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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> spooky
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Showing posts 1 - 15 of 15, (reverse)
AuthorThread
 12/01/2004 02:19:30 PM · #1
Hello.
I have a picture of a castle that I would like to process to make it look spooky. I've already experimented with making forests look enchanted but I'd like a darker, scary mood for the castle. I've tried a few filters but nothing I'm happy with. Anyone got any tips or recommendations?

June
 12/01/2004 02:23:53 PM · #2
Break out the blowtorch and visit the portfolio of our own Duchess of Darkness.
 12/01/2004 02:30:34 PM · #3
Of course I've tried burning! But that's not everything. Maybe I haven't explained myself clearly. It's hard to explain, but I'm after a certain mood. You know, the castle tower in the mist framed by "leaveless" trees. The type of scene that would make your heart skip a beat, or better yet, one that would make you turn around and run for dear life. Dracula meets Frankenstein sorta thing.

June

Message edited by author 2004-12-01 14:32:22.
 12/01/2004 02:34:03 PM · #4
Try airbrushing, burning, and using layers with the various blending modes. If you post the image I'm sure people on the forum will give it a go and be able to suggest some more specific help on how they did it.

Message edited by author 2004-12-01 14:35:48.
 12/01/2004 02:34:59 PM · #5
If it is not for a Challenge why don't you post it here and let the masses of Photoshop-wizzards here give it a go, and explaining what they did?
 12/01/2004 02:54:47 PM · #6
Bayham

I not sure if this is what you are after.

Image>adjustments>varitions add more blue a couple of times. The rain is on a new layer, fill with black, add noise with gaussian blur at 400% then add motion blur angle about 30/40 and distance 30. Add a second layer and do the same but set the motion blur to 35, 35 change the blending mode to linear mode then flatten the two layers. To see the rain set the blending mode to screen.

Hope this helps

Geo
 12/01/2004 04:09:38 PM · #7
Originally posted by Harold1066:
Bayham

I not sure if this is what you are after.

Image>adjustments>varitions add more blue a couple of times. The rain is on a new layer, fill with black, add noise with gaussian blur at 400% then add motion blur angle about 30/40 and distance 30. Add a second layer and do the same but set the motion blur to 35, 35 change the blending mode to linear mode then flatten the two layers. To see the rain set the blending mode to screen.

Hope this helps

Geo


That is actually pretty good. I would love to be able to add lightning to my picture. Here's a B&W version of the picture.

June
 12/01/2004 06:10:55 PM · #8
I don`t think that your sky is dark enough in the B&W. My picture was made from the colour version.

If you want to make lightning, here`s how:

Make a new canvas and set it to 800 x 1000 pixels, then fill with black.
Filter>render>difference clouds then repeat with crtl+F.

To see the lightning invert the picture(Crtl+i) then image>adjustment>levels, in the first box of the input levels enter 245 then OK this should give you a balck screen with white squiggles over it. Then using the lasso tool go around the white squiggles that you like to make the lightning and copy and paste into the picture set the blending mode to screen to get rid of the black outline and leave the white lightning.

If you need any help PM me and I`ll try to help out.

Geo

Message edited by author 2004-12-01 18:11:49.
 12/01/2004 06:12:42 PM · #9
Originally posted by scalvert:
Break out the blowtorch and visit the portfolio of our own Duchess of Darkness.


LOL - I'll bet she just ADORES that little nickname! LMAO
 12/01/2004 06:17:40 PM · #10


I think this has a certain atmosphere about in, although I can't put my finger on it exactly. I think not sharpening it all is one factor. Then in the sky only I added noise. I then selectively used the blur tool on the noise, and added a little more noise over the top of that. That give the sky a textures filmy kinda look. Then I used uneven burning to give it more un-naturalness without making it look too fake. Also, rather than having a white sky, make it a micture of greys with no real shape definition. Don't have too much contrast either, keep it ever so slightly flat looking.

Just my opinions on trying to make it spookier :)
 12/01/2004 07:11:14 PM · #11
12/02/2004 02:02:23 AM · #12
12/03/2004 01:14:09 PM · #13
Last two posters, care to explain your workflow?

June
 12/03/2004 05:40:39 PM · #14
First I have Paint Shop Pro 7. This leans more towards digital art.
Hope I remembered all the steps. Let me know if you think something is missing.
I label the first layer castle.
I created a second layer. I labeled it clouds.
I erased any clouds I could in the castle layer.
Erased the castle on the clouds layer.
Used the Smudge and lighten brush and smushed around what was left.
I lightened up where the trees were smushed around.
Played with these brushes until I got clouds/fog that I liked. If it was too light in some section I made a thick black brush stroke and smushed it around. I made sure some of the smush came around the corner of the tower and passed in front.

I colorized this layer with a Hue of 28 and sat of 33.
I then duplicated this layer. I labeled it fog.
On the castle layer, I applied the Virtual Photographer filter on it (the "spooky" preset... surprise!!!)
Then on the clouds layer I changed the layer blend mode to darken.
Here is a picture without the fog layer

On the fog layer I changed the transparency to around 40%.
Final image


Edit type

Message edited by author 2004-12-03 17:42:32.
 12/05/2004 03:02:05 AM · #15
Originally posted by chiqui74:
Last two posters, care to explain your workflow?

June


Uh, sure. If I remember it. ;) It's actually pretty simple. I started out by pasting a new sky in from another cloudy shot, changing the blend mode to Multiply, and then reducing the opacity until I liked the look of it. I masked out the building as well. Then I merged the two layers onto a new layer and changed the blend mode to Overlay and reduced the opacity. I did this again, only this time I changed the blend mode to multiply. I added some noise and then gaussian blurred the noise by only 0.5 pixels. I think I might have burnt a few areas here and there, but nothing much. That's about it, I guess. Quite simple.
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