Orb Photography

For this article I am assuming you already know how to create an orb in Photoshop. If not, don’t panic. If you are unfamiliar with orb photography and the Photoshop steps used to create one, you should first read my Oil & Water Orb article that I wrote for The Art of Macro Photography. There you will find the 5 easy steps needed to create an orb. Fair warning — it’s addictive!

Let’s Get Started!

First you need to create 4 separate orbs. If you already have some made, great! If not, get crackin’! Fun awaits!

For this particular orb project, I recommend using four very different colored orbs. As for their subject matter and pattern, that is strictly up to you. Once you have created or chosen the four orbs you would like to use, put them in a separate folder on your desktop for easy access. Now roll up your sleeves and get ready for the next stage in your orbs’ transformation.

Step-By-Step in Photoshop

Create New Document

1. Before we can create the final orb from your four separate orbs, we first need to create a totally new Photoshop document. To do so, go to the Photoshop menu at the top of the screen and select File>New.

2. When the New settings window opens, give your new document a Name. I called mine 4 Orbs. Now enter the pixel dimensions you want for your final orb. Note: I entered 2848 x 2848 pixels to match the largest pixel dimensions of one of my four separate orbs. I then entered 300 pixels for the Resolution to make sure the file will be suitable for both web and print.

Place Guides for Orbs

1. To make sure your 4 separate orbs will all be of the same size and proportion to each other in the new document, you need to place vertical and horizontal guides that intersect in the center of your document. This will create 4 distinct quadrants — one for each of your separate orbs.

Create Layers & Place Your 4 Orbs

1. Now it’s time to place your 4 separate orbs into the new document. First, however, you need to create a separate layer for each of the 4 separate orbs. Create a new layer by clicking on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the layers palette. (It’s the icon with the turned up corner next to the trash can icon.)

2. Next, click on a layer to activate it. Note: I recommend working from bottom to top in the layer stack.

3. After you activate a layer, go to File>Place>SELECT ONE OF YOUR ORB IMAGES. After you select the orb image you want to use for that layer, click on Place.

4. The orb will now appear in your new document at full size with a sizing grid activated on top of it. To resize the orb image, hold down the Shift Key, click on one of the corners of the sizing grid, and pull towards the center of the image to reduce the size of the orb photo so that it fits into one of the quadrants on the new document. After you’ve reduced the image to the correct size, press Return on your keyboard to lock it in place. Use the Move tool as needed to move the orb into its exact position.

5. Repeat Steps 2-4 for each separate layer to place each of your 4 orbs into position on the new document. Important! Make sure that each of the 4 orbs completely fill in its quadrant of the new document. There should be no gaps between the 4 orbs in your layout. If you need to go back and make a sizing adjustment, no problem.

How To Make A Sizing Adjustment

1. Select the layer that contains the orb you want to resize by clicking on it.

2. Once the layer is selected, go to the menu at the top of the screen and select Edit>Transform>Scale. The sizing grid will then appear over that orb. Hold down the Shift Key, click on one of the corners of the sizing grid, and adjust the orb as necessary. Use the Move tool as needed to move the orb into its exact position.

Remove Guides & Merge Layers

1. After all of the separate orbs are properly in position on separate layers, remove the Guides from the document by clicking on each line and dragging it back to the ruler until it disappears.

2. Once the Guides are gone, it’s time to merge the layers into one. From the menu at the top of the screen, select Layer>Merge Visible.

The 4 Separate Orbs Layout

It’s Time To Make The Single Orb

As previously mentioned, I’m assuming at this stage you already know how to make an orb in Photoshop, or have clicked on the link to my other article that outlines the steps. Either way, now’s the time to manually do the steps OR use the Photoshop Action you might have previously created to make your new orb.

4 Separate Orbs Become 1 Orb

Before Printing — Increase Canvas Size!

One thing that is often forgotten when creating orbs is its canvas size. You will see when you create an orb that the orb itself comes very close to the edges of the overall image. This is fine for web viewing, but a problem when printing and matting an orb photo. Before you can do that, you’ll need to increase the overall canvas size of the image. Don’t worry. It’s very easy to do.

How To Increase Canvas Size

1. First select the Eyedropper tool from the toolbar.

2. With the Eyedropper activated, click once on the existing background color to select it. You will then see that color appear as the foreground color in the toolbar’s color picker.

3. Now go to the menu at the top of the screen and select Image>Canvas Size.

4. Add 1 or 2 inches (your choice) to both the Width & Height dimensions. The number you enter will increase the canvas size by that dimension each side. Important! Make sure the Canvas Extension Color is set to Foreground. Click OK when done.

Congratulations!

You’ve just created a new single orb from 4 other separate orbs. Best of all, the new orb is now sized for printing if you so desire.

The first time through this process may seem a bit overwhelming, particularly if you are new to Photoshop. However, practice makes perfect and certainly speeds things along. Creating orbs can be addictive. It won’t be long before completing this process seems like a breeze.

Experiment With Creativity

Even though this article dealt specifically with 4 separate orbs, you can experiment with different numbers of orbs as long as they cumulatively form a square. My favorite number so far has been using 9 orbs. I’ve created orbs from 9 different orbs, as well as an orb from the same orb used 9 times. The process is exactly the same as just discussed, the only difference being the overall layout and number of Guides used.

When it comes to orbs, you’re only limited by your imagination. Just remember you need to make sure your new document is a square in order to produce a true circular orb.

Have fun experimenting — and send me a link to what your creativity produces!

~ Liz Mackney

Website

Editor’s Pick Gallery

New England Photography Guild Gallery

Fauve Fine Art Effect

Fauvism…

If you’re not familiar with “Fauve Fine Art,” then perhaps this description from Wikipedia can be of some help:

“Fauvism is the style of les Fauves (French for “the wild beasts”), a loose group of early twentieth-century Modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong color over the representational or realistic values retained by Impressionism. While Fauvism as a style began around 1900 and continued beyond 1910, the movement as such lasted only a few years, 1904–1908, and had three exhibitions. The leaders of the movement were Henri Matisse and André Derain.”

Family Influence

My grandfather was a wonderfully talented artist. He excelled as a painter in both watercolor and oils. I always loved his work, especially his watercolors. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized (through reading the Photoshop Fine Art Effects Cookbook) that his watercolors very much incorporated a Fauve Effect. It’s no surprise then why I was instantly drawn to this Photoshop Fine Art Effect.

Since I didn’t inherit my grandfather’s painting gene, I was very excited to learn that I could apply a Fauve Effect to my photography in post production. It was just a matter of learning the steps, which I’m happy to outline for you here.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Once you’ve selected the image you’d like to transform, the Photoshop steps are pretty straightforward. Note: For this image, I used Photoshop CS4. The filters and blending modes discussed below all come with Photoshop right out of the box.

So let’s get started. Here’s what I did, step-by-step, to create the Fauve Fine Art Effect shown above.

1. Open your image in Photoshop and duplicate the image layer. Name the layer “Find Edges.”
2. Convert the Find Edges layer to a line drawing by selecting Filter>Artistic>Poster Edges from the Filter Menu at the top of the screen.
3. In the Layers palette, click on the “Create new fill or adjustment layer” icon (the half black/half white circle) and select Threshold from the menu that opens. Drag the slider until all of the color disappears and the line drawing looks how you wish it to be.
4. Once the line drawing is to your liking, duplicate the original layer and then drag the new layer to the top of the layer stack and rename it “Multiply.” Now switch that new layer’s blending mode to Multiply, and slightly reduce the opacity. The image should now look like a line drawing that has been colored in.
5. Now apply the Median filter to the Multiply layer by selecting Filter>Noise>Median. The purpose of the Median filter is to blend nearby pixels, therefore select a radius that is high enough to significantly distort the image in Preview. Note: For this image I used a radius of 20 pixels.
6. With the Multiply layer still selected, activate the Move tool by clicking on it. Now hold down the Shift Key and use one of the arrow keys to gently shift the Multiply layer a few pixels in one direction. The goal is to produce a slight mismatch between the color and black lines so that it appears the image is slightly out of registration.

So if you have the artistic heart of the great masters, but not their innate painting skills, don’t give up on your fine art dreams. Photoshop just might help you create a few digital masterpieces of your own.

Note: Prints of this image are available at my gallery on Fine Art America.

The Original

And in case you are wondering, here is what my original image looked like before its artistic transformation back in time.

I must say that while I’ll never be a great painter like my grandfather, somewhere I do believe he is smiling.

~ Liz Mackney

Website

Editor’s Pick Gallery

New England Photography Guild Gallery

Let’s Start With The Basics…

Photoshop comes with a variety of built-in filters. I’m often asked by people just getting started with Photoshop what kind of “fun” things can they create using only the basic filters. Well, that’s easy. Lots of things! I’ll show you what I mean using one simple “blah” photo.

Note: All of the filters mentioned in this article are included with Photoshop right out of the box. Each filter was applied on its own separate layer.

Now, let’s get started.

In The Beginning…

Here’s a slightly underexposed shot of small, pastel-colored jelly beans. As you can see, nothing too exciting (although they were quite tasty). I could have deleted the shot, but I knew it had the potential to become so much more.

Jelly beans as originally shot

Add A Little Punch

I had an idea of what I wanted to ultimately do with this shot. To achieve that goal, I first needed to boost the color saturation of the jelly beans. While the pastel colors were nice, I wanted something a bit more vibrant. Even though this is still not exactly an award-winning shot, it was now one step closer to what my mind’s eye envisioned.

Color saturation boosted in Photoshop

Throw In A Little Motion

I decided to put the multiple colors into action. Using the Distort>Shear filter, I configured a wavy pattern and set the jelly beans in motion. I could have stopped there, but I still wanted to add a few more filter touches.

Photoshop's Distort Shear Filter Applied

Give It A Twirl

While the wavy pattern above had a smooth, mellow feel to it, I decided to kick things up a bit more by now applying the Distort>Twirl filter.

Photoshop's Distort Twirl Filter Applied

Now Add A Little ZigZag

Both the wavy and twirl patterns above feature smooth curves. I decided to incorporate a few angles into the design by applying the Distort>ZigZag filter. Just that subtle change gave the image a little edge.

Photoshop's Distort ZigZag Filter Applied

Finish It Off With A Touch of Texture

It was now time to go for the final image as seen in my mind’s eye. This meant changing the filter category altogether. In this case, I applied the Texture>Stained Glass filter and adjusted the size of the “glass” pieces to achieve the look I wanted.

Photoshop's Texture Stained Glass Filter Applied

There you have it. The basic steps on how a fairly boring shot of underexposed jelly beans became a colorful piece of abstract art. Best of all, each of the four separate filter images that led up to the final image could very well serve as abstract works on their own.

So before you discard a less than thrilling image, give some thought as to what else it could possibly become simply by using the basic filters that come with Photoshop.

Have fun playing!

~ Liz Mackney

Website

Editor’s Pick Gallery

New England Photography Guild Gallery

Texture Photography First Catches My Eye

I first noticed texture photography about 6 years ago when I joined BetterPhoto.com. I was new to photography back then, had very little Photoshop experience, and had no idea that what I was looking at was actually “texture photography.” All I knew was that I was seeing some wonderful images that caught my eye because they looked very much like fine art paintings. I had no idea how these images were created, but I knew that one day I would learn the process. That day has finally come.

Being “An Artist”

My grandfather was a wonderful artist. He could paint and draw magnificently. Somehow that particular gene skipped the next two generations. Neither my mother nor any of her five children were blessed with that same innate skill. We were all pretty bummed about that.

But I later learned there are other ways to be an artist.

Mine is through the lens — along with using Photoshop as my “brushes and canvas” to apply textures to my images.

Embracing My Inner Student

At this stage I am a texture student, learning as I go. Each day something new. Each mistake a lesson learned. Each attempt, a new possibility. Every moment, a chance for discovery.

Today is no exception. You never know what’s just around the next corner.

From Fading Flower to Fine Art

I spotted this Easter Lily this morning on my way into town to run an errand. I turned the corner onto another street and there it was in a neighbor’s front flower border. A quick U-turn had me driving back up the hill to get my camera and macro lens.

Upon closer inspection, I could see this Easter Lily was past its prime and fading fast. The white petals were just starting to wilt and featured a hint of brown. In my mind I had a vision of what this Easter Lily could become with the right texture, brushes, and opacity applied.

Fading Easter Lily

Backlit Crocus

I love to shoot small flowers at ground level. This crocus was a natural standout, as the angle of the sun produced wonderful backlighting to showcase the petal detail and tiny water droplets. I deliberately chose a texture color that would contrast with that of the flower. I also chose one with a pale center, as I wanted nothing to interfere with the sunlight through the petals.

Backlit Crocus

Solitary Siberian Squill

This is perhaps my favorite image of the week. This tiny Siberian Squill in the midday sun was a challenge to shoot due to its location. I knew the angle that I wanted — but it required a bit of yoga from me to capture it.

As you can see, the flower’s color and lines are beautiful, as is the delicate, curved shape of the petals. While I had used a shallow depth of field to produce the creamy background, I knew that I could change “pretty” into “beautiful” with the right colored texture and pattern. Again, a careful selection and application of the right Photoshop brushes and opacity helped me to bring my inner vision to life.

Solitary Siberian Squill

Texture Resources

There are many places where you can obtain textures, including creating your own (which I wrote about previously in another texture article of mine). Two resources I like to use are Joel Olives Textures and French Kiss Collections.

So there you have it. A bit of the story behind the images. If interested, they are all available as Fine Art Prints from Fine Art America.

~ Liz Mackney

Website

Editor’s Pick Gallery

New England Photography Guild Gallery

The Winds of Change…

My initial encounter with the wind turbines at Blackburn Industrial Park in Gloucester, Massachusetts, was last November when the first of three turbines was already assembled and standing tall at Varian Semiconductor. I was amazed by its enormous size and thrilled with the ability to get so close to it. It was easy to feel dwarfed by this fascinating structure. I know I certainly did.

Standing 479-feet tall at Varian Semiconductor

Some Stats and Facts

While reading up on these newly iconic structures, I discovered a few interesting stats and facts about them:

• The three wind turbines are worth an estimated $23 million.
• They arrived by boat from Germany.
• Blowers will generate 9 million kilowatt-hours of electricity
• When the winds are 7 mph or less, the Varian turbine will not operate for economic reasons; when the wind speed is 56 mph or greater, the turbine will shutdown for safety reasons.

The Many Views of the Wind Turbines

One thing I’ve noticed since the wind turbines were activated is that you never know where you’ll see them. As I go about my every day life, I’m continually surprised to suddenly spot them from an entirely new vantage point. Here are some examples…

Blackburn Circle

Whenever I drive down Route 128 in either direction towards the Blackburn Circle rotary, I’m always awestruck by their appearance. They truly are tremendous, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

If the wind has the turbines in action, I often find myself mesmerized by the steady rotation of their huge blades. There is something hypnotic about the spinning motion.

The view heading north on Route 128 towards the Blackburn Circle rotary.

Gloucester Crossing

The parking lot at Gloucester Crossing gives you an entirely new vantage point to view the wind turbines. Being elevated allows you to look across Route 128 to Gloucester Engineering. Seeing the size of the wind turbine in relation to the building really gives you a relative perspective. It’s a great place to witness the arc of the blades in motion.

Looking across Route 128 from Gloucester Crossing to Gloucester Engineering

The first store you encounter to the left in the plaza is Petco. The blades of the wind turbines in the distance can make you look at the store twice, as an optical illusion makes the blades appear as if they are about to strike the store’s roof. You just have to stand at just the right angle to see it.

Petco's roofline appears to meet the turbine blades

Drive a little bit further into the parking lot and you can see the blades’ perspective change over the roofline of the other shops.

Gloucester Crossing shops now feature a view of the wind turbines.

Stage Fort Park

One place where the landscape definitely took on a new look is the view from Stage Fort Park. Look across the harbor to Stacy Boulevard and the Fisherman At The Wheel Statue and you will see all three wind turbines standing tall. Their modern design is quite the visual contrast to some of Gloucester’s more historic architecture.

The wind turbines dot the landscape from Stage Fort Park

Other Places to Spot The Turbines

Several North Shore residents (thank you Thelma Ryan) have been busy keeping notes whenever they spot the wind turbines from a new location. Sightings have included the following additional places:

• Marblehead Light/Crocker Park
• Plum Island
• Hampton Beach/Rye, NH
• Little Neck in Ipswich
• Merrimack River in Salisbury
• Over Our Lady of Good Voyage Church (Prospect Street, Gloucester)
• Dr. Smith’s Podiatry Office at 199 Main Street.
• Osman Babson Road from Washington Street
• Stop & Shop off Bass Avenue
• Wheeler’s Point, Riverside Road
• Essex Avenue towards the Boulevard
• Wingaersheek Beach

Two Fascinating Videos

While writing this article, I came across two incredible videos that are a must see. Definitely check them out!

Applied Materials – Varian Wind Turbine Time-Lapse Construction Video

Blade Inspector — What A Job!

One Request…

If you happen to spot the wind turbines from another location other than the ones mentioned in this article, please post a comment and let me know. I’d love to add them to the list here.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the wind turbines are here to stay!

~ Liz Mackney

Website

Editor’s Pick Gallery

New England Photography Guild Gallery