Tilt-shift miniatures

I’d seen them on occasion, but recently looked into how to actually fake a tilt-shift.

In case you are wondering, Wikipedia defines tilt-shift as:

Tilt-shift photography is an artistic technique where the lens is tilted and shifted relative to the attached camera.

On a view camera, the lens and camera are connected by a bellows. When tilt is applied, the film or image sensor is not at a right angle to the optical axis of the lens, causing a gradient of focus. The technique can also be done with a modern camera by constructing a tilted lens manually.

On the other hand, tilt-shift miniature faking (according to Wikipedia):

…is a process in which a photograph of a life-size location or object is manipulated so that it looks like a photograph of a miniature scale model. By distorting the focus of the photo, the artist simulates the shallow depth of field normally encountered with macro lenses making the scene seem much smaller than it actually is. Many miniature faked photographs are taken from a high angle to further simulate the effect of looking down on a miniature.

It’s pretty easy to do, just check out this tutorial… I use it loosely, and usually add a vignette on most as well to help draw in the focus. Happy miniaturizing!

Tags: fake, miniature, photoshop, tilt-shift, Tips, Tutorials