There are many ways to get a soft, dreamy effect in photos, and many reasons why you might want to use that effect.
For the Lens Artists Challenge this week Bren of Brashley Photography challenges us to use softness to process our photos. I often use a bit of softness to change the mood or help draw the eye in my compositions. There are several tools and techniques for doing this.
Long Exposure using a Neutral Density Filter to get a soft effect
First, I want to share an experiment that I did last summer: increasing exposure time. This technique smooths out quickly moving objects (in my case it was water), while keeping stationary parts of the composition in sharper focus. You increase the exposure time by using a neutral density filter in tandem with a higher f-stop (smaller aperture) and the lowest ISO available for your camera.
Topaz Studio 2 Filters and Looks
Topaz Studio 2 has several filters that can be used to soften an image, and a whole set of “looks” (a.k.a., presets) for achieving a soft effect. Here is an example using filters to reduce the contrast and detail. I also added a light vignette.
Some options in the GIMP for soft, dreamy effects
Another method you can use is the Orton Effect. This post explains how to get the effect using the GIMP.
Another tool inside of the GIMP that I like to use is the G’MIC plug-in’s Smooth Abstract Filter. G’mic Smooth Abstract Filter Demonstration.
Raw Therapee’s Tone Mapping
Another technique I like makes use of the Tone Mapping tool inside of Raw Therapy. This tool can make an image dark and dreamy or very detailed and bright, depending on what settings you use. For this example I created three versions of the same image then used layer masks in the GIMP to combine them into one image. In this case the center is sharp and the two out layers become gradually darker and less sharp.
To get an idea of how to do this here is a screen shot of the layers and layer masks. I used the vignette filter (in the Filters>Light and Shadows menu) to make the layer masks.
These are just a few of the many tools and techniques that can produce a soft, dreamy effect in photos.
Wow! Very thorough presentation. I love the soft waters and the Smooth Abstract Filter on the purple flower. Beautiful!
What a wonderful presentation and images with added graphics of applying the technique with different software. Thank you so much for joining in.
Really detailed explanations to accompany your photos – thank you 🙂 My favourites are the Orton effect on the path through the woods and that final poppy shot, which was definitely worth the work you put into it!
Beautiful effects, both out of the box and from topaz. Your long exposure shots of water made me remember that I wanted to do the same thing with moving clouds.
Lovely examples.
ND filter click my favorite.
Love your examples and explanations – and the results!