Tutorial Tutorial: Painterly (inner glow ) technique,

[Les McLean]

Les McLean submitted a new resource:

Tutorial: Painterly (inner glow ) technique, - Tutorial: Painterly (inner glow ) technique,

Difficult to describe this technique, but it was developed way before digital, when a photographer (Michael Orton) created images that were described as painterly, ethereal, and romantic.

He achieved this by sandwiching two slides together of exactly the same scene, both slides overexposed by two stops, one focused normally at around f22, the second , set at f2.8/4 and the lens defocused giving an out of focus blurry image. The two slides then taken from their mounts and sandwiched into one...

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[Les McLean]

The image I'll be working on, basically straight from camera, although the technique can be applied after most post processing.

The first step is to create a duplicate layer.

In photoshop.....Layer....duplicate layer

Working on the duplicate layer (background copy), apply Gaussian blur of around 15-50 pixels (Filter...blur...Gaussian blur)

cont....

 

[Les McLean]

Next adjust brightness/contrast (Image....adjustments...brightness/contrast)

Again this is variable but around +30 brightness and -10 contrast seems about right.

Then the layers need blending, I use the layer panel , otherwise ....Layer...layer styles...blending options

And from the blend mode change it from 'normal' to 'multiply'

This will result in an image similar to this

cont...

 

[Les McLean]

the image needs further adjustments, prior to 'flattening' the layers, I adjust the brightness/contrast again (still on the 'background copy'), sometimes quite aggressively

The layers are then 'flattened' (Layer....flatten image)

Further adjustments to individual taste, quite often shadow/highlight needs tweaking, sometimes blues and/or yellows need desaturating, occasional 'halos'

As I mentioned, it doesn't always work, but on some images it can be quite effective, but not to everyone's taste.

 

[grumpybadger]

Nice tip Les. I saw a slide done this way a couple of weeks ago. Actually done in camera with 2 exposures on the same piece of film but the same idea. It can work really well...

 

[Blue Moon 7]

Thanks for this. I will have a go over the xmas hols and see how it goes.

Chris

 

[maddog.mark]

Thanks Les will have to give that a try as I like the effect.

 

[busterboy]

Nice tutorial Les, Must try this at a later date..

 

[fracster]

Fantastic, great instructions and easy enough for a complete novice/comp numpty like me to follow.

Thanks.....

 

[BobR]

Thanks for taking the time to put this up Les. Will give this a blast over the hols and see how it turns out.

 

[psybear]

Likewise, very keen to try this, thanks for posting.

 

[admirable]

jings, a year old thread!

 

[Martyn D]

Holy thread resurrection!
After a post with an image in it linking to this I though I'd just say a thank you for the guide, also worthy of a resurrection