Using Photoshop (Gimp, actually) to add excitement to your ride pics

I recently posted this image on the Facebook Bicycle Touring group, though by now you may end up seeing it elsewhere (Click on the image for full res):

bikecamp

And I thought I slept well

It was well received. But since it was, I want to come clean: it is a Photoshopped image. That is the easiest way to explain it. I actually used a piece of software called Gimp, but no one knows what you are talking about if you say you Gimped an image. I think most people suspect it was edited, but coming out with it is fun anyway. If you are like me, you might get curious about how these images are made, so I wanted to share a few notes about this image here.

This was a relatively simple composite. I found two images that I did not have to play with color, resolution, focus, or any of the hard stuff. I just did some scaling, blending and cloning to make it work. I could pick it apart, but once you know it was Gimped (I may start a new expression) and look closer, you will probably see all kind of things wrong with it. But first impressions are good, that is what counts

Image number one, taken from here, source image here, just in case the page changes.

bikecampalayer1

It all started as a simple campsite

 

Image number 2, taken from here, source image here

tornado080711small

Just add a little Kansas and voila!

This one went so well may do the occasional “fantasy cycling image” and post here in the future.

1 comment

  1. Ahh, I’m actually a little disappointed!

    I was fooled by it, and wondered who was brave enough (or stupid enough?) to dice with death and camp perilously on the edge of a cliff with an ominous tornado incoming!

Let me know what you think