Abstract Archives - dantraun.com

You may have noticed some interesting looking abstracts lately on blogs or facebook. The results achieved with only a few clicks is…well, you be the judge.

In PhotoShop

Open any photo
Filter –>Pixelate –>Mezzotint –>Medium Lines
Filter –>Blur –>Radial blur (slider =1oo, blur method = zoom, quality = best)
Repeat step 3 up to 5 times as desired
Duplicate layer
On original layer…Filter –> Distort –> Twirl (angle value = +80 or whatever you think looks interesting)
Select new layer…Filter –> Distort –> Twirl (angle value = -80 or whatever value you used in step 6)
Alter new layer’s blending mode to lighten
Merge layers
Done.

To add some extra flavor, use different slider values and experiment with different Pixelate, Blur and Distort methods as well as layer blending modes. Creating an abstract from any photo can be done quickly by recording an action with the different variables you find most interesting.

Original Photo

Abstract Creation

Fall 2013 MN North Shore series

You can find yourself doing all sorts of things when you are out and about along MN North Shore. We made good use of our midday going to and from locations. The lovely Autumn colors provided some great backdrops for some abstract shots. It is something different to do photographically and some time you get some pretty interesting shots.

For those of you who have never done anything like this, you can get shots like this with a small aperture (f/16 – f/32) and a slow shutter speed. Click the shutter and move your camera either up or down from where you started. Side to side works well to. You can also zoom in or out to create a pretty neat effect. Go nuts; there is no wrong method.