How to get the sean flanigan look

[teresavigil]

I have spent months trying to figure his style out. anyone got a clue? I can def do the bw its the color that throwing me. thanks for looking- teresa
http://seanflanigan.net/blog/

[Flashtones]

Originally Posted by teresavigil

I can def do the bw its the color that throwing me.

Try this. Do the BW that you know how to do. Place it as a layer above the color image twice. Set the blend mode of one of the BW layers to luminosity, the other to color. Play with the opacity slider of each BW layer. It will impart the BW flavor to your color image.


Otherwise, use HSL to lower saturation and raise the black end of a curve. Adjust color balance to taste with the method of your choice.

[teresavigil]

just leaving the house now, def will try that. I also seem to see that if I did the gradient map above set to lumi and lowered it had a similar effect and some of the images def have a color tone to it in addition. Thank you. Seriously its more its mistified me so much i am becoming obsessed on how to, once i figure it out i can let this go. ahahah. Good shooting usually is the firs key too, that i do know. beyond thanks!!! I need to donate to this forum again. thank you. teresa

[Flashtones]

If you post a copyright clear image for us to play with I'm sure you'll get good help.

The shadow/highlight adjustment is another avenue to explore.

[Juice Box]

I'm no photoshop guru, i've looked into his style as well for quite sometime. I think he uses alienskin...but that's not all. Some of the pics aren't amazing, but i think the tilt shifting lens and the post processing is really helping it get that awww.

So alienskin is a guess
tilt shifting i'm pretty confident.

Post what you've done so far.

[SymbolPhoto]

Looks like low contrast and then slight cross processing. And just low contrast on the black and whites with maybe a little D&B.

[Markzebra]

Probably shot on film, conventionally. What you are seeing are processing techniques. If its actually done digitally at all, then its been done very well with a lot of knowledge.

[bakerser]

Originally Posted by Markzebra

Probably shot on film, conventionally. What you are seeing are processing techniques. If its actually done digitally at all, then its been done very well with a lot of knowledge.

Lots of knowledge then. I'm guessing lots of time spent generating some solid LR presets and color warps, coupled with a willingness to take any image over to PS for 5-10m of touchups.

But he does do this digitally - albeit with a real T/S lens (Canon 45mm f/2.8).

[insmac]

As for embedded metadata, at least some of these are taken with 5D mark II.
I bet lots of them are overexposed on purpose. Also the added grain - seems too even for a negative.

[AvalosPhoto]

there are plenty of actions on Deviantart that follow this same look. washy and faded. Just do a search for actions in there. Cheers G

[teresavigil]

ok os i tried the first suggestion, no go, tried gradient map etc no go, i got alien skin, not the same, i am going to try the other suggestions tonight. I have shot tilt shift and that isnt it either. He def has color overlays and most likely one color or gradient map that i can not place. Seriously makes me so crazy i spend like 2 horus a days trying to figure it out. iu let you know how the other suggestions went.

[Flashtones]

Originally Posted by teresavigil

He def has color overlays and most likely one color or gradient map that i can not place.

His colors aren't all the same.

Can you be specific about what in his look you are trying to emulate and where it's falling short? It's the "color" (which image?) and not the tonality?


Again, best results to be had here are by putting up an image you are working on and a specific image of his you'd like to match, otherwise we're shooting at straws.

[Tareq]

You know something, why not trying to do something different and forget all those photographers/artists there and try to do something different, why keep watching others work and trying to do the same? i watched a lot of them and trying to do something and what i got? I didn't do even one of them at all, so none i got their results, so i am now in process to have my own style/effect even it is not easy to create, but i will keep doing and who knows what i will get one day.

[teresavigil]

well i know he for sure wont let me put up a copyright picture. i have pinged him on how to and he is wont speak. But it really isnt that i want ot copy if you look at my stuff completely diff i think its just figuring it out is what is making me crazy. I think its the tonality and i have a mark 11, it could maybe just be the 1D4 that is doing that extra special mark or Lightroom, which i do not use. thanks anyways for any help- you can close this thread if you want-

[teresavigil]

Originally Posted by SymbolPhoto

Looks like low contrast and then slight cross processing. And just low contrast on the black and whites with maybe a little D&B.

i think that is it- i just tried out one, and very very similiar
i love you!!!

[teresavigil]

so lower contrast
slight cross process with alien skin
then i did an orange color overlay on low and bam very cool. ok now onto the next mystery. thanks all so much.

[Juice Box]

Can you show us a picture you were working with? Maybe some screenshots? Lets make this thread a learning thread instead of all the rest up here.

Which Alienskin did you use? 400H

[teresavigil]

L'original
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y10...l/original.jpg

Opened an new adjustment layer of brightness contrast lowered the contrast- to taste
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y10...ercontrast.jpg

Add alien skin cross process blue shadows no contrast adjust to taste ( i have alien skin 2 adn three - in this case i used 2 for i used cs2 alot more than cs5 however that same action can be done in cs5 and alien skin 3 - i jsut prefer cs2

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y10...lueshadows.jpg

Then add color overylay on soft light adjust to taste- hex code
#e6a415

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y10...step4color.jpg

[Flashtones]

Are you able to point to a specific sean flanigan image you are targeting for color and/or tone?

[teresavigil]

no- all of them make me crazy. hahah.

[Flashtones]

Originally Posted by teresavigil

no- all of them make me crazy. hahah.

He has a wide repertoire. These are all taken from the same page (and he has many pages) but require different treatments.

http://seanflanigan.net/blog/wp-cont...2/20091039.jpg

http://seanflanigan.net/blog/wp-cont...2/20091041.jpg

http://seanflanigan.net/blog/wp-cont...2/20091065.jpg

http://seanflanigan.net/blog/wp-cont..._BLOG_1031.jpg

http://seanflanigan.net/blog/wp-cont..._BLOG_1048.jpg

Are you looking for random effects or something in particular? If random then you should be fine with Alien Skin or Nik Efex and just click around till you stumble upon something you like.

[teresavigil]

i have found lower contrast
alien skin bump
color overlay
and i think...shadow hgihlight slightly-

[Flashtones]

Here's a random shot at nothing in particular.

[teresavigil]

yes...thank you

[SKBphoto]

skin tones are too orange.

Sean Flanigan does teach classes on his techniques, more on his site: Sean Flanigan Photographer Resources

[Tareq]

I did something a bit, maybe not as you want, but i hope you can do something more to it and you may get closer to what you want.

[andyong]

muted the colors, soften, add Filter>Render>Lens Flare...

i'm not sure what/whose style is this..

[andyong]

black n white...

[andyong]

gaussian blur, motion blur, zoom blur, lens flare, solid colors,

[edgework]

Simple shifts in CR and Photoshop.

Softer:
http://edgework.tripod.com/original-2.jpg

With brighter tones enhanced in LAB:

http://edgework.tripod.com/original-2a.jpg