Soft and Dreamy

Beth81 · Feb 4, 2009

I don't know if you guys will understand this but I'm wondering how to get a picture to be soft and dreamy? In other words kinda faded out? Most wedding pictures are done this way? Is this something that can be done with GIMP? and if someone does understand this....then what is the correct term for this technique?:heart:

ANDS! · Feb 4, 2009

Beth81 said:
I don't know if you guys will understand this but I'm wondering how to get a picture to be soft and dreamy? In other words kinda faded out? Most wedding pictures are done this way? Is this something that can be done with GIMP? and if someone does understand this....then what is the correct term for this technique?:heart:

Do you actually have a camera! :shock:

chrisburke · Feb 4, 2009

soft lighting... to soft looks horrible though

Breanna · Feb 4, 2009

Soft light, and possibly a subtle blur filter.

ANDS! · Feb 4, 2009

Post an example of what you want.

Beth81 · Feb 4, 2009

ANDS! said:
Do you actually have a camera! :shock:

LOL not yet. I ordered it finally....:mrgreen: the Nikon d80 with the 18-55 and 55-200 lens. Well it was what you posted for me. It will be here in a few days but I have been playing around with GIMP trying to learn a few things here and there. The pics I've ound won't let me copy and paste but if you google Bill Hurter wedding pics. He has a few pics that are an example of what I'm looking to do. I'm thinking it can be done by a filter also but I'm not sure which one.

RyanMillerPhoto · Feb 4, 2009

Nowadays this is done post production. Rarely do we use filters on the lens to soften stuff up. Several post programs will do this. One is Google's free Picasa program. I don't have that app on this computer, but its under the Effects tab. I believe there are two, one is Soft Focus and the other effect is Glow.

Breanna · Feb 4, 2009

Breanna said:
Soft light, and possibly a subtle blur filter.

Should have clarified...not a physical filter, I meant apply a blur filter in photoshop/post production.

Beth81 · Feb 4, 2009

Well thank you. But I was actually meaning a filter. I got told by someone who claims to be a photographer that there was a filter I could use.

rufus5150 · Feb 4, 2009

GIMP can do this. Take the image, duplicate the original layer and run a blur on it (I use Gaussian but different types will give different effects) with a fairly wide radius (this depends on your image size, but on something in the 3000x4000 pixel range, I use 20-25 pixel radius). Set the opacity down to 0% and then move it up until the desired effect is achieved.

You may need to mask off eyes and such.

Btw, the above is a simple (and somewhat brute force) way to get the effect, but the technique is sound. Refinements are a must for a truly good image, though.

chrisburke · Feb 4, 2009

Beth81 said:
Well thank you. But I was actually meaning a filter. I got told by someone who claims to be a photographer that there was a filter I could use.

there are filters you can put on your camera, but i would (and i'm sure others here) suggest not using them, and do it in post processing.. if you use the filter, you cannot control how much "softness" is put on the picture, so it could end up with more than you want.. where as, if you shoot without the filter, then add it in post (with photoshop, or gimp or something like it) you can control how much softness is added, and in the end, have a much better picture

Beth81 · Feb 4, 2009

ok thank you all so much.....

GeneralBenson · Feb 4, 2009

The pictures I perceive as being dreamy are usually soft focus and soft lighting, like everyone has already mentioned. But another thing I imagine when thinking of dreamy pictures is them being High Key, which means having all or the majority of the tones falling above medium gray. Basically, lots of white and light colors.