Sydney Blur - How I created this photo - Photoshop Tutorial
This is one of my most popular images and it started out as being an experiment in Photoshop. Many people criticise the use of Photoshop in photography because they believe it creates a false depiction of the scene being displayed. Photography first and foremost is an art form. Art is an expressive outlet for the artist and how they choose to express themselves is their choice. I guarantee that most landscape paintings bend the truth of what a scene looks like in some way, whether it's in size and perspective of key elements, or even in the addition or removal of what is actually there. But because a painting is obviously not real, no one criticises it. A photo is not real either. It is the end result of a photographer using their tool, a camera, and editing/processing software to add their vision into the information the camera has captured.
Check out the video below to see the original straight out of the camera shot and how I achieved this look.
What are your thoughts on Photoshop? Is there a limit?
Camera Settings
Intro Post
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Photoshop is one of my favourite software. It is just wow. Specially CS6
It keeps getting better and better :)
This shot is freakin gorgeous!! I've never understood people who hate on photoshop... It's a tool to turn regular photos into pieces of art.
It's the icing on the cake 😁
Beautiful shot to be sure and I love working with photoshop. I do see people overdo it with saturation sometimes but this is not one of those times. The objective i think is to keep it believable. it was fun to watch the video because I thought you were going to show a replacement sky... this method is very cool! I love that you and so many others create this how-to's. They come in handy when an inspiration hits!
There is definitely "wrong" ways to do things but I think it comes down to skill in finding the right touch 🙂
Nice man! I enjoyed watching it. It's always weird hearing people's voices after you've interacted solely through text. I think there is a limit to photoshop, but I don't know what that is. As long as it's believable looking, I'm usually a fan. This is an awesome shot though.
Most people sound like your own voice when you read their text enough. I guess this means we sound different? Do I sound like an Aussie? 😁
Perhaps :) my wife was in the room while I was watching and copied your accent for a bit, ha. Way cooler than our Midwestern US accent ha.
lol. I have a friend from America here that complains that he is the only one without an accent and we're the ones that sound weird.
There's not a limit - the issue is more a matter of how the photo/art is represented by the photographer (this is my issue with Peter Lik). As long as you're honest about the process, it really doesn't matter how much you photographed something. It's up to the viewers to decide whether they value the work more or less depending on whether you Photoshopped it or went to great lengths to get the same result in-camera.
Awesome bit of Photoshopping, by the way. That long exposure look works great for Sydney Harbour!
Lol, Peter Liks moons. I don't feel the need to disclose that something is Photoshopped but I don't lie to people either if they ask. Nor do I claim that everything is "in camera"
Exactly!!!
I love it man! Keep creating beautiful photos like this and ignore the naysayers... Haters gonna hate ;-)
Haha thanks 😊
Great tutorial, I use photoshop for rendering buildings. Good to learn some new shortcuts and some new techniques. Thanks for sharing, was great music by the way ;)
I forgot about the music! How embarrassing 😅
Agreed. Who's to say what another person should or shouldn't like. What speaks to each individual is what matters.
Taste and techniques. As long as it's done well
I dont think there’s any limit. Photoshop just another tool to create art, just like an oil painting & brushes for an artist. It just a different form of tools and result. Photographer can create art just by being really good in the setting technique or they can be good by editing. Nothing is wrong as it’s a choice of how they work and implement their creation.
The in camera techniques provide the right foundation for the finished piece of art
Photoshop and its ilk is just another art tool as far as I'm concerned, not entirely certain what the fuss is. Be like saying people shouldn't play rock or dubstep on violin because the violin is a classical instrument.
I like the photo :)
I guess people just don't like being mislead. But it's their initial expectation that creates that.