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How to do levitation photography: from camera to com
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The concept of levitation – the ability to break Newton’s law of gravity and float an object or person in thin air – has long been explored and exploited. Victorian mediums used a carefully concealed knee to ‘levitate’ the table during a séance, providing clients with ‘evidence’ of a supernatural event.
No stage magician worth his salt would finish his act without suspending his scantily clad assistant above the audience – or at least ‘floating’ a ball from behind his cape. Hollywood repeatedly showcases the levitating antics of superheroes, too, so the fascination still endures.
In this levitation photography tutorial we’ll show you how to create a convincing levitation effect using a combination of carefully composed source photos. As we’ll demonstrate, the key to producing successful levitation photography is to shoot all your source files at the same time and in the same location.
This endows all the components in your shot with consistent lighting, so that the separate elements in the composite shot look like they belong in the same scene.
By shooting a propped up ‘floating’ subject and then capturing a clean shot of the empty location, you can combine the images in Photoshop with a few brush strokes on a Layer Mask.
This shooting and photo editing technique saves you the hassle of carefully cutting your levitating subject out of one shot and pasting her into another. We’ll show you how to set up your camera to capture suitable start images and then take you through quick compositing techniques in Photoshop’s digital darkroom.
Step-by-step how to shoot levitation photography
Follow these five shooting tips to capture the images you need for a levitation effect
01 Use Manual Exposure Mode
To create a levitating figure, you need to capture the same scene both with and without the model and stool. Any project that requires seamless blending of similar frames is easier to piece together if you shoot in Manual Mode. This ensures the exposure stays consistent throughout the entire range of frames. Similarly, setting Manual Focus will stop the focus point jumping around.
To create a levitating figure, you need to capture the same scene both with and without the model and stool. Any project that requires seamless blending of similar frames is easier to piece together if you shoot in Manual Mode. This ensures the exposure stays consistent throughout the entire range of frames. Similarly, setting Manual Focus will stop the focus point jumping around.
02 Keep it steady
A tripod is essential for capturing the levitation technique. It will keep the camera perfectly steady while you capture the scene twice: first with the person perched on a stool or ladder, second with the person and stool taken out of the scene.
A tripod is essential for capturing the levitation technique. It will keep the camera perfectly steady while you capture the scene twice: first with the person perched on a stool or ladder, second with the person and stool taken out of the scene.
03 Keep lighting consistent
We’ve used a single flash head from an Elinchrom home studio kit to light our scene, bouncing it off the wall to give even illumination. However you choose to light your levitation photography, the important thing is to keep the lighting consistent throughout. So, for example, if you’re planning on shooting outdoors on a cloudy day, watch out for the sun peeping out from behind the clouds.
We’ve used a single flash head from an Elinchrom home studio kit to light our scene, bouncing it off the wall to give even illumination. However you choose to light your levitation photography, the important thing is to keep the lighting consistent throughout. So, for example, if you’re planning on shooting outdoors on a cloudy day, watch out for the sun peeping out from behind the clouds.
04 Check it’s working
On shoots like this it can be hard to visualise the finished effect, so it’s a good idea to bring your laptop along to check that it’s working. If you find it isn’t, then you can change things before it’s too late. Making a quick mock-up of the levitation effect during the shoot will put your mind at ease, and also give you an opportunity to scrutinise the lighting, pose and composition. You could also tether the camera and laptop together for instant access to the images.
On shoots like this it can be hard to visualise the finished effect, so it’s a good idea to bring your laptop along to check that it’s working. If you find it isn’t, then you can change things before it’s too late. Making a quick mock-up of the levitation effect during the shoot will put your mind at ease, and also give you an opportunity to scrutinise the lighting, pose and composition. You could also tether the camera and laptop together for instant access to the images.
05 Watch for flat clothes
Posing can make or break the levitation effect. So try out different positions and pay particular attention to the points where the subject’s body comes into contact with the stool. When we remove the stool in Photoshop we don’t want clothes or body parts pressed flat against it, because this is a dead giveaway. The more floaty these areas appear, the more successful the effect.
Posing can make or break the levitation effect. So try out different positions and pay particular attention to the points where the subject’s body comes into contact with the stool. When we remove the stool in Photoshop we don’t want clothes or body parts pressed flat against it, because this is a dead giveaway. The more floaty these areas appear, the more successful the effect.
How to edit levitation photography to make your subject float
01 Open in Adobe Camera Raw
Copy our three ‘levitation_before’ files into a folder on your computer (or use your own images). To manage and edit our multiple files more effectively, open Adobe Bridge. In the Content panel, hold down Cmd/Ctrl and click each file to select it. The three selected files will appear in the Preview window. Right-click a shot in the Content tab and choose Open in Camera Raw. The three digital negative files will open in the Camera Raw editor.
Copy our three ‘levitation_before’ files into a folder on your computer (or use your own images). To manage and edit our multiple files more effectively, open Adobe Bridge. In the Content panel, hold down Cmd/Ctrl and click each file to select it. The three selected files will appear in the Preview window. Right-click a shot in the Content tab and choose Open in Camera Raw. The three digital negative files will open in the Camera Raw editor.
02 Batch process the shots
In the Camera Raw editor, click the Select All button at the top left. The three shots were taken with the same camera settings, so they will all benefit from the same tonal and colour tweaks. Cool the shots down by dragging the Temperature slider left to give a color temperature of 5600 degrees K. Boost Contrast to +23. Blow out the distracting detail in the windows and create a more dreamlike feel by setting Highlights to +38.
In the Camera Raw editor, click the Select All button at the top left. The three shots were taken with the same camera settings, so they will all benefit from the same tonal and colour tweaks. Cool the shots down by dragging the Temperature slider left to give a color temperature of 5600 degrees K. Boost Contrast to +23. Blow out the distracting detail in the windows and create a more dreamlike feel by setting Highlights to +38.
03 Create a layered document
To reveal more shadow detail, increase the Shadows slider to +13. To enhance the scene’s dreamlike subject matter, reduce Clarity to -8. This softens mid-tone detail and makes the lighting look more diffuse. To make weaker colours look stronger (without over-saturating healthier colours), drag the Vibrance slider up to +10. Click Done to take the edited shots back into Bridge. Go to Tools>Photoshop>Load Files into Photoshop Layers.
To reveal more shadow detail, increase the Shadows slider to +13. To enhance the scene’s dreamlike subject matter, reduce Clarity to -8. This softens mid-tone detail and makes the lighting look more diffuse. To make weaker colours look stronger (without over-saturating healthier colours), drag the Vibrance slider up to +10. Click Done to take the edited shots back into Bridge. Go to Tools>Photoshop>Load Files into Photoshop Layers.
04 Reorganise layers
In Photoshop, go to Window>Layers to view your layered document. Drag the layer without the model (‘levitation_before01.dng’) to the bottom of the Layer Stack. Drag ‘levitation_before02.dng’ to the middle of the Layer Stack. The ‘floating’ light stand layer (‘levitation_before03.dng’) will now be at the top. Click the top layer’s eye-shaped icon to make that layer invisible for the moment. You’ll now see the woman lying on the stool.
In Photoshop, go to Window>Layers to view your layered document. Drag the layer without the model (‘levitation_before01.dng’) to the bottom of the Layer Stack. Drag ‘levitation_before02.dng’ to the middle of the Layer Stack. The ‘floating’ light stand layer (‘levitation_before03.dng’) will now be at the top. Click the top layer’s eye-shaped icon to make that layer invisible for the moment. You’ll now see the woman lying on the stool.
05 Add a Layer Mask
Click the ‘levitation_before02.dng’ layer’s thumbnail to target it. Choose Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. Click the white mask. Grab the Brush tool from the Tools Panel. Click the Brush Preset Picker in the Options Bar and choose a soft round tip. Set Size to 175 to start with. Set the Tools Panel’s foreground colour to black. Spray a black tip on the mask to start hiding the supporting stool. This reveals bits of the empty chair from the layer below.
Click the ‘levitation_before02.dng’ layer’s thumbnail to target it. Choose Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All. Click the white mask. Grab the Brush tool from the Tools Panel. Click the Brush Preset Picker in the Options Bar and choose a soft round tip. Set Size to 175 to start with. Set the Tools Panel’s foreground colour to black. Spray a black tip on the mask to start hiding the supporting stool. This reveals bits of the empty chair from the layer below.
06 Show and hide
Spray black to remove the stool completely. If you hide bits of the girl’s dress, press X to swap the foreground colour to white and spray to reveal her missing details. Toggle back and forth between using black and white strokes to hide or show appropriate pixels. To make the overlapping skirt look translucent, choose a black tip. Set the Opacity to 48%. Spray grey strokes over the skirt to reveal some of the sofa from the layer below.
Spray black to remove the stool completely. If you hide bits of the girl’s dress, press X to swap the foreground colour to white and spray to reveal her missing details. Toggle back and forth between using black and white strokes to hide or show appropriate pixels. To make the overlapping skirt look translucent, choose a black tip. Set the Opacity to 48%. Spray grey strokes over the skirt to reveal some of the sofa from the layer below.
07 Reveal the lamp stand
Make the top layer (‘levitation_before03.dng’) visible by clicking its eye icon. Click the top layer’s thumbnail to target it. Choose Layer>Layer Mask>Hide All. The layer’s content will become hidden. Grab the Brush tool. Set the Foreground colour to white and increase the Opacity to 100%. Paint white on the mask to reveal the handheld lamp stand from the top layer. White strokes will also hide the lamp on the layer below.
Make the top layer (‘levitation_before03.dng’) visible by clicking its eye icon. Click the top layer’s thumbnail to target it. Choose Layer>Layer Mask>Hide All. The layer’s content will become hidden. Grab the Brush tool. Set the Foreground colour to white and increase the Opacity to 100%. Paint white on the mask to reveal the handheld lamp stand from the top layer. White strokes will also hide the lamp on the layer below.
08 Clone out the hand
Click the Create a new layer icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel. Choose the Clone Stamp tool. In the Option Bar, tick Aligned and set Sample to All layers. Hold down Alt and click to sample some of the lamp stand’s unobstructed wooden shaft ,and then spray these pixels over the hand to hide it. If necessary, sample and clone bits of wall over any traces of the original lamp and the person supporting it.
Click the Create a new layer icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel. Choose the Clone Stamp tool. In the Option Bar, tick Aligned and set Sample to All layers. Hold down Alt and click to sample some of the lamp stand’s unobstructed wooden shaft ,and then spray these pixels over the hand to hide it. If necessary, sample and clone bits of wall over any traces of the original lamp and the person supporting it.
09 Add a shadow
Create a new transparent layer. Choose Edit>Fill. Use 50% Gray. Click OK. Set the layer’s Blend Mode to Overlay. Grab the Burn tool. Set Range to Midtones and Exposure to 16%. Spray a soft tip on the sofa to add the girl’s shadow. Feel free to reduce the shadow layer’s Opacity to 88% for a more subtle shadow effect. This subtle tonal tweak helps blend the separate components together more effectively.
Create a new transparent layer. Choose Edit>Fill. Use 50% Gray. Click OK. Set the layer’s Blend Mode to Overlay. Grab the Burn tool. Set Range to Midtones and Exposure to 16%. Spray a soft tip on the sofa to add the girl’s shadow. Feel free to reduce the shadow layer’s Opacity to 88% for a more subtle shadow effect. This subtle tonal tweak helps blend the separate components together more effectively.
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