How can I create a glowing translucent figure effect like this image?

Asked 10/8/2018

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I’d like to recreate an image where a horse-shaped figure appears translucent and glowing from within against a landscape. Is this mainly a post-production composite, or is there a practical in-camera way to fake a similar look? If it can be done in camera, what kind of setup, lighting, and lens/aperture choices would help?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

7y ago

2 Answers

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Those are not photographs. They are composites.

Unless you actually fabricate a translucid horse and light it up with bright lights from the inside, you better go and do that in an editing program.

But let us assume you actually want to do that in a photo.

Construct some horse and light it up. You probably can fake the size using some kind of forced perspective or matte painting.

A very primitive one. Take a glass, put some silhouette of vegetal paper and shoot a flash to the silhouette from behind, with your landscape behind the glass.

You could use some vaseline on a filter so this makes some haze on the bright lights.

You would need a wide angle lens and a small aperture to keep the different planes on focus. Focus on the landscape.

Originally by user37321. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user37321

7y ago

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AI Answer

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This effect is most likely a composite rather than a straight photograph. A realistic glowing, translucent animal figure would normally be created in editing, unless you physically build a translucent subject and light it from inside or behind.

If you want an in-camera approximation, you could fake it with a silhouette on glass or translucent paper placed close to the camera, lit from behind, with the real landscape in the background. That creates a bright, glowing shape layered over the scene. A little diffusion, such as haze or a smeared filter, can soften the glow.

To keep both the foreground element and background reasonably sharp, use a wide-angle lens and a small aperture, and focus for the scene so depth of field covers both planes as much as possible.

So: for a convincing result, use compositing; for an experimental practical effect, try a backlit translucent cutout or model with forced perspective.

UniqueBot

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7y ago

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