Photoshop Creative - Issue 108, 2014

August 2, 2017 | Author: Denisa Preda | Category: Adobe Photoshop, Imaging, Vision, Technology, Computing
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ALL THE TUTORIAL FILES YOU NEED Available to download from blog.photoshopcreative.co.uk/tutorial-files

THE WORLD’S NO.1 FOR

PHOTOSHOP & ELEMENTS

14 PLUS!

Step-by-step projects

Work with layers Transform your art Blend for realism Build compositions

3D ESSENTIALS POP ART INSPIRED PRINTS Achieve incredible effects with basic 3D editing

Turn your portraits into pop-art wrapping paper!

 RESTORE OLD PHOTOS  REMOVE RIPS AND TEARS  BOOST COLOUR AND LIGHT

WHICH VERSION ARE YOU? Should you be using Photoshop CS, Elements or Creative Cloud?

ISSUE 108

SPECIAL FEATURE!

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Upload your magical edits to our site

www.photoshopcreative.co.uk

Become part of our Facebook crew

search for photoshopcreative Tweet us your top Photoshop tricks

follow us @pshopcreative

This eye-catching composition was made by talented reader Dino Torraco. For more inspiring creations head to our Readers’ Gallery on page 6

Welcome 5

things you will learn this issue

01 Pop art inspired prints Impress loved ones with Andy Warhol-inspired personalised wrapping paper

02 Paint pet portraits Turn your pet portrait into a beautiful painterly picture

03 Retouch with the Patch tool Discover simple but effective techniques for smoother skin using Photoshop Elements

Welcome to an incredible special edition of Photoshop Creative! With the biggest ever giveaway, it’s time you got stuck in to your creative resources. To start, the premium plug-in Perfect Effects 4 is phenomenal; try it out on some of your photos and be wowed by what it can do. Head to page 66 for a step-by-step guide. Check out the high-quality photos also on your disc and be inspired by some amazing shots. Head to page 71 for a 12-page photo-fix special and learn to restore and revamp your images. We’ve chosen a few readers’ images for our Gallery (p6); send us some of your Photoshop creations and your work just might appear in the next issue: [email protected]. See you in the New Year!

04 Photoshop Touch, the app Our expert tricks to edit photos on the go

05 Master mixed media in CC Achieve a colourful, creative effect with CC filters

Charis Webster Editor [email protected]

NEXT ISSUE ON SALE 09 JANUARY 2014 WorldMags.net

3

Contents

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Q&A: Your Photoshop questions answered P90

Visit the Photoshop Creative online shop at

Essentials

for back issues, books and merchandise

Readers’ gallery

06 A selection of incredible artwork from our readers

challenge 10 Readers’ Win a whole set of fantastic Photoshop plug-ins

12 Feature: Which version are you? Should you be using Elements, Creative Cloud or Photoshop?

22 Tutorials Your step-by-step creative tutorials begin here

Touch 32 Photoshop Photo filters in Photoshop Touch, the app

to print 60 Sketch How a talented artist takes her sketches to Photoshop

a Nikon camera 87 Win Your chance to win a COOLPIX camera worth £99

84 Reviews We put an incredible Wacom tablet to the test

88 Save money when you subscribe Subscribe

(US readers p70)

essentials 90 Q&A Your Photoshop and Elements questions put to our experts

the disc 96 On The incredible Perfect Effects 4 and much more

interview 98 Expert Discover how Erika De Francesco creates stories from artwork

22

The power of blend modes Create the artwork on the front cover and explore the true power of blend modes!

Readers’ gallery 06

4

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WIN!

A NIKON CAMERA WORTH £99 Turn to page 87 to see how

now WorldMags.net SAVE Subscribe Turn to page 88 to get this

30%

amazing deal! US page 70

Tutorials 22 The power of

50 Paint pet portaits

blend modes

Recreate the front cover art and master blend modes

28 Recreate long

Transform your photos into real-media masterpieces

56 Fix common

photo problems

exposure

Stunning light effects revamp photos in no time

28

Recreate long exposure Make this stunning photo effect now!

art prints 34 Pop Turn portraits into

From blur to bad lighting, here’s the ultimate photo-fix

62 Master Content-

personalised prints

Get beautifully perfect pictures with great tricks

40 Build a new landscape

How to turn photos into a stunning scene

40 Understand

3D essentials Tackle 3D editing in this easy-to-follow guide

34

Aware options

44 Master mixed media with Creative Cloud Here’s what you can do with CC’s great creative filters

44

FREE 66 YOUR SOFTWARE…

Creative edits with Perfect Effects 4 A step-by-step guide to this incredible plug-in to get great photos!

50

12

WHICH VERSION ARE YOU? We test the pros and cons of Photoshop CS, Elements and Creative Cloud

New to Photoshop? Check out our introductory guide

with the 72 Retouch Patch tool Perfect skin in minutes

photos 74 Scanning A step-by-step guide to scanning in your photos

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old photos 76 Restore Give your dusty, ripped photos a new lease of life

photo display 80 Stylish A great new way to show off multiple photographs

5

READERS’ IMAGES WorldMags.net

Welcome to an inspirational round-up of great Photoshop artwork created by none other than your fellow readers

IMAGE O

F THE MONTH

Adriana Musetti www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/Adriana_ Musetti_Davila

“This image was made using six different photos. For cutting out subjects, I used the Pen tool and Refine Edge command. Everything was mixed using layer masks. To create harmony, I edited the colours with the Hue/ Saturation adjustment and for better contrast I adjusted Levels on each separate image. I finished using adjustment layers and the High Pass filter.”

Jurgen Doelle www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/JurgenDoe

“I painted the skin to give it a more realistic look and then added shadows and highlights. I create a new layer and started painting the background and then added a light Gaussian Blur to it, so it would have a nice realistic photographic 3D look.”

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Get in touch Send us your images now for the chance to appear in futures galleries

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Create your own gallery online PhotoshopCreative.co.uk

Upload your images to Facebook Search PhotoshopCreative

Tweet us your creative artwork @PshopCreative

Alternatively, you can email: [email protected]

Michael Zogot www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/zorg

“I was inspired by the movie Iron Man. The photo was made in an apartment. The background was painted black, and after some retouching and Dodge and Burn I added the vector HUD elements as Smart Objects.”

Chrystian Padilha www. photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/designer.chrystian

“In this composition I used a lot of different stock pictures, in addition to brushes, masks and a whole lot of creativity!”

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Kevin Rowley www.photoshop creative.co.uk/user/ the-golden-fool

“After deciding the car image looked like a frog I made it just that. The frog and fly are made up of various car parts, and the tongue was drawn using the Pen tool. The background is a stock image.”

Photoshop Creative

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Urszula Jodlowska

Edvan Lima www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/EdvanLima

www.photoshop creative.co.uk/user/ Eresdiria

“I used some textures and splashes, and I added the sky and other objects such as a boat, birds, fish, and the fisherman. I confess that I am very happy with the results.”

“First I retouched the model. The background is made of two different colour strips, then I used the Sketch and Grain filters. Finally I put on a gradient and slightly brightened the entire image. I wanted to achieve the effect similar to a pin-up.”

Alex Ch-V www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/Knightroad

“The main focus was to create a high contrast artwork using the panda as my colour palette. I combined several images and textures together to give it a rough look behind the face.”

“The model was retouched a bit. I added the background of the city, then I used the Gradient tool to achieve the desired effect. Finally I added some blur to the background, and then sharpened the model.”

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Helene M www. photoshop creative. co.uk/user/HeleneM

“I made both these images by sketching and colouring with the Mixer Brush tool. Details were then painted in with a very fine brush.”

Dino Torraco www. photoshop creative. co.uk/user/Dino1979

“This image was created by playing with layers and vector masks to fade and cut out the various images. The movement of the cards, lantern and leaves was created with a Motion Blur filter.”

Get in touch Send us your images now for the chance to appear in futures galleries Create your own gallery online PhotoshopCreative.co.uk

Upload your images to Facebook Search PhotoshopCreative

Tweet us your creative artwork @PshopCreative

WorldMags.net

Alternatively, you can email: [email protected]

Photoshop Creative

9

WorldMags.net READERS’ CHALLENGE Upload your images to photoshopcreative.co.uk

Challenge entries The best entries and overall challenge winner

Readers’e Challeng WINNER

2

1

1 Diego Tinajero Tiger On Fire “I desaturated the tiger and pasted two flame images on top. I changed the opacity to make the flames blend in, and added smoke with brushes.”

2 Bill Bonaros Porsche Artwork “I cut out the photos using the Pen tool. The tiger was used as the texture, I used brushes for the ink effects and created the lines with the Pen tool.”

3

3 Franks Cervantes Yin Yang Edition “Applying the Polar Coordinates filter to the metal globe gave this result. I was then inspired to represent a yin yang symbol.”

4 Robert Muensterman

4

Meow? “Opened the door so the cat could take a look out, and added a sign…!”

Charis’s choice “Diego’s work and attention to detail is brilliant. The lighting is really well done.”

Download our images Think you can do better? Prove it! Get creative with the images on your disc and you could win a fantastic prize! You can use as many of the images as you like (from previous issues too!) and include your own photos if you wish. Just head over to www.photoshopcreative.co.uk and hit the Challenge link. Good luck!

10

Photoshop Creative

WORTH

THE PRIZE £104.83! AKVIS Photo Correction Bundle

Enter and you could win the Deluxe edition of the Photo Correction Bundle by AKVIS (http://akvis.com). This prize includes three amazing plug-ins – Enhancer, Noise Buster and Refocus – each with the all-new Share feature. The winner will be announced in our next issue.

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START HERE DISCOVER WHICH VERSION IS BEST FOR YOU! PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS CREATIVE CLOUD

WHICH VERSION ARE YOU? With the introduction of Creative Cloud, the decision to upgrade or buy is now more complex. We reveal what you need to know to make the right choice… VERSIONS AT A GLANCE

12

PHOTOSHOP

PHOTOSHOP CC

Split into two distinct versions; Standard and Extended, Photoshop CS6 is available either as an upgrade or as a one-off purchase.

Upgrading requires a monthly subscription that’s catered for different users. CC offers Cloud storage and the ability to get new features when released.

Photoshop Creative

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ELEMENTS Perfect for the complete beginner, Photoshop Elements 12 has a more approachable interface that’s full of quick effects and one-click answers.

WorldMags.net Do you have regular access to Photoshop?

YES

NO

YES

YES

THE STUDENT

Do you like to illustrate?

Do you work on projects with your peers?

NO

Photoshop NO NO

YES

NO

Do you need to use multiple programs?

Do you have a set budget?

Have you tried the Photoshop Touch App?

YES

NO

TURN THE PAGE TO LEARN MORE…

NO

Would you like to spread the costs?

NO

YES

YES

Do you work within a company?

THE PRO

YES YES

NO

YES

Would you use Behance to promote your work?

NO

Do you create 3D images? NO

NO

Do you soley edit photos?

YES

NO YES

YES

Do you like to create quick and easy artwork?

Elements

NO

YES

THE HOBBYIST

TURN TO PAGE 16 TO LEARN MORE…

YES

Do you use the Pen tool a lot?

NO

TURN TO PAGE 18 TO LEARN MORE…

YES

Do you work as a freelancer? NO

Creative Cloud

YES

Is organising your work important?

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Photoshop Creative

13

WHICH VERSION WorldMags.net ARE YOU?

PHOTOSHOP CS Cost: £660.51/$699US (Standard) £944.64/$999US (Extended)

Photoshop has become the staple diet for many, if not all, digital artists. We pick out the best bits from the expert program Photoshop gives you the room to create artwork and edit photos with complete control over layers, adjustments, filters and much more. Daunting at first, Photoshop is surprisingly easy to get to grips with. Photographers will find an array of tools for editing photos and if you are an artist from a traditional background, Photoshop has

exciting tools to imitate real media effects. What’s more, in Photoshop CS6, there is a whole bunch of tools and filters that makes applying effects much easier than before. We reveal some of the best features in Photoshop CS6, so you can make the right choice if you’re thinking about upgrading or if you’re just starting out.

THE BEST OF PHOTOSHOP CS6

Take advantage of the latest tools and filters that have changed the way we edit images A new face

01

Photoshop CS6’s interface has a number of helpful additions. Try the Properties palette for controlling adjustments and masks in one place, or the Layers’ palette filtering option for finding the right layer quickly.

Content-Aware tools

02

Content-Aware is embedded in the Patch and Content-Aware Move tools. Prior to these, it would have been down to some heavy cloning and use of copy-andpaste to remove objects that you no longer wanted.

EXPERT TIP The big difference between the Standard and Extended versions is the 3D feature. This is kept in Extended. In Photoshop CC, 3D is all part of the price as Adobe has done away with the two separate versions.

HOW OLD IS PHOTOSHOP?

Photoshop Launched: 1990

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Photoshop Creative

Photoshop entered the scene to change digital art for good.

1991 Photoshop 2.0 introduced CMYK Color mode for print-ready documents.

With Photoshop CS6 came an improved Crop tool. This crops images without losing those parts of the image for good. Using the Move tool, the image can be shifted around to fit with the composition.

04

video editing and 3D tools paved the way for more varied and three-dimensional artwork. In Photoshop CC, there have been major improvements to how we connect and work with friends and co-workers. Photoshop has become an integral part of our lives, and the chances are every image that looks too good to be true, has been processed in Photoshop beforehand.

1990 Version 1 of

03

Powerful filters

A brief history of the program that’s become part of our everyday language Has that been ‘Photoshopped’? Likely a phrase many of us have heard before. In fact, the verb ‘Photoshop’ comes as part of the English Collins dictionary. Starting with the release of version one way back in 1990, the program has evolved to bring bigger and better features. Version 3 introduced layers to transform the way compositions were created and with Creative Suite,

Non-destructive cropping

1992 Version 2.5 came with 16-bit channel support to offer users better performance.

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Photoshop’s newest filters include Oil Paint for converting a photo to a painting, and Adaptive Wide Angle. There are also three Blur filters; Iris, Field and Tilt-Shift to help us add depth of field and toy-town effects.

1994 Photoshop 3 arrived with the most significant new feature: layers.

Good for… Because:

WorldMags.net A closer look at Photoshop

 Work in CMYK colour  Create selections

THE STUDENT

with the Pen tool  Has a Channels palette

THE PRO

Here are some of the creative and powerful new additions in CS6

ADAPTABLE INTERFACE Photoshop’s interface is completely customisable, meaning palettes can be placed where you want them to appear every time you open the program.

TOOLS COLLECTION Tools include the Pen tool for making vector art, the Mixer Brush tool for painting, and the Healing Brushes with Content-Aware for portrait retouching perfection.

MERCURY GRAPHICS ENGINE

LAYERS

Working hard behind the scenes is Photoshop’s Mercury Graphics Engine, speeding up filters including Liquify and Lighting Effects.

Layers give you the control needed to edit images in anyway imaginable. From adjustments to help boost exposure to new layers for retouching faces.

POWER TO THE PLUG-IN

Plug-ins come in all shapes and sizes to help you edit with ease Third-party plug-ins are available for all sorts of reasons, whether that’s for providing those extra photo effects or simple embellishments to add impact. Rather than seeing plug-ins as an alternative to Photoshop, they actually complement and expand the toolsets and features that are already available.

Photo effects

Painterly styles

Essential edits

01

02

03

Plug-ins such as FilmPack 4 by DxO Labs or Silver Efex Pro by Nik Software apply instant photo effects to any image. If you’re really short on time then the range of pre-made effects will be exactly where to look first.

1996 Adjustment layers and actions became part of Photoshop 4 to change the way we edit images.

AKVIS is a company that makes a variety of plug-ins, including ArtWork for painterly effects. Alien Skin’s Snap Art plug-in aims to convert normal photos to a range of painted styles such as watercolour, pencil and sketch effects.

Detail 3 by Topaz Labs improves the contrast and micro-detail between each pixel. Portrait Professional by Anthropics offers a complete workshop for retouching and shaping the faces in your images.

1998 With version

1999 Version 5.5

5, the History palette led to multiple undo’s.

was released with Save For Web and ImageReady.

2000 In Photoshop 6, layer styles, vector shapes, and the Liquify were introduced.

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Elements 2001 Version 1 of Photoshop Elements released to the world.

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WHICH VERSION WorldMags.net ARE YOU?

ELEMENTS

Cost: £78.15/$99.99US

The beginner’s choice that makes image editing accessible and straightforward If you’re new to image editing then opting for Elements is a great way to ease yourself in slowly. Elements has been designed to help beginners create artwork and edit photos with minimal hassle. Unlike

EXPERT TIP Star ratings in Elements are a way to filter images while arranging them in Organizer. This helps bring the best ones to the top, so you can spend less time searching for a photo to take in the Editor.

Photoshop CS or CC, Elements is entirely separate from the Creative Cloud, so there’s no monthly subscription. What’s more, you can upgrade from any previous version to get the latest tools and features.

Key features in Organizer

Elements Organizer helps keep images tagged and stacked

SEARCH BY CONTENT Tag images according to what’s on them with Organizer’s Keywords and Rating function. Using the Search bar at the top, images can be located more quickly.

CATEGORISE AND ORGANISE The Organizer is a photo manager that sorts your images into categories by people, places and events, which is helpful for finding that one image among hundreds.

SHARE YOUR IDEAS The Organizer’s Share link lets you show others your images and ideas. Connect with Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, or load them onto your Revel account.

VIEW IMAGES

PHOTO FIXES

Images are displayed as thumbnails inside the Organizer’s central window. Using the Zoom slider at the bottom, the number of images in this window can be altered.

The Organizer lets you perform simple edits to images before heading over to the Editor. These include cropping, colour adjustments and red eye reduction.

MOBILE ALBUMS

MAP YOUR IMAGES

Sync and share with the Revel app In Photoshop Elements 12, image libraries can be synced with your mobile phone to your computer using Adobe’s Revel app. What this means is that you can shoot and upload images to your Revel account to have access to them once inside Elements Organizer.

HOW OLD IS PHOTOSHOP?

2002 The Healing Brush tool in Photoshop 7. 2002 Elements 2.

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Photoshop Creative

Just got back off holiday? Pin your images to a map! In the Organizer, images can be pinned to the location where they taken using the Maps feature. By clicking on Add Places, you can drop your images onto a specific place in the world. This is just another way to sort images so you know where to find them when you need them.

2005 Photoshop Suite arrives, and Photoshop CS introduces editing features such as Shadow/Highlight.

2007 Photoshop split to give us the Extended edition.

CS2 welcomed Smart Objects.

2003 Creative

2008 Photoshop CS4 came with Content-Aware.

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Elements 3.

Elements 4.

Elements 5.

Elements 6.

Elements 7.

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Good for… Because:

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 Preset graphics, textures THE  Sort and categorise images HOBBYIST  Guided Edits for easy effects  Clear and simple interface

The Elements Editor Edit and perfect images using the Quick, Guided and Expert modes

GRAPHICAL ELEMENTS The Graphics contains preset deigns for forming a new backdrop, or texture effects for images.

Embellish your images with preset frames and effects

EXPERT TOOLS

THREE MODES

Elements includes the Magic Wand and Quick Selection tools for making selections around subjects, with the help of Refine Edge in version 12.

The Editor is a where all the tools and adjustments are kept. This in turn is split into three sections: Quick, Guided and Expert.

Choose a preset

SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE

01

Load up Elements 12 and head to the Quick interface. Click the Effects option. Select one of the 10 presets. Scary Movie was used here to enhance detail.

Though there may be fewer options, layers styles and adjustments compared to Photoshop, Elements provides much of the same in a more compact and simpler way.

IMAGE-FIXING TOOLS

Instantly apply artistic frames

Tools such as the Straighten and Recompose will quickly fix images in need of some rearranging. These are some examples of helpful additions to Elements over the past couple of versions.

GUIDED EFFECTS

Special effects are effortless with easy to follow steps The Guided interface is what makes Elements so efficient. Images can be given effects such as a soft focus, high key or Lomo image styles. Guided effects have been added with each new version, and now include Zoom Burst Effect and Restore Old Photo. Following on-screen instructions, you can transform an image in seconds.

Texturise

02

Select the Texture button next to Effects to load the presets. Click on the Blue Grid preset to give your image a grainy, retro finish to complement the effect.

ON THE DOUBLE! Fix images in the Quick mode with simple tools

Elements’s Quick mode has a bundle of image adjustments designed to restore lighting, colour and detail. All the layering is taken care for you, and everything is clearly laid out in such a way that you can’t put a foot wrong.

2010 CS5 saw Puppet Warp, 64-bit for OS X and the Mixer Brush.

2011 CS5.5 saw mobile integration for devices.

2009

2010

2011

Elements 8.

Elements 9.

Elements 10.

2012 Photoshop CS6 hailed new Blur filters, more Content-Aware and improved 3D. 2012 Elements 11 welcomed a completely new look and interface.

Creative Cloud 2013 CC saw a subscription model to the Creative Cloud.

2013 The

Frame to finish

03

Apply one of the preset Frames inside Quick mode to give the image an artistic flourish. Try the Aged preset for a rough, paper texture around the edges.

Camera RAW Filter was part of Elements 12.

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Photoshop Creative

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WHICH VERSION WorldMags.net ARE YOU?

CREATIVE CLOUD

Cost: £17.58/$19.99US per month (single app) £46.88/$49.99US per month (all apps)

Get new features and tools as soon as they come out with Photoshop CC The Creative Cloud has changed the way we use and update Photoshop for good. Photoshop CC is based upon a monthly subscription, with access to content, storage and features that you don’t get with Photoshop CS versions. But fear not, because Adobe has kept Photoshop CS6 available to purchase at a one-off price tag, which won’t tie you down to subscription renewals. Here are some of features that come with signing up to the Creative Cloud.

EXPERT TIP

BENEFITS OF PHOTOSHOP CC Subscribing to the Creative Cloud comes with its advantages

Inside the Image Size menu, use the new Preserve Details (Enlargement) option when resizing images. This resampling method produces great results when enlarging a photo, and keeps distortion very low.

Cloud storage

01

For artists looking to edit, connect and share artwork on the go, the Creative Cloud is a good place to start. Signing up gets you 20GB of Cloud storage if you’re a home user, or 100GB if you’re signing up as a student or teacher.

Instant updates

02

Updates are sent to you as and when they’re made available. This means you’ll never be left out of the latest features to be released from Adobe. Where previously you had to buy a new version of Photoshop to get the latest features, your Photoshop will notify you with updates to install.

BEHANCE Browse through the community of artists for inspiration, or to make a contact.

The Behance connection

03

As part of the Creative Cloud membership, you are given your own customisable Behance portfolio to publish and share artwork with other like-minded people. This is especially useful if you’re a freelance artist who’s reliant on gaining exposure and looking for the next big design job. It’s directly accessible from inside Photoshop CC and could prove key for getting noticed for what you do.

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Photoshop Creative

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SUBSCRIBING TO THE CLOUD How much does it cost?

Subscribing is not as difficult, or as expensive, as it may seem. What’s important to realise is that you don’t have to pay for the entire Creative Cloud services; you can just pay for Photoshop CC. Opting for Photoshop CC will set you back £17.58/$19.99US per month for an annual subscription, compared to the full Creative Cloud price for new customers which is £46.88/$49.99US. Regularly check www.adobe.com/ CreativeCloud, as you can find some great discounts on purchases and upgrades. For example, if you own a copy of Photoshop CS3, then you can upgrade to all Creative Cloud apps for only £27.34/£29.99US. Offers are always changing, so keep your eyes open for the next best deal.

Good for… Because:

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 Sync across multiple devices  Access to all Adobe apps  Updated with new features  Store your work to the Cloud

Photoshop CC

All-in-one Photoshop gives you full creative control with whatever you need to create

THE STUDENT

THE PRO

PHOTO EDITING

SYNC YOUR PRESETS

For photographers, the Camera Raw Filter can now be used on any layer – perfect for RAW processing inside Photoshop with this software’s powerful features.

Using the Sync options in Photoshop CC, you can share your favourite tool settings with other artists, and access them on any PC.

THE HOBBYIST

3D OBJECTS Photoshop CC includes the 3D features only previously available in Extended versions. Using the dedicated 3D palette, extrusions and meshes can be adapted in and around your layers.

DESKTOP APP Head to https:// creativecloud.com to log in to your account and download the Creative Cloud app for your desktop. This is where up-to-date apps are downloaded.

BETTER FILTERS Filters have been much improved in CC. Smart Objects can be used with Liquify so we can make nondestructive edits, and the Shake Reduction filter helps to reduce blurriness.

REASONS TO GET CREATIVE CLOUD

Multiple programs and constant updates are two main distinguishing features of Creative Cloud

Touchscreen Photoshop app Create across multiple programs

Always have the latest features

01

02

If you opt for the full Creative Cloud subscription then you have access to all Adobe programs, including Illustrator, Muse and many more. This means you can work across multiple applications to suit the type of artwork you’re creating.

Whether you’re a retouch artist, painter, or just enjoy a good photomanipulation, Photoshop CC has all the tools you’ll need. With Content-Aware editing and the Refine Edge at hand, you’re able to create compositions to an industry-standard level.

PHOTOSHOP APP Learn more about what Photoshop Touch can do for your images by heading to page 32.

Photoshop Touch is a mobile version of Photoshop, bringing filters, adjustments, brushes and tools to your portable devices. Available from the Play Store for Android phones or iTunes Store for iOS devices like the iPad, Photoshop Touch is priced from £2.99/$4.99US.

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Photoshop Creative

19

NEXT ISSUE

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Tutorial TheWorldMags.net power of blend modes

On the disc

Start image

22

Photoshop Creative

The files needed for some blending magic

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Have you blended a masterpiece?

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Essentials Works with

Photoshop CS and above, CC and Photoshop Elements

What you’ll learn Use blend modes to add finishing touches to a multi-layered composition

Time taken

1 hour

Expert Andre Villanueva “Blend modes play a massive role in my professional and experimental work. I first discovered Photoshop in the early 2000s while studying Web Design. After graduation, I enjoyed a five-year stint teaching in the Media Arts department. I’m now Art Director for a technology company in the Southeast US, soothing my inner instructor by sharing techniques with readers.”

The power of blend modes Use blend modes to create a royal sheen of colour and texture fit for the king of the jungle

B

lend modes are one of the secret weapons in the Photoshop arsenal. They’re perfect for the latter stages of a composition, letting you apply finishing touches ranging from understated to in-your-face. Blend modes are true imaging all-stars, and we’ll enlist them for this tutorial. We’ll create a composition based around the king of the jungle. Using Refine Edge, we’ll select the furry lion, extract it from its busy background, then bring it into our working document. We’ll add supporting elements like a regal frame, geometric

Natural selection

Refine Edge

01 

02 

Open ‘Lion.jpg’ from the supplied files. Use the Quick Selection tool to make a rough selection of the lion. No need to get ultra-precise at this stage. Go to Select>Refine Edge.

and freeform shapes, and some 3D objects. A touch of brushwork will perform double-duty; camouflaging rough edges around the lion and providing some nice added texture. Once the base layout is complete, we’ll use blend modes to add finishing touches fit for our wild noble. Color Fills set to Color Dodge and Color Burn add intense hotspots, while a sidewalk texture will be subtly overlaid with Soft Light. We’ll finish off with a soft glow effect, using a blurred stamp of the composition set to Lighten.

Use the Refine Radius tool to paint around the selection edge. This aids in capturing fine detail. Use brackets to size the brush. For Output To, choose New Layer with Layer Mask. Click OK when done.

Clean up

03 

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Select the Brush tool and a soft, round brush set to 80% Opacity, 50% Hardness. In the layer mask, paint white in areas missing detail, and paint black in areas that need to be removed. Use brackets to size brush, and zoom as needed.

Photoshop Creative

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Tutorial TheWorldMags.net power of blend modes BEST BLEND MODES

Tonal control blend modes Increase the clarity of images with these

01

02

Enter the lion

A regal frame

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05 

After tidying the mask, save as Lion. psd. Open ‘Start.psd’. Go to File>Place, add Lion.psd. Scale down and position before confirming. Go to Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask. Set Amount to 161% and Radius to 2.8 Pixels. Click OK.

Create a new layer below the lion. Go to File>Place, add ‘Frame.png’. Scale down, rotate, and position before confirming. With the Layers palette’s fx button, add a Drop Shadow at 75% Opacity, 21px Distance, 0% Spread, and 70px Size.

03

Containing the lion

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Cmd/Ctrl+click the frame layer thumbnail, then select the Lion layer. Option/ Alt+click the Layer palette’s Layer Mask icon. Select the Brush tool. Paint black at 100% Opacity to hide excess on the right/bottom. Switch to white and restore the lion’s face.

01 Color Burn Color Burn darkens and increases contrast, providing an intense look.

02 Color Dodge Color Dodge is the opposite of Color Burn, lightening and decreasing contrast.

03 Overlay One of the blend mode all-stars, it blends while preserving the highlights and shadows of the base image.

04 Screen Screen, the counterpart to the Darken mode, provides a lightening effect.

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Photoshop Creative

Geometric shapes

Add more shapes

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Go to File>Place, add ‘StripedTriangle’. Situate below the frame layer. Use the Shape tool to add more geometric shapes (set to Shape layers in applicable versions). Use colours such as: #402b1a, #c17368, and #fdff58. Vary opacities and add Outer Glows to some.

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Use the Custom Shape tool with the Tile 2 preset and #d1cf84. Lower to 60% Opacity. On a new layer, use the Lasso tool to create a streak selection. Fill with white. Deselect (Cmd/Ctrl+D). Create more streaks with colours from the previous step.

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BEST BLEND MODES

Colouring effect blend modes Pick these for quick and easy colour edits

01

Snazzy streaks

09 

Use the fx button to add Gradient Overlays to some streaks to inject them with a little pizzaz. Try some of the presets such as Copper and Orange, Yellow or Orange.

02

03

An offering of flowers

10 

Create a new layer above the lion. Select the Brush tool and choose the Scattered Wild Flowers brush from Special Effects. Set the Foreground to #f5a339. Paint around the lion. Create a new layer, change to white, add dabs throughout.

3D objects

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On new layers above the lion and frame layers, place ‘Sphere.png’, ‘Pyramid1.png’, and ‘Pyramid2.png’ and arrange them in the composition. Create a new layer below Sphere. Set Foreground to black. Use a soft, round brush at 50% Opacity to paint some shadow.

04

01 Color Colours the base with the blend layer’s hue and saturation. It’s a great aid when hand colouring monochrome images.

02 Linear Burn

Shadow of the king

Add some colour

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On a new layer above the background, use the Elliptical Marquee to create an elliptical selection at the bottom, fill it with black. Deselect. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, set Radius to 75 pixels. Click OK. Drop Opacity to 67%. Select the topmost layer.

Click the Create New Fill Layer button in the Layers palette, choose Solid Color. Pick #e3351e. Set the blend mode to Color Dodge. Fill mask with black, then paint back with a soft, round brush at 60% Opacity with white in the top-left of the lion.

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Works similarly to Color Burn, but reduces brightness instead of boosting contrast.

03 Hue Works like Color, but it keeps the luminance and saturation of the base image.

04 Saturation Borrows the saturation of the blend layer and applies it to the base image.

Photoshop Creative

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Tutorial TheWorldMags.net power of blend modes BEST BLEND MODES

Creative effects blend modes When subtle won’t do, try these modes out for size

01 More colour

Correct the colour

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Click the Create New Fill Layer button in the Layers palette, choose Solid Color. Pick #701764. Set blend mode to Color Dodge. Fill the mask with black, then paint with white in the hot spots.

Click the Create New Fill Layer button in the Layers palette, choose Solid Color. Pick #f1f1bb. Set blend mode to Color Burn. Paint black in areas where it has darkened too much.

02

03 Protect vibrancy

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Click the Create New Fill Layer button in the Layers palette, choose Solid Color. Pick #c2c29d. Set blend mode to Saturation. Paint black in key central areas to restore vibrancy.

Sidewalk texture

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Go to File>Place and add ‘Texture.jpg’. Set the blend mode to Soft Light and drop to 80% Opacity. Add a layer mask, then paint black in the lion focal area.

04

01 Difference Results in some inverted colour that’s great for creative endeavours.

02 Exclusion The colour inversion psychedelia continues with Exclusion, although with lower contrast than Difference’s blend.

03 Dissolve Dissolve adds a randomised pixel effect to areas of semi-transparency.

04 Hard Mix Hard Mix adds a limiting posterization effect for an interesting low-fi vibe.

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Photoshop Creative

Kingly aura

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With the topmost layer selected, press Cmd/Ctrl+Option/Alt+Shift+E. Set the blend mode to Lighten. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Set to 2.0 pixels, click OK. Apply a layer mask. Paint black in the focal area to restore clarity.

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Tutorial Recreate long exposure WorldMags.net

Recreate long exposure

Harness the power of light trails and add the wow factor to your holiday snaps

T

aking the perfect night shot is a very tricky skill to master; often the results don’t live up to expectations. All praise Photoshop, therefore, because it makes it possible to achieve what you wanted incamera. In this case, transforming an image of a sleepy Parisian street corner into a scene packed full of dramatic lighting.

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Photoshop Creative

In this tutorial we’ll show you how to get creative with adjustment layers and masks. These allow you to apply effects selectively and have the added bonus that everything you do can be fully edited (or reversed) afterwards… never a bad thing. In particular, we’ll be looking at using the Brush tool to edit the layer masks. The trick to achieving realistic

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results is to gradually apply lots of little strokes with a very faint, soft brush (try setting your brush’s opacity somewhere between 10% and 20%). Considering the effort involved in setting up a long exposure shot, often in cold and dark conditions, this little piece of Photoshop magic will be a good friend to you.

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Essentials Works with

Start image

Photoshop CS4 and above, CC and Photoshop Elements

What you’ll learn Create realistic lighting effects and use adjustment layers to apply them selectively

Time taken

2 hours

Expert Henry Rivers “As someone who has crouched by roadsides with a camera, being able to create light trails after taking the photo is a luxury. I trained as an architect but was soon sidetracked by a love affair with Photoshop. I now work as a freelance book cover designer and illustrator.”

Create an adjustment layer

Brighten up the roadside

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02

Open up ‘Paris-Street.jpg’ from the supplied files and go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Curves (or Levels for Elements users). Set the Output to 169 and Input to 213 (for Levels, set the middle graph point to 0.75).

When you create an adjustment layer, a mask is created (this mask will automatically be active in the Layers panel). Select the Brush tool (Colour: Black, Size: 750px, Hardness: 0% Opacity: 20%) and run your mouse over the road.

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On the disc The original photo for this illuminated scene!

Photoshop Creative

29

Tutorial Recreate long exposure WorldMags.net

Add a blue wash

Using a gradient mask

Red tail light

Add another adjustment layer, this time choosing Photo Filter. In the box that pops up, click the orange square to choose your colour and type 00a2ff next to the #. Hit OK and switch on Preserve Luminosity. Hit OK again.

03

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Outer glow

Inner glow

06

07

To make the light more realistic, add two glow effects. First go to Layer>Layer Style>Outer Glow and input the following values: Opacity: 60%, Size: 50px, Color: #ff6e51 (click the small yellow square to edit). Press OK to apply.

Warping the light

09

Go to Edit >Transform>Warp and pull the corners of the mesh to mimic the road’s path. When you’re happy with the shape, adjust the anchors points for a smooth finish. Elements users can use the Liquify tool; see the box out for tips.

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Photoshop Creative

This time we’ll apply a gradient to the layer mask. Hit G (Gradient tool), choose Black to White from the header menu, and drag a line from the centre of the photo to the middle of the white stone building. Now create a new layer.

Now go to Layer>Layer Style>Inner Glow and change the following settings: Blend Mode: Multiply, Opacity: 40%, Size: 3px, Color: #ea5619. Press OK. From the top of the Layers panel, change the Opacity to 80%.

The headlights

10

Create a new layer. With the Polygonal Lasso (Feather: 8px) make a long pointy selection intersecting the red shape (see screenshot). Fill this with colour #ffdf6. Go to Layer>Layer Style>Outer Glow and choose: Opacity: 50%, Spread: 2px, Size: 50px, Color: #fffdf6.

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Press M (Marquee tool) and set Feather to 8px. Drag a selection to match the red shape in the screengrab. Right-click and select Fill. Select Color from the first drop-down menu and enter #f5877. Hit OK to apply.

Adding more realism

08

Select the Polygonal Lasso tool (Feather: 3px) and draw a thin horizontal shape across the box. Press Ctrl/ Cmd +U and input the values: Brightness: +49, Hue: +13. Repeat this step with a few different selections to create the impression of lots of small lights.

Bring objects forwards

11

Create a new layer group called Trails and move your two light trails inside. Add a layer mask to the folder. With the Brush tool (colour: black, Hardness: 0%, Opacity: 100%), carefully paint over the hidden parts of the scooter and bollard.

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Light up the road

Create more traffic

12

Repeat steps 5 to 11 to create more light trails. Remember that red light shows traffic moving away from the camera, and yellow towards it. Vary the opacity of each layer to illustrate different speeds.

13

Create a new Curves (or Levels for Elements) adjustment layer and input the following settings: Output: 232, Input: 100 (for Levels, right graph point: 115). Hit Ctrl/Cmd+Backspace to fill the mask black. With a soft white brush (Opacity: 20%), paint the ground underneath the light trails to make it look as though it is lit up.

Add a pink glow

Funky restaurant light

14

In a new layer group (above Trails), add a Photo Filter adjustment layer with these settings: Color: #de00ff, Opacity: 55% and Preserve Luminosity checked. Hit G and select Radial Gradient, white to black. Drag horizontally from the far-left to the centre of the image.

15

Go to Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color and set the colour as #d900ae. Change blending mode to Color. Hit Ctrl/ Cmd+Backspace. With a smaller white brush (Opacity: 20%) paint all areas that would be struck by the pink light (don’t forget window frames!).

Expert tip Realistic lighting

A little extra boost

16

Right-click the layer mask and select Add Mask to Selection. Create a Curves (or Levels for Elements) adjustment layer. Set to the following: Output: 213, Input: 156 (for Levels, right graph point: 210). Now, with your white brush, paint all reflective surfaces in the image.

Add a streetlight

17

As a final touch, select the Background layer and go to Filter>Render>Lens Flare. Move the Flare Center over the streetlight at the top of the image. Set Brightness to 100%, Lens Type 50-300mm Zoom and hit OK.

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It is easy to lose realism when playing with lighting effects. A good tip is to restrict the colour palette to what’s already present in the original image. For example, with this composition both the red and the yellow of the light trails are sampled from parts of the restaurant signage. Use the Eyedropper tool (I) to find colour values in the image, and use these when applying fills and filters.

Photoshop Creative

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TOP 5

Start im age WorldMags.net

Expert advice for editing images on-the-go with Simon Skellon

Photo filters in the Photoshop Touch Apply creative effects on your mobile phone with our pick of the top Photo filters

01

P

hotoshop Touch has many of the top tools and features of desktop Photoshop, such as Layers and selection refinements, but with an interface designed for smartphones and tablets. Here we look at five of the best Photo filters and what they can do using this powerful app.

01 TV MONITOR Make your images look like they’re behind a screen with TV Monitor. Faint lines are added running horizontally across the image, with an increase in brightness and contrast to make the effect look much more dramatic.

02 SLEEPY HOLLOW Give images a spooky vibe with the Sleepy Hollow filter. This effect reduces the impact of colour in your image, and darkens midtones to create a somewhat creepy atmosphere. Applying the filter couldn’t be easier, as there’s just the Intensity slider that will tweak the effect.

03 GRAINY NIGHT

REPLICATE A TV MONITOR Instantly add a creatively cool effect to your photos with the TV Monitor filter.

02

Monochrome and grain come together in perfect harmony with the Grainy Night filter. Highlights are bleached out and all signs of colour are removed to create this impressive black-and-white effect. Tweak the Intensity and Brightness sliders to add more light to the effect.

04 HDR LOOK Re-create the depth and detail found in high-dynamic images with the HDR Look filter. Boosting the Intensity slider increases contrast while also improving the brightness of midtones to give a very vibrant tone – perfect for bringing dull images to life.

05 OLD SEPIA Creating aged effects is easy to do with the Old Sepia filter. There are two adjustments for adapting the effect to suit the image. The Intensity slider turns up the tinting effect, changing the contrast and amount of white vignette. If the sepia coating is too imposing, then don’t hesitate to subdue the effect by using the Saturation slider.

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Photoshop Creative

SHIFTING HUES The Sleepy Hollow effect changes the colours in your image to make them seem unnatural.

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WorldMags.net 03 AUTHENTIC GRAIN The Grainy Night filter produces a grain that looks just like traditional film emulsion.

04 BOOST DETAIL WITH HDR Push the Intensity slider all the way above 90% while using the HDR Look filter to see a dramatic result.

05 WAY BACK WHEN… Tint and tone images with the Old Sepia filter, replicating traditional photographic darkroom effects.

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Photoshop Creative

33

Tutorial PopWorldMags.net art inspired prints

On the disc Use the portrait to test out your pop-art skills!

34

Photoshop Creative

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How do you personalise gifts?

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Pop art inspired prints

IT’S A WRAP Turn your digital creations into personalised paper

Essentials

Turn your portraits into pop-art style prints then learn how to create great personalised wrapping paper!

Works with

I

Photoshop CS2 and above and Creative Cloud

What you’ll learn

f you are a pop art fan and take pleasure in the instantly recognisable work of Andy Warhol, you will enjoy learning how to identify key aspects of this style and how to attain them in Photoshop. There are three main components that make this art style distinctive; the images have areas of bold, uniform colour; are high contrast; and have a subtle texture. The combined effect of these is a vintage pop art image! In this tutorial,

you will learn how to selectively increase the contrast to key areas of the image using filters, masks, and adjustment levels. You will also learn how to easily add and manipulate colour variations to your images, add texture, and arrange your photos into a grid. Finally, this tutorial will demonstrate how you can prepare and submit your artwork for online printing to turn it into your own personalised wrapping paper, or even fabric!

Get a pop-art look and and prepare to print

Time taken

2 hours

Expert Kate Rose “I love the art of the 60s from pioneers like Andy Warhol, so re-creating the effect is great fun. As a designer, my favourite aspect of editing is the ability to transform photogs into magical images. It enables the artist to take pieces of reality and use them to create fantasy.”

Extract the image Crop the image

01 

Open ‘1 warhol-Model.jpg’ in Photoshop. Select the Crop tool. In the Options at the top, input 3000px Width and Height, and 300 pixels/inch resolution to fix the crop proportion. Drag the Crop tool to capture her face and shoulders.

02 

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Duplicate the layer. Using the Pen tool, trace the woman’s outline. In the Paths palette, name the path ‘woman’. Right-click on the path, select Make Selection. Hit the mask button to hide the background. Make a new layer and fill it with white beneath the masked layer.

Photoshop Creative

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Tutorial PopWorldMags.net art inspired prints Expert tip Gradient maps Gradient maps use brightness and darkness values to assign the gradient colours. The colour and position of the gradient points can be used to control contrast and brightness as well. The more colours you use, the more complex the result. In this tutorial, always use adjustment layers and clip to the layers beneath. This makes it possible to then use the mask attached to the adjustment layer to edit different areas.

Adjust hair contrast Desaturate

03 

Select the masked layer. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+U to bring up Hue/Saturation. Slide the Saturation slider all the way to the left, and hit OK. Name the layer Face and the white layer below it White.

Working on the Face layer, go to Image>Adjustments>Levels. Input values of 30 for Shadows, 1.09 for Midtones, and 81 for Highlights. This heightens the contrast in her hair – don’t worry about the washed-out pixels in the face just yet. Hit OK.

Adjust face contrast

Blend contrast levels

05 

06 

Make a copy of the Background layer and place it below the Face layer. Desaturate as before and mask out the background using the saved path. Bring up Levels again, and input 88 for Shadows, 3.68 for Midtones, and 180 for Highlights.

Place the layer adjusted for hair contrast at the top of the layer stack. Select a 350 px fuzzy round black brush with 100% Opacity. Click on the layer mask for the hair layer, and mask out the face, fingers, armpit, and arm edges.

Merge hair and face

Apply Note Paper filter

07 

08 

Use your saved path again to make a selection of the woman. Go to Edit> Copy Merged and then Edit>Paste. This will give an image of the woman with all her contrasted adjustments together on one level, without the background.

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04 

Photoshop Creative

Go to Filter>Artistic>Note Paper. Enter 26, 7, and 0 for values of Image Balance, Graininess, and Relief. Hit OK. Go to Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation and drag the Saturation slider all the way to the left.

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Add a Levels adjustment layer

09 

Create a Levels adjustment layer by clicking the Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. Slide the black arrow to the right until the value is 162. Create a new layer.

How do you personalise gifts?

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Expert tip

10 

With the Pen tool, trace the shape of the hair. Doubleclick the path, change it from Path1 to Hair. Select a bright green colour from swatches as your Foreground. Right-click the path and select Fill Path. Change the layer’s blend mode to Multiply.

Exact placement of guides Photoshop makes it easy to place a guide at an exact location. We can use this image as an example. To determine placement for guides in a grid of nine squares, divide the width and height of your image by three for the first set of guides. Multiply the result by two to get the second set of values. This image is 254x254 mm. Divided by three, we get 84.66. Multiplied by two, is 169.33! To place guides, go to View>New Guide. Enter 84.66mm for one vertical and one horizontal guide, and 169.33mm for one vertical and horizontal guide.

Colour each area

11 

Repeat step 10 for each main area. Use different colours for each area and set the blend mode of each to Multiply. Contrast and vary the colours as much as possible. Leave the Background (area around the woman) layer in Normal blend mode.

12 

Create a grid

Duplicate and fill the grid

Go wild with colour

13 

14 

15 

Create a new layer and fill it with black. Go to Select>All and then Edit>Copy Merged, then Paste. Place guides to divide the image into nine equal squares. Resize the image into the upper-left square by hitting Cmd/Ctrl+T.

Add texture Open ‘vintage texture.jpg’ and paste it on a new layer. Turn the layer mode to Darken. Give the layer a mask, and mask out the texture from the skin and shirt areas.

Cmd/Ctrl+J duplicates the selected layer. To duplicate multiple layers, select the ones to copy either by holding down Shift or Cmd/Ctrl-clicking them. Hold down the Alt key and drag the mouse on the document window. Fill the grid.

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Give each panel a layer style with a black stroke. One way to differentiate the colours for each square is to merely adjust the Hue/Saturation. Another is to add a Gradient Map adjustment layer and adjusting the blend mode and opacity.

Photoshop Creative

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Tutorial PopWorldMags.net art inspired prints

Send your art to be printed

Online print sites You could use the Spoonflower site to print your artwork

For a small cost, you can have your digital creations turned into wrapping paper or fabric There are many websites that will help you apply your artwork by printing it as wrapping paper (or even fabric) when you upload your image. Some sites have more options than others and each will have different requirements for images you upload, so be sure to check the specifications.

Spoonflower is an easily navigable website that offers a wide range of print options for your artwork, and even offers some design tools and creative gift ideas! It also has an option for selling your designs. If you have questions, see the FAQs page. To get started, visit www.spoonflower.com

Save as JPG

01 

Save a copy of the file, then go to Layer>Flatten Image. Convert the colour mode to CMYK by choosing Image>Mode>CMYK. Then go to File> Save As and choose JPEG for the format.

GO FOR IMPACT Instead of wrapping gifts, why not frame your paper for a statement print?

Visit Spoonflower.com

02 

Go to www.spoonflower.com. If you don’t wish to register, choose Custom Gift Wrap from the drop-down menu in the Create link.

Upload your file

03 

Navigate to the saved JPEG of the image and upload it. This may take several minutes, depending on your internet speed.

Place your order

FINAL TOUCH

04 

Once uploaded, you will have several options. The preview image will adjust according to your selections. When happy, complete the purchase with a credit card or PayPal.

It is easy to create an image and then get it printed as wrapping paper, so have a go!

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Photoshop Creative

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Tutorial Understand 3D essentials WorldMags.net Start images

On the disc The files needed for a 3D masterpiece

Essentials Works with

Photoshop CS Extended and Creative Cloud

What you’ll learn Discover how to use the 3D tools in Photoshop Extended and CC

Time taken

1 hour

Expert Daniel Sinoca “Adding another dimension to an object may seem complicated at first, but after you learn the essential palettes and tools, you will see how easy it is. I started to get involved in the digital world more than ten years ago and have been working as a freelance artist ever since, getting involved in all kind of projects and also writing tutorials.”

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Photoshop Creative

Understand 3D essentials Learn the fundamental skills to creating a complex object using the 3D tools available in Photoshop

Y

ou might be surprised at the 3D capability of Photoshop; you can incorporate any 3D object, lighting and materials to create beautiful compositions. In this tutorial you’ll learn essential skills to work in the 3D environment. We’ll start by using image layers and then we’ll transform each layer into a 3D object; you’ll learn how to extrude, apply materials, light and create a complex object.

Working in 3D might seem a challenge. Adding another dimension to an object does sound complicated at first, but after you learn how to use the tools, you will see how easy it is. We’ll work with different palettes simultaneously so you need to pay close attention in each step. Don’t forget to check the Expert tips to learn some shortcuts and extra advice. All of the files you need are supplied, so let’s get started.

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Create a new file

01

Create a new blank file. Hit Cmd/ Ctrl+N to open the New dialog box, name your project 3D, and then set the Width to 185mm, the Height to 130mm and the Resolution to 150. Click OK.

Create layers

Duplicate and place images

02

03

Go to File>Place, select the ‘Clock. png’ supplied file and hit Enter. Hold Cmd/Ctrl and click on the Clock layer’s thumbnail. Press Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+N to create a new layer, name it Body. Fill the selection with black using the Paint Bucket.

Creating a 3D layer

Edit in 3D

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05

Select the Clock layer. Hold Opt/Alt and click the layer visibility to keep only the Clock layer visible. Go to 3D>New 3D Extrusion from Selected Layer. In the 3D palette, select Current View, in the Properties palette change the View to Right and choose Orthographic.

Edit textures

06

In the 3D palette select the Clock Front Inflation Material. Go to Properties, click the Diffuse icon, choose Edit Texture. Click OK. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+T, and set the values to 28%, hit Enter, Save (Cmd/ Ctrl+S), and close the window.

Right-click the Body layer and choose Duplicate layer. Name it Ring. Go to File>Place ‘Gear.png’ and ‘Crown.png’, hit Enter. Resize the Crown. In the Options bar, click the link to maintain the aspect ratio, change the value to 10%, and hit Enter.

In the 3D palette, select the Clock Mesh. Now in the Properties palette, set the Extrusion Depth to 80. Click on the Cap option. Set the Sides to Front, the Bevel Width to 10%, Angle: 45º and the Strength to 10%.

Applying materials

07

Now let’s add materials. In the 3D palette, hold Shift and select the Clock Front Bevel Material and the Clock Extrusion Material. In the Properties Materials, click the presets window and choose Metal Gold. Set Shine: 50% and Reflection: 45%.

Extrude the body

08

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Select the Body layer. Turn on the layer visibility. Go to 3D>New 3D Extrusion from Selected Layer. In the 3D palette, click on the Current View, in the Properties palette change the View to Right and choose Orthographic.

Photoshop Creative

41

Tutorial Understand 3D essentials WorldMags.net

Properties panel

09

In the 3D palette, select the Body Mesh. Now in the Properties palette, set the Extrusion Depth to 500. Select the Cap option and set the Sides to Back, the Bevel Width to 20%, Contour to Rounded Steps, Angle to 45º and the Strength to 10%.

Layers palette

Extrude

11

12

Now select the Ring layer. Turn on the layer visibility. Go to 3D>New 3D Extrusion from Selected Layer. In the 3D palette, click on Current View, and in the Properties change View to Right and choose Show Orthographic view.

Gold material

10

Go to the 3D palette, hold Shift and select all the materials. In the Properties Materials, click the Presets window and choose Metal Gold. Set the Shine value to 50% and Reflection to 45%.

In the 3D palette select the Ring Mesh. Now go to Properties and set the Extrusion Depth to 10. Select the Coordinates and enter the Position X: 0, Y: 330, and Z: 250, set the Scale X: 110%, Y: 110% and Z: 100%.

Add materials

13

Now go to the 3D palette, hold Shift and select all the materials. In the Properties click the Presets window and choose Metal Gold. Set the Shine value to 30% and Reflection to 10%.

Expert tip On-image controls To quickly access the 3D object properties, right-click on the object to interact with the controls. Click an object once to activate object box controls, now position the mouse over to access the various planes; you can rotate, scale and move the object along the axis. To edit the scene, rightclick on the canvas away from the 3D object. Now you can edit the scene, meshes and lighting settings. Press the F key to go to full screen.

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Photoshop Creative

Duplicate objects

14

In the 3D palette, right-click on the Ring meshes and choose Duplicate Objects. Go to Properties and click on Coordinates, set the ‘Ring 1’ Position Z: 220. Repeat the steps two times and set the ‘Ring 11’ Position Z: 30 and ‘Ring 111’ Z: -10.

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Select the gears

15

Now select the Gear layer. Click to show the layer visibility. Go to 3D>New 3D Extrusion from Selected Layer. In the 3D palette, click on Current View, in the Properties, change the View to Right and choose Show Orthographic view.

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Expert tip Secondary view

Mesh and co-ordinates

16

In the 3D palette select the Gear Mesh. In the Properties, set Extrusion to 15. Position the mouse over the gear to activate the controls, move the Z axis and place the gear between the rings. Use the Alternative view window to help positioning.

Apply material and duplicate

17

Select all the materials. Go to Properties, and choose Metal Silver. Set the Shine to 50% and Reflection to 10%. Right-click on the Gear mesh and select Duplicate Objects. Select the Gear1 mesh and move between the rings again.

The crown

Merge 3D layers

18

19

Select the Crown layer and repeat step 15. Set the Extrusion to 60. Position the mouse over the gear to activate the controls, move and rotate in the position. Select all the materials. Go to Properties, and choose Metal Silver.

Now go to the Layers palette. Hold Shift and select all layers, go to 3D>Merge 3D Layers. In the 3D palette, select Current View and click Perspective. Grab the slider in the 3D Object tool and slide the image to fit the canvas.

Background image

Add lighting and render

20

21

Click on the Layers palette, and go to File>Place Background.jpg. Click the Clock layer. Go to the 3D palette and in the Properties, select Environment, set the Reflection Opacity to 40%. Now click Scene and using the 3D tools, rotate the 3D object.

Using the secondary camera/view lets you see different planes from top to bottom, left to right or a custom view. This will help you place the 3D object in the correct position. To activate, click the Move tool (V). To hide the planes and the secondary window; hit Cmd/Ctrl+H. Click the topright corner of the secondary window to swap between main and secondary view. Click the camera icon to access the planes.

Click the Infinite Light1 and set Intensity: 70%. Now click Add New Light to Scene at the bottom of the 3D palette and select New Infinite Light. Click and drag the handle to position the light source from the right. Set Intensity: 30%.

Final step

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Go to File>Open ‘Gears_templates. png’. Cut (Cmd/Ctrl+X) and Paste (Cmd/Ctrl+V) the gears into your project. Create a new 3D layer and merge into your scene. Duplicate the Ring and the Crown. Grab the 3D tools, scale, rotate and move along the object. Now go to 3D>Render.

Photoshop Creative

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Tutorial Master mixed-media in CC WorldMags.net

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Photoshop Creative

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Reveal your CC creations

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On the disc All the photos for this vibrant project

Essentials Works with

Photoshop Creative Cloud

What you’ll learn Create a colourful portrait with various brushes, layer masks, and blend modes

Time taken

1 hour

Master mixed media in CC Start image

Expert

Use the improved filters in Photoshop CC to add the finishing touches to a vibrant composition

Andre Villanueva

R

“In Photoshop, my passions for traditional art and digital visualisation collide. Although my current work leans towards digital, I’m grateful for the many features that bring out the side of me that has been drawing and cutting up paper since I was a child.”

eady to paint outside the lines with CC? We’ll start with a model photo and treat it with the Graphic Pen filter to strip it of its photographic sheen. The edges will then be scraped away with a spatter brush on a layer mask. We’ll keep using the Spatter brush along with other artistic presets to first give our model a new hairdo, then to create some bold and vibrant swathes that will mix with the image via blend modes like Screen. After completing the base composition, we’ll enhance it with some of CC’s

A sketchy beginning

01

Open ‘Start.psd’. Go to File>Place and add ‘Model.jpg’. Scale down and rotate slightly before confirming. Press D. Go to Filter>Sketch>Graphic Pen. Set Stroke Length to 15, Light/Dark Balance to 35. Click OK. Double-click the filter’s Blending Option button, set to Lighten. Click OK.

improved filters. Liquify can now be applied as a smart filter. We’ll use it to warp and tug at key points in our image. Because it’s now ‘smart,’ we can tweak our gooey edits at any time, or remove them altogether. Camera Raw can now also be applied as a smart filter, and it works with any layer. We’ll use it finalise our piece’s look. (If you’re using an older version, substitute with a combination of a Vibrance adjustment layer and the Unsharp Mask filter). Let’s get brushing!

Rough mask

Spatter brush

02

03

Add a layer mask from the Layers palette. Select the Brush tool and choose the Spatter Brush 59 preset at 100% Opacity, 600px Size. With black, paint in the mask to remove the outer areas. Reduce brush size and Opacity as you move inward.

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Create a new layer above the model. Using the same Spatter preset and black at 200px Size and 100% Opacity, paint some strokes over the model’s hair. Continue painting, lowering the brush size and opacity for variation.

Photoshop Creative

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Tutorial Master mixed-media in CC WorldMags.net

What a hairdo!

04

Try other brushes at various sizes and opacities to complete the hair. It’s a good idea to work across multiple layers so that it’s easier to remove or edit just a particular segment of brushwork.

Add yellow streaks

Unleash colour

05

06

Click Create New Fill Layer in the Create some more Color Fill layers, Layers palette and choose Solid using colours such as #16eeb9, Color. Pick #ffd900 and set mode to Screen. #ee1616, #004eff, #fc05e8. Use the Spatter Fill the mask with black. Pick the Brush tool, brush and other presets. Test out other use the Spatter preset at 300px and 80% blend modes like Lighter Color, Vivid Light, Opacity to paint white into the mask. and Color Dodge for various effects.

Deepen the colour

Merge layers

07

08

Create one last Color Fill layer, choose #5b3e22. Set the blend mode to Overlay. Next, apply a Levels adjustment layer. Set the mid slider to 0.73. Paint black at 80% Opacity on the adjustment’s mask with a soft, round brush to tone down areas.

Smart Liquify

09

Use the Forward Warp tool in the top-left to push pixels around. You can also try some of the other tools (tick Advanced Mode to show all). Use the Reconstruct Tool to slowly paint away mistakes. Click OK when done. Merge layers again and convert to a Smart Object.

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Photoshop Creative

With the topmost layer selected, press Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/ Alt+Shift+E. This stamps the image onto one layer. Ctrl/ right-click on the layer and choose Convert to Smart Object. Go to Filter>Liquify.

Camera Raw’s smart, too

10

Go to Filter>Camera Raw Filter. Set Clarity to 30, Vibrance to 25. Under Sharpen, set Amount and Radius to maximum. You can also try out the multitude of other settings. When done, click OK. Use a layer mask to hide areas to tone down.

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Closer look Building up the mixed-media effect A summary of the key tools and techniques for mixing media BLEND MODES Blend modes like Screen let you to add swathes of colour while retaining detail in the underlying image.

CAMERA RAW Merge layers, convert to a Smart Object, then apply the Camera Raw filter for ultimate control.

LIQUIFY FILTER Liquify can now be applied as a Smart Filter, allowing you to re-tweak your edits as you work.

ARTISTIC BRUSHES

PREPARATION

Use gritty, artistic brushes on the layer masks instead of the standard round brushes to boost the painterly vibe.

Employ filters like Graphic Pen and Colored Pencil to ready your photos for a dose of mixedmedia integration.

An alternative approach Scan, convert and sharpen for a different feel One advantage Photoshop has over traditional methods of making art is the ease in which a piece can be taken into multiple directions. Simply save any number of copies, and you have the ability to experiment with different approaches. Craft simple variations or orchestrate wholly dissimilar creations. Here we stripped out the vibrant colouring elements, leaving a stark base. We scanned in some old newspaper, then used the Elliptical Marquee and Polygonal Lasso tools to select and cut out elements for use. After finishing the layout, we merged layers, converted to a Smart Object, then lightly applied the Smart Sharpen filter, which now provides improved results in Photoshop CC. Try this approach, or come up with your own! Post them on your Photoshop Creative gallery so everyone can see.

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Photoshop Creative

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Tutorial Paint pet portraits WorldMags.net

Start image

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Photoshop Creative

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Share your pet portraits!

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On the disc

Essentials

Use the start file to hone your skills

Works with

Photoshop CS5, CC and Photoshop Elements

What you’ll learn How to use the Brush presets to achieve a traditional media effect

Time taken

2 hours

Expert Kirk Nelson “As a professional digital artist with nearly two decades of experience, I’m always trying to find ways to blur the lines between practical effects and digital art. I’m an award-winning designer, an Adobe Certified Expert, a frequent contributor to Photoshop Creative, and your friendly neighbourhood graphics geek.”

Paint pet portraits Learn how to create a pencil-drawn portrait of your precious pet in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements

W

hat do the ancient Egyptians and modern internet users have in common? They both worship their cats! Is there really any other explanation for the overabundance of cat photos and videos on the internet? Make yours stand out by transforming a kitty snapshot into a pencil-drawn portrait. This is an authentic effect that is not filter generated, but don’t let that scare you off. The technique is simple to follow and more similar to tracing than to

The start file

01 

While we fully encourage you to use these techniques on your own photographs, we’ve supplied this one to make it easy to follow along. Look for the folder that contains the support files for this project in the supplied resources. Open the ‘ComfyCat.jpg’ file.

actually drawing, but nobody else has to know that. Shhhh… we won’t tell! This tutorial show several techniques in the process, but the most important one is the humble Brush tool. We will show you how to easily get the Brush tool to mimic the appearance of a traditional pencil, and if you are using the Erodible Tip brushes in Photoshop CS6, the effect is even more convincing. But by no means is CS6 a requirement; we even have instruction for Photoshop Elements.

Liquefied kitty cat

02 

Open the Liquify filter, in Photoshop it’s under the Filter menu. In Elements it’s under Filter>Distort. Use the Bloat tool to increase the size of the eyes, and the Warp tool to shape the mouth into a slight feline smile.

Enhance colours

03 

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Add a Vibrance adjustment layer to enhance the brightness and saturation. Set the Vibrance to +30 and the Saturation to +17. If you are using Elements, there is no Vibrance feature, so just use the Hue/Saturation layer and boost the Saturation setting.

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Tutorial Paint pet portraits WorldMags.net

Catty curves

04 

Add a Curves adjustment layer to give the image some additional contrast. Create the classic S curve by adjusting points as shown here. In Elements, use a Levels adjustment to get a similar result.

White edges

06 

Add a new layer and fill with 50% grey through Edit>Fill. Set blend mode to Overlay. Open the Lens Correction filter (in Elements it’s called Correct Camera Distortion) and in the Custom tab of the dialog box, set the Vignette to Lighten.

05 

Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and adjust the Yellows to a Hue of +11, Saturation of +47 and Lightness of -9. Use the connected layer mask to restrict the effect to just the cat’s eyes.

Added texture

07 

Open ‘CardboardTexture.jpg’ from the supplied files and make it the top layer. Set Opacity to 50%, add a Pattern Overlay layer style. We used Laid-horizontal set to Multiply and 46% Opacity.

Merge and mask

08 

Hide the cardboard layer and create a merged copy of the other layers (hold Alt/Opt and go to Layer>Merge Visible) Move this merged layer over the cardboard layer and set Opacity to 58%. Use a layer mask to hide the blanket corners.

Hidden pencils

Elements equivalent

Pencil sketch

09 

10 

11 

If you are using CS6 or later, the software comes with a hidden set of wondrous drawing pencils. Switch to the Brush tool and open Tool Presets in the Options bar. Click the gear icon to open the menu and select Pencil Brushes.

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In the cat’s eye

Photoshop Creative

Elements doesn’t quite have the same brush setup. Instead, right-click with the Brush to get the Brush Settings. Switch to the Dry Media Brushes library and choose the Graphite Pencil for a good pencil sketch effect.

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Add a new layer above the merged layer. Using the 9B pencil preset (or just the Graphite Pencil in Elements), trace along the dark areas of the cat. Be sure to define the contours but pay attention to the stroke direction so it follows the fur lines.

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Expert tip Work with pen pressure

White sketch

Pastel Medium Tip

Add a new layer and change the Foreground colour to white. Continue to use the pencil brush in the same way, but focus on the white fur, not the black. Draw out the whiskers in long curved white lines.

12 

13 

Colour wash

Gently does it

14 

15 

With the Pastel Medium Tip brush preset selected and Flow set to around 50%, create a new layer below all of the sketch layers. Sample colours from the actual photo with the Eyedropper tool and add in gentle colour strokes.

This brush helps to start building the appearance of paint being applied. Look at the bottom of the Brush presets for Pastel Medium Tip. In Elements, it is also at the end of the Dry Media Brushes set.

Add yet another layer to fill in the white furry areas with the Pastel Medium Tip brush. Avoid the temptation to overfill these areas, making them a solid mass of white. Instead gently apply the white to indicate volume and shadowing.

Detailed eyes

16 

If you have the ability to use a pressure sensitive graphics tablet, it will serve you well to do so! As a point of comparison, a good graphics tablet can register over 2,000 levels of pressure. A mouse button can only register two; down and up. To truly take advantage of the wonders of the paint engine in Photoshop, you must set the brush properties to recognise the pen pressure. Do this in the Brush panel. Frequently the Opacity or Flow commands are set to Pen Pressure, as is the size control. This creates a much more realistic pencil line and a more convincing overall effect.

Reduce the size of the brush to work the eyes and other details. The best approach to capture the colour variations is to keep sampling from the original photo layer. Use the brightest and most saturated colours on the opposite side of the white highlight.

Cloth challenge

17 

Wrinkles in cloth can be difficult to paint. Study the source layer and see how the lightest parts are on the ridges of cloth, then see how just above that ridge the colours darken quickly, but below they tend to fade. Build up paint layers to mimic this.

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Tutorial Paint pet portraits WorldMags.net

Colour fade

Optional blur

18 

Create another merged layer (see step 8) and add another lightening vignette (see step 6). If you are using Photoshop CS5 you can also add an Iris Blur effect to focus attention on the cat’s face.

19 

Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and pull the Saturation way down to around -77 and increase the Lightness to around +36. Then use a Radial gradient on the mask to remove the fade effect from the cat’s head area.

Closer look The digital canvas Harness these few tools to create stunning artwork CONTEXT SENSITIVE MENU In Photoshop CC, the right-click menu that opens the Brush Preset list now contains a Brush Rotation control. This little shortcut can save huge amounts of time.

PEN PRESSURE Setting the control for certain aspects of the Brush tool to Pen Pressure makes sure you take full advantage of the capabilities of your graphics tablet.

Sponge border

20 

Reduce the Flow on the Pastel Medium Tip brush, increase the tip size dramatically and gently use white paint to create a light sponge effect around the edges of the artwork.

MULTIPLE LAYERS We suggest keeping a logical grouping of layers based on tonal range of brush strokes and content elements. This allows for maximum flexibility and ease of editing the piece later on.

TOOL PRESETS These are different than the Brush presets and are frequently forgotten about. But Photoshop contains several libraries of very useful Brush Tool Presets, like the Pencil Brushes.

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DIGITAL SHARPENER In CS6, the Erodible Brush tips wear down the same way a real pencil would. To recover the original sharp point again, use the Sharpen Tip button found in the Brush panel.

BRUSH PREVIEW Photoshop CS6 and CC provides a helpful preview of the brush position against the tablet surface. For erodible tips, it even shows the wear down of the pencil tip.

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Tutorial FixWorldMags.net common photo problems Fix exposure Improve colour

Remove noise

On the disc Fix along with us using the start images

Essentials Works with

Sharpen blur Photoshop CS and above, CC and Elements 11 and above

What you’ll learn Photo retouching techniques to fix common photo problems

Time taken

1 hour

Expert

Use this roundup to discover the best tools and processes to tackle the photo problems we all come across

Daniel Sinoca

O

“Learning how to use filters and the colour adjustments is essential for enhancing your photos. I started to get involved in the digital world more than a decade ago and have been working as a freelance artist, creating all kinds of multimedia projects and writing tutorial guides.”

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Fix common photo problems

Photoshop Creative

ne of the best aspects of digital photography is that when results are less than perfect, you can fix almost any issue in Photoshop. In reality most of our pictures need some sort of retouch, especially if we are using a point and shoot cameras. And what’s more, there is a gang of problems that we all encounter over and over again with our digital photos; noisy images, blurry photos, bad exposure, colour cast; you know the guilty parties. Although we’d be lying if we said all photos could be fixed, the powerful

editing tools and filters in Photoshop and Elements are able to correct or at least improve our photos. In this tutorial we’ll show you new methods to fix the common problems. You’ll learn how to use filters like the High Pass filter to quickly sharpen your images, and the Reduce Noise filter to smooth out your photos. You’ll learn also how to use Levels and the Match Color adjustment to boost the light and correct the colours. The techniques shown here will help you with photo fixes and post-processing images.

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The basic edits

Learn how to fix noisy images, blurry photos, bad exposure and colour casts with few easy steps In this section you’ll learn the basic steps to fixing a bad photograph and turning it into something worth keeping. We’ll start by neutralising colour casts with the Match Color adjustment in Photoshop CS or the Remove Color Cast command in Elements. The next fix is using Levels to correct bad exposure. Then it’s the turn of obliterating digital noise by applying the Reduce Noise filter to smooth out an image and retain the details. The final fix is tackling blurry images with the High Pass filter.

Colour cast correction

Levels

Many images have an unpleasant wash of colour usually caused by improper white balance settings or certain types of light. An easy correction is to neutralise the colour cast using Match Color in Photoshop CS or the Remove Color Cast adjustment in Elements.

A quick fix for underexposed or overexposed photos is using the Levels. The Levels adjustment essentially allows you to adjust the brightness and darkness of an image. You can control the contrast, tones, and boost the lights just by moving the sliders left and right.

Fix noisy images

Sharpen an image

The Reduce Noise filter gives you the ability to clean up an image in a very effective way. The Reduce Noise dialog box contains a large preview area where you can zoom in/out and several sliders controls; each control affects different types of noises.

One of the best methods to sharpening a photo is using the High Pass filter. The main reason the High Pass is so effective is because the sharpening is applied only to the edges, leaving the other areas untouched, which is exactly what you need when sharpening.

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Tutorial FixWorldMags.net common photo problems

Step-by-step Fix colour casts One common problem in a photo is imbalanced colour. For example, a photo taken outdoors in a cold day tends to have a blue hue. Let’s fix it

Before

After

Match Color

Enhance the colours

Sharpen the image

01

02

03

Open the image and duplicate it. Go to Image>Adjustments>Match Color (Elements is Enhance>Adjust ColorRemove Color Cast). In the Match Color dialog box, click the Neutralize checkbox.

The major colour cast problem is solved, but the image still needs a bit more to make it look good. Create a Hue/ Saturation adjustment layer. Increase the Saturation to around +30.

Select the image thumbnail and click Cmd/ Ctrl+J to duplicate. Go to Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask (Elements is Enhance>Unsharp Mask). Set Amount: 100%, Radius: 3 and Threshold: 0.

Step-by-step Fix exposure Many times you have a photograph with areas that are too dark or too bright. Learn a very simple technique to correct the photos efficiently

Before

After

Adjustments Levels

Mask the adjustment layer

01

02

Create a Levels adjustment layer and change the mode to Screen. In the Levels window, drag the white slider towards the start of the histogram, and then move the middle slider to enhance the details.

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Click the layer mask thumbnail and grab the Gradient tool. Hit D on your keyboard, select Foreground to Background from the Gradient Editor and pick a Linear gradient. Drag from the middle to the top.

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Final colour boost

03

Create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and increase the Saturation until you are satisfied with the finish.

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Step-by-step Remove noise Digital noise usually occurs when you take a photo in a low light situation. Learn a simple trick to smooth out and improve your photos

Before

After

Surface Blur

Reduce Noise filter

Bring back details

01

02

03

Duplicate the image, grab the Quick Selection tool (W) and select the sky. Click Add a Layer Mask. Now go to Filter>Blur>Surface Blur, set the Radius to 35 and the Threshold to 41 levels. Click OK.

Cmd/ Ctrl-click on the mask to select it. Go to Select>Inverse, hit Cmd/ Ctrl+J to copy into a new layer. Go to Filter>Noise>Reduce Noise. Use the settings shown above and click OK.

Step-by-step Reduce blur

High Pass

01

Duplicate the layer and name the new layer ‘Details’. Go to Filter>Other>High Pass. In the High Pass dialog box, set Radius to 20 pixels and hit OK. The Radius value will be determined by the size of your image. Now set the blending mode for the layer to Overlay.

Another common problem is when you take a picture and realise the photo is blurry. Learn an effective method to bring some details back

Adjust the Levels

Reduce Noise

02

03

Add more contrast by clicking Cmd/ Ctrl+L to open the Levels. In the Levels dialog box, adjust the Shadow Input Level to 50, the Midtone to 1, the Highlight to 200 and then click OK.

Let’s bring details back using the High Pass filter. Duplicate the layer and go to Filter>Other>High Pass. Set the Radius to 4.5 pixels and then click OK. Change the blend mode to Overlay.

There is a bit of noise. Click Add Layer Mask in the Layers palette. Grab a soft brush and hit D to change the Foreground/Background to Default. Now carefully paint the skin to give a smooth look.

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Before

After

Photoshop Creative

59

BEHIND THE WorldMags.net

SCENES

WITH ABI DAKER

From sketch to print Illustrator, Abi Daker walks us through how she starts The artist Abi Daker with a design brief and “I’m a full time ends with Photoshop freelance illustrator

A

bi Daker tells us about how she turns an exciting brief into a digital work of art. Inspired by her travels around the world, Abi’s specialist area is turning accurate hand-drawn maps and cityscapes into digital Photoshop creations. It’s these that create the useful and eye-catching backdrops or opening spreads to fantastic articles and magazine features. This map, for example, created the stunning artwork for the all-new World Of Animals magazine.

who specialises in maps and hand-drawn cityscapes. I’ve always been fascinated by the things you see when travelling and so I love working on commissions that focus on new cities or countries. I start every commission with a pen and ink sketch and often combine traditional media with Photoshop.” For more work by Abi Daker, head to www.abigaildaker.com

HOW TO… Make drawings digital

A step-by-step look at the process

INITIAL SKETCHES

COLOUR INDICATORS

TAKE IT TO PHOTOSHOP

01

02

03

The brief for the project was to create a map which showed the journey the Porcupine Caribou take around a region in Alaska and Cananda. I started by making a simple line sketch on paper of the area the map was focused on.

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Photoshop Creative

I added colour to the map, mainly around the edges of the sea and the rivers. I had drawn some contour lines to indicate the rough terrain and so I coloured these too. I left the large areas blank as they were more difficult

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To transfer the hand-drawn artwork into Photoshop, I scanned the drawing in six sections as it was much larger than my A4 scanner! I pieced the image together in Photoshop, matching the sections together was a tricky at first.

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HOT OF THE PRESS Abi’s sketch was turned into a feature in World of Animals magazine.

NEW MAGAZINE! See it in print… To read the fascinating story that accompanies this illustration, check out the first issue of World Of Animals, a brand new wildlife magazine set to transform the global print and digital newsstand. The exciting new publication combines premium wildlife photography and detailed illustrations with incredible stories. Order yours from www. imagineshop.co.uk or as a digital download from www.greatdigitalmags.com.

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PAINT IN DIGITAL COLOUR

ADD IN TEXTURES

04

05

On a layer set to Multiply I painted with a low-opacity brush, adjusting the settings to a nice rough splattery tip. I painted in empty areas of the image, selected the same brush for the Eraser tool and worked back into the painted areas.

To add a bit of texture, I added a vintage paper texture to the layer above the main image and set it to Overlay. I adjusted the opacity of each layer and tried out a few different textures until the map had a rough, slightly weathered look.

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61

Tutorial Master Content-Aware options WorldMags.net

Start image STRAIGHTEN UNEVEN HORIZONS

REMOVE BUSHES AND DISTRACTIONS

CREATE BEAUTIFUL WATER RIPPLES

Essentials Works with

ADD REALISTIC REFLECTIONS

On the disc The original photo to practise your skills! Photoshop CS6 and above and Creative Cloud

What you’ll learn Use Content-Aware tools to remove unwanted objects

Time taken

45 mins

Expert Stewart Wood “I was thrust into the world of Photoshop about eight years ago. Back then we had to remove unwanted objects the hard way! I specialise in portraits and composites and being able to quickly remove objects with the ContentAware tools is a time saver for all photographers.”

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Photoshop Creative

Master ContentAware options We reveal how to use Photoshop’s Content-Aware function to selectively and seamlessly erase unwanted material

S

mall objects are easy to remove from photos using different Clone and Healing brushes. However, larger ones can cause trouble as you have to work with a texture taken from a different area of the picture. The Content-Aware function sorts all of this. First introduced in CS5, you can use it to remove objects from photographs to preserve aesthetic beauty. The Content-Aware Fill command takes the burden of finding a suitable sample area by

automatically filling the selected area for you. The feature can also take a guess about what can fill a previously empty area. Content-Aware Fill is a dream for professional photographers, as it spares them tedious hours of retouching. There might be times when Content-Aware Fill fails, but we can help it out by using the ContentAware Patch tool, This tool was introduced in CS6 and you can tell Photoshop where to look for replacement pixels.

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The Ruler tool

01

Go to File>Open (Cmd/Ctrl+O) and select ‘Start.tif’ from the supplied files. Select the Ruler; this tool is hidden under the Eyedropper. Click and hold to bring out a submenu to access the Ruler.

Straighten the image

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With the Ruler tool selected, drag out a line at the base of the hills where they meet the water. Select Straighten Layer from the tool options at the top to straighten the layer. Now rename this layer Base.

Content-Aware Fill

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Select the Lasso Tool (L) to select the top empty area created when the image was straightened. Go to Edit>Fill (Shift F5) and in the Use options, select Content-Aware. Click OK to fill the area.

The Patch tool Fill in the gaps

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Repeat the last step for the right side of the image. If at any time Content-Aware Fill does a bad job, just refill the same area again.

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Let’s add drama to the image by removing the foliage in the foreground. Content-Aware Fill will not be able to do the job this time, but we can help it out. Select the Patch tool, which is hidden under the Spot Healing Brush tool.

Expert tip CS5 or below

Patching is fun

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Go to the top Options bar and click the drop-down menu next to Patch. Select Content-Aware. Begin to select small parts of the bush. Once selected, drag the selection over to the water to patch it.

Clean up

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Continue to do this until the bush in the foreground has been removed. This doesn’t have to be perfect because the main aim is just to add water texture.

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As with many Photoshop tools, there are multiple ways to get the same result. If you are using CS4 or below, you won’t have access to the Content-Aware Fill. Below CS6 and you won’t have the Content-Aware option for the Patch tool. Alternatives are the Clone tool and the Patch tool without ContentAware, however it will take you longer to clean up the image. Don’t let this fact put you off, though. Go ahead and give it ago.

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Tutorial Master Content-Aware options WorldMags.net

Smoothing the water

Cleaning up

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Continue to clean up the image using the Patch tool set to the Content-Aware option. We are looking to get good water texture.

Cloud reflections

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Use the Rectangular Marquee to select the sky and the hills. Go to Edit>Copy Merged. Now go to Edit>Paste. Go to Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical. With the Move tool (V), move the layer down. Repeat the Motion Blur from the previous step and set the Opacity to 75%.

Enhancing sun rays

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Select the Base layer and go to Select>Color Range. Choose Highlights from the Select box and click OK. Create a new layer on top of the stack (Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+N) and go to Edit>Fill. Pick white as the Color. Rename this layer to God Rays and deselect (Cmd/Ctrl+D).

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09

Select the Rectangular Marquee tool (M) and select the water. Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to copy the selection to a new layer. Go to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur and choose an Angle of 0 and a Distance of 80. Set the layer opacity to 75%. Name this layer Water Blur.

Fake water ripples

11

With the new layer still selected, go to Filter>Filter Gallery. In the Distort options, select Ocean Ripple. Enter a Ripple Size of 4 and a Ripple Magnitude of 2. Now go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and select a Radius of 2 pixels.

Radial Blur filter

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Go to Filter>Blur>Radial Blur. Input an Amount of 100, Blur Method of Zoom and a Quality of Best. In the Blur Centre window, position the zoom to the top-right. Click OK and set the blend mode to Soft Light and the Opacity to 50%.

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Blending in the water

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Go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal all to add a layer mask to this layer. With a large soft black brush (B), paint near the top of the water to blend it in with the background layers.

Adjustment layers

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Go To Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels. In the Shadow Input Level box, enter a value of 30. Change to the blue channel and in the Output Level box, enter a value of 10.

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Trouble-shooting When Content-Aware goes wrong, how do you make it right?

Brightness and contrast Colour corrections

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Go to Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color. Enter a hexadecimal colour of 001cc7. Change the blend mode to Exclusion and the Opacity to 10%.

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Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Brightness/Contrast. Set Contrast to 26. Next, go to Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color. Enter a hexadecimal colour of 0090ff. Change the blend mode to Exclusion and the Opacity to 5%.

The problem

01 

Sometimes Content-Aware Fill goes wrong and can result in unwanted pixels being picked from the wrong area of the image. This can result in repeated pixels.

More colour fills

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Go to Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color. Enter a hexadecimal colour of ffc47f. Change the blend mode to Overlay and also the Opacity to 15%.

Refill the area

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Most times this can be fixed just by repeating the Fill command. Photoshop will repeat the procedure but will choose from different pixels.

Reselect the area

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If this fails you could try reselecting a smaller area. This will help Photoshop calculate what needs to be replaced.

Adding a vignette

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Create a new layer (Shift+Cmd/ Ctrl+N) and name this layer Vignette. Go to Edit>Fill and fill this layer with 50% grey. Go to Filter>Lens Correction. Go to the Custom tab and use a Vignette Amount of -100 and Midpoint of 0.

Reduce the banding effect

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Go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Use an Amount of 1%, set to Gaussian and Monochromatic. This will help reduce the ‘banding’ effect. Finally set this layer to Soft light and Opacity to 75%.

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When all else fails

04 

If that still doesn’t work, fall back on the Clone tool. Problems mostly occur when using Content-Aware Fill is near the edges of the image. A quick brush with the Clone tool will fix things.

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Workshop Creative edits with Perfect Effects 4 WorldMags.net Start image

Essentials Works with

Perfects Effect 4

Creative edits with Perfect Effects 4 ON YOUR DISC!

Photoshop CS4 and above, Elements 9 and above

What you’ll learn Use Presets and Filters in Perfect Effects 4 to improve photos

Time taken

30 mins

Expert Simon Skellon “Plug-ins are perfect for all Photoshop users and this one is no exception. It allows you to create stunning visuals you can build on or leave as is. As Photoshop Creative’s features editor, I’ve used Photoshop ever since version 7 and have built up a large catalogue of techniques.”

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Grab Perfect Effects 4 for free by loading your disc or head to www. ononesoftware.com/pscwebsite and enter this exclusive code:

FREESOFT-DEC13

Explore the new blur and colour effects in Perfect Effects 4 to create stunning image effects

W

e have teamed up with onOne Software to present a fantastic exclusive offer just for Photoshop Creative readers. As part of the new Perfect Photo Suite 8, Perfect Effects 4 can be grabbed for free this issue! Just load up your resource disc and head to the website to begin – it really is that simple. In case you were wondering what Perfect Effects 4 can do, we’ve demonstrated the software to highlight some of its best features. Using the

Presets and Filters, we were able to transform this close-up of a flower. Perfect Effects 4 has a whole host of effects, ready and waiting. Once you’ve settled on an effect, layers can be manipulated to customise it. There are also frames and borders to make your own artistic masterpiece in minutes. This really is an offer not to be missed, so don’t hang about. Go to the disc or the website details above, enter the exclusive code and download your free software!

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Show us how you use the plug-in

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Step-by-step Initial effects Boost colour, detail and contrast before heading to the Lens Blur presets

Prepare your layers

Load plug-in

Locate presets

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Open up the start image from this issue’s resources, convert the Background layer to a Smart Object by going to Layer>Smart Objects>Convert to Smart Object. This protects your settings.

Locate the Perfect Effects 4 plug-in by going to File>Automate>Perfect Effects. Filters and Presets are down the left, while layers and adjustments are down the right. Click the Presets tab for effects.

Click on the PE4 Movie Looks presets. To change how thumbnails are arranged, click on the bottom-left button to cycle through the display options till you find your preferred viewing mode.

Explore your options

Render effect

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Inside Movie Looks, select Enter the Dragon. Roll over the other presets to see a preview of how they will look. Once selected, the preset will render and the Filter Stack panel on the right will update.

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The layers making up the effect are shown inside the Filter Stack panel. Use the Blending Options to produce variations of the effect. Clicking on either the Tone Enhancer or Sharpening layer reveals a different set of Filter Options below.

Deeper tones

Details are key

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Click on the Tone Enhancer layer, then inside Filter Options increase Contrast to 20 and set Shadows to 30. This will bring details back into the darker areas of the flower that were otherwise lost by the preset effect.

To increase the natural texture in the image, set the Detail slider to 18. Manipulate the Curves graph by lifting the diagonal line up slightly in the top half. Add one pin to the lower half to anchor, and then drag down the middle of the line.

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Workshop Creative edits with Perfect Effects 4 WorldMags.net

Step-by-step Adapt focus Increase depth of field using the new Lens Blur presets

Compress the blur

Another layer

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Now the enhancements have been applied, we can move to the Lens Blur effect. To add a preset on top of another one, click the plus symbol inside the Filter Stack panel.

Boost the blur

Waken up

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Use the central point to reposition the in-focus area. Place it centrally over the flower. Change the boundaries to an oval shape. Increase the Blur Amount slider inside Filter Options to 30.

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Open the Lens Blur presets from the Filters tab. Select the preset Big Softy Vignette to call up the blur controls over the image. Click and drag on the dashed line towards the centre to shrink the size of the blurred transition

Boost the Optic Quality slider to 100 to improve the look of the blurred areas. This helps to reduce distortion around the edges of the flower. Set the Brightness slider to -46 to bring more life to the image.

Bloom!

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The Blooming adjustment is useful for increasing the size of the blurred areas. Set to 500 to see a subtle increase. Also, set Contrast to 50.

Expert tip Stash your favourites Because there are so many possible effects inside this plug-in, it’s a good idea to store your most-used ones inside the Favorites panel. To do this, click the flag symbol next to each thumbnail down the left side of the interface.

Frame it up

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To finish the composition, add a new layer to the Filter Stack, and then select the Sloppy Border 7 frame from inside Filters>Borders. There are many other frames to experiment with, just try others to find one that suits your image.

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Compare original

14

Once the image has been tweaked and the presets have been adjusted to suit your image, hit the Apply button. As a Smart Object, you can actually view a before and after by clicking on the eye symbol in the Layers palette.

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Perfect Photo Suite 8 A look at the entire suite of plug-ins Included in the entire Perfect Photo Suite 8 is Perfect Portrait for applying skin retouches, and Perfect Mask for masking out unwanted areas. Perfect Enhance and Perfect B&W

have both been designed to give images a host of special effects. With the help of special brushes, effects can be painted in with ease. The suite also lets you take control when

printing your favourite artwork, with Perfect Resize taking care of quality and resolution. Available in early 2014, head to www.onone software.com for price plans and more.

Perfect Photo Suite 8 The top five best effects Here’s a look at some of the other effects the entire suite has to offer

Perfect Portrait

Perfect Enhance

Perfect Mask

Perfect Resize

Perfect B&W

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Control how much shine, colour and texture there is in your portraits with Perfect Portrait plug-in. Retouching sliders help to boost all areas of the face, resulting in flawless images.

Perfect Enhance is a darkroom for digital photographers. Apply quick fixes using the Correction presets, or adapt the settings to your requirements by making use of the adjustments.

Making accurate selections is one of the biggest challenges Photoshop users face. To help yourself, mask out subjects using a wide range of refinement tools inside Perfect Mask.

Don’t let your images languish on your computer; make them print-ready for all sorts of different types of paper. Control grain, sharpness and pixel dimensions for best results.

Closer look An easy-to-use interface We take a look at some of the highlights in Perfect Effects 4

Perfect B&W makes it easy to adapt the glow, grain and mood of monochrome effects. It’s perfect for quickly adding drama to your shots. The example above is the Tarnished Iron preset.

LAYERS The Filter Stack panel helps to tweak each part of the effect. Masks are attached to each one for adapting with the gradient and brush tools underneath.

PRESETS There are lots of artistic effects inside the Presets panel, which can improve colour, contrast, detail, or change the mood of the image completely.

FILTERS Apply one of the many borders contained within the Filters section of Perfect Effects 4 to give images an extra edge.

FILTER OPTIONS The bounty of Filter Options inside the plug-in enables each layer in the effect to be altered to the way we need them.

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The easy way to learn Adobe Photoshop WorldMags.net

Top techniques…

Restore old photos

Learn to remove dust and scratches and repair rips and tears on page 76

Photo-fix special! 12 pages of essential guides Restoration guides…

Step-by-steps…

Essential editing guides

Your ultimate photo-fix guides begin, starting with the secrets of retouching on page 72 WorldMags.net

Retouch with the Patch tool ........ 72 Using scanned photos........................74 Restore old photos ................................ 76 Stylish photo display........................... 80

Photoshop for Beginners

Little and often WorldMags.net

Photo edits…

Making lots of little retouches might not make a lot of difference in isolation, but as a whole, the model’s face is lifted and looks fresher.

Retouch with the Patch tool Edit blemishes with accuracy using Photoshop’s powerful Patch tool In this tutorial we are going to show you how to use Photoshop’s Patch tool, which has been around for a long time but has recently been updated. If you are a Photoshop Elements user, then sadly you don’t have this option and you need to use the Spot Healing Brush tool or the Healing Brush tool instead. There are two modes that you can choose from when using the Patch tool. The first is the Normal mode, which is the same as has been available since the Patch tool was first introduced. In this mode, you can select a flawed area and clone a clean area to replace it with. The cloned ‘patch’ is altered in colour and tone to suit its new position. If you use the newer Content-Aware option however (CS6 onwards), then the cloned area can also have its pixels altered as Photoshop tries to closely match what should appear in the flawed area to replace the blemish. We’ll show you how to use both options in this tutorial.

Two modes The Patch tool can be used in either Normal mode, or the newer Content-Aware mode.

Root it out The Patch tool is hidden on the toolbar along with the Spot Healing Brush and the Healing Brush tools.

First edits To start off, we are going to lighten the image overall. It is best to do this before you start any retouching work.

Start image

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What

WorldMags.net does it mean?

ADAPTATION This is a control for the Content-Aware option. It controls how much Photoshop can move the pixels around and how much the original area is preserved when using the Content-Aware fill. Strict is closer to the original area, while Loose will move pixels around more.

Quickly improve portraits Use the Patch tool for professional-looking results

Lighten up with Levels

Level controls

Find the Patch tool

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Open the start image. It is a little dark to work on at the moment, so we are going to lighten it up a bit. Go to Image>Adjustments>Levels to bring up the Levels dialog box.

Grab the right-hand and middle triangles (one at a time) in the Levels dialog and pull in to the left. This will lighten the image. Beware though; pull it too far and artefacts will appear in the background.

04

The Patch tool is in the toolbar, sharing a space with a few other tools. If it’s not visible, click on the bottom-right corner of the correct icon and the full set of tools will pop out.

CLEAN AREA FIRST If you pick Destination, you will select the clean area to clone from and drag it over the flawed area.

Patch tool options PICK THE MODE You can choose to use the tool in Normal or ContentAware Mode. We’re going Normal for now.

First Patch

DRAG TO EDIT

05 

We’ve gone for Source, so we draw around a blemish to select it. Try to be quite accurate so that you isolate just the blemish, rather than the clean skin around it. That’s why we have zoomed in so much.

If you pick Source, you will select the flawed area and drag to the area you want to clone from.

Drag and replace

Content-Aware

Use the tool

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08 

Now it’s a case of dragging the selected blemish over to a clean area of skin. Photoshop will clone the clean area over the blemish, and adjust the colour and tone of the selection to suit.

Let’s try the other Mode. Select Content-Aware in the top toolbar and then pick an Adaptation – this is how much the pixels can be affected when replacing the flawed content. The default is Medium.

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Using the Patch tool in Content-Aware mode is the same as before. Draw around the flawed area and drag to a clean area. This time, the pixels in the cloned area can be changed to suit the flawed area.

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Photoshop for Beginners

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IMPORT IMAGES

READY TO GO

You will find the Import option from the File menu in the main Photoshop Elements interface. From here pick your scanner or WIA Support.

Once your image has been scanned it will automatically open in Photoshop Elements ready for further editing if you need to.

RESOLUTION This refers to the amount of pixels in any given area. So scanning at 72dpi - or ‘dots per inch’ - gives a much lower quality scan than if you use 300dpi. Scanning an object at 300dpi reproduces the same size (1:1 ratio), so using 600dpi will give you a scan that’s twice as big!

FOLLOW ALONG

PICK A LOCATION

You work through the steps presented to you in the wizard to actually scan your image in; this is only three steps and is really easy.

Your scanned image is also automatically saved on your computer in a location you pick during the scanning process.

Hardware focus…

Work with scanned photos Preserve memories by scanning in old photos and preparing them for further editing

We all have old photo albums gathering dust in our attics, full of memories. Although these images are sometimes the only link we have to past family members and events, the sad fact is that printed photographs don’t last forever and the chances of having the original film is slim. This isn’t necessarily a problem if you have a scanner, though, because you can breathe new life into old images by transferring them to your computer to be preserved forever. There are a number of ways to actually scan your pictures. You can use your printer’s own scanning software, and then manually open the images in Photoshop if you want to edit

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them. In this tutorial, however, we will be looking at scanning directly into Photoshop Elements, which you can do from the File>Import menu (this is the same in Photoshop). In Photoshop Elements running on a Windows PC, you should simply see the name of your scanner here. Things are a bit different on a Mac and some Windows PC/ scanner combinations, which we’ll explain in these pages. Don’t worry, it’s all pretty easy once you get started. If you are using Photoshop, it is more straightforward as you just choose Import>Images From Device and pick your scanner (Mac and PC).

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Expert tip WIA support On some Windows/scanner setups, you won’t see your scanner name in the Import menu. You will instead see something called WIA Support, which stands for Windows Image Acquisition. If you have this option available, Adobe strongly recommends that you use it (and we did for this tutorial) for scanning as this is the best way to bring images onto the computer.

WorldMags.net Scan in your treasured photos

Import images to Photoshop or Elements and preserve them forever

Start the process Prepare to scan

01 

Open the scanner and place the image to be scanned inside. Now, open Photoshop Elements. Go to the File>Import menu and look for WIA support (PC only), or the name of the scanner.

02 

We have gone for WIA Support, as that is what Adobe recommends using if you have it available. Select which folder the final images are to be saved in (use the Browse button to change). Make sure that the Open Acquired Image(s) in Photoshop Elements option is checked.

Pick the device

Set your options

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04 

A list of available devices to scan from will be presented. Make sure to pick the one that is connected to your computer. Bear in mind that for the best results, your printer driver software should be up to date.

Pick the type of image being scanned. There are options to adjust the quality of the scan as well using the highlighted text at the bottom of the window. When happy, hit Scan. Once the image is scanned, it will automatically open in Photoshop Elements.

Expert tip Scanning on a Mac On Macs, you won’t automatically have the Import option available for your scanner for Photoshop Elements 9 and upwards. This is because Adobe removed something called a TWAIN plug-in, as it was getting confused with other TWAIN devices, such as cameras and the like. To restore the option, go to your Mac Hard Drive>Applications>Adobe Photoshop Elements XX>Support Files. Open Optional Plug-Ins and copy the folder ImportModules. Paste this whole folder into the Plug-Ins folder instead. After a system restart, your scanner should appear in the Import menu. Bear in mind that some Mac/scanner combinations still won’t work, and this is something that Adobe is working on.

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Photoshop for Beginners

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Start image

On the disc Try your skills on the images used here!

Essential edits…

Restore old photos

S imtaargte

Give scratched and neglected shots a new lease of life Whether you’ve just cleared out your attic, found some vintage gems at a flea market or you’ve been helping your nan go through her albums, looking at old photographs is always a treat. Unfortunately though, these once-prized shots often succumb to age; leaving them looking a little battered around the edges. Rips, crumples, dust and scratches can often ruin an otherwise wonderful photo, but don’t assume nothing can be done. Scan your images and turn them into digital files, imperfections and all, and then use the amazing tools of Photoshop Elements to bring them bang up-to-date. In this tutorial we will show you how to tidy and mend your old photos using tools such as the Clone Stamp and adjustment layers. Then once you’re done, all you need to do is get your shots printed and you can enjoy them once more as fresh as the day they were taken.

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WorldMags.net Combat common restoration tasks

Use one or all of these methods to get your vintage photos looking ship-shape

Begin with the edges

Bring out the detail

Iron out the creases

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Open the supplied landscape shot. To fix the scruffy edges, grab the Crop tool (C) and click and drag over the image. Adjust using the handles to trim out the rough edges and hit the green tick.

Restore faded detail using an adjustment layer. Click on Layers in the bottom bar, then in the Layers palette click the half-shaded circle icon. Select Brightness/Contrast and tweak the sliders.

Select the Spot Healing Brush tool (J). Use the slider to alter the brush size and select the Content Aware option. Paint over the big creases. The area will fill with pixels sampled from the surrounding area.

finer 04 Fix blemishes CLONE AWAY Combat the finer blemishes with the Clone Stamp tool found in the Tools palette. It’s ideal for fixing areas that contain more detail.

NO MORE BLEMISH The blemish will disappear, with pixels sampled from the ‘clean’ area in its place. Use different brush sizes for accuracy and work your way through to correct finer details.

SAMPLE AN AREA With the tool selected, Alt/ Opt+click a ‘clean’ area of the photo to sample. Then click on the area that needs to be corrected.

Work on textures

Move large areas

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The Clone Stamp tool is also your secret weapon for preserving texture. Select the tool and Alt/Opt-click an area of ‘clean’ photo to sample. When the cursor is moved, the Clone Stamp bush shows a translucent ‘preview’ of what you’ve sampled. Click to apply.

To fix larger blemishes, make clever use of the Content Aware Move tool (Q). This allows areas to be selected, moved and then the area that has been moved is automatically filled with pixels from the surrounding area. Select it from the Tools palette.

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Photoshop for Beginners

WorldMags.net What does it mean?

Get Content-Aware

Extra fixing tips

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Draw around an area to make a selection then click and drag the selection to the new location. Once the mouse is released, the area is filled and should blend with the surrounding area.

Work through the image and use a variety of brush sizes with the techniques covered. It takes a bit of practice, but persevere! If zoomed in, get in the habit of regularly zooming out to check progress.

HEALING BRUSH In the same palette as the Spot Healing Brush you’ll find the Healing Brush tool. This is great for eliminating dust and scratches from photos, but the main difference is that a sample spot is needed for this tool before it can be used to retouch any blemishes.

Finish it up

09 

Once the blemishes are fixed, finish up by giving the image a quick sharpen via Enhance>Adjust Sharpness. Tweak the sliders. Then click on the Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer and brighten the shot up again. Cmd/right-click the layer and hit Flatten Image, then save.

Fix a different shot

10 

Portraits are often the most popular old photo to fix. There are a few things to address here, but first add another Brightness/ Contrast adjustment layer to bring out the detail.

Spot Healing Brush options

A tiny tour around the options belonging to this incredibly useful tool

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FIND THE ICON

SET THE TYPE

SET LAYERS

CONTROL THE SIZE

This icon shows that the Spot Healing Brush has been selected. To switch to the Healing Brush click the icon next door.

Healing Types can be selected here. They vary depending on what you want to heal your selection with. Content Aware compares nearby image content to fill the selection.

You can choose the Sample All Layers option to sample data from the layer you’re working on, that layer and the one below, or all visible layers.

Use this slider to choose your brush size (or use the brackets [ and ] on your keyboard) and choose a brush style from the dropdown menu.

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WorldMags.net Rebuild the 11 torn corner MATCH THE COLOUR Use the Color Picker tool (I) to match the colour of the border and use the Paint Bucket tool (K) to fill the rectangle. Cmd/rightclick>Send Backward.

FINAL EDIT Cmd/Right-click the rectangle layer>Merge Visible. Now use the Clone Stamp tool to blend the edges and build up the photo’s corner.

DRAW A CORNER Select the Rectangle tool (U) from the Tools palette. Click and drag to draw a rectangle then move in place to match up with the image’s corners.

Get in close

Combat background spots

12 

The most distracting thing about this lovely old photo is the blemished background. Grab the Spot Healing Brush tool and carefully go through the background of the shot and paint over the spots to fix them.

13 

For most of the background the Spot Healing Brush tool is enough, but for areas where the image contains more detail, the Clone Stamp tool is needed. Work with a small brush size and continually resample clean areas to perfect this.

Repair skin blemishes

Tidy up text

Finish it all up

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Take extra care when using the Clone Stamp tool for repairing blemishes over skin tones, as these will be obvious if they are rushed. Use a small brush and work zoomed in, zooming out often to check the progress.

Text can be difficult to work with, but luckily all that is needed here is a bit of careful wielding of the Spot Healing and Clone Stamp tools. Sample from the clean part of the number ten to rebuild the bottom.

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Use the Crop tool to crop off the excess when the restoration is complete. The image is ready to print in any way you choose, and feel proud that you’ve given this photo a new lease of life!

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Photoshop for Beginners

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Photo projects…

Create a stylish display from multiple photos Handsome photo arrangements are not as hard as you think; follow along as we show you how

In the design world, the term ‘collage’ is almost seen as a curse word. The idea of just throwing a bunch of photos together and trying to turn them into a design is viewed as the mark of an amateur. But designing an attractive photo display is a different matter altogether. The difference is in the approach. A collage generally starts

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with a collection of photos and the design is formed from there. A photo display begins with a design concept and envelops the photos into the theme. It’s almost counter intuitive, but when you focus on the design, the end product highlights the photos! In this project we show you how to create this modern and elegant photo arrangement

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in Photoshop Elements 12. We fully encourage you to incorporate your own photos into the project. If you want to follow along with the exact ones shown here, you will need the starter image from the supplied files, and to download the rest from a free stock photo site called www.sxc.hu. So with that sorted, let’s get to work.

WorldMags.net Setting up a photo display Have an idea in mind and then follow it through

Gather images

Let’s get started!

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We’ve included the starter background for you to use. The rest of the images came from the free site www.sxc.hu. The reference numbers are 872375, 1354438, 1111151, 1245416, 602266, and 1128323.

Simple selection

Launch Photoshop Elements. When in the Photo Editor, click on the Expert workspace. Now head up to the Open menu to open the ‘StarterImage.jpg’ from the supplied files.

03 

Open the photo of the couple, #872375, and pick the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Drag a rectangular selection box around the couple like shown here. Then go to Edit>Copy.

The importance of layer structure

and 04 Paste position TRANSFORM

The order in which layers are stacked is a vital task

With the Move Tool selected, the layer will show transformation handles around the photo for some easy manipulation.

BLENDS NEW LAYER Go to Edit>Paste to place the photo into the file as a new layer (Edit>Paste). Doubleclicking the name of the layer will allow you to rename it.

MOVE ABOUT Use the tabs along the top to navigate between open files. Return to the StarterPhoto.jpg.

A blend mode affects how a layer interacts with the one beneath it, so choosing the right one is important.

Transform the layer

TOP TRUMPS Think of the layer at the very top of the palette as the final layer on the artwork.

05 

Roughly position the layer over the paper on the left. Go to Image> Transform>Distort. Drag each corner to match up with the perspective of the paper, leaving a bit of overlap. Click the green tick to commit.

VISIBILITY You can turn off multiple layers’ visibilities by click-dragging across several eye icons.

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MASKS Use layer masks to hide parts of a layer without causing any damage to its contents.

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Photoshop for Beginners

WorldMags.net MOVING OBJECTS

See the tools in action

Create this attractive photo arrangement using just some basic tools and operations in Photoshop Elements

The Move Tool is the primary tool for arranging photos in your composition. We suggest always keeping the Show Bounding Box option checked.

PHOTO STACK Layers are essential to creating any photo arrangement. Keep track of them in this panel. The active layer is always highlighted in blue.

MAKE THINGS FIT Use the transformation handles to control the scale and rotation of the images. Holding down the Shift key while dragging a corner will maintain the photo’s dimensions while scaling.

MASK AREAS Layer masks define the visible area of a layer. These black and white thumbnails indicate masks on the associated layer.

Quick Selection

Blending modes

06 

Look to the Layers panel on the right. Near the top is a drop-down menu. This controls the blending modes of the layer. Select the Multiply mode to allow some of the paper texture to show through the photo.

Hide the Couple layer (by clicking on the eye icon) and then click on the Background layer to make it active. Grab the Quick Selection Tool from the toolbox and ‘paint’ inside the paper to create a selection. The selection might also pick up the white dish.

Refine Edge

Layer mask

Decorative edges

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Click the Refine Edge button in the Options panel. Set the Feather to 6 pixels and the Shift Edge slider to -33%. This will soften the selection edge and pull it in just a bit. When the edge looks good, click OK.

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Reveal the Couple layer and click the layer name to make it the active layer. Go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection to use the selection as a mask on the photo. A mask thumbnail will appear next to the layer.

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Open the decorative image, #1354438, and use the position and transform techniques to place one copy in each corner of the paper. Set the blend mode to Multiply, and reduce Opacity to 20%.

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Photo arrangement

Copy layer masks

11 

Create a copy of the layer mask by holding down the Opt/Alt key while you click and drag on the mask thumbnail. Drag a copy to each of the decorative corner layers to apply a mask to them.

12 

Open the other photos and paste them into the project. Position and transform the photo layers into a square-ish arrangement. Don’t worry about making the arrangement fit with the background just yet. Use the alignment tools in the options panel to align the right side.

Easy borders

Expert tip

13 

Grab the Rectangle Tool and make sure the colour is set to white. Draw out a long rectangle to cover the seam of two of the photos. Use a copy of that rectangle for the other seams. This makes sure that all the borders are the same width.

Clipping an adjustment Adjustments layers are special layers that alter the look of your image in a number of ways. Use them to do numerous things from adjusting colour to boosting brightness and contrast. They’re great because they’re editable, which makes any edits you do nondestructive, ie you can get rid of the edit completely if you don’t like it later on! However, any adjustment you make to your selected layer will affect every other layer under it. To avoid this, as well as to apply the adjustment only to your current layer, hit Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/ Alt+G to apply a clipping mask.

Merge layers

Use what you’ve learned

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Shift-click the rectangle layers and the layers in the photo arrangement. With all of them selected, go to Layer>Merge Layers to merge into one layer. Transform that layer to match the right-most card.

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Use the transforming, blending, and masking techniques to place the photo arrangement onto the card on the right. Likewise, place another copy of the decorative swirls into the top corner.

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REVIEWS WorldMags.net WACOM INTUOS PRO HARDWARE

Price From £199.90/$249US Web www.wacom.com

The specs

Wacom Intuos Pro

Company Wacom

Additional specs Windows and Mac OScompatible Multi-touch Wireless 2,048 levels of pen sensitivity

Can the Intuos Pro bring anything new to the table?

W

acom turned 30 in 2013, and to celebrate it gave its pen tablets a shiny new look and name. The Intuos Pro range, once known as Intuos 5, is designed for those of us looking to take painting and editing more seriously. The new models now come with the wireless adapter kit straight out of the box, and enabled us to edit freely without getting tangled up in loose cables. The wireless adapter uses a small battery pack to power the tablet, which requires charging up through the day before it’s ready to use. The battery tucks neatly inside the tablet and adds no extra weight at all. This then communicates with a small USB stick that fits discretely into an available slot in the user’s PC. Although the Intuos Pro range remains much the same in terms of its technical highlights, there have been some important changes made to its design. The Intuos 5 featured up to eight indented rubber buttons, known as ExpressKeys. Although being touch sensitive, they were tricky to use when concentrating on what you were working on.

Standout feature Understand the Radial Menu

On the Intuos Pro, Wacom has tweaked these eight ExpressKeys into risen buttons with a slight texture. Although this is a small difference overall, it actually makes it easier to detect individual buttons. The Touch Ring, a key feature on the Intuos Pro range, enabled us to have quick access to primary functions, such as stepping through History States in Photoshop, or changing brush size. All helped to reduce the amount time going back and forth to the keyboard. There are four models in the Intuos Pro line; small, medium, large and special edition, which features silver and black panelling. We tested the Intuos Pro Medium model, which features an 8.8 x 5.5-inch active area. This was just right for working on a 20-inch display, and would suit anything larger as well. The Intuos Pro complements the desk space to just the right degree. We love its sleek black exterior that’s very unassuming, and the rubber panels make it ideal for resting your arms during those long editing sessions. Multi-touch functions of the active area meant we could use combinations of finger

taps and swipes to perform various tasks. For example, swiping up or down with four fingers exposed all of our open programs, or tapping two fingers performed a right-click and three accessed the Radial Menu. Using the tablet inside Photoshop meant that we could enjoy full control over our brush settings, with the high pressure sensitivity capturing every amount of force applied to its surface. Unlike a mouse, the ability to gradually increase the size of each brush stroke with more and more pressure is something digital painters will relish. If painting isn’t your thing, the pressure sensitivity makes retouching tasks much easier, and controlling tools for tricky cutouts is a dream.

The verdict

9

The Intuos Pro provides the perfect platform for honing your painting and editing skills. It furnishes the user with total control over their tools.

Custom brushes

Build the perfect watercolour brush with the Intuos Pro tablet

The Intuos Pro features a Radial Menu as part of the stylus. This provides shortcuts to the most-used commands, such as stepping back through History States and saving images. Being able to assign our favourite keyboard shortcuts to this Radial Menu was useful for speeding up the editing processes and reducing the need for the keyboard altogether.

Select tool

Colour combination

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The first thing is to pick the Brush tool (the shortcut B can be assigned to an ExpressKey). In Photoshop’s Options bar, turn on ‘Always use pressure for Size’ for a more natural brush stroke and reduce Flow to 70%.

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Define a colour for both your Foreground and Background swatches. The colours can be combined for a more expressive brush. Load up the Brush palette by going to Window>Brush.

WorldMags.net LESS IS MUCH MORE

The thin and lightweight design of the Intuos Pro helps it to be portable. What’s more, its svelte exterior means there are no issues storing it when it isn’t being used.

WORK WITH THE GRIP PEN

USE THE TOUCH RING

The Grip Pen feels solid in the fingers. The rubber coating running two thirds of the way up meant that our grip was rarely lost while working around the tablet’s active area.

Four LEDs light up around the Touch Ring to show which position it’s in. Running a finger clockwise or anticlockwise over this gives access to shortcuts such as rotating and zooming into Photoshop’s canvas.

LEFT OR RIGHT HANDED? The Intuos Pro caters for left- or righthanded artists. Holding the Grip Pen in one hand, we could comfortably select one of the ExpressKeys with the other.

Dual Brush

Scatter settings

Color Dynamics

03 

04 

05 

Select the Spatter brush tip and click on Dual Brush. For this, select a Dry Brush with Spacing of 40%, Scatter of 290% and Count 1. Tick the Wet Edges box and test out the brush on a textured paper surface.

Tick Scattering and set Scatter to 530% and Count to 3. Tick Both Axes and set Control to Pen Pressure. Because we have Flow set to 70%, paint can be built up using multiple strokes on top of each other.

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To complete the brush, tick the Color Dynamics option. Set the Foreground/ Background Jitter to 60% and tick Apply Per Tip. Set Control to Pen Pressure and Hue Jitter to 22%. Now test out the new tip!

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REVIEWSWorldMags.net REDBUBBLE.COM CREATE A JOURNAL As well as uploading designs to the site, you can also write journal posts to keep everyone updated about your current projects and works-in-progress.

BROWSE THE BLOG The Redbubble blog features interesting tips, tutorials, interviews and reviews relating to the world of design. You can also check out featured artists and collections.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF You can enter regular challenges asking for designs based around certain topics and themes, or set your own for others to take part in.

Standout feature A community vibe

WEBSITE Web www.redbubble.com

Redbubble

Joining existing Redbubble groups or hosting your own is a great way to interact with fellow designers about subjects you care about. You can share your work, chat via the forum and promote any featured art via a slideshow that you can post to your own website or blog.

Make money from your designs on T-shirts, stickers and much more

I

f you’ve ever wanted to see your Photoshop designs on a T-shirt, iPhone case or poster, then the Redbubble service can help you out. The website serves as a platform for artists, designers and photographers to sell their artwork on a global scale, printing it on all sorts of everyday products for anyone to buy online. Over 225,000 artists have already signed up to Redbubble and there is an incredible 5,000 to 10,000 new works of art uploaded to the site every week. Redbubble is completely free for anyone to sign up. Once we had created our own account, we could then go swiftly move to creating an online portfolio to showcase our artwork and organise them into collections. The pricing is down to you, as you can set your own margin on top of the base price of

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each product, then Redbubble takes care of all the payments, production, packaging and shipping for you. It’s very easy to track your order on the website, and Redbubble sends any earnings made to you every month. The site provides great coverage for your work, with approximately five million visitors to the store each month. It sells to over 150 countries worldwide and there have been so far over one million orders since the site launched in 2006. You can also use Google Analytics to find out who is looking at your work the most and how they found it, and there are helpful tips on the Redbubble blog for promoting your products and setting your pricing structure. As well as providing you with a place to make money from your art, Redbubble also serves as a design community. Using the

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Bubble Mail feature to communicate with other members, we could join groups and forums to share our ideas or simply have a chat. We could also ‘follow’ other artists to keep track of their work and they have the option to follow in return. Overall, Redbubble is a great way to make money from your designs, without the hassle of actually selling them yourself. Plus, it’s free so you really have nothing to lose.

The verdict

8

Redbubble makes it easy to earn money from your Photoshop creations. The business side is taken care of, so you are free to focus on being creative.

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WIN!

WORTH

£99!

A NIKON CAMERA Here’s your chance to win a Nikon COOLPIX S3500 to capture incredible imagery for your Photoshop creations Photos are the first step to fantastic photo edits, and what better way to instil a sense of satisfaction into your edits than capturing the start photos yourself? That’s why we’re giving you the chance to win this great Nikon CoolPIX S3500 worth £99. With close attention paid to design and detail, the slender 20-megapixel COOLPIX S3500 fits in your hand like it was made to be there. Deliciously colourful and easy to use, this camera is the perfect companion for lives lived to the full and on the go. The 7x NIKKOR optical zoom lens with vibration reduction technology delivers clear photos and crisp video clips, which you can view with ease on the large LCD screen. Smart auto functions offer great results and allow you to enhance photos on the spot using fun in-camera filter effects. For more info visit www.nikon.co.uk.

HOW TO ENTER… All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning this great camera is head to

www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/survey and fill in a short readers’ survey. It really is that simple! Terms and conditions Closing date for the competition prize is 31 January 2014. One entry per person. No employees, freelancers or close associates of Imagine Publishing or Nikon, may enter. Editor’s decision is final and no cash alternative will be offered. The prize is subject to availability. If, for any reason, the prize becomes unavailable Nikon UK reserves the right to supply a suitable alternative prize of similar value.

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PHOTOSHOP & ELEMENTS

We put a range of niggling questions to our panel of editing experts!

Meet your experts… Sara Biddle “The key to a successful image adjustment is hunting down a nice balance – the best way is to just trust your instincts!”

HOW CAN I GET CREATIVE WITH LAYER STYLES AND FILTERS IN PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS? Create the bulbs using the Elliptical Marquee tool and fill with black. Use the Liquify filter to create the tube and duplicate the layer, flip vertically and merge. Now press F6, and under Styles, choose Wow Plastic Gray. Open the layer style and uncheck the Drop Shadow and Outer box. Create the sand using the Noise filter or stock images. Place in your hourglass, Ctrl/rightclick on the layers and choose Create Clipping

Mask. To add the highlights, create a new black layer, and then go to Filter>Render>Lens Flare. Choose the Lens Type 50-300mm and click OK. Go to Filter>Distort>Polar Coordinates and choose Polar to Rectangle. Flip the layer vertically and go to Polar Coordinate again and choose Rectangular to Polar. Select, press Cmd/ Crtl+J, resize and change the blend mode to Screen, place over the layers and clip the layer.

Daniel Sinoca “When it comes to simple solutions, the Effects panel in Elements gives you the creativity to enhance your images further.”

Jenni Sanders “It’s great how Photoshop constantly evolves and expands. The possibilities for creativity just get bigger and bigger!”

Simon Skellon “Elements is excellent for editing photos, it’s a great alternative to the full Suite or Creative Cloud and great for a beginner.”

Andre Villanueva

Start images

“3D is always fun to play around with and now with CC you don’t need an Extended version to play with it.”

Get in touch Share your tips with us on Twitter @PshopCreative Post queries on our Facebook page PhotoshopCreative Alternatively, you can email: [email protected]

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PHOTOSHOP & ELEMENTS Common problems solved WorldMags.net

Before

HOW CAN I GIVE MY LANDSCAPE IMAGES MORE IMPACT? HDR images consist of duplicates of the same image taken at different exposures to enhance quality and overall appeal. We can use very basic tools to imitate this effect. Open up ‘DownTheRocks.jpg’ from the supplied files, and duplicate the image’s layer twice with Cmd/Ctrl+J. On the bottom layer duplicate, press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+U to Desaturate, then Cmd/ Ctrl+I to Invert the layer. Change this layer’s blend mode to Overlay. Switch over to the topmost duplicate, and change the layer’s blend mode to Vivid Light. Lower this layer’s Opacity to about 50%, or until the result is nicely balanced. As a last step, we’ll add some sharpening to the image. Press Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/ Alt+Shift+E to merge all visible layers together on a new layer. Go to Filter>Other>High Pass or Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask. Set the Radius to around 2 pixels. If using a High Pass filter, change the layer’s blend mode to Overlay.

HOW CAN I CONVERT A PHOTO TO A VECTOR-BASED VERSION OF ITSELF? A good way is by using the Pen tool (P). Open ‘Carbefore.jpg’ from the supplied files and imagine the image in blocks of colour. Select the Pen tool and click to create your first point. Draw around the first block using Cmd/Ctrl and drag to move points you’ve created and Opt/Alt and drag to adjust the curve. When you’ve drawn your first shape, make a new layer with Cmd/ Ctrl+Shift+N, Ctrl/right-click>Fill Path. Select Color and use the

Eyedropper to pick a colour from the photo. To keep everything flexible, create a new layer per shape. This also allows the layer order to be adjusted. For details, use the Pen tool again to outline, and this time select Stroke Path. Select your tool as Brush; making sure your Brush is set to 100% Hardness and the size and colour you want. By checking Stimulate Pressure you can add some extra depth to your detail.

Before

Sara’s expert edit Improve exposure with Levels

01

Open up Levels by pressing Cmd/Ctrl+L, or you can find it by clicking the Adjustments icon in the Layers panel and selecting from the pop-up list.

02

Underneath the histogram is a set of sliders. These control black, midtone, and white respectively. To increase contrast, move the outer points inward.

03

Midtones are controlled by the middle slider. When moved left, the image lightens, and opposite for the right. Adjust this slider to find a nice tonal balance.

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04

Use your judgment to what needs editing and adjust as necessary. Pressing Opt/Alt as you slide shows where the shadows and highlights are being clipped.

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Common problems solved PHOTOSHOP & ELEMENTS WorldMags.net Andre’s expert edit How to make a glowing text effect

01

Add a Color Fill layer with Add text with the Type tool Apply scattered brushes of your chosen colour and mask and double-click its layer different sizes to different away with a soft brush to leave a to open Layer Styles. Apply Outer layers to create depth. Apply a central glow. On a blank layer go to and Inner Glows, as well as Gradient central glow with a white brush and Render>Cloud and mask away areas. Overlay using the image colours. the Gaussian Blur filter.

02

03

BLEND THE CLOUDS

04

Use the Color Balance and Levels adjustment layers to colourise and bring the composition to life. Use Filter>Render>Lens Flare to complete the piece.

LENS FLARES

The smoke was created using the Clouds filter, with its layer set to Soft Light to bring through the vibrant colour underneath.

Lens flares can sometimes be over the top, but by keeping them small and discrete they help to add light and depth between the glowing specks.

COLOUR ADJUSTMENTS The Magenta/Green slider in the Color Balance adjustment was shifted all the way to Magenta, with Cyan/Red set to -59 and Yellow/Blue set to +33.

FONT CHOICE

MASKING TRICKS Just by applying a simple mask and painting away parts of the text layer, glow effects can be brought forward and given more impact.

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The font was Zapfino Regular, and as a script font it helps to give this composition style and elegance to match the background effects.

PHOTOSHOP & ELEMENTS Common problems solved WorldMags.net

WHAT SORT OF EFFECTS CAN BE MADE WITH THE CUSTOM SHAPE TOOL IN PHOTOSHOP? USE LAYER STYLES Even when using vectors you can use layer styles. Ctrl/right-click on the layer and select Blending Options. An Outer Glow is used here, but have fun playing around with different effects.

FIND CUSTOM SHAPES Photoshop is full of creative custom shapes as default. Find them by dragging out the Custom Shapes tool icon (U) and pick your shape from the Options bar.

TRANSFORM To get new and abstract shapes, try creating a custom shape and then hit Cmd/Ctrl+T to transform. Ctrl/right-click and use the Warp option to produce some interesting results.

GROUPS Using groups helps speed up your designs. All shapes in a group will behave the same and can be affected by the same layer masks and layer styles.

OVERLAY LAYERS New shapes by default will draw on to a separate layer. This gives a lot of room for moving them about and overlapping to create cool new shapes and effects.

HOW CAN I USE THE CAMERA RAW FILTER IN PHOTOSHOP CC TO ADD EFFECTS TO PORTRAITS? The new Camera Raw filter makes it easier than ever to bring high level image processing to your non-destructive workflow. In its agile new form, Camera Raw opens right inside Photoshop as a filter, and any image can benefit from its potent range of adjustments; not just those from high-end cameras. Follow along by grabbing ‘CameraRawBefore.jpg’ from the supplied files and Ctrl/right-click on the photo layer and choose Convert to Smart Object. Go to Filter>Camera Raw Filter. Start with the HSL/Grayscale tab and tick Convert to Grayscale. Next, go to Split Toning and assign an appropriate Hue/Saturation for Highlights and Shadows. Use Balance to favour either end. Go to the Basic tab and slide Clarity gently leftward to get a subtle soft glow. Under Effects, you can easily add and configure a vignette and a touch of grain to finalise.

Before

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Common problems solved PHOTOSHOP & ELEMENTS WorldMags.net HOW CAN I REMOVE DISTRACTING OBJECTS FROM AN IMAGE?

FROM THIS…

…TO THIS!

Photoshop has a couple of helpful tools for removing objects or people that shouldn’t be there or sneaked into the frame at the last moment. The Patch tool works tremendously with patterns and similar surrounding objects such as grass. Open up the image ‘Landscape.jpg’ from the supplied files and duplicate the Background layer by pressing Cmd/Ctrl+J. Select the tool from under the Spot Healing Brush group (J). For this image, set the tool to the Normal and Source in the Options bar. Draw around the person in the middle, leaving a slight gap, and then drag the selected over to the left side where there’s lots of similar pixels. Notice that some grass in the background is not aligned with the rest of the image. Select the Clone Stamp tool set to 50% Hardness and 100% Opacity, and press Opt/Alt to sample some pixels from the field to go over the top of the grass. Save the image as a PSD file to retain the layers.

WHAT ARE LAYER MASKS FOR IN ELEMENTS AND HOW CAN I USE THEM WITH MY PHOTOS?

PREVIEW

JPEG OR GIF?

DIMENSIONS

At 100% magnification, your image is displayed as it will appear.

For normal images stick to using JPEG. For graphics and text, GIF is better.

Work out how big you want the final image to be, then input the desired dimensions.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO SAVE IMAGES FOR UPLOADING TO THE WEB? If you regularly use websites such as Facebook, Pinterest or Tumblr to upload images, then use the Save for Web option in Photoshop’s File menu to prepare them properly. The Save for Web feature will instantly convert your images toAfter sRGB (the ideal colour space for websites) and also gives you options to customise image dimensions. Set normal images to JPEG and

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the Quality setting between 80 and 90. Tick Optimized and Convert to sRGB to make images web-friendly. To reduce the time it takes to upload images, set Image Size to around 900 pixels for the Width or Height (whichever side is the longest). Now hit Save to store this web-ready version of your image straight to a folder for safekeeping.

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Layer masks hide portions of an image, revealing the layer below. They are a handy tool for combining two or more photos into a single image, or for making corrections in photos. The easiest way to create a layer mask is by selecting the portion of the image you want to keep visible, and then pressing the Add Layer Mask button located on the top of the Layers panel. The portion of the image filled with white keeps the image visible and the portion in black masks out the parts you want to hide. Another way to create a layer mask is by using the Refine Edge. Select your image and go to Select>Refine Edge. On the Output box choose Output to: New Layer with Layer Mask and then click OK. Layer masks are ideal for creating invitations, postcards and even photomontages!

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Imagine Publishing Ltd Richmond House 33 Richmond Hill Bournemouth Dorset BH2 6EZ  +44 (0) 1202 586200 Web: www.photoshopcreative.co.uk www.imagine-publishing.co.uk www.greatdigitalmags.com

Magazine team Deputy Editor Charis Webster [email protected]  01202 586220

Editor in Chief Dan Hutchinson Features Editor Simon Skellon Sub Editor Tim Williamson Photographer James Sheppard Senior Art Editor Duncan Crook Head of Publishing Aaron Asadi Head of Design Ross Andrews Contributors Amro Ashry, Matt Bennett, Sam Brewster, Jo Cole, David & Sarah Cousens, Cybele Eloy, Marcus Faint, Matt Henry, Steven Lake, Luisa Nastasa, Daniel Sinoca, Adam Smith and Andre Villuaneva

Advertising Digital or printed media packs are available on request. Head of Sales Hang Deretz  01202 586442 [email protected] Advertising Manager Jennifer Farrell  01202 586430 [email protected] Account Manager Becky Palmer  01202 586438 [email protected]

Cover disc Head of Digital Mat Toor [email protected] Multimedia Editor Frank Nicholls [email protected]

International Photoshop Creative is available for licensing. Contact the International department to discuss partnership opportunities. Head of International Licensing Cathy Blackman  +44 (0) 1202 586401 [email protected]

Subscriptions [email protected] For all subscription enquiries email: [email protected]  UK 0844 848 8415  Overseas +44 1795 592 871 13 issue subscription (UK) – £62.40 13 issue subscription (Europe) – £70 13 issue subscription (ROW) – £80

Circulation Head of Circulation Darren Pearce  01202 586200

Production Production Director Jane Hawkins  01202 586200

Founders Group Managing Director Damian Butt Group Finance Director Steven Boyd Group Creative Director Mark Kendrick

Printing & Distribution Printed by Wyndeham Heron Ltd, Bentails Complex, Colchester Road, Heybridge, Maldon, Essex, CM9 4NW Distributed in the UK & Eire by : Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT  0207 429 4000 Distributed in Australia by: Gordon & Gotch, Equinox Centre, 18 Rodborough Road, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086  + 61 2 9972 8800 Distributed in the rest of the world by: Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU  0203 148 8105

Disclaimer The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. Photoshop is either a registered trademark or trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries and is used with express permission.

© Imagine Publishing Ltd 2013 ISSN 1747-7816z

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Interview

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Geisha’s Dream Soul Space

Colorful

“I want it so that when people look at my work, a hypothetical story is created in their minds”

I chose a background with a sunset, and I placed the geisha in the right position to create a balanced composition.

We talk to Erika ‘Doucesse’ De Francesco to find out how her relationship with Photoshop began

T

Why did you start learning Photoshop? I was curious to know how other artists were able to achieve certain results. For me, I wanted to re-create extraordinary images. In 2006 a friend of mine, who is very good at digital art, encouraged me to learn Photoshop.

Can you tell us about your creative process?

evoke certain emotions. I want it so that when people look at my work, a hypothetical story is created in their minds.

What are your favourite tools? Surely it’s the Pen tool, which I use to cut out subjects and also draw with. If used in a discreet way, the Smudge tool is very useful to give a painted effect on subjects, especially on skin. Then, of course, brushes to paint hair with the help of my graphics tablet. For more work by Erika De Francesco, visit www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/ Doucesse Alice and the White Rabbit

Sometimes I have very clear ideas in mind and I go immediately in search of the appropriate stock images. Other times, it’s the stock image that gives me an idea. In my mind I try to visualise the end result. Then, I start to create, and as I go forward various elements are added to ‘fill’ the composition.

I blurred the landscape and altered the contrast and colour of the geisha to be in harmony with the landscape. The result was a warmer tone.

Careful brushwork I started to paint over areas, such as the hair and other details of the face and dress, to add more interest to the overall piece.

I added the branches to the left and some yellow lights. I also adjusted highlights and shadows, and added more contrast to the overall image.

First of all I try to get a good result aesthetically speaking. But at the same time I also want to

Photoshop Creative

Match tones

Depth and drama

What do you look to achieve?

98

How Erika composed her Eastern-inspired artwork

Compose layers

Erika De Francesco he passion starts off differently for everyone. For Erika it began in 2006 when she approached Photoshop out of simple curiosity, with the idea of creating stories out of stock images. We look at the processes behind her Geisha’s Dream image and also discover what her favourite tools are in Photoshop.

The Making Of Geisha’s Dream

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