The Miniature Effect - Photoshop

The Miniature Effect

This effect’s been going around the Internet for a few years now, but it’s still neat. Most modern cameras have fixed lenses and sensor positions. This treatment replicates the focus of a large format camera with heavy shifts to how the lens sits, causing focus to fall off above and below and giving the impression that the subject matter is tiny. 

• Duplicate your background (image) layer.
• Convert that layer for Smart Filters (Filter > Convert for Smart Filters) so you can go back and adjust the amount of blur we’re about to add.
• Apply a Gaussian Blur via Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. A healthy amount, say 15px, is good to start off with.
• On that same layer, create a layer mask by clicking the mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette.
• Go to the Gradient tool on the toolbar and change the type of gradient to Reflected (fourth icon in on from the left).
• With the mask selected on the Layers palette, draw a vertical line from the center of your subject to the top of the image. Where you start your line will be where it is most sharp.
• Go back and double click on the Gaussian Blur layer to add or remove blur to make it a little more seamless.