Pixellated Blur
This week let us learn a little
technique I like to call the pixellated blur. I want to have
an image that is focus on a single point, but blurry and
pixellated throughout the rest of the image. I am using a
photo of the famous bridge in the famous city that we all
know. You can see it below.
I want to focus on the top of the farthest
tower over there. So the first thing I do is to duplicate
the layer with my bridge photo on it. I do this by dragging
my layer to the new layer icon at the bottom of the layers
palette. It looks like a folded piece of paper. Once this is
done, you should have three layers total. A background, and
two of the bridge layers.
After that is done, we are going to select
the upper layer. Now go Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur.
Give it a few pixels, until you are satisfied with the
outcome. Look below for my version.
Now that looks like a blurry version of the first image
right? Well, that's because it is.
So let's add some pixellation and really
mess this perfectly good photo all up. Go Filter ->Pointilize
->Mosaic. Use the slider to give it some parameters on size.
I used 4 here. I like the number 4. I also like most of the
other numbers too. That's another story though. Play around
with your own favorite numbers and come up with what you
like.
Ok, so now we have an image that looks...
well... like garbage. So what are we going to do with this
thing? Well, the first thing we are going to do is to add a
layer mask to the top layer. Do this by hitting the Add
Layer Mask button at the bottom of the layers palette. When
this is done, select the gradient tool in the toolbar. I
used a radial gradient on mine, but you can experiment with
any gradient, or you can use a soft paintbrush with black
pixels over the spot you want to show focused. Or you can
use any shade of grey, or gray as some folks say to give it
any level of clarity. So I swipe a radial gradient on mine
from black to white starting at the far tower. I can do this
as many times as I want until I get it right. I am so good,
that I got it right the first time. That is... the first
time after I did it about a dozen practice rounds. I call
them practice, you can call them screwups. Either way, I
still get paid the same. That's what makes PS so cool, you
can always revert back to before you screwed up the image.
Try that with oil and canvas Degas!
So we learned a little sump'm sump'm today
right? Repeat after me, " I am a Photoshop masterrrrr. I am
a Photoshop masterrrr". Go meditate on this as your mantra.
When you are done, you will be "one" with the pixel. Then
try other combinations of this technique with other filters
and get rich on you talents.
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