A photographer shares before-and-after pictures to show how Photoshop brings his images to life
Kevin Carden is a digital artist who turns his living room into breathtaking scenes with the magic of Photoshop.
His work often includes religious themes and incorporates his family.
He shares before-and-after shots to show a behind-the-scenes look at his creative process.
Kevin Carden's living room can transform into an enchanted forest, shark-infested waters, and the rings of Saturn thanks to the magic of Photoshop.
But he doesn't stop there. Carden also shares the raw, unedited beginnings of his photos to inspire others to create with what they have.
Here are 14 before-and-after photos that show what his finished work actually looks like in real life.
Kevin Carden is a digital artist and photographer known as @christianpsart on Instagram.
His page, Christian Photoshop Art, has over 319,000 followers.
Instead of just posting the final versions of his photos, Carden chooses to share behind-the-scenes looks at how he perfects them.
He doesn't shy away from sharing his creative process.
He uses Photoshop to transform his living room into glowing, dreamlike scenes.
He often uses Photoshop to change the background and lighting in his shots.
"I love to share behind the scenes, because I personally like seeing other artists' behind the scenes too," Carden told Insider.
You can't tell his photos were taken in his living room.
"I want to know the setup and how they were able to create that image, and it often sparks imagination in my own mind for future projects."
The kitchen table becomes surrounded in a glowing orb of light thanks to Photoshop.
"I gladly share my 'secrets' and my techniques so that other artists can be encouraged and try something they've never thought of before."
The differences between the images are striking.
As a Christian, Carden's photos often contain religious themes.
The idea for the above photo came from the Bible verse "take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
"Digital artwork is very useful when talking about the Bible, and all of the spiritual and miraculous themes recorded in it," he said.
In the original photograph, the sword is actually a paper towel roll. Carden created the sword later in Photoshop.
He's passionate about creating and sharing high-quality religious artwork.
"There is a lot of [religious] artwork that looks very cheesy or poorly thrown together, and that honestly burdens me," he said. "I believe the Bible is so powerful and full of wonderful imagery, and that I should be using my time to create images to accurately reflect its power and truth."
Parenting and family are also major themes in his work.
In his photos, parenting scenes often symbolize a relationship with God, such as this photo visualizing "the father's sacrificial love for his child."
His wife and two children are occasional guest stars.
"The kids are comfortable in the living room and are more 'themselves' when they are in an environment they know," he said. "If we packed everyone up and took them to a studio with a big green screen, the pictures would probably feel more forced and faked."
There are also plenty of outtakes when photographing young kids.
"When working with kids, many times the 'outtakes' are much more rewarding to me than the final product," he said. "I love seeing pictures of my kids trying their hardest, and goofing off, and just enjoying the quality time they get to spend with their Daddy."
While some of his photos have specific messages he hopes to convey, he leaves them open to interpretation.
There's no one, single meaning of any photograph.
"Almost all of my images can have multiple 'messages,' because art truly is subjective to the viewer," he said.
"Sometimes I will create images, such as the parenting ones, that I purposely want to convey a specific thought," he said. "Also, since many of images are surreal in nature, I also want to convey messages of things that are typically hidden in everyday life. Since my faith is very important to me, I often want to send the messages of hope, and love, and God's calling on our lives."
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