how did I do this?

pilgrim · Sep 14, 2004

i used that virtual photographer plug in dealy... and used the ambience setting... but I can't stand having a picture and not knowing how it got like that.. I would never do anything with this picture because I feel like I cheated to get it how it is. so if some one can explain the steps used to create this effect.. or an effect simiiar, that would be great.

Digital Matt · Sep 14, 2004

Duplicate the background layer, gaussian blur 6 pixels, layer opacity to 50%. That will give the softness. There also appears to be a diffuse glow. Duplicate your original background layer again, run a diffuse glow with white as your background color. You can use settings somewhere in the range of 0, 8, 12. Set the blending mode of the layer to soft light, and adjust the opacity as desired. See if that gets you close.

pilgrim · Sep 14, 2004

Digital Matt said:
Duplicate the background layer, gaussian blur 6 pixels, layer opacity to 50%. That will give the softness. There also appears to be a diffuse glow. Duplicate your original background layer again, run a diffuse glow with white as your background color. You can use settings somewhere in the range of 0, 8, 12. Set the blending mode of the layer to soft light, and adjust the opacity as desired. See if that gets you close.

haha, for some reason I figured you would be the first to reply to this... and you got it pretty much bang on, thanks a lot matt

:cheers:

it seems to lack that "pop" and glow that the other one had.. and I even adjusted it to 0, 14, 12... is there anything else I can try... ooo and maybe it was because I wasnt sure how to run the diffuse glow with white as my background color...????

pilgrim · Sep 14, 2004

ok, I played around with levels and saturation and I got something pretty darn close, I guess it will just be a fine tuning from here...
thanks again matt

Digital Matt · Sep 15, 2004

Hehe, how did you know I would be the first to reply?

I do this for a living now so I jumped at the chance. In that pic you posted, did you do the exact steps I did? I took that edited photo you posted, and used my technique on it, and it came out almost identical. I boosted the saturation a bit and it was perfect. Yours doesn't look nearly as soft. Make sure the blending mode of the "soft" layer is normal.

To get white as your background color press "d" on your keyboard. That will make balck as foreground and white is background.