Okay, so if you don't have cs or a later version of photoshop (and even if you do), here's how you can "miniaturize" your images (tested in ps7). i did it on the fly, so it's not as careful as i would have made it otherwise, and i see some spots i missed, but you get the general idea:
1. open the image in photoshop
2. hit "q" to enter quickmask function
3. choose the gradient tool from your toolbar on the left (or wherever you keep it anchored)
4. choose the reflected gradient from the upper toolbar/menu area. the reflected gradient is the 4th icon to the right, the one that looks like a cylinder turned on its side.
5. click the image and drag your mouse across it (up/down or left/right) where you'd like the focal point to be. this should leave a red highlighted area shaped pretty much like a diffuse cylinder and can drive you crazy, because the highlighted area will most likely NOT be exactly where you dragged the mouse. i have no answer for you on this but to be patient and make friends with ctrl-alt-z.
6. hit "q" to quit quickmask. your image should now be divided into 3 areas - your focal area and two others on either side or over/under it - and have the "marching ants" delineating each area.
7. choose your blur tool and set it for around 25%.
8. blur the areas that are NOT in your center focal area. just run that circle of blur all through each non-focal area until they're all nice and 25% blurry. don't overdo it.
9. click the rectangular marquee tool and deselect the marching ants masky stuff so you just have an image again...one with blurry sections and a clear middlish area.
10. reduce your blur to somewhere around 10% and blur a sort of transition zone between your clear focal area and the 25% blurry sections.
11. tweak curves so the light looks fake and the colors pop a little. this is an optional step, but i find it usually helps.
12. boost color saturation to around 20. eyeball it. bumping up the color makes it look more like a fake, but you obviously don't want a lot of grain.
13. mess with the levels a little if you want. at this point in cs, i tweak the shadows/highlights, but ps7 doesn't have that feature, i think (or it's under a different menu). sorry.
14. sit back and view your image with great satisfaction.
15. post it to flickr. :)
something to keep in mind: you can't really do this with something that has a strong foreground. you need an image with a pretty wide depth of field, like a landscape. it doesn't really work, otherwise.
image & text copyright katie doyle all rights reserved - may not be reposted without permission
Labels: effects, photoshop, tilt-shift, tutorials
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