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Think Spring with this Cool Photoshop Technique

A few years ago, I came across a really clever Photoshop technique to convert an ordinary image into what is commonly called an “orbital.” Though quite simple, the end result can be fascinating. Follow along as I describe the technique and show you a few examples.

Step 1 – Choose your starting image (you never know how it’s going to come out until you get to the end). I used this run-of-the-mill shot of an onion seed head.

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Onion - original

Step 2 – Crop the image to a square. This is actually the trickiest part, and it may take several attempts before you crop to a size and center point that gives you a good result.

Step 3 – Flatten the image.

Step 4 – If your image is 16 bits/channel, change it to 8 bits/channel using Image –> Mode

Step 5 – Click Filter –> Distort –> Polar Coordinates. Choose “Polar to Rectangular”

Step 6 – Click Image –> Rotation –> 180 Degrees

Step 7 – Click Filter –> Distort –> Polar Coordinates. Choose “Rectangular to Polar”

Now you should have something that looks like this:

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Onion

If you’re unhappy with with your result, just go back to the beginning and try a different image, a different crop, or a different center point. Enjoy the experiment!

I was pleasantly surprised by the end result of this one (I’m no botanist, but I think this is a knautia):

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Knautia - original

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Knautia

Speaking of surprises, look what you can do with a marigold and a swallowtail:

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Butterfly - original

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Swallowtail-on-Marigold

More examples here. Thanks for looking!

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Mike, a Pennsylvania native, is a metallurgical engineer and avid photographer. A graduate of Lafayette College in Easton, he is the president of Opus Technologies LLC. Mike enjoys experimenting with various photographic techniques, evaluating (playing with) new equipment, and discussing all aspects of photography with anyone who will listen. Discover his Candid Paw pet photography website, Facebook page, and etsy shop.


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