Model Village Effect

[enigmarose]

Does the effect work with what I have done

I saw this kind of effect in a magazine that I recently purchased and decided to have a go myself.
Although the magazine gave the web site address of the person who first started doing this effect, I will not put it on here because the site does not point you strait to this genre of work.
______________________________________________________

This is the original image: -

1) i38.tinypic.com/15qxi6f.jpg


And this is the edited version

2) i34.tinypic.com/28lxm6w.jpg

______________________________________________________

All I used was Photoshop CS4 ~ the Blur tool & the Sponge tool which was set to desaturate. The flow of the Sponge would depend on your preferences and the same for the Strength of the Blur tool; I say this because I use a Tablet and pen with pressure settings if need be. I can say that the step setting of any brush used was 1 and the hardness 12.
You can use the sponge tool set to saturate to make the main objects stand out more like I did.

[comicIDIOT]

Nicely, except there are thing in focus that shouldn't be. Such as buildings along the beach front. A focal point is a straight line and it can never be curved.

There's a guy by the name of Keith who makes videos with this effect. And they are wonderful videos! Check out his Vimeo channel! Here's is my favourite video of his:
www.vimeo.com/3156959

Attachments:

[enigmarose]

Thanks Comic, but that isn't what I was aiming for.
The effect is to make you think you are looking at a miniature model and not to focus on any specific area. Models have curves in them so why can't this effect have them as well breaking the rules as such as new techniques sometimes do. Not sure where you are looking.

The Tiltshift.jpg you posted does not have the same effect at all for me, just the top and bottom of the image blured out.

I have managed to find a link to the article in the magazine that I read and the artist is Glenn Karlsen: -

www.flickr.com/photos/glennkarlsen/3885060814/sizes/l/

Hope this makes the effect I am after a bit clearer.

[comicIDIOT]

Much clearer thanks! See how the area of focus stays within a specific part of the frame (bottom image, red line - give or take a few degrees) and anything that strays from that line becomes out of focus with exception to the clock tower (blue line) and some vents on a building across the street.

But the idea, nonetheless, is the same. You have a single plane where everything is in focus. That plane can only be broken if an objects face is along that plane, such as the clock tower and vents.

Where as yours has multiple focus planes. Not to mention the tree's are blurred but the street is focused still.

[Click to view larger]

Here's what I would recommend. Copy your layer and apply a lens blur on the layer. Use your own discretion. Then add a layer mask (, rather close to this icon in the layers pallette) then add a reflected gradient (no icon on the web that I can find, sadly) in the layer mask along the focus plane you want - may take several tries) then brush in with black where you want to keep elements of your photo focused.

You may have to adjust your gradient so the colour change is less gradual than mine to get a better effect.

Attachments:

[enigmarose]

Thanks again Comic....
I do understand now what it is you are saying, I guess my method was/is trying to make it capture more than just one specific part or axis; as if I had taken a photograph of an actual model village of the area and possibly without realising until now, a 3D look to it as well drawing you to several different parts of the image and not one specific area. I will take a look at the lens blur etc but I think I tried that or part of the process you state and was not happy with the result; but I will take another look.

[enigmarose]

I have been studying the Parliament clock tower shot and the effect must have involved a layer or two to use such as lense blur and keep the tower in focus ~ seen this all along but it never realy registered ~ the effect took my attention so much I was blinded lol.

[enigmarose]

Hi Comic and all..

I could not find the reflected gradient so I am unable to try your suggestion however, I did find an alternative way: -

Step 1 ~ with your image open

Filter > Convert for smart filters

Step 2

Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.... (Choose the amount you wish to blur the image and click Ok.)

Select the Brush tool and make sure that the Foreground/Background option at the bottom of the tool bar is set to default Black and White.
Using the Black will remove any blur from the areas that are selected with the brush and the White will blur any areas that have been touched using the black.
The Opacity and Flow are also useful depending on how much of the blur is to be removed from any given area; same applies to the White but adding to, this gives control to the process.

I guess that if I had this effect in mind when actualy taking a photograph; I should do what I have learned so far from this site and this thread: -
The Composure of the shot giving the best angle for the end effect and the Crash Point to place the focal point/s in that area.