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Can somebody look at this picture please??


S

srigi

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Hello,
I am new to this forum. A friend of mine keeps creating this kind of effect with ordinary photos using photoshop. But when I ask him he doesn't want to share how he got this smooth result. Can somebody please look at the attached picture and tell me what this effect is called and can we give an ordinary image this painting kind of effect? Thanks in advance for your help. I appreciate your time.

Sri

aaj.jpg
 
you'll get better thoughts of what was done if you provide the before image
 
Thanks for your reply. I don't have the before image of the above photo as he posted only the final result on Facebook. But I can show you two other Before/After images of another picture that he did. I am attaching them here.
vij1.jpgvij2.jpg
 
The first one is different from the second example.

In the first it looks like a blur is applied. Vibrancy is increased as is contrast, then maybe a plastic wrap filter. In the case of both filters, they are probably done with smart filters so that there is a filter mask available to lessen or remove the effect from desired areas. Such areas as the eyes, the mouth, nose, microphone. There may also be judicious use of the smudge tool.

In the second, it may be the oil painting effect if he has CS6. There could be liquify or smudging used.

He ay also be using an outside plugin such as one of the Topaz filters.

And in both hue/sat or color balance changes. He might possibly have used HDR Toning in one or both.

Just guessing. There are many ways to do the same things in PS, some are just more straightforward and fewer steps.

Yep, he's keeping his secrets, but you can emulate the effects by trying different things. IDK what your level of PS expertise or knowledge is, but the more you learn about how the tools work and what they do, the better you will be able to guess and come close. At least, if you are thinking or replicating these for your own use, if you get a satisfactory result, it needn't be an exact duplicate. And trying things out is half the fun.
 
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Just for run, I made a version applying blur, plastic wrap, and then some hue changes (not really like your example) to see what I could come up with. I think he used more blur and probably a smudge effect if he did it without Topaz or something similar. Plugins are made for Photoshop that can do amazing things, and that is my best guess. I won't hesitate to say I might use one, especially for commercial use, but for me, some of the fun is getting as close as I can just using the tools in PS. Of course, those keep getting more sophisticated each version too.

Some of our members would look at that and immediately say, oh that's the Topaz " ___." Once you apply various techniques, you will recognize them.

TracksBefAft.jpg
 
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You probably aren't going to like my approach because, to save time, I used several fairly costly commercial plugins, but I knew that they would get me close very, very quickly, so there was no way I was going to waste time trying to recreate this look using only native PS tools. So, I used, in order (ie, going up the layer stack):

1. Red Paw "Process FX" - THE most adjustable cross process plugin available at any price - it sets the initial green/yellow look. I think the author is now giving it away free, so it is a tremendous bargain.

2. Topaz "Details 3" - to soften the man.

3. Power Retouche Pro "Black Define" - to make the shadows inky

4. NIK Color Efx pro "Duplex" + "Ink" to set the blue shadows

5. A final set of tweaks using PS's Levels and Hue/Saturation

Each of the above layers was tweaked using the opacity and blendIF sliders, but only "normal" blend mode was used throughout the stack.

Note 1 - the thumbnail you see below has many artifacts that make the man's face look too sharp. Double-click on the thumbnail to see a better quality version. He's still a bit sharper than her, but I was too lazy to go back and tweak the settings in Topaz Details or add another layer to further soften him.

Note 2 - the lighting for the photo of the man is wildly different from the lighting in the photo of the woman, so one can't expect the looks to be identical, especially, the backlit hair.

HTH,

Tom M
 

Attachments

  • aaj_girl-01_acr-ps06a_montage-01.jpg
    aaj_girl-01_acr-ps06a_montage-01.jpg
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PS - Clair's comment that the two examples you provided a using very different effects is right on the mark. Obviously, I only tried to approximate the first "look".

BTW, although I took several steps to get close to the 1st look, for all I know there may be some Instagram-like filter that might give you this effect by pushing one button. I don't keep up with that type of software. I only use more general purpose, building-block type of plugins like the more professional products from NIK, Topaz, etc.

PS #2 - I am almost positive that your friend used Topaz "Clean" (with the settings turned way up) to create the hair and other parts of the 2nd image that you posted. The smudgy skin could be done by any of the methods that Clair mentioned.
 
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Looks like Topaz Clean to me.
 
Thanks to everyone for your valuable ideas. I followed ibclare's method and tried with the second picture and got this result which I feel is 60% close. Still haven't tried the first image yet. Can somebody please suggest how to give the finishing touches?Will be of great help. I can send the source file if any of you want. Thanks. Thanks for letting me know of the various filters available.
vijay.jpg
 
"Still haven't tried the first image yet. Can somebody please suggest how to give the finishing touches?"
Click to expand...

I'm sorry. I don't understand what are you asking.

Did you read my posts? I gave a detailed list of the plugins I used to obtain a very similar look to your 1st image.

Tom M
 
Sorry. Some misunderstanding. As I am a beginner, I don't have any costly plugins installed.I am curious to learn step by step. So followed the procedure Ibclare said. I played with the HDR and Hue/Saturation etc., and got something close to what I have posted earlier. Thanks for your plugin suggestions.
 
I would say you did a very good job. I don't like the all-over purple though. In fact, I think it takes away from the work you did on the effects.

Keep it up. Very nice.
 
srigi said:
Can somebody please suggest how to give the finishing touches?Will be of great help. I can send the source file if any of you want. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Well, since you like to work the PS way and seemed OK with my explanation, I can try to help you. But what is it that you man by finishing touches. I already gave you all the ideas I had, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be more. So I need to know what details you're pointing to. *I thought you didn't have the source file and yes, if you have it now, post it.
 
You are right. It is too purplish. That is why I requested whether somebody can help me to reduce the purple color and finish it properly. Can you please tell me how to attach the psd file here? The source file I meant is the one that I created to get this effect.

Thanks!
 
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