Looking for some photoshop inspiration? Here are some genius photoshop ideas every photographer needs to know!
Every old-school photographer worth their salt knows that the true talent of photography lies in the angles and strategies used during the photo shoot rather than the post-production process. Editing has always been the afterthought, the final touches or additional flair. However, times have changed, and with new and exciting photoshop ideas, photography is as much of a creative post-production process as pre-production. With surreal photography, mind-blowing edits, and futuristic flairs, the world of editing is an exciting one, and every photographer should at least have a few tricks up their sleeves to create amazing captures.
Photoshop tutorials are a great resource to help you get comfortable with this industry-standard image editing software. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned photographer or editor, there’s always something new to discover in Photoshop’s comprehensive editing suite. There are numerous tools and features to learn and numerous tricks and shortcuts to save time and enhance your workflow. There is no limit to what the software can do, whether you use it for work or play. All professional photographers know that time is against them in most shoots, and you have to work with the shots you manage to get and move on. This might mean you will have to come back to them and use a few photoshop tricks to enhance your photos. Whether it is about making a mediocre shot unforgettable or adding an edgy touch, photoshop can help, and here are some tips and tricks to explore!
The Effect of Double Exposure: Double exposure photography is a technique that combines two photographs into one by layering two different exposures on a single image. Double exposure gives your photos a surreal feel, and the two pictures can work together to convey deep meaning or symbolism. A “multiple exposure” technique, which combines more than two exposures in a single image, is similar.
The double exposure effect blends scenery shots into the shape of a person beautifully in portrait images. This effect can be created with stock photographs or by taking your own! You’ll have a stunning result in no time with the help of a few layer masks, blending modes, and fundamental selection changes.
Drip Effect of Paint: The paint drip effect makes it appear as if your subject is changing into dripping paint by using masks. This effect in portrait shots allows you to be more creative with brush tweaks. To begin, open the photo you want to work with. To open your photo, navigate to File > Open, select your image, and click Open. Your image should be in RGB color mode with 8 bits per channel. The background layer should be 1500–4000 px wide/high for the best results. To make a new layer, go to Layer > New > Layer and name it Brush 1. Then, while selecting this layer, select the Pen Tool (P), Shape tool mode, #000000 for the fill color, and draw a dripping shape. You are free to use other drawing tools if you prefer.
Moon Lanterns: Looking for a way to create gorgeous, ethereal photographs with some out-of-the-world elements? You can add a moon instead of a lantern for a unique twist on the traditional lantern photo. Many Photoshop tutorials demonstrate how to choose and chop out a moon before blending it into another image. This is an excellent lesson for practicing composite photography, and it results in a distinctive photograph that is guaranteed to turn some heads.
The Dispersion Effect: Want to make it appear as if your subjects are vanishing like the Avengers? If that’s the case, you’ll adore this dispersion effect! You can stretch out part of your image to fill your break-away particles with the liquify adjustment. Then, using a single brush and a layer mask, make it appear as if your subjects have vanished into thin air. This is a distinctive Photoshop trick that everyone should attempt. The dispersion effect is an excellent way to add drama and flair to your images – and once you’ve mastered the basics, you can be as creative as you want. Separate Disintegration brushes must be installed, which can be found for free online. We recommend starting with a background image if you want to experiment with stock photography too.
The Forest Warp Effect: The Forest Warp Effect is a phenomenon that occurs when a forest is distorted.
This warping effect is a must-try Photoshop effect for nature landscapes or metropolitan images. You can make it appear as if part of your photo is stretching away by using a motion blur and a gradient layer mask. It gives a photograph a distinct look and, in some situations, might even aid in isolating your subject in the frame! To get the shot, you can simply set up your camera on a trail that seems appropriate for this effect. Then, using the Canon Camera Connect App, connect your phone to the Canon 6D MKII, allowing you to control the settings and shutter from afar! There’s no need for fancy remotes or wireless triggers.
Dreamy Bokeh Effect: When your subject is sharp, but your background is blurry, you have a bokeh effect. When you choose a shallow depth of field, the background will be softly blurred. If you don’t get it right during the shoot, you can add the bokeh effect in Photoshop afterward. There are several steps to the procedure. However, you should be familiar with most of the Photoshop tools you’ll require. You can also find an excellent tutorial for adding the bokeh effect to your images by clicking the link in the headline above.
Effect of Multiple Exposures: Multiplicity is a fantastic Photoshop effect for adding surrealism and humor to your images. In the multiple exposure effect, your subject appears in the same scene numerous times. Start with two photographs. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can try adding more layers. The pictures must all depict the same scene. In addition, the composition’s framing must be identical. Then you shoot a series of shots with your subject in various positions, using photoshop CC afterward to combine the photographs.
Create composite images: Anyone can try this creative photo manipulation technique. Begin by mixing two photographs. After that, you can add more. Make it more interesting by adding mixed media to create a variety of effects in your final image. Using Photoshop to combine photographs is a lot easier than you think!
Use a Double-Light Effect: Without a full studio setup, a double-light effect offers your photographs a professional look. Photographers that specialize in portraits and fashion especially love this effect. You can create realistic lighting effects with color treatment in Photoshop. Adding two colors to your photos might help you generate contrasting emotions or feelings of warmth and coolness. You only need a digital photo with two light sources to get started. Then, with a little Photoshop effort, you can make your image look completely different.
Enhance Your Photographs Using Lens Flare: Lens flare is a common annoyance. In post-production, Photoshop is frequently used to remove it from images. However, you can also use Photoshop to apply flare as well. Adding lens flare to your photographs is a terrific way to give them a dreamy sheen. It can lend intrigue and romance to sunsets and golden hour sceneries. The state of lens technology is constantly evolving. Anti-reflection coating is found on high-quality lenses. However, this makes generating a flare effect naturally more difficult. Thankfully, with a bit of photo editing, you can get an excellent flare effect. In post-production, we offer a basic Photoshop tutorial for producing lens flare. Try it out by clicking the link in the headline above.
Create outstanding cinematography: Cinemagraphs are a fantastic way to add a touch of magic to your photos. Cinemagraphs are images with a single moving element. Snow may be falling, the sky could spin, or hair blowing in the breeze. This is different from GIF as the majority of the photo is motionless with one moving element.
Set Things on Fire: The illusion that something is on fire without becoming an arsonist is a cool effect, especially when using an impossible object such as ice or water. There are other ways to do it in real life, but Photoshop is all you need for this project. When capturing your images, remember that using a photographed light source is always easier than trying to recreate one from scratch. To create the fire, all you need are free stock photos on a black or dark background. Create a new layer, sample a color from the fire, and use the Brush Tool to paint the color over an area to add additional glow effects. Set the Blending Mode of the newly painted layer to Color Dodge and see what happens. It produces a subtle glow effect that you can freely paint wherever you want. Add it to your model or everyday objects!
Play with Clouds: Not only can you paint clouds in Photoshop, but you can also change the shape of real clouds. Have you ever looked up at the sky and noticed the shape of an animal or another object in the clouds? When creating cloud shapes in Photoshop, this tutorial is a great way to help make images come to life with a bit of whimsy and wonder. Speaking of the sky, have you ever taken a great photograph and wished the sky could have been a little more dramatic? Perhaps you’d like more clouds in the background, or you’d prefer the photo to have been taken at sunset or night rather than during the day. With Photoshop’s sky replacement tool, you can easily change the sky in any photo.
Include Falling Snow or Leaves: Creating a winter wonderland image does not always necessitate braving a snowstorm. You can create falling snow in any image using layer masks and blending. This is an excellent introduction to the matte painting technique. Similar to snow, you can also try using leaves in your images. Adding falling leaves to an image is simple, and to make it more realistic, add depth by blurring out leaves based on the depth of field. This technique can be used to create a fantastic autumn portrait in any season!
Add A Sci-Fi Portal: Sci-fi and fantasy films frequently feature glowing portals that transport characters to another world or transport them from another time or place into ours. This tutorial employs some advanced techniques, such as the use of perspective lines to correctly align layers in a scene. However, it is not a difficult project in and of itself, and beginners can attempt it without fear of becoming overwhelmed. Simply follow along and enjoy yourself!
The Inception Effect: Let’s learn how to make the impossibly fractal world of inception, where everything appears to fold into each other as reality itself bends and folds. When done correctly, it is a mind-bending look that can look amazing. To achieve the final look, this technique combines somewhat advanced drone photography with a specific progression of camera angles, as well as manual aligning and stitching of the resulting images. It’s not for everyone, and there are other ways to achieve similar effects without using a drone.
There are several different creative photoshop ideas for you to explore. All you have to do is find the right one to suit your photography mood (or your client’s). Photoshop is a tool that works well when handled carefully. While there are a ton of ways you can increase your photoshop creativity, make sure you let your true photography skills shine through it all!