The use of Photoshop to make subjects look better is well documented. But today, we take a break from talking about making our subjects look great, and instead will focus on how the magic of Photoshop can help improve your image. In this case, this is achieved by adding a window reflection to an image to create the illusion that it was shot through the window.
This effect is demonstrated by Jesus Ramirez, who takes us through the entire process, starting with the base image, and ending with adding a glass texture and transparent image to really sell the effect. If you are looking to improve your Photoshop skills, this is 15 minutes well spent.
The images used in this specific example are all stock images easily purchased online, but you could easily follow along at home with your own images with no problem at all. We would, in fact, recommend that because it will help you learn the technique quicker since you will have to problem solve to adapt the instructions in the video to better fit the images you decide to use at home.
An effect such as this is interesting in that it doesn’t make our subject of the image, the woman in the coffee shop, look any better. But it does, in fact, raise the aesthetic quality of the image quite a bit by giving it more depth and feeling. It can sometimes be things like this that take a good image and make it great (though we could have an argument for days over if it is still an ‘image’ or digital art once modified).
For more great Photoshop tutorials like this one, check out Ramirez’s channel on Youtube.
