Tilt Shift Miniature Photography Photoshop Effect - How To

I think the hardest part of doing this photoshop effect is finding a good photo. The best choices seem to be images taken from above, at a distance with lots of small detail. I don't seem to have any photos that that fit the bill well but I try not to let important details like that stop me.

I wish I could give credit but I got bits here and there. The first photo is the original Las Vegas Skyline image, the second is my version of the effect.

I tried to make it look like the city was made from toys so the colors are extra vivid. Here are my notes.

Drag the photo into Photoshop.
Command J to duplicate the image.

Bump up the color:
Image > Adjustments > Hue Saturation.
Move the Saturation slider.

Increase contrast:
Image > Adjustments >  Curves
Play with the chart to give it an S curve.

Filter > Convert For Smart Filters
Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. 12 to 18 pixels.
Click on the Layer Mask Icon.
Gradient Tool > choose the Reflected Gradient
With the mask selected, draw a line. Start where you want the image to be the most sharp. You might have to do it a few times to get the blur correct.

The bottom was too clear so I added more Gaussian Blur and used a Layer Mask with a soft brush to remove the excess blur.