The swept be in photoshop or with the camera it has a lot of visual power. It transmits movement and speed to us, which makes it very dynamic and capable of sustaining an image almost by itself.
Like other photographic techniques such as light painting, the silk effect, wide apertures, macro photography, etc., which are invisible to the naked eye, it inevitably draws the viewer’s attention.
Wipe technique without editing
If you want to try the sweep technique in the classic way, here we explain it in detail. You only need a moving element (a car, a motorcycle, a bike, a person running, etc.) a slow speed, and some quick reflexes to follow your character with the camera.
Based on trial and error and a few attempts you will get images similar to this:
Sweep from camera @alexadeblois
You will find more inspiration about sweeps in this Challenge that we convened in its day and here sweeps in black and white.
Swipe technique in Photoshop
But if for whatever reason you can’t or don’t want to get the swept image in the “traditional” way, we are going to resort to editing in Photoshop to achieve a very similar effect, and many times more “perfect” than doing it freehand; ).
1. Edit your image in your usual editing program
If you need to add some contrast or saturation, crop, etc., do it in your reference program and then export it to Photoshop (if your reference program is Photoshop, you can skip this step 😉 ).
2. Open the image in Photoshop
I am going to use this:
starting image
It is important that you choose an image in which the movement is something obvious to the viewer, such as a bicycle, a person or animal running, a car, motorcycle, etc.
I also recommend that, compositionally, you try leave space in front of where the person or object is heading, This makes the image more balanced. That said, let’s see how to get a sweep in Photoshop step by step.
3. Duplicate layer
To duplicate layer, go to the top panel: Layer > Duplicate Layer. or directly Command J either Control J. Now give it a title. In my case I have named it “Sweep”.
4. Select the main subject
You can use the selection tool that works best for you. In this case I have used the quick selection tool for greater agility (W), but you can use the lasso tool, or the one you are most used to.
Select the main subject using a selection tool
Once you have the area selected, hover over the selection, right mouse button: > Save selection. Give your selection a name. In my case I have saved it with the name “Bike”.
save selection
The selection you have made will be saved in “Channels”.
5. Create a layer mask
Then go back to layers if you are in any other panel, and place yourself on top of the layer you created at the beginning. I had titled it “Sweep” (in step 3). When you have it selected, create a layer mask:
Now hover over the Layer (not the mask) you just created.
6. Motion blur
Next, head to the top panel and find the path Filter > Blur > Motion Blur.
motion blur filter
7. Choose the intensity and angle of the blur
Depending on whether you want the movement horizontally, vertically, or somewhat more inclined (images with rises or falls, for example), here you can choose the exact angle at which you want the motion blur to occur. Since my image is horizontal, I’m going to leave it at 0.
If the button Preview is not activated, do it, so you can see the result of the settings you choose and modify them according to the image you are looking for.
In Distance you can select the amount of blur you want in the image. Make several tests and do not abuse too much or your image may look too artificial. As it depends a lot on each image and the speed at which we imagine the object of the photograph, I leave it to your liking ;).
8. Invest
We have reached the last step 🙂 . After applying the motion blur, hover (now) on top of the layer mask where the object is selected. In the layer mask properties, look for Invest.
Voila, you have done magic, you already have your sweep in Photoshop. If it has been a bit long for you, it is because I want you not to get lost in any step, but you will see how to do it is very fast.
Below you can see two photos using a motion wipe without editing (options 1 and 2) and two with motion blur done in Photoshop.
9. Recommendations for an optimal result
Lastly, let me recommend a few tricks that I think help you achieve more spectacular sweeps:
- Choose a suitable image:
- Look for images that “breathe” (with space in front and behind) so there’s room for panning.
- With a single element as the “undisputed” protagonist
- That involves associated movement for the viewer (a turtle, for example, might not be the ideal animal for the most realistic sweep in the world 😉 )
- To start, look for elements that are easy to select (a car is easier than a bicycle, for example)
- Backgrounds with lights or colorful elements result in more interesting sweeps.
- Patience with the selection section. The rest is very fast, so spend the necessary time to make it perfect.
- Start with horizontal movements, they are the simplest.
- Don’t stick with the first version of your sweep, you’ll find it’s very fast to do so, so do several tests and experiment.
- Go for black and white too.
Don’t tell me you don’t feel like trying? If you have any tricks and you want to share them with us, do not hesitate to do so in comments. We will be delighted to read them.
That said, there is no excuse. You’ve been confined-you’re bored-you’re on vacation with free time-you feel like procrastinating for a while… It’s the ideal time to try sweeping in Photoshop, don’t you think? 🙂
Thanks for coming this far, we’ll see you in the next article. And remember, if you found it interesting, share it with whoever you think might need a shot of creative inspiration.