A city in the clouds
Unsplash Untold #15 — The making of an Unsplash remix
As the person leading the Made with Unsplash program, I not only get to spend lots of time scrolling through mind-blowing photos and strike up conversations with members of the Unsplash community, but I also get to go on weekly hunts searching for some of the most creative remixes made with Unsplash photos!
First off, let me introduce the concept of Remixing. Using a variety of softwares and apps, tons of artists combine and alter various elements from different Unsplash photos to create new and unique images. While some contain illustrative elements and others present a more realistic approach, these manipulations go beyond simple photo corrections and edits: remixes blend reality with illusion to create truly remarkable visuals.
I come across a great deal of talented artists out there, but one of my favourite artists is Renato Prkic (@8thdamon). With creativity coming out of his pores, Renato creates smooth, unique and innovative blends — leaving one to wonder what other creations Renato is responsible for.
I decided to reach out to Renato to chat about one of his remixes and get a behind-the-scenes peek into his editing process.
The first thing that comes to mind when I see one of his remixes is “How on earth did he think of that and find the right combination of photos to express his idea?”
I never have a clear idea before I edit my photos. I usually visit Unsplash and search for an interesting photo. The goal is then to find a way to make that photo unusually better while keeping it interesting for anyone who looks at it.
When I found those beautiful clouds on the Unsplash page, I instantly thought - Why wouldn’t I make this an earth scene? I wanted to make it look like it’s somewhere on earth!
After finding the inspiration and photo to work with, what does the editing process look like?
The editing process for this photo was nothing too complicated. I used 4 stock photos: one for the clouds, second for the road with the van, third for the man looking at the clouds and lastly one for the birds. I spent around 3 hours searching for the suitable road and the man as I wanted him to look like he was staring at something beautiful but most importantly, fits well with the road I selected. It was a rainy day so I wasn’t unable to take my own photos for this edit, but Unsplash saved the day!
After finding the right photos to create the visual, I extracted those elements out of their original stock photos using Photoshop and then did some color corrections using my own Lightroom presets.
Renato usually posts new remixes on a daily basis and I was intrigued to find out how much time it can take to create each remix.
This one took 2–3 hours of research and about 2–3 hours to edit, but sometimes finding the suitable photos, or shooting them myself takes longer than the editing process itself!
When I asked Renato to share his final thoughts about the remix, here’s what he had to say:
Those clouds looked so beautiful and heavenly like. My only thoughts were how to make them look like they appeared somewhere on earth, and I was really happy of how it turned out. Some people even asked where that location is in the comments on Instagram!
Renato often goes one step further by bringing his creations to life with Plotagraph. Here’s the animated version of this one:
