Yep, that’s OOBs – not OOPS!, or worse yet, BOOBS!. It stands for Out of Boundary, and is a photomanipulation technique that creates three-dimensional effect. A frame is created around part of the photo, then part of the image appears to break out of that frame. Creative use of a Gaussian Blur for shadow and warping the frame enhances the effect. My first attempt is below…
Here’s the original image…
Even as I look at my first attempt, I see where I could make improvements, such as fading out the shadow where the corners curl up.
I first discovered this effect on Flickr, and found that there was a group that highlights this effect. Flickr photographer Serrator seems to be a master of this technique, and has posted an excellent tutorial on his website.
I’m truly amazed at the creativity of some of these folks. Below is my favorite image from Serrator.