If you’re into Landscape photography, particularly in post-processing, when it comes to making your images stand out, there are countless techniques and tools at your disposal.

However, few have become as popular as the Orton Effect. This technique is loved by some and loathed by others, yet it is still widely used by landscape photographers.

It's not hard to see why when you consider the impact it can have on an image.

While it may seem that only those familiar with Adobe Photoshop can create the Orton Effect, it is actually one of the simpler techniques to learn. However, don't let that fool you - it is still highly effective.

If you're new to the Orton Effect, it's a technique named after its creator, Michael Orton. Developed in the 80s, it involves taking two shots, one in perfect focus and one out of focus, and blending them together to create a dreamy, ethereal effect.

Nowadays, it can be done easily with digital files but the basic idea remains the same.

orton effect in photoshop tuscany fujifilm — *Edited image in Lightroom without the Orton Effect*

Step #1 - Select the appropriate image

The first step in creating the Orton Effect is to select an appropriate image. Images with lush greenery, such as a forest or garden, are especially effective as they have a soft, romantic feel when the effect is applied.

Waterfalls, beaches, and sunsets also can be great subjects to apply the Orton effect.

In this article, we'll focus on the steps to achieve the effect in Photoshop, where I've chosen a beautiful scene I captured in Tuscany during the sunset and edited it in Lightroom.

One of the biggest challenges with the Orton Effect is finding the right balance between enhancing an image and overdoing it. This is where many photographers struggle, and it's also why some photographers avoid using the effect altogether.

The key is to understand that not all images will benefit from the Orton Effect, and it's important to be selective about when to use it.

There are many ways to create the Orton Effect, but in this article, I want to share my approach to adding life and glow to an image, as well as a couple of key adjustments that many photographers overlook but can make a big difference in the final result.

Step #2 - Open the image in Photoshop

The first step is to open the image in Photoshop. Once the image is open, it is important to make a duplicate layer of the image. This is done by going to Layer > Duplicate Layer, or quicker by clicking on the image layer and dragging it over the “+” icon on the bottom right of the Layers panel.

This will allow you to make changes to the image without affecting the original.

Step #3 - Add Blur

The next step is to add blur to the duplicate layer. This is done by going to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. The amount of blur can be adjusted by adjusting the Radius.

The ideal radius for creating a nice effect depends on the specific image and the camera that was used to capture it. I tend to use the same radius as the number of megapixels in my camera, such as 26 for the Fujifilm X-T4.

Keep in mind that increasing the radius will create a stronger glow and a more dreamlike effect, but you can also adjust the strength by using the layer opacity slider.

Overall, a good range to experiment with is between 20-50, depending on your camera.

Step #4 - Increase Contrast

Once the Gaussian Blur has been added, it's time to introduce some contrast to the image. To do this, navigate to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast. As an alternative, you can use the Levels or the Curves adjustment.

Keep in mind that we will adjust the opacity later, so it's fine to overdo the adjustment at this stage.

To create more contrast, drag the Contrast slider to 100%. Then you need to increase the Exposure slider to brighten the image until you start losing some details in the highlights.

This is a crucial point, so don’t overexpose the highlights too much, otherwise, the final result won’t be good enough.

It may be difficult to envision the final outcome at this point, but don't be discouraged by the drastic appearance of the image.

Step #5 - Change the blend mode

Now that the image has been blurred, it's time to blend it with the original image. This is done by changing the blend mode of the blurred layer.

The most commonly used blend modes for the Orton Effect are "Soft Light" (softer effect) and "Overlay” (stronger effect). These blend modes will blend the blurred layer with the original image and create the dreamy effect that is characteristic of the Orton Effect.

I usually prefer to stick with the Soft Light blend mode.

Now the effect is too strong, so the next step is to adjust the opacity of the blurred layer. Adjusting the opacity will control the intensity of the effect. The higher the opacity, the more intense the effect will be.

For this image, I decreased the level to 42, which is a bit higher than normal. By normal I mean a range between 10-20 percent. However, this can be adjusted depending on the image and the desired effect.

Step #6 - Filter out the shadows (KEY STEP!)

While the highlights bleeding into the shadows can create a lovely glowy effect, it's not uncommon for the shadows to bleed into the highlights as well.

This can result in an image that looks overly soft and loses its sense of contrast.

To avoid this, you need to filter the shadows out to achieve a more natural and balanced result. So, there is an easy technique to target just the highlights.

You need to select the Channels panel and select Cmd (or CTRL) + Click over the RGB-level thumbnail, and you'll see the marching ants appear around the area you selected.

This will create a selection of the highlights, which you can then use to apply as a mask to the Orton Effect level.

Now you have to move to the Orton Effect layer and click on the Layer Mask icon.

Now the effect will be only applied to the highlights of the image. I much prefer this result rather than having an unnatural glowy effect.

Step #7 - Gain back some details

After applying the Orton Effect, the image will have a nice glow but some important details and textures may have been lost. To bring them back, you can add a sharpening filter.

One way to do this is by taking the original base layer (located beneath the Orton level) and dragging it on top of the duplicate “+” icon. This will make the Orton Effect invisible for now.

With the top layer selected, navigate to Filter > Other > High Pass. This will allow you to sharpen the image and restore the details and textures that were lost during the Orton Effect process.

For landscape images, a Radius of around 2-3 pixels is recommended. However, this value can be adjusted depending on the size of the image and the desired effect.

PRO TIP: An additional step I like to do is desaturate this sharpening level by going to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation and bringing to -100 the Saturation slider.

The image appears gray and only some outlines are visible. To fix this, you need to change the blending mode to Soft Light.

The image is now visible again and you can see that you have managed to regain some of the details and textures in the image while keeping the Orton Effect's soft glow.

Step #8 - Refine the intensity (KEY STEP!)

To finish up, I typically group the two layers together. This enables me to make slight adjustments to the group's transparency until I am satisfied with the final outcome.

Occasionally, I may also add a layer mask and apply the Orton Effect to specific areas of the image. I generally avoid applying it to the foreground as I find it more natural to have a subtle glow in the middle and background.