Creative Explorations

Artistic Photoshop images can be created from mundane snapshots. However, starting with an artistic photograph gives you a creative edge, because the picture already looks imaginative as a straight shot.

We'll lead off this lesson with some creative enhancements I made to a photograph I took during an impromptu photo session in a small art-deco hotel in Miami's South Beach.

Here's a wide-angle look at the setting (Figure 4.1). The light level was extremely low. I could have used a flash, but the harsh light from the flash would have destroyed the mood of the setting. So, I used a high ISO (1000) and took an available-light, handheld picture.

Figure 4.1.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1D Mark II, 16-35mm lens @ 16mm. Exposure: 1/30 sec. @ f/4.5. ISO 1000.

Figure 4.2 is my favorite image from the photo session. It's a much tighter shot. Let me show you just a few of the creative enhancements I explored.

Figure 4.2.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1D Mark II, 28-105mm lens @ 105mm. Exposure: 1/30 sec. @ f/4.5. ISO 1000.

Looking for interesting adjustments, I came upon Threshold (Image > Adjustments > Threshold). After I selected Threshold, I adjusted the effect with the Threshold slider (Figure 4.3). Here's the effect of applying Threshold to my image (Figure 4.4). The picture looks like a lithograph, but it's not exactly what I had in mind. As usual, I wanted to see the effect of fading the filter. So, after applying Threshold, I chose Edit > Fade Threshold. To soften the Threshold effect, I reduced the layer's Opacity to 40% (Figure 4.5). (It's an Adjustment Layer, remember?) Reducing the Opacity gave me a custom Threshold effect (Figure 4.6). You can play around with fading any effect or filter to create your own custom effects; there are endless possibilities.

Figure 4.3.

Figure 4.4.

Figure 4.5.

Figure 4.6.

In Photoshop, one of the many filters that add a creative touch to a picture is the Diffuse Glow filter (Filter > Distort > Diffuse Glow) (Figure 4.7). As with all of the program's filters, I recommend playing with the sliders to produce your own custom creations.

Figure 4.7.

For my final image, I applied the Diffuse Glow filter to my original image. Then, I added the Emulsion Frame found in PhotoFrame Pro 3.0, a collection of Photoshop-compatible plug-ins from onOne Software (www.ononesoftware.com) (Figure 4.8).

Figure 4.8.

It's your turn to experiment with your own creative Photoshop explorations.