I just learned how to edit photographs to make them look like models using Tilt Shift Photography. There are ways to do it with a really cool camera, but if you have taken an aerial photo with a normal camera, you can use Photoshop techniques to make it look like a Tilt Shift photo. There is a tutorial here:

• Tilt-Shift Photography Photoshop Tutorial | Miniature Faking | TiltShiftPhotography.net

The basic steps are:

• Choose Quick Mask mode.
• Using the Gradient Tool in Reflection mode, draw a vertical line from the center of the in-focus area to the point where the transition from in-focus to out-of-focus is completed.
• Return to Standard Mode
• Choose the Open Lens Blur Filter option.
• Deselect
• Open Hue/Saturation in the Adjustments menu and increase Saturation (+40).
• Open Curves in the Adjustments menue and create an S shaped curve.

This is my first try. It looks better if you click on it to look at it full size:

The original is here:

Here is another one I did:

It has been a while since I’ve found anything fun to do with my photos like this. It makes me want to hike the Wasatch Mountains so I can tilt shift my town.