Easily create your own tilt shift photos with TiltShiftMaker

by Scott Carmichael on

There is something magical about tilt shift photos – I’m not much of a photo buff, so I’m easily amused by minor optical tricks.

Normally, making a tilt shift photo involves a special lens, or a ton of Photoshop knowledge (2 things I lack).

Enter TiltShiftMaker.com – this online tool does all the hard work for you, and is as simple as uploading a photo and moving a couple of sliders around.

It still takes a little practice to get the best results, but since the site is both free and easy to use, anyone with a little spare time could be producing some amazing tilt shift images in a matter of minutes.

After the jump, my first couple of attempts at Tilt shifting some of my photos. As you can see, I have not yet mastered the art of sliding little controls around, but I’m confident I’ll get there.

Oh, and yes – I am fully aware that I am about 2 years behind the curve when it comes to the latest and greatest in photography.


Tulips at Keukenhof in the Netherlands



Model boats in a Parisian park

This one is totally cheating, and completely missing the point – it is a tilt shift photo of a miniature cheese market model (You can see the “real” people in the background).

Create “Mini Worlds” Using Tilt Shift Photography

by Willy Volk on

Tilt shift is a photo technique that makes images of real scenes look like miniature models or dioramas. Often times, people purchase specialized lenses to help create this effect. However, if you’ve got a copy of Photoshop, you can probably create similar effects without the special lens.

To see some examples of “fake” tilt shifts, you should check out the Flickr group dedicated to this wonky art. Truly impressive and fun to look at, the images look as though the photographer has laboriously created a scale version of the scene and lovingly photographed it. For example, this is Manhattan:

Tilt shifting appears to work best with wide shots of open spaces. Consequently, it might be fun to test this out on an upcoming hiking trip, a trip to the ocean, a parade, or a sporting event. Apparently, it only takes 5-10 minutes to achieve this effect. Awesome, fun stuff.

Learn more:
* Lotsa tilt shift links
* How shift lenses change your life
* Tilt-shift in 4 steps
* Tips from Flickr enthusiasts

Here are some of my favorite Flickr images!

Utrecht:

An ocean scene:

Macy’s Chicago:

A hockey game:

Sunset at Jones Bay:

Multonomah Falls: