Hello everyone this is Chris from Spoon Graphics
back with another video tutorial for Adobe Photoshop.
Today we're going to have some fun creating a mini-world effect, which is a classic Photoshop
tutorial subject, but this kind of effect has come back into the limelight with new
3D cameras now being used to produce video footage in the same style.
I'll be covering the process of making the effect with a static image by manipulating
it in Photoshop, but as an extra touch, I'll show you how to superimpose an additional
picture of a person to simulate the appearance of those 3D videos like the GoPro Fusion.
You'll need a wide panorama image to use for the mini world effect.
This could be a shot you've stitched from individual shots, a photo captured using the
pano mode on your iPhone, or a stick photo like I'll be using.
This is a New York skyline by Songquan Deng from Shutterstock.
This particular image has a load of people relaxing on the grassy foreground area.
To clean this area up to leave an empty surface for the superimposed person later, set up
the Clone Stamp tool with a small brush and set the options to All Layers, then add a
new layer.
Alt and click to set a source point, then paint over the people to erase them.
The clone stamping doesn't have to be too accurate or neat, since this area will be
quite small once it's transformed into a mini-world.
When you're done, merge the clone layer into the background using the CMD+E shortcut.
To create the mini-world effect, go to Image > Image Size.
Deselect the link between the width and height so you can alter the proportions.
Change the width to the same figure as the height, which in this case is 2000px.
Hit OK to see the image has been squashed into a square.
Next go to Image > Image rotation > 180 degrees to turn it upside down.
And to create the mini-world effect, go to Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates with
the Rectangular to Polar option checked.
Unless you're using a full 360 degree panorama that starts and ends in the same place, you'll
see a vertical seam running up the centre.
In this tutorial we'll be covering up the middle area with a superimposed person, but
the sky needs a bit of manipulation to smooth out the harsh line.
Use the Spot Healing Brush with a soft tip to paint over the seam and allow Photoshop
to automatically blend it the best it can.
Fine tune it with some manual Clone Stamping by sampling an empty portion of the blue sky
to blend the colours in with soft brush.
Other areas that have some distortion are the four corners where the image is stretched
outwards.
Use the brush tool and sample a nearby colour of the sky to paint over these areas on a
new layer.
To enhance the tiny scale of this mini-world effect we can superimpose a super-size person.
Find a portrait that has been taking from above where the person is looking up to the
camera.
The image I'm using is by Sanneberg on Shutterstock.
There's a variety of clipping methods you can use to cut out a subject from a photo.
With clean studio shots like this, the channels method gives the best results.
Switch to the Channels tab and toggle through the Red, Green and Blue channels to find the
one with the highest contrast.
Drag that channel over the new icon to duplicate it.
Start intensifying the contrast by clipping the shadows and highlights in the Levels window
using the CMD+L shortcut.
To darken the other areas of the subject without worrying about losing the outline against
the white background, use the Burn tool to target just the midtones.
This allows you to black out the outline of the subject without having to carefully trace
around the edge.
Likewise, you can use the Dodge tool to boost any Highlights to make any areas you don't
want in the mask white.
Any areas in the middle can be easily painted over in black once you have the outline sorted.
There will probably be some leftover areas that just don't have enough contrast against
the background, like the white trainers in this shot, that will need to be traced manually
using with the brush tool, or the pen tool and filled in with black.
Make sure this duplicate channel contains just black or white, so you have a silhouette
of the subject.
The mask will capture the black outline while preserving the really fine details like every
strand of hair.
Hold the CMD key and click the thumbnail of this channel to load its selection.
Go to Select > Inverse so it just contains the black portion.
Click the RGB channel to bring back the full colour image, then copy this selection, switch
over to the main document and paste in the clipped portrait picture.
Press CMD+T to Transform and scale down the subject to fit into the mini world.
Create a new layer below the person, then CMD and click on the portrait layer to load
the selection again.
Fill this selection with black, then press CMD+D to Deselect.
Press CMD+T to Transform, then squash, rotate and reposition the black layer to represent
the person's shadow.
Take note of the lighting of the portrait picture and place the shadow in the appropriate
direction.
Change the blending mode to Linear Light, then reduce the Fill amount to match the tone
of the shadow to any existing shadows on the grassy area in the original photograph.
Add a Gaussian Blue of 1-2 pixels to take the hard edge off this shadow.
The shadow will likely extend off the edge of the planet, so add a layer mask and paint
over the unwanted areas with black using a small brush.
The lighting of the panorama image doesn't match that of the portrait image because it
has been warped around a circle, but we can make some adjustments to help them blend a
little better.
Add a new layer and go to Edit > Fill.
Choose 50% Gray, then change the blending mode to Overlay.
We'll use the Burn tool on this layer to darken portions of the image.
Doing this on a 50% gray layer gives you some control to revert back, whereas burning the
original image is more destructive.
Darken the bits of the planet in the same area where the shadows fall on the portrait
layer.
Reduce the opacity of the layer to tone down the impact of the burning.
As a finishing touch, add a new layer at the top of the layer stack and fill it with black
using the ALT and Backspace shortcut.
Go to Filter > Render > Lens Flare and choose 105 Prime.
Change the blending mode to Screen to render the black background transparent, then Transform
the layer and position the lens flare to represent the sun, placing it where the light source
should be to cast shadows in the right direction.
The final result is a cool mini-world effect that transforms a basic panorama photograph
into a fun and cartoon-like planet.
The addition of a super-sized person also adds to the comical scaling of the effect.
If you enjoyed this tutorial be sure to give the video a thumbs up.
Stick around by subscribing to the channel, or head over to my Spoon Graphics website
to see what other tutorials and freebies you can find.
As always thank you very much for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.