Identify this Photoshop Technique

[csblotiau]

I've recently discovered a photo manipulation technique that gives a moving, flowing effect to the photo working particularly well when water is the main subject. I know for sure that the original images used are singular photographs, but I'm having trouble discovering the technique used to achieve this. Here is a link to the artists work

www.jerseymariadesign.com

Does anyone know what this animation technique is called and if there is any supporting material/tutorials for achieving it ?

[davescm · Accepted solution]

Hi

It is called a Cinemegraph - usually a GIF combining still elements with moving elements.

Lots of information if you google it, now you know what to search for.

Dave

[bzareenk]

This is basically a cinemagraph a still photo edited to include minor looping animation, much like those images in newspapers in Harry Potter universe. You can use cinemagraphs to give a unique touch to design as well. Cinemagraphs are not at all difficult to make. One such app is Flixel.This is a perfect app for making Cinemagraph.

https://flixel.com/?ads_cmpid=681102121&ads_adid=35237890992&ads_matchtype=b&ads_network=g&ads_creat...

[csblotiau]

Thank you both, that is exactly what I was looking for.

[csblotiau]

You know, I may have spoke to soon. Looking closer, cinemagraphs require video to create their motion. The photo graphs from the artists website are not using any video. I know this because she edited photos for friends of mine, and they were definitely photographs without supplemental video. Check her site again, its pretty incredible what she is doing with just a photo. I imagine she is making many layers of the same photo, and slightly altering the water in each one then stitching them together in animation, but I'm so impressed by how realistic she is making the water flow look.

[davescm]

The principle is the same. With a modern camera you can snap a few frames a second and introduce movement in the same way as a video camera. Many gifs get away with fairly low frame rates

Dave

[csblotiau]

so you dont think there is anyway that this technique is accomplished without at least multiple photographs ? I was pretty certain she was creating this effect with only one photo...hell, one part of her site allows you to submit a single photo for her to do her work with. It doesn;t say anything about need a video file or even a sequence. Can you imagine anyway of doing this technique with only one photograph ?

[davescm]

You could create the frames by transforming various elements in the picture (warp/liquify etc all allow you to move pixels) - which is how the tattoo picture will have been done. If she has done this on the sea pictures then I am impressed as achieving such smooth and convincing water movement will not have been easy.

Dave

[csblotiau]

its been confirmed ! 100% certain now. The Ocean pics, waves, water, EVERYTHING all done with just ONE photo ! wow, very impressive. Anyone have a strategy for attacking this ?

[Brad Lawryk]

csblotiau  wrote

its been confirmed ! 100% certain now. The Ocean pics, waves, water, EVERYTHING all done with just ONE photo ! wow, very impressive. Anyone have a strategy for attacking this ?

Yes, they can be done with one photo. But you need to make an edit and copy for each frame of the animation.

Open single Photo ---> Copy it on to a new layer ----> Make a minor edit ------> go back to step two and keep repeating.

Then add all your layers to the animation timeline and export.

[csblotiau]

Yes I was assuming it was something like that. Have to you checked the artists website though ? Her talent is not in the procedure, but in how well she executes her edits to each photo to keep the realistic flow of the water. I discovered a few tutorials that taught this method, but the final effect was mediocre at best. The flow was wrong, the water looked unnatural. This artist is making waves look like they are actually breaking with a single photo. Perhaps its the fact that Im able in both graphic design, and surfing that I can really appreciate her work, but I think its outstanding.

[Brad Lawryk]

Yes, the artist was good. Some of them better than others.

However the question was about the procedure and how to do it - not the artist. If the post was to self promote the artist then it was posted in the wrong forum. This forum is for questions on how to do something or solve a problem.

[csblotiau]

"self promote the artist" you say ? I cannot self promote someone else, that's a contradiction to the definition...unless you are alluding to a suspicion that I am the artist ? Which isn't the case, I was genuinely ignorant and interested in her procedure given that upon searching for and finding other artists methods for the same effect, none of them were able to get nearly the same result. This led me to consider the notion that she used a different technique, therefore posting on this forum. The reason I went on about her skill in response to your directions is because your procedure "copy, edit, copy, edit, export etc" did little to address her method for specifically editing the water. There are lots of tutorials that tell me to edit, copy, edit, export etc. I was curious if someone was aware of the best way to edit the water so it seems realistic, the way water actually flows, or waves actually break. If I was trying to self promote, errrm I mean, promote another artist (?), the are much better methods for executing online marketing than posting in the adobe forums I believe. I do thank you for making sure I was posting in the correct forum however.

[postrophe]

Hi

Years ago, I did this kind of motions using After Effects (may need special scripts or plugins). Maybe that is what she is using to create the HTML5 videos and animated Gif ?

Pierre