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Miniaturisation

PostPosted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 1:09 pm
by potatojunkie
Tilt shift miniatures were a bit of a fad a while back. The idea is to make real scenes look like miniatures using potatoshop, viz:

Image
(click for uncompromisingly huge version)

Essentially, you're faking really shallow depth of field and then bumping up the saturation/lightness/curves to make things look more artificial and plasticy. Works best on overhead shots of distant subjects, and it helps to have a strong light source.

The quick and easy way to fake the DOF is to apply a quick mask, draw a reflected gradient out from the centre of where you want your sharp point of focus to be, and run the Lens Blur filter over the top.

A much better but far more time consuming way is to open an Alpha Channel and create a depth mask. Mine was quite rough-and-ready (the whole building shouldn't be in focus, f'rinstance):

Image

Everything you want in sharp focus should be white. Then start looking for planes of focus. A tall building, say, shouldn't be significantly blurrier at the top than it is at the bottom. It's best to draw a reflected gradient for the flat ground, and then use that as a reference when working out how in-focus an object should be. When you're done drawing the alpha channel, apply a slight gaussian blur just to soften it a little, then run Lens Blur on your image, and select Alpha 1 (or whatever you named your alpha channel) on the 'depth mask' dropdown.

Once you've gotten your DOF sorted to your satisfaction, it's just a matter of playing with saturation sliders and colour curves until you're happy with it.

There are some far better examples (and a bunch of groups for them) on Flickr.

If you have a camera with an actual tilt-shift lens, please die immediately.[/QUOTE]

PostPosted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 1:33 pm
by Fossil
crackers potato 8)
Must give this a go

Fossil

PostPosted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 8:09 pm
by The Voyageur
Thats amazing potatojunkie.

With enough work, we could have a virtual toy-glasgow.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:16 pm
by Fossil
Some wee toy people from yesterday
Image

Fossil

PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:27 pm
by Josef
Five more and we'll have an HG Subbuteo team.

Nice one, Foss :) .

PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:48 pm
by scaryman2u
The Uncompromisingly huge version was surreal PJ excellent stuff

PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:09 pm
by John
Modern Fossil wrote:Some wee toy people from yesterday
Image

Fossil


I could just put you all in my pocket and take you home to keep.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 4:00 pm
by McShad
JohnR wrote:
Modern Fossil wrote:Some wee toy people from yesterday
Image

Fossil


I could just put you all in my pocket and take you home to keep.


You don't wanna know what I'd do to the inside of your pocket.... just think what that tripod could do

PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 4:08 pm
by scaryman2u
Modern Fossil wrote:Some wee toy people from yesterday
Image

Fossil


Ha ha, that reminds me of the wee family who lived under the floorboards in the film The Borrowers ::):

PostPosted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:13 pm
by Fossil
Its addictive ::):
Original from McShad. 3rd from the bottom
http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5319&start=150

Shes wee
Image

Fossil

PostPosted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 5:46 pm
by MacotheIsles
Here's one of my car made to look like a model...

Image

PostPosted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 5:50 pm
by gordon
Must admit, i love the carpet effect you've applied to the grass....even down to it folding up at the edges!

A true masterpiece! :wink:

PostPosted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 6:46 pm
by Monument
Modern Fossil wrote:Its addictive ::):
Original from McShad. 3rd from the bottom
http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5319&start=150

Shes wee
Image

Fossil


Could you crop that for me? I will use it as my avatar. Monument in situ :D

PostPosted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 10:59 pm
by Fossil
Wreck
Image

Fossil

PostPosted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 8:43 pm
by engineer
Image