Hi all. Glad you liked the pictures.
It's a very simple process, and I was inspired to dabble into a bit of this "tilt-shift esque" effect after reading
this thread.
Basically, to make real photographs look like models, we need three factors:
1. Most importantly, photographs of miniatures taken in macro have a shallow depth of field, which results in only a portion of the entire picture being in focus.
2. Miniature models often have harder, darker shadows than in real life.
3. Miniature models are often of more vivid, striking and solid colors than their real life counterparts.
Process:
1. Choose a photograph that preferably has the subject somewhere in the center. Large areas of a solid color or extremely complex pictures won't produce the best results.
2. Open it in an editor, then
select all (or equivalent function).
3.
Remove from selection (or equivalent function) the horizontal section which contains the subject. Remember to apply
maximum feathered edges (100px should suffice).
3.
Gaussian blur the remainder about 7px.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 again, but this time,
remove from selection an larger area than before. Work outwards until the ends of the picture. If necessary, blur an area multiple times.
5. Edit
contrast to around 60% and
brightness to 45%. You really need to play around at this stage, undoing and reapplying. Remember, what you want is a
vivid, colorful picture.
6. Edit
saturation to around 80%. Again, play around until it looks toy-ish.
At this point you've about done. For night shots, it will be useful to apply a little bit of
RGB noise (or equivalent function) to the dark areas. Another variation would be a slanted focus area if the subject cuts diagonally across the photograph. Again, blur the outside a little, then work outwards.
Go try it now, it's lots of fun. I've tricked my dad into believing all four above were models! :hehe:
Cheerio,
Nicholas.