Head in a Bubble

Editing notesI opened the 5MP jpg in On1 Develop and leveled and cropped it, using Canvas Extension to keep the ratio I wanted. I also used Transform to correct distortion. I applied NoNoise A.I. and then I used the Generative Eraser to remove a ladder that was against the wall in the scene, and part of a chair that was protruding from behind the subject. I used Brilliance A.I. and adjusted the individual regions to taste using Local Adjustments. I made some global adjustments using Tone. Then I opened the Effects tab and selectively applied some Dynamic Contrast to the subject for a little extra detail and make the bubble "pop" (pun intended). I really like the way it looked at this point, but the background was still distracting to me. So using Layers I applied a Depth Mask which I used to add the Lens Blur Effect to everything behind the subject. I adjusted the parameters of the blur to match my vision. The tricky part was getting the Lens Blur Effect to be visible through the transparency of the bubble, without making the actual "structure" of the bubble look blurred. I did that by zooming in and selectively removing the blur using the perfect brush tool and feathering the effect of the brush around the edge of the bubble, as well as on the reflection at the top of the bubble so it would be sharp, since it was on the same plane as the subject and not in the background. I then applied a faint vignette. Since the original un-cropped image was only 5MP to start with, I then opened the image in ReSize A.I. in enlarged it 400%

• NIKON D50
• ƒ/3.5
• 18mm
• 1/60 sec