I've admired photography using the Orton Effect for a long time, but until recently, have been too lazy to try it. Outdoor Photographer published an article on fall color that simplified the steps to get those nice colors that have that slightly soft look. Here's two examples of images that I took several years ago.
The original process required two images, but with Photoshop tools it can be done using a single photograph.
I start with a photo raw image, loading it into PS and performing initial noise reduction and sharpening. I then right click on the image and duplicate the background layer. Going into the filters menu, I select Gaussian Blur and blur the duplicate layer to a radius around 25 pixels, or what looks appropriate to you. I then change the blending mode of the layer to Overlay. The photo will look way over saturated, so back into the filter menu and select Camera Raw Filter and reduce saturation to a point where it looks real. If you're interested, it's not too hard.
The original process required two images, but with Photoshop tools it can be done using a single photograph.
I start with a photo raw image, loading it into PS and performing initial noise reduction and sharpening. I then right click on the image and duplicate the background layer. Going into the filters menu, I select Gaussian Blur and blur the duplicate layer to a radius around 25 pixels, or what looks appropriate to you. I then change the blending mode of the layer to Overlay. The photo will look way over saturated, so back into the filter menu and select Camera Raw Filter and reduce saturation to a point where it looks real. If you're interested, it's not too hard.
