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How to make abstract smoke?

Let’s begin

The first part is the longest. The best suited source of smoke is a Chinese aroma stick. You can find one fairly easy in every Chinese store. One more thing – the scent of the burning stick is of no relevance. However, it is better that you enjoy it since you will inhale a lot of it during our session – and if the smell copes with you the better.

After you have acquired everything you will need to start inventing the set of the photo shoot itself in order to be able to freeze the smoke movement. Having enough light is paramount for this endeavor since you should be able to shoot with high speed – 1/200 or more. Remember: the shooting process has to be done using a black background and the light should not be aimed directly at the camera in order to avoid any flashes. For the purpose you can use the daylight or a strong artificial source. You can experiment with the light source as much as you want as long as it will not prevent you speed shoot – remember you 1/200 speed or more. For the background a piece of back cloth or cardboard can be used.

Step 1

Inventory:

Black background
Strong light source
The camera should be mounted on an tripod– if we use a smaller aperture which will give us thereby deeper depth of field
Speed – 1/200 or more
Minimal ISO value determined by the speed

You can experiment with the aperture in order to the reach the desired exposition. If the photo is Overexposure you will lose smoke details and if it is Under-exposure will make it difficult to see the difference between the smoke and the background.. So in order to get the correct results you should make at least a few attempts.

If the light used is not sufficient you can increased the ISO value. In this case, however, you should expect the increase the image noise.

For best results, you can use different objects place in way of the smoke thus creating various shapes. The recipe for success is to let your imagination run wild.

Step 2

Going digital

With sufficient shooting material it is time to get digital.First crop the image in the desired exposition. Then use ‘levels’ or ‘curves’ function for creating maximum contrast of the image. In order things to work the background should be solid black. The nest step is to invert the colors. Then make the background 100% white.

1. Create a copy of the image into a new layer

2. Inverse the image in the new layer (Ctrl+I)

3. Choose function ‘image->adjustments->Levels’ (Ctrl+L) Use the ‘ wite point’ tool and click on a white spot. Then point it to the blackest spot in order to make it white.

4. Coloring the image – you can use many ways to accomplish the desired result – Color balance, Hue/Saturation, new layers in color mode (you can use a specific brush and to apply different fill and blends.

For example: choose function ‘image->adjustments->Color Balance’ (Ctrl+B) and find the desired color

5. Before finished you piece of art you can again invert the image – in case you enjoy black background more.

The whole process so brings a large amount of satisfaction and pleasure – so to speak. At least for me J

You can use candles to change the smoke direction. If you are shooting indoors after 10 or 15 minutes you should switch in air-conditioning or open windows in order for smoke to clear out.

Experiment, let your fantasy to roam free and enjoy yourselves.

	How to make abstract smoke? Let’s begin The first part is the longest. The best suited source of smoke is a Chinese aroma stick. You can find one fairly easy in every Chinese store. One more thing – the scent of the burning stick is of no relevance. However, it is better that you enjoy it since you will inhale a lot of it during our session – and if the smell copes with you the better. After you have acquired everything you will need to start inventing the set of the photo shoot itself in order to be able to freeze the smoke movement. Having enough light is paramount for this endeavor since you should be able to shoot with high speed – 1/200 or more. Remember: the shooting process has to be done using a black background and the light should not be aimed directly at the camera in order to avoid any flashes. For the purpose you can use the daylight or a strong artificial source. You can experiment with the light source as much as you want as long as it will not prevent you speed shoot – remember you 1/200 speed or more. For the background a piece of back cloth or cardboard can be used. Step 1 Inventory: Black background Strong light source The camera should be mounted on an tripod– if we use a smaller aperture which will give us thereby deeper depth of field Speed – 1/200 or more Minimal ISO value determined by the speed You can experiment with the aperture in order to the reach the desired exposition. If the photo is Overexposure you will lose smoke details and if it is Under-exposure will make it difficult to see the difference between the smoke and the background.. So in order to get the correct results you should make at least a few attempts. If the light used is not sufficient you can increased the ISO value. In this case, however, you should expect the increase the image noise. For best results, you can use different objects place in way of the smoke thus creating various shapes. The recipe for success is to let your imagination run wild. Step 2 Going digital With sufficient shooting material it is time to get digital.First crop the image in the desired exposition. Then use ‘levels’ or ‘curves’ function for creating maximum contrast of the image. In order things to work the background should be solid black. The nest step is to invert the colors. Then make the background 100% white. 1. Create a copy of the image into a new layer 2. Inverse the image in the new layer (Ctrl+I) 3. Choose function ‘image->adjustments->Levels’ (Ctrl+L) Use the ‘ wite point’ tool and click on a white spot. Then point it to the blackest spot in order to make it white. 4. Coloring the image – you can use many ways to accomplish the desired result – Color balance, Hue/Saturation, new layers in color mode (you can use a specific brush and to apply different fill and blends. For example: choose function ‘image->adjustments->Color Balance’ (Ctrl+B) and find the desired color 5. Before finished you piece of art you can again invert the image – in case you enjoy black background more. The whole process so brings a large amount of satisfaction and pleasure – so to speak. At least for me J You can use candles to change the smoke direction. If you are shooting indoors after 10 or 15 minutes you should switch in air-conditioning or open windows in order for smoke to clear out. Experiment, let your fantasy to roam free and enjoy yourselves.