without the use of additional light sources we get a flat light. This works fine most of the time, but sometimes we would like to dramatically change the focus or impact of an element in the image.

This technique can be useful for product photography, portraits, and nature shots.

This tutorial will require some understanding if Masks, Adjustment Layers, and Layer Blend Modes.

Step1 . Set up the document and duplicate the Background layer. On the copy layer make any adjustments to the clarity, levels, and color that you need.

Step 2. Convert that copy layer into a B&W version. Go to Image/Adjustments/Hue Saturation and slide the Saturation all the way down. Be sure that you retain the blacks in the shadows and the whites in the highlights.

Step 3. Duplicate that B&W layer copy. Name this layer ‘Overlay w/ gradient‘.

Step 4. Create a solid black layer just below the top layer of the B&W layer copy.

Step 5. Go back to the Overlay w/ gradient layer and apply a Layer Mask. With a soft large brush paint with black to hide parts of the image you want to conceal, to the mask.

Step 6. Merge the ’solid black’ with the ‘Overlay w/ gradient’ layer by selecting both in the layer palette and selecting merge layers.

Step 7. Set the ‘Overlay w/ gradient’ layer mode to Overlay.

Step 8. Create a new layer at the top and name it ‘Light ray’. Using either the Polygonal Lasso tool or a mix of various brushes create a light beam that has the shape of a triangle the emits light from the top of the image down.

Creating the triangle with the Polygonal Lasso tool with a feather selection of about 10 or more pixels worked great. Next duplicate that light ray and flip it Horizontally. Merge the layers together. Set the ‘Light ray‘ layer mode to Overlay and lower the Opacity to about 40%.

Final: To get a toned look to the overall image add a solid color layer to the top of the layer order. Set the Layer Mode to Color and play with the level of Opacity.

Thats the technique! The steps can be used in any combination to get various results.

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In case you weren’t throughly convinced yet that almost all of the images in magazine or advertisements are manipulated or Photoshopped to some degree…look at this! Wow- how did the editor miss that one?

(via: gigglesugar)

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Photo lovers, check out this cool new way to see what people are uploading around the globe. I just saw a beach in Taiwan, someones science project in Japan, and a bronze sculpture from Oslo Germany.

Flickrvision swoops around the Google globe Superman-style, pausing every few seconds to show a photo that somebody, somewhere in the world, uploaded to Flickr just minutes ago.

(via: photojojo)

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