Tilt-Shift miniature faking takes a real life picture and manipulates it so it looks like a miniature scale model. This view of Sydney Harbour from top of the gap at Watsons Bay is one of my favourites and is perfect for trying it out. The recommendation for selecting a suitable candidate pic is that the viewpoint is high. So, I’m trying out 2 methods.

This one uses a straightforward photoshop method, according to this tutorial:

1. switch to quick mask mode (hit “q”)
2. choose gradient > reflected gradient
3. draw a line from the centre of the in-focus area to the end will be where the transition from in-focus to out-of-focus is completed
4. return to standard mode
5. play with blur > lens blur
6. increase saturation, adjust curves if necessary

This second one simply uses the online tiltshiftmaker. The gradient and blur effects are pretty similar, but the ability to adjust saturation, colour and curves makes the photoshop method better. Then again, there’s the big price different between a free website and CS3.

This is fun. I can see me doing more tilt-shifts in the future.