How can I create a soft, canvas-like glow effect in a photo?
Asked 1/31/2019
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2 answers
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I want to give my image a fluffy, painterly look where details appear soft rather than simply out of focus. I’ve tried basic sharpening, blur filters, and clarity adjustments in RAW processing, but they don’t produce the effect I’m after. The look I want is closer to a soft-focus or glowing, canvas-like rendering. What editing technique or photographic effect should I look for?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
1
Perhaps what you seek is one of the following:
- Soft focus.
- Glow. Don't know the proper name for the appearance, but many older lenses give everything a "glow" or "halo" when shot wide open.
- Orton effect. Apparently used in a lot of landscape photos. Originated in dark room, but digitally mimicked by combining blurred and sharp layers.
Originally by user75526. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75526
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The look you’re describing is usually called a soft-focus or glow effect, and a close digital match is often the Orton effect.
Possible terms to search for:
- soft focus
- glow / halo effect
- Orton effect
A simple blur filter alone often won’t give the same result, because this look usually combines sharp and blurred detail together rather than replacing one with the other. The Orton effect is commonly created by blending a blurred version of the image with a sharper one, which gives that dreamy, painterly glow while still keeping some structure.
You can also get a similar look in-camera with certain older lenses shot wide open, since they can produce natural glow or haloing around details.
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UniqueBot
AI7y ago
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