Photoshop, Reference Photos, and Paintings

This is a typical reference photo - boring, right? Instead or reminding me of what I was inspired to paint, it leaves me wondering what it was that interested me in the first place.  There seems to be a focal point, but little information as to what the viewer would be looking at if I were to paint this image. Because the camera records what it "sees", everything carries the same visual weight: the lighting is drab and uniform, the color lifeless, and working strictly from such a photo guarantees an uninspired result. 

Same image, after playing with it in Photoshop. Since I remembered being interested in the rising storm,  I wanted to "see" the structure of the clouds with an idea of working this image more abstractly. The reference photo did not give enough visual information , but by using Photoshop I can "see" exactly what I need.

Try this yourself when you're looking for new inspiration.  First, duplicate your original image.  Remember that each time you open a jpeg it looses a tiny bit of information. I save important images as tiffs, which do not degrade each time you open them.  But with reference photos jpegs will do. 

Working with your copy, select the Enhance tab.  Click on adjust Brightness/Contrast, then on Levels.  You will see a bell curve with sliding tabs beneath.  Move the left tab to the beginning of the left upward edge of the curve, then do the same with the far right tab, moving to the beginning (or ending) on the right side curve.  This keeps the darkest dark in the same relationship to the lightest light and you'll immediately see the difference.  Now play around with the middle slider to see how changing the image allows you to see the details - lighter to see foreground elements, darker to see distant values. Click okay when you get the information you want. 

Another trick is to play around with the Hue/Saturation feature.  Again, go to  Enhance, then Adjust Color, and play around with the two sliders for hue and saturation.  It's a good way to jump start the artistic interpretation and get away from merely duplicating what you see.  

Comments

[poster prints]

I think Photoshop can be pushed much further in creating interesting reference photos. I'm working out how I can collage various elements together and create really interesting environments as a reference. It means taking the time to learn some solid Photoshop skills though. Great info on this site - thanks!

[Sherri]

I just did the same thing! We recently took photos of the storm clouds in NM as we were driving through, but the photos were disappointing. Played around until I got the colors I remembered to use in a weaving.

[Nina]

Terrific idea! Thanks for sharing it.

[Donald Diddams]

I would expect photoshop could be really useful for painters trying to work through value and compositional issues.

I also like the path leading the eye into the picture. Although there is not much value contrast in the original, a little fooling around with photoshop's dodge and burn tools on a new layer might reveal another major element that could become part of your painting.

[Serena Barton]

Great ideas, thanks!

[kaylyn]

Ha! I'm glad to see someone else using photoshop in this way. I'll often use the watercolor or underpainting filters set to low detail and high contrast to find the overall value patterns. (But I go back to the reference photo to work from!)