Photo miniaturization technique quick tutorial
Photo miniaturization technique quick tutorial
- Just a quick note, I did not conceive this technique, I don’t know who did. I’m basically reciting this from memory, if anyone wants to elaborate on this tutorial, please do. Thanks! -
1. get a good shot of something at a distance(close ups of people and objects won’t work)
2. open the photo in Photoshop (I’m using CS1) and just press “Q” (pressing “Q” enters quick-mask mode)
3. Now select the gradient tool and adust it’s settings so that the gradient goes from black to white(not white to black) and select the fourth gradient style option, the one which looks like a tube gradient
4. Just above your intended focal point, drag the gradient away(either up or down) just a little bit, then press, “Q” again.
5. Next, select Filters–>Blur–>Lens Blur
6. In the Lens Blur panel that opens, you have several options, I left mine at default, which is:
Radius - 19
Blade Curvature - 3
Rotation - 0
If you want to experiment, then Blade Curvature and Radius are good places to start. Then click, “OK.”
8. Now go to Image–>Adjustments–>Curves
9. Click on the center-most point of the arch and drag it up a little so the outer edges of your photo brighten(the amount is up to you). I don’t know the professional term for this, but it really enhances the effect.
10. Done!*
*If the effect didn’t work, there are a few possible reasons:
a. your gradient wasn’t set to the, “Black, white” option
b. you may have dragged the gradient too far, just go back in the history panel to adjust this again
c. you might have images in the foreground of the photo which take away from the distortion. I’ve tried this with several types of scenes, but panoramic shots without foreground subjects work the best. rock n roll.
