Mark S. Johnson Photography

Photoshop Workbench 243: Creating a Moonlight Dreamscape

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:00:14 +0000

Andre Gallant has a gift for creating expressive photographs with a painterly appearance. In his new book, Expressionism, he features an image style that he calls Moonlight Dreamscapes. This style exhibits the look of a dreamy, moonlit evening. While experimenting with Andre’s approach to creating Moonlight Dreamscapes, I developed two non-destructive methods — one that mimics his look and another that imparts a slightly different look. In today’s Workbench, we’ll explore both methods.

Photoshop Workbench 242: Time-Lapse Ghosting

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:00:06 +0000

Lou Raizin uses transparency in a clever fashion in his portfolio series titled “The Place Between.” Check it out by visiting Lou’s site: www.louraizin.com. In today’s Workbench, we’ll explore a few of the secrets behind his magical time-lapse ghosting effect.

If you decide to work along using your own images, first place your camera on a tripod in front of a scene with a moving subject. Set the camera to continuous shooting mode and fire a series of frames while the subject passes through the scene. Now you’ll have the raw materials necessary to build your own time-lapse collage.

Photoshop Workbench 241: Depicting Dreamtime

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:00:57 +0000

I’m passionate about exploring children’s picture books. Their creativity enchants me. I recently stumbled across a book depicting a dream sequence and it inspired me to record today’s Workbench. Even if you don’t have the need to create a dream sequence, you may find this Workbench useful for unlocking your imagination. Thanks to the Obsidian Dawn website for providing the free (and incredible) brushes that we’ll use in today’s tutorial.

HDR eBook Update

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:26:56 +0000

Hello everyone,

Here’s an update on the progress of my upcoming eBook titled “Illuminating HDR.” Just as I was about to finish, HDRsoft (the makers of Photomatix Pro) released a version 4.0 Beta. With the new version just around the corner, I’ve decided to go back to the drawing board and create an eBook that covers the very latest versions of Photomatix, Photoshop, and Lightroom.

The new anticipated release date is around October/Nov. 2010. Thanks for your patience. When it’s finished, this eBook is certain to be among the best HDR resources available.

All my best,

Mark

Photoshop Workbench 240: Creating a Vintage Folded Poster Look

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:00:23 +0000

If you’ve ever opened a glossy poster that’s been folded, you’ve seen the worn effect produced by the creases. Although this can often be undesirable, it can also make for a stylish effect that adds character to your photograph. In today’s Workbench, we’ll examine the techniques used to create this vintage folded poster effect. My thanks go out to Corey Barker of Planet Photoshop for inspiring this idea.