Photoshop Purpose and Artist Inspiration

Back to: Photo Graphics with Photoshop

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Why Photoshop?

Photoshop is an amazing visual realization tool, maybe even the best (After Effects is a pretty sweet too! And so is Lightroom). You should use it because it is one of the best ways to craft killer images and graphics

Photoshop isn’t just for editing photos. You can also:

  • Create graphics
  • Illustrate
  • Work with 3D
  • Animate to GIF or video
  • Light video editing

PS Inspiration / Photoshop Artists

Want to see some amazing Photoshop? Let’s look at some fantasy edits and some photographic work. You will find both of these creators qualify as “artists.” Beeple tends toward illustration and fantasy and Mindzeye leans towards artistic travel photography.

Beeple – Artistic edits by Mike Winkelmann
https://www.beeple-crap.com/everydays

Mindzeye – Travel photographer based in Toronto
https://www.mindzeyephotography.com/

Art by Beeple
Art by Mindzeye

On an Adobe page, Beeple explains his process: Beeple starts his images in 3D programs like Cinema 4D or Adobe Dimension and then moves to Photoshop for final editing.  He says, ”Once I’m happy with the scene, I’m ready to render. I like bringing renders into Adobe Photoshop CC to help give the final touches on the piece. In this case, I render with an alpha channel (with transparency) so I can easily replace the sky in Photoshop.”

On his Skillshare classes page, Mindzeye describes his process in the description: “In this short and straightforward class, you’ll jump inside his signature photo editing technique: ‘time blending.’ In short, you’ll learn how to combine multiple exposures, taken from the same place at different times.” Apparently, Mindzeye starts in Adobe Lightroom, moves to Adobe Photoshop, and finishes with the plug-in Color Efex Pro (now called Nik Color Efex), which is essentially dozens of colour grading presets.

I find this fascinating, Beeple composes scenes in 3D software then applies finishing touches in Photoshop. It’s also with practice, totally within the realm of possibility to composite multiple objects into any scene solely with Photoshop. You just have to pay attention to light sources and consider how light would affect the different subjects and overall scene.

Mindzeye has a very sophisticated approach to photography that often relies on compositing multiple shots of the same place at different times of day and then blending those images using a process he dubs “time blending.” It’s very compelling.

What do you think of the images and styles of the artists?