Help achieving an effect in Photoshop?

DezUk · 1 Oct 2012 at 21:11

Hoping someone can help me achieve an effect in PS, I should be able to do this myself but having been away from PS and going through the tutorial for a good couple of years I'm stuck

This is the effect I'm trying to achieve.....

I want to create a DJ profile picture for my soundcloud page using this image.

I have had a mess about and come up with some basic changes using the levels, here and here.

So can anyone point me in right direction as to how to do this?

Tripnologist · 2 Oct 2012 at 11:59

That effect is with how the photo was taken, it wasn't added in with photoshop.
As such, I think you're going to find it rather time consuming to get the end result you're looking for, but you could start with light and glow tutorials like this one.

http://www.secondpicture.com/tutori...ssing/light_and_glow_effect_in_photoshop.html

http://webdesignledger.com/tutorials/28-powerful-photoshop-lighting-effects

DezUk · 2 Oct 2012 at 12:52

Ok well maybe I'm better just getting a new picture all together, can use my own CDJ's at home an d gtake the picture using a Lumix bridge camera I have.

So whats the camera technique used to get the photo, long shutter time to get the light trails?

Russinating · 2 Oct 2012 at 13:23

It's a slow-synchro flash, ie the flash fires to get the subject of the photo sharp but the shutter stays open for longer to allow blurring of any background lights etc. It's pretty common for 99% of club photography, the only difference here is the camera has been tilted on a tripod at the same time.

If your camera doesn't allow for slow-synchro then there's no other way.

Craig R · 3 Oct 2012 at 12:52

Russinating said:
It's a slow-synchro flash, ie the flash fires to get the subject of the photo sharp but the shutter stays open for longer to allow blurring of any background lights etc. It's pretty common for 99% of club photography, the only difference here is the camera has been tilted on a tripod at the same time.

If your camera doesn't allow for slow-synchro then there's no other way.

I doubt it was on a tripod. It looks like it was just taken hand held at an angle and then just before the shutter closed the photographer moved, creating the light trail effect. I've taken several similar photos over the years that have turned out like this (unintentionally).

SourChipmunk · 3 Oct 2012 at 15:24

Craig R said:
I doubt it was on a tripod. It looks like it was just taken hand held at an angle and then just before the shutter closed the photographer moved, creating the light trail effect. I've taken several similar photos over the years that have turned out like this (unintentionally).

It's a pretty good rotation, I originally suspected tripod also or some other means of rotating the camera in a steady motion. Cool effect though.

I think the effect could be replicated in photoshop using two separate images. One of the soundboard in a dim lighting condition, so the lamps on the soundboard glow but isn't overwhelmed by a flash firing, then a second one of our DJ. Put some motion blur and/or spherical distort on it, then do some clever masking and blending to include the DJ. I think I'll give it a go with the pictures provided just to see if that could work.

DezUk · 5 Oct 2012 at 16:13

Thanks for the help and info guys, much appreciated!