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Post by Lillias on Jul 28, 2018 17:42:25 GMT
I thought this was a very good video tutorial on using Radial Gradients. The video is by Blake Rudis of F64 Academy and is done in PS but it can also be done in PSE. About 7 mins into the video he talks about ‘Blend If’ which is only available in PS but for those of us using PSE we can just ignore that part.
Experimentation is the name of the game as different effects can be obtained by applying different gradients and blend modes and opacities.
PLEASE upload the BEFORE photo as well as the AFTER photo so that we can better understand the changes made in the photos you have chosen to use for the challenge. I ask this as I realise some changes can be very subtle indeed and not immediately recognisable if you can’t compare with the original.
There is a follow up video on Gradient Vignettes which is also very good and instructive but I’ll leave you to look into that yourselves should you want to.
Photos from Pixabay
BG Watercolour Texture by dianadkn from Brusheezy.
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Post by fotofrank on Jul 28, 2018 21:16:07 GMT
Thanks for this one BillieJean, Original  Gradient  |
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Post by Lillias on Jul 29, 2018 8:01:02 GMT
Very nice Frank. Thanks for getting this challenge off to a good start.
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Post by Bailey on Jul 29, 2018 10:17:33 GMT
That's a really interesting video and technique BillieJean. TFS  I took this "Before" photo while we wandered around Lake Taihu in Wuxi on our trip to China in 2014. I applied a radial Yellow to Orange radial gradient centered approximately over the building. Apart from highlighting the building, I feel it also gives the photo a kind of eerie sunset/sunrise mood. |
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Post by ritage on Jul 29, 2018 16:51:10 GMT
Before
After
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Post by Lillias on Jul 29, 2018 20:07:48 GMT
That's a really interesting video and technique BillieJean. TFS I’m glad you like it bailey. I found it interesting and one of the things I learned was that you could move the gradient around the page when the gradient fill box was open. I didn’t know that before. I like your placement of the gradient with the yellow part peeping up over the trees just behind the building. Love the photo BTW. Thank you for taking part in the challenge. |
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Post by Lillias on Jul 29, 2018 20:11:10 GMT
That's a real cool look Rita. It really concentrates the eye on the woman I think more than in the original photo. It seems to draw her out more from the background.
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Post by hmca on Jul 29, 2018 23:04:43 GMT
It seems the only time I use gradients is when I'm following a tut. This was a very interesting tut, Lillias. I tried both tuts you posted. I used a yellow/purple gradient. Before Gradient  After Gradient  Adding a vignette:  |
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Post by Bailey on Jul 30, 2018 9:05:59 GMT
That's a really interesting video and technique BillieJean. TFS I’m glad you like it bailey. I found it interesting and one of the things I learned was that you could move the gradient around the page when the gradient fill box was open. I didn’t know that before. I like your placement of the gradient with the yellow part peeping up over the trees just behind the building. Love the photo BTW. Thank you for taking part in the challenge. No problem BillieJean, I wasn't aware either that you can move the gradient around when the gradient fill dialog box is open until I watched your video. I have since played with another photo but haven't been able to come up with something I like. From my understanding of this technique to highlight elements of an image, it largely depends on you finding suitable colours(s) and a blending mode for the gradient fill layer that produces the look you want  . This might not always be easy, or even possible, at least for me  . Up till now I have usually used an adjustment layer (Levels, Brightness/Contrast or whatever) and painted shades of grey or used a gradient on the layer mask itself to localise the highlighting effect of the adjustment layer. I feel this gives me more flexibility in the highlighting. When I have time, maybe I'll just have to play a bit more with the technique in the video. |
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Post by Lillias on Jul 30, 2018 11:35:28 GMT
I have since played with another photo but haven't been able to come up with something I like. From my understanding of this technique to highlight elements of an image, it largely depends on you finding suitable colours(s) and a blending mode for the gradient fill layer that produces the look you want Your comments relate to so many of these creative effect challenges bailey. A lot always seems to depend firstly on the image used and then the techniques employed. And dare I say whether one is really interested in a particular technique enough to carry on experimenting as they say ‘practice makes perfect’.
You didn’t mention it but remember you can also reduce the opacity of the gradient effect – but I’m sure you know that... 
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Post by Lillias on Jul 30, 2018 11:39:34 GMT
I love what you have done Helen. The colours you chose for your gradient have brought out some nice tones in your image in my opinion – especially in the foliage. AND you went the extra mile adding the vignette. Well done. Thanks for taking part.
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Post by Bailey on Jul 30, 2018 11:47:49 GMT
No problem BillieJean Yes I am aware you can change the opacity of the gradient fill layer, just like you can with any layer. I'll try to play a bit more with this technique when I get a chance. Like with so many things in PSE, there is more than one way to create an effect. But I did learn something new from this thread as posted previously |
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pontiac1940
CE Members
Posts: 6,363
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by pontiac1940 on Jul 30, 2018 15:23:40 GMT
I cheated and never used the radial gradient so my submission does not count. Found the radial gradient process a bit fussy, but that's probably just me. "Before" on top: "after" at bottom. ... Copied the tree into a new layer. ... On the new layer I used the eclipse marquee tool so its shape and position would be shifted easily. ... Shifted the selection to the left by dragging it ... Inversed and feathered the layer ... Filled the layer using paint bucket (dark green) set at much reduced opacity ... Slightly lightened the background ... Flattened Clive   |
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Post by kdcintx on Jul 30, 2018 16:08:43 GMT
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Post by Lillias on Jul 30, 2018 17:19:21 GMT
I cheated and never used the radial gradient so my submission does not count. Found the radial gradient process a bit fussy, but that's probably just me. Oh sorry about that Clive, I thought it was an interesting tutorial. I think we can agree that there are many ways in PS/PSE to do the same thing and this is just one of the ways. Thanks for sharing your work process. Nice result too. |
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. This might not always be easy, or even possible, at least for me 
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