How do I get this almost dreamy look in an image?

Question

I'm not sure if I use photoshop or not.. But I'm trying to achieve this dreamy soft look in these images. There was an example of about 10-15 of this type of shot all seemed to be taken at the same time of day. So I'm not sure if that was a factor? But if you could explain how to take or edit to achieve this look, that would be great. =)

Thank so much!

http://emeraldeye.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/menziescreek-80blended_-edit.jpg?w=497&h=373

http://emeraldeye.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/landscapes-23_2_1_0_tonemapped.jpg?w=496&h=307

Answer 1

theres a special filter you need to put over your camera lens

It makes light more vivid and makes everything look alot more theatrical and mystical

Answer 2

Your interpretation of "dreamy soft" is very different to mine, those photos look very crisp and clear to me.

Anyway..... to duplicate that look, aim for late afternoon shots so you can include the sun in the frame.

Then start post processing - levels, curves, contrast, sharpening, etc.

Answer 3

There are two things that I think contribute to the look of those pictures - shooting into the sun, and saturated color. The color saturation is a picture mode adjustment in DSLRs and the more advanced compacts., or you can do it in editing. Shooting into the sun is easy enough, but to do it and get a sharp, saturated picture requires a very good lens.

Lesser lenses (the kind most of us are shooting through) will produce lots of glare and flare. If you're not shooting through pro lenses either, try to find a camera position and setting (f-stop) that minimizes the problems. Then use editing software to reclaim as much contrast and color saturation as you can. No guarantee it will work, but have fun and good luck.

  

Answer 4

If you do outdoor shots like this i would take the image on manual and underexpose it 1-2 stops.

Bring in into photoshop and adjust the color and histogram with Lightroom or Adobe Bridge.

The sun effect in the first image looks like it was used as a photoshop action so this affect you won't get with your lense. Lens flair looks different then this.

Hope it helps. also check out deviantart.com for actions to make color pop a bit more..