BAD LIGHTING SPOILS EVEN THE BEST COMPOSITION, BUT THE
LIGHTING EFFECTS FILTER IS THERE TO HELP YOU OUTPHOTOSHOP’S LIGHTING FILTER
01
CREATE A BASIC VIGNETTE
The mistake that inexperienced
manipulators most often make, according to
Paradigm’s Fred Muram, is “When I see lighting in
a composite that is being reflected from varied
directions. If there is a good sense of key light
coming from one direction and there is something
that is lit from another direction my eye seems to
go right to the composited part.” To ensure this
isn’t the case, you might have to create a basic
vignette using a spotlight as a source.02
USE THE INFINITE LIGHT
The second thing you might do with the
Lighting Effects filter is to globally re-light an area
using the Infinite Light. “Our studio is pretty lucky
with regards to lighting challenges,” says Muram.
“We work with some great photographers who
have learned to shoot images specifically for
compositing, so they are constantly thinking
about keeping the light consistent.”03
ADD A LIGHTING FILTER
Muram adds: “We also work with quite a
bit of stock images, this is where things get a bit
more complicated, and relighting with value and
colour corrections.” The Lighting filter can also be
used to add multiple lights to a scene “To create
the look of light rays flowing in a set direction
using spotlights.”
©FredMuram
think it’s much easier to get a connection to the
scene if it looks like a photograph no matter how
surreal the subject might be. Something can still
be both beautiful and realistic, it usually just
requires a bit more work.” But for Cox, “beautiful
trumps reality every time for me. If that means
that the way an arm looks needs to be tweaked,
even though that’s how it was in real life, we
tweak it. Believability is important but beauty and
seamlessness come first.”
Kubicki wants to interest the viewer above all
else: “I want to catch their attention and engage their
emotions. ‘Beautiful’ is not a quality I cherish in art
because I simply find it boring. ‘Believable’ says
more about the craftsmanship and, in case of
photomanipulations like mine, it’s fundamental. But
if I were to choose one quality that I strive for in my
work, it would be ‘intrigue’. My goal is to create
works that are attractive both in terms of
craftsmanship and topic. I’d rather make something
unsettling than beautiful.”
Of course, practically speaking, more often
than not it depends entirely on what the client
wants. Cawood explains, “Making the
unbelievable believable is what they are looking
for. For others it’s all about having something
visually pleasing. I always try to fit my client’s
needs if it is a commissioned piece. When I create
personal work I tend to push the boundaries a
little more. My favourite work is when I’m given
creative freedom for client work! It’s like the best
of both worlds.”Correctlightingexample:“used a cross lighting technique. This makes theHere, Brandon Cawood
image much more dynamic and introducescontrastinghighlightsandshadows.Havingthe
backlightalsogivesaniceedgelightthathelpsseparate the subject from the background”Incorrectlightingexample:The original image
isflatandunderexposed.ForCawood,thekeytoagreatmanipulationis“makingsureyour
lighting,perspective,andfocallengthsareallcohesive and work together. It is also very
importanttomakesurethatallyourshadowsand highlights make sense”something,” says Martin De Pasquale, “because it Nightfall: “Manipulations are a great way to tell
mimics reality, and is always shocking”© Brandon Cawood© Martin DePasquale