I was recently inspired by a wonderfully creative group of photographers. The Sandhills Photo Club asked me to judge their Creative competition. Any subject… any technique… and wow the images were amazing. Here is one I have used for a long time and you might have seen, but if not, give it a try!
MAGIC CIRCLES
1. Choose an image that has symmetry for best results and a defined center.
2. Crop the image to a square format, ie. 6”x6”
3. Make a copy of the Background Layer by selecting it and clicking Ctrl/Cmd J.
4. On duplicate layer – Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates > Polar to Rectangular
5. On duplicate Layer > Edit > Transform > Rotate 180 degrees
6. On duplicate Layer >Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates > Rectangular to Polar
7. On Layers palette, click the dropdown and select Flatten Layers.
Additional ideas:
You can set this up as a Photoshop Action and play all day long.
You can select the four corners which are always a solid color and change the color or add a gradient as I did with the pier.
Hi Susan:
Meant to sent you a note thanking you for a great job on judging the SPC competition. Wish you could have been there to elaborate on the comments but as it turned out your illness was a blessing since we had torrential rains.
Thanks for sharing the technique. I love doing orbitals.
Gisela
Gisela,
So nice to receive your note. I didn’t realize the weather was that bad down there… guess it was a blessing. It’s a long drive for me. We had another gully-washer here last night but looks like your area gets even more from what the news says.
Glad to elaborate with anyone who wants to discuss their entry… such a neat group!
Hope to see you soon,
Susan