Motion Blur photos? Second Life photos, then Photoshop Elements?

[Sire Sands]

See these images of motion blur photograph with dance or ballet. It's a popular real world photography mode, but I'm trying to do some shots and post-process to get a close effect. Even merging or double exposures don't provide that motion blur look and feel. Any tips or suggestions on how to photo, post-process, or adjust phototools or cam settings to attempt the effect.

Thank you...

Michael Stardust

[Wulfie Reanimator]

You're going to need a lot of images, replicating the long-exposure look can't be done from a single image or any combination of viewer settings.

Assuming your viewer can achieve a high framerate (the higher, the better), you'll want to record video of the movement you want to "blur." Then you'll turn every frame of that video into an image, and process all of them together (using each image as its own layer) in an image editor or maybe even your video editor if it has the appropriate functionality.

Look up "video into long exposure photo" for specific tutorials.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Wulfie Reanimator

[Nalates Urriah]

There are various types of motion blur. In one the subject is mostly unblurred and the background is blurred. In another type, the subject is blurred and the background is unblurred. In another, both are blurred but the leading edges of the subject are unblurred.

In computer game graphics the software is doing things to avoid blur as the camera sweeps across a scene. So capturing blur in-world (SL) is difficult.

I tend to use one image for all types. All unblurred. Then take the subject parts of the image I want to blur or keep focused then copy them to separate layers. Often more than one copy and layer. Then say I want a blurred background and a blurred runner with focused/unblurred leading edges. I'll blur the lower layer of the runner, usually more than the background. I may duplicate that layer so the blur is more dense. Then with a soft brush, I'll paint out the trailing edges of the runner (alpha layer) in the top layer.

In some cases, I'll paint in an additional blur of the highlights. Also, things like wheels often need attention to look realistic. So a circular blur. Then a motion blur. Depending on lighting and desired effect I may put some motion blur behind or on top of the wheel with the circular blur.

Once you get the idea and learn what your editor will do it becomes a matter of patience and determination. Some of the really great images I like took the artist day or weeks.

All photo editing is basic techniques you combine to make your image. Motion blur is just a type of blur. Learning to use blur is the basic tech.

I like these two artists' tutorials for advanced techniques;

https://www.youtube.com/@natsumixenga9384

https://www.youtube.com/@NemanjaSekulic

 

[Hunter Stern]

I have used a live motion editor to get the effect using MovAvi Slideshow Maker (packages vary) but it will give an actual frame by frame with it's motion blur effect. works for moving lens flare effects as well.

[SabrinaCooke]

On 7/15/2023 at 7:07 AM, Sire Sands said:

See these images of motion blur photograph with dance or ballet. It's a popular real world photography mode, but I'm trying to do some shots and post-process to get a close effect. Even merging or double exposures don't provide that motion blur look and feel. Any tips or suggestions on how to photo, post-process, or adjust phototools or cam settings to attempt the effect.

Thank you...

Michael Stardust

I'm not sure if you've found a solution to your motion blur question, and if you have, I apologize for necro-ing this thread.  (Also, disclaimer. I'm not an expert by any means, just someone who likes to mess around with a camera in RL. :D) But just in case you haven't yet, you can access three different motion blur effects in GIMP, depending on your needs. In the top menu, go to Filters> Blur, then on the bottom of the flyout you'll see Circular Motion Blur, Linear Motion Blur, and Zoom Motion Blur. Pick the one that suits your needs and use the live view/on canvas controls to apply your effects. I made a very crude and somewhat exaggerated sample below to show how it looks with Linear Motion applied. The image quality has been degraded by the screenshot, but it does give an idea of the effect. 

 

The other thing to note with motion blur is there should be some part of the photo that's more in focus than the rest of it. In RL terms, that's where your lens was pointing/focused while you were tracking the subject, so it should show up relatively unblurred in relation to the rest of the photo. In my example above, it's the face. You can use a mask to remove part of the effect on your focal point to give the illusion of having tracked and shot your subject in real time. 

Hope that helps!

[Bagnu]

On 7/14/2023 at 7:07 PM, Sire Sands said:

See these images of motion blur photograph with dance or ballet. It's a popular real world photography mode, but I'm trying to do some shots and post-process to get a close effect. Even merging or double exposures don't provide that motion blur look and feel. Any tips or suggestions on how to photo, post-process, or adjust phototools or cam settings to attempt the effect.

Thank you...

Michael Stardust

Photoshop has good motion blur filters, and Adobe AfterEffects has really good motion blur capabilities.