How to Cheat in Photoshop

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Posted on 31/10/05 9:34:27 PM

stefan
Detail Demon
Posts: 401

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realistic fog

Hello,

Just got the book and it's fantastic!!

Just something I've wanted to find out about for a long time.
How would I cover, say a view of a city, in realistic looking fog? (like in many matte paintings).
I've tried painting it in, gradient masks etc. but it just doesn't look right.
many thanks.

Posted on 31/10/05 10:45:24 PM

Paul McFadden
Dream Decryptor
Posts: 138

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realistic fog

Hi Stefan

If you enter "Fog Photoshop" into Google, you will get hundreds of tutorials - its a really common request!

Cheers

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Posted on 01/11/05 08:58:36 AM

Steve Caplin
Administrator
Posts: 6938

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Re: realistic fog

Stefan,

The easiest way is simply to use a soft-edged brush, at a very low opacity - perhaps 10 to 20% - and paint the fog in where you want it. Building it up slowly in several steps can take a while, but it;s the best way to get it to wrap around buildings.

For a quicker approach, make a new layer and paint in the rough area of the fog here, at full opacity. Then lock the transparency of the layer, set the foreground colours to black and white, and apply the Clouds filter (hold the alt/option key for a tighter result). Then change the mode of the layer to Screen, and all the black will disappear, leaving a more convincing random fog effect.

Welcome to the forum! And do let us see your results - or, better still, post a picture here and we'll all have a go at adding fog to it.

Steve

Posted on 01/11/05 11:14:52 PM

stefan
Detail Demon
Posts: 401

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Re: realistic fog

Hi Steve,

Many thanks for your reply. I'll try that out later tonight.
By the way...I really love your book. I've been a professional photographer for many years now (the old school way) - I used to work, amongst other mags, for the New Musical Express and record companies when I lived in London, but I moved to Germany in 2003. Having "gone digital" ,I've totally become fascinated with compositing, ilustration, 3-D etc. Your book has already been an immense inspiration ( and is causing very late nights at the computer ).
Cheers,

Stefan

Posted on 01/11/05 11:17:01 PM

stefan
Detail Demon
Posts: 401

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realistic fog

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your reply. I'll check that out later and together with Steve's advice I'm sure I'll get there.

Cheers,

Stefan.

Posted on 02/11/05 08:53:14 AM

Steve Caplin
Administrator
Posts: 6938

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Re: realistic fog

Thanks for the kind words, Stefan! It's great to see old school photographers embracing Photoshop - some of the most intriguing montages I've seen have been done by lifelong photographers.

Be inspired!

Steve

Posted on 24/11/05 00:01:04 AM

stefan
Detail Demon
Posts: 401

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Re: realistic fog

Hello everyone,

Did forget to post that picture for all to have a go at adding fog, as Steve suggested.
But better late than never I guess..

I'm looking forward to the results and I will post one myself of course...but I'm still trying hard

Thanks,

Stefan

Posted on 24/11/05 00:04:12 AM

stefan
Detail Demon
Posts: 401

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Re: realistic fog

Ooops. Funny things happen on the way to the Forum.
I can't see my picture and when I try to upload it again I get a message saying its already there.`
So it must be me.

I'll take another tablet......

Posted on 24/11/05 00:13:21 AM

stefan
Detail Demon
Posts: 401

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Re: realistic fog

Posted on 24/11/05 11:09:48 AM

maiden
Golden Gif Gagster
Posts: 471

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Re: realistic fog

Well it's quite difficult creating truly realistic fog without taking much more time over it but here's my quick attempt

I created a new Filter/Render/Clouds... layer above the picture set to 20% Luminosity. I then Free Transformed the fog to create a perpective effect to match the picture.

I then created another clouds filled layer set to Screen 50% again perspective stretched the layer and added a mask firstly filled with the Filter/Render/Clouds... set to Black & White and then used a rectangle marquee selection of the bottom half of the mask feathered by 50% and filled with white.

Lastly I created another perspective cloud layer with another cloud filled mask setting the layer to 50% Hard Light and this time selecting the top half of the mask with a rectangle selection set to 50px feather and filled with black.

Not sure if it fills the brief but it was quick and simple.

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Posted on 25/11/05 00:59:32 AM

stefan
Detail Demon
Posts: 401

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Re: realistic fog

Hi Maiden,

That looks fabulous!!
Thanks very much.
I will try that one.

Cheers,

Stefan

Posted on 04/12/05 02:09:27 AM

stefan
Detail Demon
Posts: 401

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Re: realistic fog

And here's one I tried myself. Not sure wether I'm really happy with it. I'm quite happy with the hazy sun which happened totally by accident. I was painting in some fog and just held my pen on one spot and whoops, there it was.
Somehow I'd like it more contrasty (but keep detail) but then the haze kind of goes.

Posted on 04/12/05 9:06:51 PM

paul 2005
Guest

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Re: realistic fog

It might look more realistic if you could make the fog thicker as it gets further from the camera.

I like your sun.

Posted on 05/12/05 09:39:01 AM

rufus
Destructive Demon
Posts: 243

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Re: realistic fog

A foggy day in London town.

Posted on 05/12/05 09:58:35 AM

stefan
Detail Demon
Posts: 401

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Re: realistic fog

Hi Rufus and Paul,
Thanks for your comments.
Very nice Rufus. Like that!

Posted on 05/12/05 5:23:14 PM

Lexus
Persistent Pixellator
Posts: 623

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Re: realistic fog

Aah, Peasoup Fog! Horrible when your riding your bike in it! (Trust me... I know!!)

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Posted on 06/12/05 08:21:02 AM

Tom
Texture Technologist
Posts: 401

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Re: realistic fog

Thought I would try this image.

On a duplicate layer, applied a highpass filter>invert>softlight.

Made a blank layer, used a Nagle cloud brush for the fog.
A little of the smudge tool.
Then a cooling photo filter.