Impossible Photos

 Impossible Photography


One of the strengths of Photoshop is its capacity for creating surreal or impossible images by using compositing tools to combine elements of different photos into a single image. An image that can appear realistic regardless of its implausibility.

The work of Erik Johansson is a great example of this. You watched the short Ted Talk where he shared some of his ideas about process. You understand that his work involves shooting individual photographic elements and combining them into mind-bending scenes.

The following link takes you to the gallery on his web site.  Browse through his images and think about how individual components have been put together to create the scenes he has created.

https://www.erikjo.com/work


Impossible Photo Project



For your next project, you will be creating an Impossible Photograph with YOU as the subject.

Step 1:  Decide on a concept for your Impossible Photograph.

Step 2:  Take (or have someone take) multiple photographs of yourself in various positions w/various expressions.

Step 3: Find images on the Web to use as components of your Impossible Photo.

Step 4: Create a new document in Photoshop.  The size of the document should be 10" wide x 8" high. The resolution should be 300 ppi.  This is what you will build your image on.

Step 5: Open each of your component images in Photoshop (drag them over the Photoshop icon on your Dock to open them with a new tab in Photoshop--do not drag them onto the canvas.) 

Step 6: Using the Pen Tool, outline, copy and paste your components together on your blank 10" x 8" document to construct your Impossible Photo.

Tips: 

Taking the photos of yourself against a blank, solid wall will make it easier to create a selection in Photoshop.

Find images that are large enough to use in your composition. If you copy and paste an element into your composition and it is very small or pixelated, it is likely to have insufficient resolution to use effectively...find a different image.

Think about the direction the light is falling on each element you choose.  Contradictory lighting is an amateurs mistake. 

Think about the camera angle of each element you choose. The closer the angle, the more realistic the finished composite.

Don't forget to feather your selections.





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