It starts with a whisper...

When I think of the word Whisper, I imagine bullying. People whispering behind each others backs, spreading secrets and rumours. That is what I really tried to focus on for this image. I didn't want to do something cliche like a hand covering a mouth whispering into someone else's ear. I wanted a more abstract feel to the image. I first found an image of a girl with smoke rising from her mouth and a tutorial to create smokey text. (Tutorial can be found here.)


Original Image




Original Text Tutorial Image

I then cropped the image to the size I was looking for and added a gradient overlay for a dramatic lighting effect.



Cropped Image with Gradient Overlay


I then used a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to boost the Cyan colour. I added a blue photo filter and another Hue/Saturation layer to reduce the red of the girls' lips.



Image with adjusted colours. 


I then used the text tool to individually type the letters of Shhhhh and placed them in the smoke, making the letters each bigger as they moved farther away from her lips. I then followed the tutorial to make the text look like smoke. I used a motion blur, a wave distort filter, a gaussian blur and linear dodge and colour dodge blending mode to get this effect. I also added a blue colour overlay to fit in better with the smoke she is breathing out.


Image with Shhhhh text in place. 




Shhhhh Text Tutuorial Text in progress.


I then decided that my image needed a quote at the bottom to communicate the message I was trying to get across. "It starts with a whisper" is a strong quote that was direct enough without being to forward. Like I said, I wanted an abstract image to make the viewer think. I used the same tutorial and steps while adding a render clouds filter and some smoke brushes as well.



"It starts with a whisper" Text Tutorial in progress.




"It starts with a whisper" Text tutorial completed.


Below is a screen shot of the final photoshop document. I believe the message is clear that although whispers may start off small and harmless they can grow and find their way into the unintentional ears of others and can be hurtful. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can shatter the soul." Bullying is a serious matter and I hope this image made you think more about how whispering and bullying can go hand in hand.



Final Photoshop Document.