When you didn’t see the Solar Eclipse, you can make it!
So were you like me on August 21st, 2017 planning for the Solar Eclipse? I had the works! My wife and I setup a trip out to Weston, Missouri on the Green Dirt Farm. There was going to be live music, drinks, awesome food, and a killer spot to watch the Eclipse. That is, of course, until the Midwest weather rained on everyone’s parade (literally).
The day was looking pretty cloudy, but very hopeful that the clouds would pass by noon. However, there was this layer of clouds that went from white to gray, to near black and swept the farm. I had downloaded an app for photographing the Eclipse and was using it to set my cameras up. Just before the first contact, it counted down, 5…4…3…2…1, and that is when the wave of clouds covered the sun. I kid you not, as soon as the first contact began the sky was covered in clouds.
I was hopeful at first and just watched the sky patiently waiting for an opening, but none came. Five minutes went by and still clouds, then 10 minutes, then 20 minutes. Then the crowd on the farm started to cheer as we caught a glimpse of the Eclipse. It was there, just peeking through the clouds and while we were all very hopeful, little did we know that is all we would see!
By 1230, we were all but hopeful. Instead of looking up to the sun, we patiently waited for it to get dark so we could at least witness the darkness during totality. At around 1245 it started to drizzle, so I decided to break down my gear, gather my supplies and start packing up. I knew I wouldn’t be able to shoot the Eclipse with the cloud cover that was above us, so I decided to sit with my wife and enjoy it.
Totality was pretty awesome. If you have never experienced it, it is something worth taking the day off if the opportunity ever affords. We were surrounded by a farm field full of bugs chattering, but as soon as totality neared, the grasshoppers stopped chirping, and the cicadas started humming. In the Midwest that usually happens around sunset and lasts for a few hours. This time, only a few seconds. Soon the cicadas stopped, and the crickets began their symphony.
Soon the cicadas stopped, and the crickets started their symphony. We were serenaded by the crickets for a short 2 minutes and 4 seconds. But the most impressive thing was the dead silence of over 400 people that just stared at the mass of clouds above us as we watched a brief sunset and sunrise at one o’ clock in the afternoon. As soon as totality ended, our dark and dreary clouds began to empty on us, luckily we were under a sun tent.
While I was a bit upset that I only got one, yes the one shot you saw above, of the actual eclipse I was thankful for the silent experience I had with my wife. Instead of experiencing the Eclipse with two cameras blazing, I was holding my wife’s hand and enjoying the sounds (and lack thereof around us).
To still make something of this eclipse, I have decided to share a video tutorial with you showing you how to make your very own Eclipse in Photoshop! We are going to build a Solar Eclipse from scratch on a blank canvas. Let’s do this!
Download the Cloud file in this video!
For Blake, it's all about the art and process synergy. He dives deep into complex topics and makes them easy to understand through his outside-the-box thinking so that you can use these tricks in your workflow today!
The eclipse was terrific. The logo and death star were a touch of genius (or perhaps a slight touch of madness). Great video (as usual)!
I wish I could have seen it, but we still had a great time. Thanks for watching!
I wish you make these free ones available to download for members. Sometimes I do not have the time to catch all or should I say retain all the info.
Thanks Phyllis
These videos on the Academy are hosted on YouTube so you can bookmark them and watch them anytime.
Dear Blake,
Thanks for another great video! And at the same time I would have a question:
What is a difference between Gradient Tool and Gradient Layer?
Thanks a lot for answer!
V.
I explain that in the Gradients Course with much more clarity. Basically, the Gradient Layer is adjustable with the gradient dialog and the Gradient tool is a one shot tool that is basically used for masking and really masking only (in my opinion).
Thanks for a quick respond and looking forward to the upcoming “gradient” course:)
V.
Here is a link to the Gradients Course: http://f64elite.com/ps-foundations-gradients-page/
The Gradient course is great. ??
?thanks!
Bike, good tutorial. Sorry you didn’t get to see the real thing. Check out https://www.flickr.com/photos/cjglynn/36721832626/in/dateposted-public/ for a composite from eastern Oregon.
Best,
– CJ
That’s awesome! Glad you caught it ?
When dragging out and centering your original circle, you said, “Because everyone else’s eclipse photos had it centered.” LOL I love the humor there! I was in Florida and only got a partial. On top of that, my little grandson and I only saw it inside the shoe box ‘camera’ I rigged up. But, hey! He got to see it. We saw it with a sizable chunk of the sun missing. I just hope he understood.
Thank you for sharing this awesome tutorial! Works for me!
Haha, that was pretty funny! Sometimes I’m not dry, lol. That’s a fun memory, though. My wife and I witnessed darkness in broad daylight, that was sooo cool!
Great video as always. Here in So Calif we had the opposite happen as happened to you. The marine layer burned off just as the eclipse started and I was able to get some good photos. Unlike where you are, here we only had a partial eclipse and the photos just look like I took a photo of the partial moon at night. Sooo… your version of “make your own eclipse” really looks great.
Thanks for having some fun with the “eclipse”.
Blake,
Thanks and what a great tutorial. We had smoke in southern Oregon. I did get eclipse (not total) shots through the smoke with a 300 mm lens and 10 stop ND filter. But your idea of making your own is amazing and demonstrates your creative understanding of Photoshop. Thanks again.
Great video Blake. Very clever. You could have sold me that image as a true record of the eclipse as here in Australia we did not have any sort of view of the eclipse as it happened. Well done.
Ed and I had to laugh at your comments because we had a chance to go back up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming just to shoot the eclipse. In the end we stayed in Bryce Canyon and the clouds did the same thing to us there. Heard cloud cover obscured sightings in Wyoming and Phoenix too. Anyway, for just a couple seconds the clouds parted and I got a cell phone shot to share on social media.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10214410799853504&set=a.1823237910395.106043.1523644889&type=3&theater
“Everybody” got the eclipse. But your picture of the storm clouds in unique! Maybe you had the better experience.