Transforming a Natural Shot to a Surreal One

This blog post is for my friend Donna Ulrich who asked to see a before and after of this image of the prairie at McCloud Nature Park in Hendricks County, Indiana.

This is the “straight,” unadulterated shot, taken with 645 Pro. 

"Straight" shot from 645 Pro

I like this camera app because it saves in TIFF and creates a larger file, which is important if you intend to print very large. This file is 10,619,712 total pixels. (TIP: Use the great free utility app, PhotoSize by Danny Goodman, to check the size of images.)

Next I took it through SnapSeed and applied Ambiance and Contrast from the Tune Menu and Sharpen and Structure from the Details Menu. Those adjustments left the image looking like this:

After SnapSeed Adjustments

You can see that the SnapSeed adjustments have added some contrast, clarity, and a little saturation. There's a tad more detail in the sky, too.

I wanted to create a somewhat surreal, moody image, so next I took it into Distressed FX and tried several texture overlays before settling on this one, leaving the image looking like this:

After Distressed FX 

The texture still wasn't all I was looking for, so I took the SnapSeed result (above) into Mextures. This is an incredibly powerful and rich app with lots of textures and control in using them. For this image, I wanted some grit in the sky, so I played with several options until I landed on this result:

After Mextures

This result, by itself, is not at all what I was looking for, but I knew if I blended it with the Distressed FX version, I'd get that grit I was looking for, as well as some of the richer tone from the bronze color. I used Image Blender in the Normal blend mode and achieved this result:

Blend of Distress FX and Mexture Versions

For the finishing touch, I wanted to add dreaminess to the image. There are some apps that can achieve this such as Photo FX or Dynamic Light, but I like to create my own Orton effect using a blur app.

If you are fortunate enough to have Blur FX from a previous purchase, I recommend using it. (See my blog post, Creating Your Own Orton Effect for details). 

Unfortunately, Blur FX is no longer available. As a substitute, you can use Tilt Shift Generator which is still available and works almost as well.

You’ll want to use one of these apps (Blur FX or Tilt Shift Generator) to create a blur of the blend of the Mextures and Distressed FX images. Your blurred image should look something like this:

Blurred in Blur FX or Tilt Shift Generator

Once you have the blurred image, blend it with the unblurred version using the app Image Blender. Blender allows you to control just how much softness you keep in your final image.

Here’s how this one ended up:

Final Result

I hope you found this tutorial useful, and Donna, thanks for asking to see a before and after. Got me to create this tutorial!

For those of you in the Indianapolis area, I'll be teaching an iPhoneography Workshop this Saturday, November 1, in Zionsville. Here's a link to more info and registration.

Whatever you do, keep on shooting!

How to Create Your Own Orton Effect

The Orton Effect has been around since the mid 80's when Michael Orton figured out that by sandwiching two slides of the same scene, he could create a soft, almost glowing effect in his images. 

Wikipedia defines the Orton Effect like this:

Orton imagery, also called an Orton slide sandwich or the Orton Effect, is a photography technique which blends two completely different photos of the same scene, resulting in a distinctive mix of high and low detail areas within the same photo.

There are a few iPhone apps, such as Dynamic Light, Photo FX and Enlight, that mimic the Orton Effect, but I like the control I have when I do a version of this technique manually. Doing it manually is not that much more difficult than using the apps, but I think the results make it worth the extra effort. 

Here's an image I recently created using this effect:

Autumn in Hendricks County
© Rad A. Drew

You can see how there is a softness that makes the image almost glow.

To do the Orton Effect, you'll need these apps: Blur FX and Image Blender. I also processed my image with SnapSeed and Distressed FX, but those apps are not essential to getting the Orton Effect.

How you create the original image doesn't really matter. I like to select an image that has some light areas in visually pleasing locations in the image so that they will glow.

Compose and create your image following your usual workflow. I often take my image into SnapSeed where I apply selections from the Tune menu and the Details menu. 

Next, do any other processing you intend, such as Distressed FX or  Vintage Scene, etc. 

Once you have your image the way you want it, take it into Blur FX. Select Gaussian Blur and move the slider to about midway on the continuum, as shown below.

Blur FX

This is somewhat arbitrary; you may want to experiment with different blur densities and even blur types and see which effect you like best. 

Next, save the  blurred version and open Image Blender and load the two images. It doesn't really matter which one you put on which side. 

Now, while in the Normal mode, move the slider to find the desired softness and save the image. I usually save at 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 percent and then compare for the effect I like best. You can over due the blur and give your viewers a form of vertigo when they can't find anything to focus on in the image!

Image Blender

Image Blender in Normal Blend Mode

On this image, I also added a slight vignette using Photo FX, to pull the eye to the lighter areas in the image.

With all the fall color right now, it's a fun technique to experiment with. I'd be interested in seeing what you get!

Until next time, keep on shooting!