Enhance your photos with the Orton effect

A genuine aesthetic and a pictorial quality for your images

The Orton effect is a photographic technique that enhances images by imparting a watercolour effect.

The name refers to the Canadian photographer Michael Orton, who invented this technique. A professional photographer for over ten years, he first came to prominence in 1992 with his photographs published in the book *Once Upon an Island*. He explains that this effect arose from his experiments with imitating watercolours by simply placing the images outside the plane of focus.

The Orton effect, or ‘Orton Imagery’, offers a distinctive view of nature, portraiture and architecture, and gives the final image a soft, ethereal and slightly surreal atmosphere. These photographic creations are well suited to your communications and provide engaging content.

It all began with a film photography technique.

Digital photography did not yet exist, so Michael Orton relied solely on analogue techniques to create his effect, superimposing two or three slides.

One camera captured detailed information with the focus set to sharp, while the other captured colourimetric data.

To ensure the images lined up perfectly, it was essential to use a zoom lens and a tripod. The first image was deliberately taken out of focus and overexposed, whilst the focus was then gradually adjusted for the second; this meant the second image became smaller. It was therefore necessary to compensate and zoom in so that, once developed, the two would align correctly.

‘Orton Imagery’ in the digital age

Nowadays, digital cameras and professional retouching software such as Lightroom, Photoshop and GIMP make it easier to achieve the Orton effect and to explore numerous creative variations.

First method

As with the original film technique, you need to capture two photographs: the first should be in focus, and the second should be blurred and slightly overexposed.
Then experiment with layers in your image-editing software to create the surreal effect characteristic of painting.

Tip: for optimal results, use a tripod.

Second method

This is our preferred method, involving work from a single photograph; the Orton effect can be applied in post-production to virtually any image.

• Open the selected photograph in Photoshop and duplicate the background layer twice so that you end up with three layers in total.

• Select the top layer and change the blending mode to ‘Overlay’. The image is now lighter.

• To preserve transparency, right-click and select ‘Merge with layer below’.
  At this stage, there are two layers open in your image-editing programme.
  The background layer therefore serves as a backup.

• Select the background layer and duplicate it again.

• Work on the middle layer and convert it into a dynamic object so that you can go back and adjust the effects that are to be applied.
  From the Filter / Blur menu, select ‘Gaussian Blur’.
  The amount of blur depends on both your aesthetic sense and how the image is read. Some photographers prefer subtlety and therefore choose a value between 10 and 40. Others opt for a value well above 40.

• Next, select the top layer and apply the ‘Product’ blending mode. It is normal if the image appears noticeably darker.

• There are several techniques for managing the pictorial effect.
  For example, adjust the opacity of the top two layers or change the levels of the top layer.
  You can also adjust the Gaussian blur amount on the middle layer to achieve the optimal balance.

Tip: select a photo with a composition that complements this effect.

Explore Michael Orton’s pictorial world. Somewhere between painting and photography, discover the ‘Orton effect’ for images and photographs that are out of the ordinary.