Tutorial: Miniaturize Life

I've discussed how to use tilt-shift to fix a blurry photo.  It can also be used to create "miniature" scenes.  Here are some great examples.  One of my favorite tilt-shift photographers is Keith Loutit.  He actually makes time-lapse films from his shots.

Here's a great tutorial for tilt-shift.  I do want to add something to it, though.  Once you've added the lens blur, slightly blur the left and right sides of the focus area with the Blur Tool.  I find this to be a more convincing miniature.

For those that don't have access to a program like Photoshop, use the online Tilt Shift Maker.  Try it out! 

The two top photos don't quite look miniature, do they?  This technique works best on shots taken from above.

How I Work: Float

This is kind of an easy one.  I honestly can't believe I haven't tried it until now.  This works best in an uncluttered room, which I do not have.  So, I used someone else's space. 

What you need: a tripod, an empty room, a model, and a chair/stool.  I didn't have my tripod with me at the time, so I used a large plastic container.  I took a shot of the empty room then another of me in an awkward position on the chair.

In Photoshop, I opened my two files and placed the model and chair image over the empty room image.  Then, I erased the chair.  Seriously, nothing to it.  When you try this, the light and shadow of the room may need to be adjusted in the photos.  I also added a touch of a shadow on the floor with the Burn tool.

Here's another variation of the shot: