Category Archives: SPE Features

Prototype Effect for Effect Designers to Develop – Tutorial Video

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This video tutorial is aimed at experienced Smart Photo Editor users who have previously created basic effects.

The tutorial clearly shows you how to build the prototype effect shown in the video using a step-by-step approach.

Underpinning the design is the combined use of ‘Solid Color’ and ‘Place and Merge’ nodes to create adjustable color overlays that are ultimately blended with the original image.

Users are INVITED to try making the effect for themselves and DEVELOPING it by making improved or altered versions.

As always, I hope the information proves useful to you and gives you an insight into how more complex effects are created and the thinking that lies behind them. Regards – Andrew.

If Erasing Does Not Work, Try Patching (New Concept Video)

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The idea for this tutorial video stems from one of  Fotoart’s recent posts to the SPE forum. I saw that there was a distraction in his image and suggested its removal. But, I realised that the particular nature of the image would be problematic for normal erase procedures. A new concept came to mind which I have called ‘Patching’ and this video shows what I mean and how to do it.

I wish to thank Jon (aka Fotoart) for giving me permission to use his interesting image for tutorial purposes.

Jon’s website link: http://500px.com/fotoartista

This video is offered as an extension concept to erasing which should be the first port of call in attempting to remove unwanted objects.

Hope you find my approach interesting and useful.

Kind regards,

Andrew

 

Creative Montage & Composite – Tutorial Video

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Hi again,

In this tutorial video we selected the ‘Montage’ feature within Smart Photo Editor in order to start with a blank or textured layer on which to create our photo-artwork. Immediately after this, the author decided to crop the image for aesthetic reasons. The ‘Composite’ feature was then opened and three additional layers were superimposed on the first layer. These additional layers (overlays of a female model in this example) were each in turn altered – backgrounds removed, resized and repositioned to create a single image (once completed) comprising three poses of the same model. This then became the image to which effects were applied and was the basis of the final composition.

The process is outlined and annotated up to the first overlay was applied and then the process is shown twice more without annotation giving you the opportunity to simply view.

After the three overlays were complete, the final stages whereby a combination of two effects were applied are once again annotated.

There are many possibilities for the creative use of these techniques and I think they could be used to create Surrealist Images – I say that because a user did ask in the forum if there were any effects that met that purpose.

Hope you enjoy and find this video useful – have FUN!

Regards,

Andrew