How to use PS to turn landscapes into miniature landscapes

We will simulate the unique visual effects of the moving axis lens to narrow the landscape into miniature landscapes.

The moving axis lens can help us to control the focal plane of the lens, so as to restrain the converging deformation and enlarge the depth of the shot. If we are good at expanding its use, there will be more and more special creative effects, such as turning an ordinary town into a miniature landscape. But if you're not a professional building or landscape photographer, it's a very prodigal thing to buy a photographic lens just to play this special effect once in a while.

If your Photoshop version is in CS 2 or above, try one of the unique lens blur filters, using post-processing methods to simulate the unique depth of the motion photography effect. We can use this technique with any picture, but if you want to create a miniature landscape, it's best to choose a landscape with a building, a street and a crowd like the one pictured above with a wide-angle shot. You need to shoot in a overhead angle to achieve the most realistic effect.

Lens blur filter is the most suitable tool for creating shallow depth effect, and can use alpha channel as depth mapping source to add blur effect to the screen. Although the above nouns may sound mysterious, the actual operation is not complicated and can be accomplished using a gradient tool. We'll show you how to do this, while tweaking the toy sense of the photo further with a tint. If you are using Photoshop CS6, you can also try the latest Blur gallery features. The Blur Gallery offers three new blur filters, where Tilt-shift filter eliminates the need for alpha channel help to get the same tuning results as tutorials.

1. Open in ACR

Find this photo of overhead in Adobe Bridge, right-click and select "Open in Camera raw" from the pop-up menu. In the basic panel, the color temperature is set to 5400, exposure-0.15, recovery 23, fill brightness 5, black 9, contrast 30, sharpness +15, natural saturation +23.

2, the application of sharpening

Obviously we do not want to sharpen the image after blurring the simulated axis effect, so it is now the best time to perform sharpening. Double-click the Zoom tool icon in the top toolbar to set the magnification to 100%, enter the detail panel, set the sharpening quantity to 44, and the radius to 1.4.

3, set the gradient

Click the Open Image button to enter Photoshop and select the Gradient tool. Use shortcut key D to reset the foreground and background colors to black and white. Click the gradient strip in the upper options bar to open the gradient editor and select the first preset "foreground color to background gradient." Next, set the gradient to a symmetric gradient.

4. Fast Mask Board

Use the shortcut key Q to enter the quick mask mode, and the Quick mask icon at the bottom of the toolbar changes to a select state. In Fast mask mode, all the black content we draw will become a selection after exiting. Create a gradient line from the rain-sun shed on the opposite road shop to the red car parked on the curb.

5. Brush tool

The pink area represents the part that is unaffected by the blur operation. We can use a black brush to draw other parts that don't need to be blurred. Select the Brush tool, enlarge the screen to the building section, set the foreground color to black, brush hardness 0%, opacity 50%.

6. Draw the constituency

Use the Brush tool to add all the roofs of the opposite street to the selection of the quick mask, you can use the shortcut key [,] to control the size of the brush when adjusting. Add all the things you think are similar to the distance from the camera to the quick mask.

7. Create alpha channel

Click the shortcut Q again to launch the Quick mask mode to get a selection that is equivalent to the area you just painted the mask. Execute menu Command Window > channel to open the channel panel and click the "Store as channel" icon below the panel to get a channel named "Alpha 1".

8. Copy Layer

Use the shortcut key Ctrl+d deselect, and then use the Brush tool in the alpha 1 channel to sort out all the parts that we might have overlooked just now. Click the RGB channel above to return to normal image mode. Select the background layer in the Layers panel, and then use the shortcut key ctrl+j to copy it.

9, Lens Blur

Rename the new layer to axis blur, and then execute the menu command filter > Blur > Lens blur. In the lens blur window that pops up, first open the source Drop-down menu in the top right depth map and set it to alpha 1. Then set the blur focal length below to 0.

10. Set the fuzzy strength

Open the Iris Shape drop-down menu, set it to eight edges, and then set the radius to 3. Use the shortcut key CTRL + + to enlarge the preview screen so that you can clearly observe the blurred image in the rear and set the noise quantity to 2.

11. New Quick Mask

When you are satisfied with the lens blur setting, click the OK button to perform the filter. Use the shortcut key ctrl+j to copy the move axis blur layer and rename the new layer to enhanced blur. Use the shortcut key Q to enter quick mask mode, and then use the Black Brush tool to include all proximity and close range selections.

12, strengthen the fuzzy

Use the shortcut key Q to exit the quick Mask mode, and then save the new selection as an alpha channel. Using the shortcut key Ctrl+d deselect, perform the filter > Blur > Lens Blur command again, set the depth mapping source to Alpha 2, blur focal length to 255, and radius 60.

13. Create a mask

Holding down the CTRL key, click the left mouse button on the Alpha 2 channel in the channel panel to load it as a selection. Make sure that the hardening blur layer is selected, and then hold down Alt-click the Add Layer Mask button below the layers panel to associate the selection as a layer mask with the current selection layer.

14, enhance the color

Keep the top layer selected and use the shortcut key ctrl+alt+shift+e to merge all the layers into a new layer. Rename the layer to merge to open the blending mode drop-down menu in the upper-left corner of the layers panel and select overlay mode from it.

15, Layer opacity

Although we want to enhance the overall contrast of the picture and color saturation to create a miniature model of the atmosphere, but the superposition of the impact of the model is far beyond our expectations. Setting the Opacity slider at the top right of the layers panel to 20% resolves the problem. Then, hold down the ALT key and click the New Layer button below the layers panel.

16. Final Adjustment

Set the blending mode to soft light, and then tick the fill light neutral option below and click the OK button. Select the Brush tool to set its opacity to 20%. Use a black brush to darken the corners of the screen and the sky, and then use a white brush to paint them on the outer walls of the building.

Category:

• PS Image Processing