Night Scene

[mexon]

Normally I like to keep any post processing very subtle so you can’t tell what was done, in this shot I decided to have a little fun I started with a picture I took while in Germany and tried to make it look like a night shot. What do you think?

Before:


And After:



This is how I did it using Photoshop:
Create a copy of the background - label moonlight
Use Filter – render - light – effects
Select Blue Omni light set intensity to 80
Set color R68 G98 B249 Ambience 14 Exposure -40
Position the light in the sky
Add a second light
Set to spotlight apply the same settings
Position the light on the ground aimed toward the sky
On the moonlight layer, use the Lasso tool, set feather to 40 pixel, to draw a selection around the window and onto the ground below (this will be the glow of the window)
Select the background layer, hit Ctrl J - move the new layer above the moonlight layer
Adjust the hue/saturation to get the desired color
Fill the window panels with yellow, keep opacity low
Copy a picture of a moon and place it over the center of the light in the sky
Adjust the moon opacity and brightness to match the picture…

I'm open to any suggestions for improving the picture.

My Flickr stream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mexon1/

[dcclark]

Well, while I think the final result is nice, it doesn't look real at all. The moon is clear and large, an unusual thing in a real night shot. Also, the shop windows don't look like they're actually lit from within, rather I would say that they look as if the setting sun was shining on them.

However, the blue cast is very good, and does add to the effect.

Anyhow, good job figuring out a way to do all of this -- but I do think that it's very artificial looking.

[mexon]

Thanks for the comments. I agree it needed something, somethimes you just have to get a second set of eye to see it.
I added blur to the moon layer, and decrease the its size and brightness. I also removed the ambiant light from around the windows. see the revised picture below.

[dcclark]

Hm, much better! It's still not really realistic, but it is definitely closer.

[Boscopix]

Cool, I like this...funny, I like the window on the first one and the moon on the second one. Cool effect though, I might have to play with this as well. Thanks for sharing!

[bonnieg1]

Try opening original pic, duplicate then go to Image, Adjustments, hue/saturation.Check colorize box & set hue slider to 232 & saturation to 42 and lightness to -90. Then add new layer using gradient tool. Choose deep blue with foreground to transparent. Drag from bottom left corner across image. Set mode to hue. Then go back to previous layer & do your lighting.

[thesightofoneself]

i like the first one. not necessarily as a "night shot" but more "solar eclipse"

[nx0817]

i like the first one.. it looks like it could be a scene in the anime "Soul Eater" the graphics look similar..

[MOmilkman]

I sure wish I knew how to post process pics. I downloaded GIMP2 but I am clueless as what to do with it.