Theme: Light

I've played around with this image a lot. I was driving along Mirror Lake drive in Lake Placid during sunset when I saw it. I believe I posted the original on eager To Learn a few weeks ago. In this version I added fake sun rays in Photoshop. Here is the technique:


1)Open your image in PS and make necessary adjustments
2)Duplicate layer
3)Select – Filter>Render>Difference Clouds (be sure color palate has B&W colors selected) Note: Image will look very funky at this point
4)Select – Filter>Radial Blur…Amount >50% usually…Blur Method = Zoom…Place Blur Center in range where the sun (light) is coming from
5)You should then select overlay or soft light in the layers palate. You can play with the opacity to your liking
6)You can also use the Eraser tool to remove rays that you feel do not belong


Comments and suggestions appreciated. Warning: you could really have fun with this technique!

Nick, I haven't been to Lake Placid in a long time. I think the scene you have created is wonderful!! I like the effect and I appreciate very much you giving us your workflow for it. The light is very nicely handled. I like the glow on the girl but feel it should only be on the side the light is coming from. Very nicely done.

Hi Nick, The effects you created regarding the light rays work well.Agree with Denise regarding the glow around the person. I also would have liked to have seen less of the far shoreline(thickness) and possibly more of the sky as a point of interest.

Nice image and application.

I would suggest that you might want to consider, in the future, to use the ROT for this type of image. Putting the girl in the lower 1/3 and the sun in the upper 1/3 intersections would have really made it pop, in my view. However,

Your image ... your vision.

Keep working at it. The idea is great and a slight modification would make the image shine.

Good feedback. Believe me I have done it all with this image. It ends up the original RAW with a few minor tweaks turns out to be the best. With this technique you can erase some of the rays in places you don't want them which could be done in a few places on this image. Actually I think it got cropped a bit in my jpeg conversion but the ROT was applied using the girl and the sun in vertical rather than horizontal orientation. Thanks for all your input.

Nick, If it's alright w/ you I'd like to add your mini-tutorial to this weeks Theme sticky at the top of this page

Nice effect. I really like the rim light. It probably would be better without the glow, IMO.

Lovely effect, Nick, and thanks for the tutorial, very well done.

Nicely done , lovely base image and awesome effects, thanks for tutorials
TFS

Nick, well done. It's a lovely image with a nice feel to it. Thanks for the tutorial - I'm sure it'll get a work-out:D

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Cheryl