Photoshop Creative

Here's a quick way to reproduce an Orton Effect with just a few steps using Photoshop or PSElments.

(An Orton effect results in an image that appears soft and super-saturated, while also maintaining crisp edges. It's an excellent effect for nature photography and closeups.)

Get started by duplicating your background layer and renaming the duplicate "Sharpened". Now duplicate your background layer again, and name the second duplicate "Sharpened Again". (You really don't have to rename these layers if you don't want to - I'm just using that as a way to clarify which layer gets edited).

Change the Blend Mode of the Sharpened Again layer to Screen, and flatten the image.

Duplicate this newly created Background layer again, and run a Gaussian Blur on it, starting with a setting of 4 or so (but it really depends on the size of your image). Use as much blur as it takes to soften and blur out the edges of your image while leaving just a little bit of detail still showing. Experiment with different settings to see what results you can get.



Finally, change the Blend Mode of this blurred layer to Multiply, and adjust the opacity if necessary - there's the entire effect.

My start and finish images are posted - I added a simple black "faded frame" to it (make a rectangular selection, feather it a bit, create a new layer, invert the selection and fill it with black) - see what you can come up with.

Looks great, Graffi. Thanks you for the tutorial..keep them coming

Graffi wrote:

Get started by duplicating your background layer and renaming the duplicate "Sharpened". Now duplicate your background layer again, and name the second duplicate "Sharpened Again". (You really don't have to rename these layers if you don't want to - I'm just using that as a way to clarify which layer gets edited).

Change the Blend Mode of the Sharpened Again layer to Screen, and flatten the image.

I must be missing something: before flattening, you have 3 layers, background, sharpened and sharpened again. What is the point of having two duplicates?

Thanks Graffi, I will have to give that a try.

Thanks Graffi! As soon a the upgrades arrive for my 'puter next week I''ll have a go at this.

Graffi...

This was what I posted for one of my homework assignments. Are we saying the same thing?

Duplicate your image twice. Ctrl J
Change the top layers blend mode to screen.
Merge your screen layer down. Ctrl E
Duplicate your new image Ctrl J
On your new top layer Go to Filters, Blur, Gas Blur. Use enough that the shapes are still visible but the details are gone. Don't be afraid to blur.
Now change the blend mode on that layer to multiply.
Done!

kimi - I actually reposted it from my blog: http://www.graficalicus.com/wp/archives/155

I think we are syaing the same thing - !

I must be missing something: before flattening, you have 3 layers, background, sharpened and sharpened again. What is the point of having two duplicates?

Michel - There was an additional step that got pulled out - I guess I missed the extra duplicate layer step!

(BTW, the extra step was to change the blend of the Sharpen Layer to Lighten and pull the opacity W-A-Y down - I decided it was a pointless step, so I removed it - but try it, maybe it'll help another image!)

Graffi wrote: kimi -

I think we are saying the same thing - !

good... I thought I was confused there for a minute.

Graffi, thanks so very much for the tutorial. I am going to try it this afternoon. I love the results you achieved on your before and after photos.