Fake-Tilt Dock

[bkisselbach]

Hi all - I've been playing around using PS to make "fake" tilt-shift shots. This is one of my favorites.

I took this with my "travel camera" Canon Powershot S2 last year up near Glacier National Park in Montana. The rest of the EXIF info is kinda pointless since I processed the heck out of it.

[windrider86]

Since you posted in the critique section we assume you want critique. However if you could help us out a bit and tell us what you want help with. (that and it is asked for in the rules posted at the top of the page)
Appreciate your taking the time to do that!

[kencaleno]

That's just selective focus-fake depth of field-Ken

[stargazer]

This is an interesting shot. I know it is selective DOF in PS, but the final result makes the image appear to be a "miniature" scene. Not quite sure why that is.

[inkista]

It's because your eye's used to seeing very narrow DoF on macro shots. The miniature effect is also helped if the original shot's taken from an overhead type view.

I kind of like the effect here, and I kind of don't. To me, the original shot's not quite at the right angle to do the miniature thing, and my eye isn't necessarily buying the placement of the DoF in terms of the space in the scene--I'm getting a little mental confusion at how the DoF fades out too quickly towards the horizon and how even the blur is past the point of the pier--it doesn't seem to blend out the way it blended in. The nearer clouds and mountains should be less blurred than the farther away ones for DoF to be successfully faked, and that's where your gradient mask is letting you down. Not sure how you could achieve that without a depth map, though.

[i_am_beam]

I agree that it looks like a miniature, which is kind of cool if that's what you are going for. I would be interested to see the original.