Remember the Polaroid? You push the button and the print is ejected and developed
right before your eyes. But rather than settle for these "straight"
prints, for many years professional image-makers used the unique features of
this technology to create wonderfully textured images as well. The process involved
transferring the image from the original to damp watercolor paper. As a result
the image took on a distinctly different look and feel to a standard Polaroid
print.
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A popular technique a few years ago, Polaroid transer involved
the migrating of the film image to a watercolor paper background.
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Much acclaimed for its artistic appeal, the technique was not always predictable.
There were three main problems--dark areas of an image often didn't
transfer to the new surface, colors and image detail would bleed unpredictably
(due to the moisture in the paper), and it was difficult to control how dark
or light the final print would be. I know these problems intimately as it once
took me 16 sheets of expensive instant film to produce a couple of acceptable
prints.
This success ratio is not one that my budget, or my temperament, could afford.
So I started to play with a digital version of this popular technique. I wanted
to find a process that was more predictable, controllable, and repeatable. My
first step was to list the characteristics of the Polaroid transfer print so
that I could simulate them digitally. To me it seemed that there were four main
elements:
·Desaturated colors
·Mottled dye
·Distinct paper texture and color
·The Polaroid film frame
To duplicate these characteristics on the desktop would mean that I could capture
the essence of the Polaroid process. To create a workflow that made use of the
smart technology in Photoshop CS3 would mean that the whole process would be
nondestructive.
Step By Step
#1
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To start the process we will add a white background to the picture
that will eventually accommodate the Polaroid edge or frame. Do
this by creating a new layer (Layer>New>New Layer) and
then dragging this layer beneath the image in the layer stack.
If the image layer is a background layer then you will need to
double click it to change to a standard image layer before the
move. Next, make sure that the default foreground and background
swatches are selected (white = background) and then select the
new layer and choose Layer>New>Background from Layer.
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#2
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With the Crop tool selected, draw a marquee around the whole of
the image and then click drag the corner handles outward to extend
the background layer (and the canvas) beyond the image area. As
the rest of the technique requires us to make filter changes to
the image that are destructive, we will now select both layers
and convert them to a single Smart Object (Layer>Smart Object>Convert
to Smart Object) before moving on.
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#3
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The Polaroid technique requires the watercolor paper to be slightly
wet at the time of transfer. The moisture, while helping the image
movement from paper to paper, tends to desaturate the colors and
cause fine detail to be lost. These characteristics are also the
result of the coarse surface of the donor paper. So the next step
of the digital version of the process is to desaturate the color
of our example image. In Photoshop this can be achieved nondestructively
using the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer (Layer>New Adjustment
Layer>Hue/Saturation). With the dialog open, carefully move
the Saturation slider to the left. This action will decrease the
intensity of the colors in your image.
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#4
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The distinct surface and image qualities of Polaroid transfer
prints combine both sharpness and image breakup in the one picture.
To reproduce this effect digitally and nondestructively, we will
use the new Smart Filter options in CS3. My idea is to manipulate
the look of the photo with a couple of filters to simulate the
mottled effect of the transfer print and then use the Smart Filter
Blend mode and Opacity settings to adjust how much sharpness (of
the original image) or mottle (from the filters) is obtained in
the final result. To do this I selected the Smart Object layer
and applied the first of two filters, Paint Daubs, to the picture.
Though the look is not quite right, I found that by combining
the effects of the Paint Daubs and Palette Knife filters I could
produce reasonable results. When using these filters keep in mind
that the settings used will vary with the style and size of your
image. Use the ones in the example as a starting point only. This
part of the process is not an exact science. Play and experimentation
is the name of the game; keep in mind that you can adjust the
settings any time in the future as these are Smart Filters. You
might also want to try other options in the Artistic, Sketch,
or Texture selections of the Filter menu.
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#5
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The next step is to adjust how these filter effects combine with
the original photo. This can be achieved by either changing the
filter's Blending mode or by adjusting its Opacity, or both.
For the example image, a simple Opacity change (to 59 percent)
was all that was needed, but don't be afraid to try a few
different Blend/Opacity combinations with your own work. To access
these options, double click the Settings icon at the right-hand
end of the filter layer. This will display the Smart Filter Blending
options palette. Here you can alter both Blend modes and Opacity
of the selected filter and view the changes in the associated
preview. Be careful though, as any filter selected that is not
on top of the filter stack will be previewed without the combined
effects of the other filters.
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#6
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The paper color and texture are critical parts of the appeal of
the transfer print. These two characteristics extend throughout
the image itself and into the area that surrounds the picture.
To change the color of both the image and the white surround,
I played with the overall color of the document using a Levels
adjustment layer (Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels). I
altered the blue and red channels independently and concentrated
on the lighter tones of the image so that rather than the paper
being stark white it took on a creamy appearance. Specifically,
I dragged the white Output slider in the blue channel toward the
center of the histogram (to add some yellow to the highlights)
and I moved the white Input slider of the red channel to the left
to bring in some warmth.
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#7
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To add the texture to both image and the white background surround,
I added yet another filter to the Smart Object layer. This time
I used the Texturizer filter, combined with a custom texture of
the surface watercolor paper that I created by photographing a
section of paper that was lit with a light source positioned low
and to one side. To load the watercolor paper file, select the
Texturizer filter from the Filter>Texture menu and then click
onto the sideways arrow in the top right of the dialog and choose
the Load Texture option. Browse for and select the texture file
before adjusting the Scaling, Relief, and Light options in the
filter to suit.
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#8
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The last part of the process involves combining the final image
with a scan of a Polaroid film edge. You can make your own by
scanning a Polaroid print and then removing the image or use a
ready-made rough edge frame image (available for download from
many sites on the web). Start by opening the edge file as a separate
document. Click onto the edge picture and drag it onto your Polaroid
transfer image. The edge will automatically become a new layer
on top of the existing image layer. Convert the edge layer to
a Smart Object by right clicking on the layer and choosing the
Convert to Smart Object entry.
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#9
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Next, with the edge Smart Object layer selected, change the layer's
Blend mode to Multiply. Notice that the white areas of the layer
are now transparent, allowing the picture beneath to show through.
Drag the edge layer to just above the image in the layer stack
(below the Hue/Saturation and Levels adjustment layers), to ensure
that the adjustments made by these layers are applied to the Polaroid
edge image as well. Finally, use the Edit>Free Transform command
to adjust the size of the edge to fit the image and the Crop tool
to remove any unwanted background areas.
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