Photoshop Creative

ALL THE TUTORIAL FILES YOU NEED Available to download from blog.photoshopcreative.co.uk/tutorial-files

NEW!

10-PAGE SPECIAL

ELEMENTS

12

TURN PICTURES INTO PAINTINGS

Learn how to create amazing art effects ě Pencil sketch ě Oil painting ě Watercolour

L A C I T C PRA SHOP ?

MAKE VECTORS FROM SKETCHES Discover how to turn any sketches into editable Photoshop shapes

& TRICKS  TUTORIALS  FEATURES  TIPS

LEARN TO PAINT PET PORTRAITS How to turn landscape, portrait or pet pictures into works of digital art

CONQUER BRUSHES TODAY Learn new skills with the best guide to the Brush tool

PHOTO ILLS TIPS & SK

crets e s t r e p x E  ls  Layer essentia guides x fi o t o h P  s p Tool worksho

14 ESSENTIAL TUTORIALS

STEP-BY-STEPS CREATIVE PROJECTS

ěũDesign creative posters ěũũUse adjustment layers ěũMake digital sketches ěũMaster the Pen tool

ISSUE 106

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

Upload your images to our website

www.photoshopcreative.co.uk

Become part of our Facebook crew

search for photoshopcreative A little birdy said you should

follow us @pshopcreative You can make this amazing composition now! Head over to page 24 for the step-by-step guide…

Welcome 5

things you will learn this issue

01 Make an amazing montage Learn the tricks and skills you need to turn any portrait into a beautiful vintage composition

02 Vibrant edits with Elements 12 A stunning photographic effect made simple

03 An interview with a pro A Q&A with a Photoshop pro uncovers how and why his work’s appeared on the global stage

Here it is, the ultimate tips and tricks guide! This issue you’ll find essential editing tool guides and step-by-step tutorials galore to get your Photoshop skills up to scratch. Kick off with a 10-page special (p12) showing you how to give your photos a painterly makeover. Turn your snaps into watercolours, sketches, oil paintings and more! Head over to page 30 to create a beautiful vintage collage inspired by yesteryear. With the recent launch of Photoshop Elements 12, we’re excited to get stuck into some of the latest additions (p48), and for a chance to win a copy yourself, trot to page 87 now! I’m always on the lookout for work to appear in the next issue, so drop me a line at [email protected] and your work might just make it!

04 Turn your sketches to vectors Doodle anything you want and make it editable

05 Master real-media effects 10 pages of turning pictures into paintings

Charis Webster Editor [email protected]

ISSUE 107 ON SALE 14 NOVEMBER! WorldMags.net

3

Contents

WorldMags.net www.photoshopcreative.co.uk

Essentials

06

Visit the Photoshop Creative online shop at

for back issues, books and merchandise

Readers’ gallery Our talented readers show us what they’ve got

10

Readers’ challenge

12

Feature: Turn photos into paintings

Some fantastic entries and a fantastic prize to be won

Don’t miss this ultimate guide to real-media effects

24

Tutorials

82

Review special

68

Subscribe

90

Q&A essentials

96

On the disc

98

Expert interview

Your practical, step-by-step tutorials kick off here 6 pages on the latest Elements 12 and the chance to win a copy! Save money when you subscribe (US readers p88) Your Photoshop and Elements questions put to our experts Your jam-packed disc with incredible freebies How one digital artist got his work on the global stage

Top tips 22

Top ten Check out our top ten tips for digital painting

12

TURN PICTURES INTO PAINTINGS 10 pages of stunning real-media effects from watercolour to pencil sketch

Readers’ gallery 06

4

Q&A: Your Photoshop questions answered P90

WorldMags.net

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

30%

amazing deal! US page 68

Tutorials 24 Use brushes for

surreal composites

Master incredible scenes in this easy-to-follow guide

30 Create a vintage montage

Make this vivid composition using supplied resources

30

Vintage collage A step-by-step guide to retro fantastic 64

38

HDR 36 Re-create Use perfect photos for perfect Photoshop edits

38 Paint with brushes and filters

Make a beautiful scene by layering and painting

42

Design your own poster Be creative with great editing techniques from an expert

42

48 Zoom burst in Elements 12

Learn new techniques and create this stunning effect

52 Re-create traditional film effects

A guide to FilmPack4 and a special discount code

54 Turn sketches to vectors

Doodle anything and turn it into an editable vector

60 Make a stunning panorama

Seamlessly stitch together photos for a perfect panorama

64 Illustrate with the Pen tool

Master the Pen tool in this incredible step-by-step guide

72

WI

! A COPN Y OF E

LEMENT S pa

12

Surreal 24 compositions Create this vivid masterpiece now!

87

ge

New to Photoshop? Check out our introductory guide

colours objects 70 Replace 76 Remove Fix compositions for the Change colour in an instant with this unmissable trick

Tilt-Shift effect 72 Give your photos a toy-town effect

WorldMags.net

perfect photograph

landscapes 78 Stylised Merge two photos for a vivid, creative scene

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 JL Meana www.photoshop creative.co.uk/user/ JLMeana

“I filled each layer with colour all with an Opacity setting of around 15%. The Smudge tool at 3px Size and 85% Opacity was applied across the surface of the image, varying the Hardness of the tool to outline the details.”

Horace Camilleri www.photoshop creative.co.uk/user/ horcam

“In this photo I wanted to dramatise the scene. To bring out the effect I used a combination of Gradient Fills and adjustment layers including Brightness/Contrast and Levels. A grunge texture was added to finish off the photo.”

6

Photoshop Creative

WorldMags.net

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

WorldMags.net

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]

Jenny Laatsch www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/Jennlaa

“I painted ‘Dragonfly’ just for fun when I downloaded a free trial of Camtasia 2 for a speed painting video. I’ve always been a huge fan of drawing these beautiful little creatures and it seemed like the perfect subject for my first attempt at a speed painting video. I created it using Photoshop CS4 and my Wacom Intuos4, and worked on it for four to five hours.”

Bandula Samarasekera www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/bandulabcomarts

“I used basic painting and colour corrections in this photomanipulation. I added shimmers, glows and light effects including gold highlights. A number of Photoshop tools were used to create the image, such as masking, Color Balance, clipping masks and the Smudge tool. The Warp Transform helped to bend the fish, while loads of retouching and editing went into the scales. ”

Marcos Ramello www.photoshop creative.co.uk/user/ marcosramello

“I used Photoshop CC’s Oil Paint filter and Gaussian Blur to create this effect. I also found the Hue/ Saturation adjustment to come in handy for adapting colour.”

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

7

WorldMags.net

Bill Bonaros www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/Billybon

“I started by cutting the beach from the stock photo using the Pen tool. I went on to cut out parts of the mountains from the same photo and put them under the beach. The balloons are in reality three copies. However, their hue is totally different. I also used brushes for the clouds and then I drew the waterfall.”

Matteo Franchetto www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/Matteo_Franchetto

“I used more than 20 images as sources. To model the armour around the body of the penguin, I selected the parts needed using the Pen tool for more precision. Every part of armour is placed in its own layer. Some parts and smaller details were created by brushwork, or using texture. The background is done in the same way; using various sources and adapting these to the lighting of the scene.”

Start image

Brian Ibinson www.photoshop creative.co.uk/user/ brian.ibinson

“I photographed ‘Warm Summer Breeze’ in my local park and wanted to give it the feeling of a relaxing summer’s day. I chose to use a watercolour effect to give it softness. Using a drawing first, and then the Smudge tool, I took the photograph and put this on top. For the photograph I used blurring, Curves adjustment, filters and then blending. ”

8

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

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

“The majority of this image is made up of stock photos pieced together in such a way as to capture a snapshot of a fantasy realm. The flower stem, glass ball and everything in the glass ball were hand drawn. Nature can be a great inspiration to artists, regardless of media, style and genre.”

Thomas Lennon www.photoshop creative.co.uk/ user/LittleTimmy

“My main objective with this was to create something a bit surreal and eye-catching. Focusing on the strength of the colours really made this image stand out. ”

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

1

Readers’e Challeng WINNER

2

overall challenge winner

1 Adrian Schmit Smiling Cyborg “This is based on the portrait from issue 104, enhanced with other images, brushwork and several filters. It’s between a painting and photomontage.”

2 Kev Rowley The Travel Agent “This is a blend of three images from the challenge. After selecting and arranging them into a composition, trying to make it look realistic, I found myself staring at The Travel Agent.”

3

3 Kellie Bave Tracking a Thief “I used all of the images to create a futuristic touch screen computer.”

4 Andre Van Graan Desert Beauty “I did a lot of adjustments on different layers and then used filters to blur and sharpen the image.”

Simon’s choice “Adrian’s image has an incredible amount of detail, making it really stand out from the crowd.”

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

4 WORTH

THE PRIZE £79.70! Cosmic Pack 3 plus add-ons

Enter and you could win a great set of actions from www. digitalheavens.co.uk. Cosmic Pack 3 will help you make planets to add to your projects. On top of this, an array of add-ons guide you through the process of making space art. Upload your images now for your chance to win!

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

DOMAINS Choose from over 700 new top-level domains! Create a short, memorable web address that perfectly fits your business or website theme, like fashion.blog, kitchens.online or john-smith.london. You can also make your website easier to find by getting new extensions for your current domain. With almost 20 million registered domains, 1&1 is Europe’s market leader for domain registration. Thanks to integrated forwarding features, domains registered with us can be quickly and easily connected with any website, no matter which web hosting provider you use. Find out more at 1and1.co.uk

NEW! PRE-ORDER

FREE

WITH NO OBLIGATION!*

DOMAINS | MAIL | WEB HOSTING | E-COMMERCE | SERVERS

1and1.co.uk

* Pre-ordering a domain name is not a guarantee that the domain will be registered. If your requested domain has already been pre-ordered, you will be added to a waiting list for that domain.

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

SKETCH IT OUT Use a small hard brush, or pick the Pencil tool to create a rough sketch. Don’t worry about being too precise; a few rough lines will help your image look all the more realistic.

TURNPICTURESINTO Transform Photoshop into a digital canvas using these fail-safe techniques for realistic media effects igital art is a fantastic avenue for tools used. This means that whatever The experts… creatives to explore, with a host of version of Photoshop you have, you will be

D

techniques and tools to help you make something to be proud of. But there can be an issue with digital artwork. Unless a concerted effort is made, the results can lack the texture and tactile nature of real media. Now we said that an effort needs to be made. The good news is that even a small amount of effort can give a fantastic result. By getting clever with a combination of techniques, you can make amazing art. Over the following pages you will discover the all tricks needed for emulating traditional art media. In researching these, we deliberately limited the equipment and

12

Photoshop Creative

able to follow along. Yes, CS5 and above has a bunch of shiny real media brushes all ready and raring to go, but if you have a different version, you won’t be left behind. Everything is created with a mouse and photos are used as the basis, so you don’t even have to be able to draw. In addition to a general look at the best painting tools, we have four projects that create digital versions of popular mediums; namely oil, charcoal, watercolour and pencil sketch. We will share our tricks for recreating them in Photoshop, helping ensure you get the best results every time.

WorldMags.net

Jo Cole Being an extremely frustrated artist, with an inability to draw, Photoshop is a saviour

Simon Skellon There’s something very satisfying about turning your family photos into paintings

Charis Webster I love to draw and paint, so achieving cool effects digitally is a really great challenge

SCATTER THE BRUSH

WorldMags.net

If you increase the Scattering value from the Brush palette, you can rough up the edges of your brush and make it look more realistic. Uniform strokes are the hallmark of digital – real media is more random.

You will learn all these skills PREPPING IMAGES How to edit photos for painting and scanning tips MIXED MEDIA WITH BLEND MODES To add the final flourish to your painting, scan in some real brush marks and use the blend modes to make them merge with your image. Adjust the colour with Hue/Saturation to make things just so.

BRUSHES AND LAYERS Guides for controlling how a brush looks and using effects

PROJECT 1

INTRODUCE TEXTURE Once you have sorted the main image, be bold with large, sweeping textured strokes. Use the Texture setting from the Brush palette to make a defined pattern and ensure the Opacity slider in Transfer is low for maximum effect.

PAINT AN OIL LANDSCAPE Combine brush control with filters for oil paintings

PROJECT 2

CHARCOAL PORTRAITS Essential image edits to guarantee realistic charcoal effects

PROJECT 3

WATERCOLOUR EFFECTS Incorporate real brush marks for the ultimate real media image

PROJECT 4

SKETCH STUDIES

How filters can turn any image into a good-looking sketch KNOW YOUR TOOLS You have different ways of applying paint in Photoshop, but all will use brush tips to give the final effect. Here the Smudge tool was used to smear and blend splots of colour, with an oil brush tip for the buttery, smooth finish.

On the disc BUMPER BRUSH PACK AND MORE ON YOUR RESOURCE DISC! WorldMags.net

13

TURNPICTURES INTO

PAINTINGS

WorldMags.netExpert tip Fix messy scans

A few preparation tricks to get your artwork underway Just as a traditional artist might make some preliminary sketches or colour studies before creating a main image, there are a few tasks the digital artist can do to set themselves up for a more successful result. All of these can be followed whatever style you are working in, and will help ensure that you give your work the best start possible.

Step by step Scan in elements Transport sketches or marks from the real world into your digital world

If you have scanned in a sketch and find that the Levels command is picking up unwanted detail, use the Black and White command instead. Sometimes your scanner will pick up texture in the background, which the Levels adjustment accentuates. A quick whack of Black and White, however, and you can proceed with the Levels as normal.

Create your elements

To the scanner!

Edit for use

01

02

03

We are going to scan in some charcoal marks to turn into brushes. The first task is obviously to make the marks, in this case charcoal on white paper. Use a pale background if possible. You can also use this technique to scan your sketches.

Although scanning software differs, there is one thing you absolutely have to do. Look for the setting to dictate the resolution of the object you are scanning – put this to 600. That way you have a bit more flexibility in terms of editing and use.

Open your scan and use Image> Adjustments>Levels in Photoshop or Enhance>Adjust Lighting>Levels in Elements to whiten the background and darken the sketch. Drag the white slider to the left, and the black slider to the right.

CORRECT COLOUR

Part of the joy of painting with Photoshop is that you can play with colour in a way that is out of reach to traditional artists. Let’s say you have a daytime shot but you want to paint a sunset scene. Open up the Photo Filter command and apply a deep yellow or red filter. Job done! Maybe you are going to paint a portrait, but aren’t keen on the colour clothes the subject is wearing. Make a selection of the area and use Hue/Saturation to alter the colour. Once you have finished the painting, you might find that it looks a little drab. Use the Vibrance command to inject some zing, or use Brightness/Contrast to strengthen the highlights or shadows.

CONSTRUCT SCENES Even if you are solely relying on a photo for reference, you don’t have to put up with what reality serves. Use the selection tools, copy and paste, plus some transform magic to construct the precise scene you want. In our example, the starting photo was okay but it lacked foreground interest. This was fixed by selecting trees and flowers from another image, and copying and pasting them. The Free Transform tool was used to get these pasted objects to the right size. Another sky was also added. It doesn’t matter if the selections aren’t perfect or the objects a bit pixellated, as this will all be hidden with a layer of digital paint!

14

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

Become accustomed to the best tools Obviously there is a high amount of creative freedom when it comes to you actually making your painting, but there are also a few set skills and elements that you will call upon whatever type of image you are dabbling with. All of these will make an appearance in your work. You may only use one or two at a time, but keep them in mind and you can rest assured your work will shine.

FRAMES Create a mount by cutting out an area on a

BRUSHES

document and applying a small bevel. For a simple frame, use a big brush on a new layer over the painting, click on one corner, hold Shift and click in the opposite corner. Repeat for all edges.

The key to a realistic effect is picking the correct brush. Photoshop and Elements ship with a raft of brush tips’ some tailored to media effects such as oil, watercolour and pastel. These, coupled with the tweaks that can be made should be all you need. If not, you can pick up free brushes online, or if you have a specific need, make your own.

FILTERS Although Photoshop hasn’t got a filter that will instantly create a great work of art (and we have looked!), they work well for prepping a photo. The Artistic filters are a treasure trove for this, with Cutout and Palette Knife being the best.

SPECIAL TOOLS

LAYERS

The Smudge tool and the Art History tool (the Impressionist brush in Elements) can take colour and shape information from a photo and then translate the information into the effect of whatever brush is chosen.

An artist has to wait for paint to dry if they want to add paint on top of paint, but we get to do it instantly thanks to the Layers palette. In addition to isolating different areas on layers so they can be edited without affecting the rest of the image, layers also offer blend modes to incorporate texture and layer styles for special effects.

SET UP THE CANVAS A lot of artists will roughly block in a canvas with colour to avoid staring at a blank space, and you can do the same when setting up your document. Pick a colour that complements the overall tone of your image (red for warm scenes, blue for cool) and brush over at low opacity. Also use the Texturizer filter or Texture layer style to add a texture.

MAKING SELECTIONS Selections are great for building a start photo, or isolating areas for specific brushwork, colour tweaks or deletion (things don’t always go right!). And you don’t have to be too precise, because you can paint over any stray pixels.

JO’S EXPERT ADVICE “Try using brushes as stamps. Instead of sweeping them over the canvas, click once to dab. This is particularly effective for giving the impression WorldMags.net of paint splats. 15

WorldMags.net

SHAPE DYNAMICS

TEXTURE AND TRANSFER

Without Scattering

With Scattering

SCATTERING This option is very important if you are emulating a charcoal, chalk or pastel effect, as by whacking the Scatter slider up, you can give the effect of using the charcoal or pastel on its side. Artists do this to quickly block in large areas.

Normal

SPACING

SCATTERING

Size Jitter

Angle Jitter

SHAPE DYNAMICS The brushes are essential tools in your digital painting quest, so learn how to blend them to your will The brushes in Photoshop would be pretty smart on their own, but combined with the customisation options in the Brush palette, you have all you need to get the precise look you want. In addition to the obvious size and opacity options, you can play with texture, wetness, angles and more. If you have a graphics tablet, ensure you enable pressure sensitivity so you can adapt settings by pushing harder or lighter. For everyone else, get used to using the [ and ] keys to change brush size and keep the Brush palette open to make changes on the fly.

16

Two sliders really stand out in this set – Size Jitter and Angle Jitter. The first alters the size of the brush as you use it. Angle Jitter alters the direction of the brush at the edges and is great for mimicking a splayed brush.

Without texture

Without spacing

With spacing With texture

TEXTURE AND TRANSFER

Use the Texture option to add texture to brushstrokes. You can pick the type of texture used as well as how visible it is. This is controlled with the Opacity Jitter slider in Transfer.

SPACING The Brush Tip Shape option holds the Spacing slider. This compresses or separates the elements that make up a brush. If you want a light, random dab of a brush, whack this slider up. For a more intense brush stroke, bring it down.

SIMON’S EXPERT CONTROL BRUSHES ADVICE IN ELEMENTS “If you always use the Select the Brush tool in Elements and hit the Brush Settings button. Here you have sliders to control Fade, Hue Jitter, same brushes, create your Scattering, Hardness and Roundness. You also have an Angle setting for adjusting the angle of a brush and enabling you to own brush set. Open the squish it. If you have a tablet, use the Tablet Settings area to decide how it is controlled. In addition to these, you can also Preset Manager and pick adjust size, opacity and blend mode from Brush Tool Options. Brushes. Find the ones you use, select them and then WorldMags.net pick Save Set.

WorldMags.net Expert tip Brush with blend modes

Use layers for the ultimate real media effects Although the vast majority of your time will revolve around the brushes you pick and how you use them, layers and layer styles will help take your work over the finishing line. Adding the look of texture and depth is the easiest way to trick the eye into thinking it is seeing a real, physical painting.

In addition to applying blend modes to an entire layer in one swathe, you can use them for every brush stroke. In this image, we used the Smudge tool on a layer set to Linear Burn. The colour is intense and vibrant compared with the Normal mode.

BLANKET TEXTURE The Filter>Texture> Texturizer command is always good for quickly adding texture over a whole layer or a selection. You can pick the type of texture to add and also control how obvious it is.

THICK MARKS The Bevel and Emboss layer style is also a darling for oil or acrylic effects. Create a new layer above your image and add a Bevel and Emboss layer style, set to Pillow Emboss. Choose your brush and pick a colour that blends with an area of your image. Make a few brush marks and it will look as though it is raised.

MAKE DETAIL STAND OUT To make fine lines stand out, a traditional artist would use a thin brush and emphasise with a highlight or shadow. Do this quickly by putting detail on a separate layer and then use the Bevel and Emboss layer style set to Inner Bevel.

KEEP ELEMENTS SAFE BLEND MODES Layer blend modes are invaluable for building up a background texture (or any areas of texture, come to that). Get your texture in place and then work through them to see which one suits your image. How they work will depend on the colours in your image, but Multiply, Overlay and Soft Light are good ones to start with.

Isolate areas on layers so they can be edited later. You might like to separate areas out into layers, or have a final one for freehand or detail work.

TIDY WITH GROUPS If you have a long list of layers that relate to the same thing, select them by Shift-clicking and go to Layer>Make Group.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

17

TURNPICTURES INTO

PAINTINGS

WorldMags.net Before

OIL LANDSCAPE Create juicy, opaque, textured works of wonder Traditional oil painting is a lot of fun that offers artists a range of possibilities. Oil paints can be diluted with turps to give a washy feel, but they are generally used opaquely. Oil paintings tend to be bumpy terrains, with layers of paint forming to give a crusty feel. You can mimic this look in Photoshop, but for a great project, print your digital oil onto inkjet canvas and embellish with real paint.

VISIBLE TEXTURE

Sticking digitally, though, the Wet Media Brushes set houses good oil options. Angle Jitter in Shape Dynamics will emulate the choppy brush movement artists favour. Use the Brush Tip Shape for the oval shape of a filbert brush. Texture-wise, oils are known for being on canvas. Make sure you have bits of canvas showing, but only in some areas. Oddly, the less texture, the more realistic it is.

After

Create a new layer and add texture with the Texturizer filter. Use blend modes to sink it into the image.

ALL HAIL CUTOUT The Cutout filter is perfect for simplifying photos to get them ready for over-painting with oil effects. Because oils are so wet, an artist has to wait for them to dry slightly before progressing. A usual workflow is a roughing in stage with very weak oil to block in tonal values, and then overlaying this with a thicker layer for more detail. The final touch is to bring in the detail. The Cutout filter is a good way to replicate this process, as you can set up your photo for each stage. Then, by forcing yourself to paint in separate layers in your document, you will find that detail from lower layers show through where you have missed parts on the layer you are currently working on (and you will miss bits!). This helps give a feeling of depth.

BUTTERY EFFECT It’s tricky to get the precise look of really thick oil paint, but one way is to make a new layer, add a Pillow emboss layer style and then using a suitable colour, brush over small areas of the image. Keep this small as it can quickly look fake.

DABBED APPLICATION Oil painters tend to dab at the canvas. You can mimic this by making an oval brush and keeping your strokes short and ‘stubby’.

FAKE REAL BRUSHES

18

WorldMags.net

Amazingly, the brushes used by oil artists can all be faked in Photoshop. The Filbert brush (sometimes called a Cat’s Tongue brush) is great for building up texture with dabs and can also be used on its side for a thick and thin effect. Use the Light Oil Flat Tip brush from Wet Media, and select the Brush Tip Shape Angle device to squeeze into an oval. An artist’s flat brush is used for blocking in large areas and can be replicated in Photoshop with the Square Brush set. Pick any of them, increase the Scatter slider from Scattering slightly, add Texture and turn Wet Edges on. Round brushes are good for detailed areas and fine lines. Go for the Basic Brushes set for this and pick a hard round brush. In Shape Dynamics increase Size, Angle and Roundness Jitter.

WorldMags.net CHARCOAL SIDE

The hair was created with a large Scatter setting, to give the impression that the area had been blocked in by a piece of charcoal on its side.

DETAIL MARKS Reduce Scatter to bring in the suggestion of detail. A crosshatch effect is nice to have in areas.

CHARCOAL PORTRAIT Get the dark and dramatic effect of charcoal without the mucky hands Charcoal is a lovely medium but mano-man is it messy! It is therefore good to know that a very realistic charcoal effect can be achieved in Photoshop. Because charcoal is so soft, any photo you are working from needs to be heavily simplified. Then it is a case of setting up a strong texture for the canvas and getting the brushes ready. The Natural Brush set offers a good range of tips; drop Spacing, increase Scattering for blocking in areas, set

Texture and play with Transfer for how light or dark you want the effect to be. Artists hold charcoal on it side for big blocks of colour, which can be handled by the Scatter option. Charcoal images usually have areas of smudging, either deliberately or because a hand has inadvertently smudged something. Simply scan in real charcoal marks and incorporate using blend modes for the ultimate realistic touch.

SOFTNESS

Step by step Prep a photo How to simplify a photo for charcoal portraits

To emulate how an artist smudges charcoal, either with their finger or a smudge stick, select an area with a high Feather and apply Gaussian Blur.

After

Before L PRACTICOAU Y S L SKIL ARN WILL LE

5 Isolate your subject

Quick tidy

01

02

Charcoal portraits are usually on a plain background, so make a rough selection of the subject. A simple Lasso will suffice. Copy and paste onto a new layer and turn off the Background layer.

If any areas were missed, pick the Eraser tool to get rid of them. This can be quite rudimentary because any mistakes can be sorted. Convert the image to black and white.

Make brushes

Turn hand-drawn 1usable scribbles into digital, brushes

Build your scenes

Build the perfect 2 start scene to create a painterly picture

Brush presets

Discover the real 3 power of the Brush tool and its variables

Prepping a photo

Why prepping your 4 start photo can make for easy painting

Bump up the contrast

The filter

03

04

Most filters work best with a decent amount of contrast. Either use the Brightness/ Contrast command or pick Vibrance. Keep tones, but aim for deep shadows and bright highlights.

Duplicate and go to Filter>Artistic> Palette Knife. This softens the edges. As a general rule, go for a Stroke Size: 45%, Stroke Detail: 3 and Softness: 8. Transfer to the canvas.

WorldMags.net

Paint texture

Add texture to brush 5 strokes for realistic oil-painted effects

Photoshop Creative

19

WorldMags.netExpert tip Step-by-step Start with Create brushes filters for watercolour

Don’t be tempted by the Watercolor filter. Your best bet is the Sumi-e filter from Artistic. This softens a photo and adds subtle bleed. Now couple with some enhanced Watercolor brushes for a killer real media combination.

WATERCOLOUR EFFECTS Pick your brush

01

A good hive of watercolour brushes is the Natural Brush 2 set. Pick a watercolour one, open the Brush palette.

Combine real brush marks with digital for a watercolour marriage made in heaven Achieving a realistic watercolour effect in Photoshop is like chasing the Holy Grail, and while we would love to say we cracked the code, it didn’t happen. To achieve the whole gamut of watercolour effects, you have to use brushes created with a real brush and real watercolours. Most watercolour paintings start with water being brushed over the paper and then colour

being added. This results in softer colours, with more intense colour in some places where the paint has pooled. Watercolour can also be used with a drier brush, and because the paper is usually rough, the paint skims the top, giving wonderful texture. Most watercolours are simple in their shapes, so don’t get caught up with trying to capture minute detail.

REAL AND DIGITAL

SOFT COLOURS

Most of the colours here were added with a digital brush, but we also used scanned in elements from real watercolour.

Watercolour paints dry pale. Achieve the same by using a brush with low opacity.

Brush shape

02

Click on Brush Tip Shape. Drag the Spacing slider to 0, to avoid drag in the brush strokes.

NO HARD BLACK

Spread out

03

Watercolour paint spreads, so go to Shape Dynamics and increase Size Jitter. Go to Scattering and increase Scatter.

You rarely see deep, dark black in watercolour paintings. Instead artists mix blue, red and brown to get a dark colour. You can just pick a dark blue or red.

ERASE FOR WHITE For highlights, artists will either use acrylic or more often, leave parts of the paper unpainted. Use the Eraser with one of your brushes to erase back to the canvas.

After

Lovely texture

04

Pick a texture in Texture, go to Transfer and increase Opacity. Finally turn Wet Edges on.

20

CHARIS’ EXPERT ADVICE “Use brushes at the largest size you can, always with a low opacity. Overlap in places to give the Before impression of watercolour paint that has blended and WorldMags.net dried darker.”

WorldMags.net GOOD BRUSHES

Brush selection is simple for a sketch effect. Either use the Pencil tool (it sits with the Brush tool) or open the Basic Brush set and pick a small Hard Mechanical brush.

SKETCH STUDIES Combine auto commands and filters for graphite art We’ve all created a pencil sketch of some sorts at one stage in our lives, so this is an easy one to get to grips with. You don’t have to worry about texture, and a lot of the effect can be handled by Photoshop; you just have to control sliders. But for the best results, you need to roll up your sleeves and go freestyle. A pencil sketch has clear characteristics. If a large area is to be covered, you need to mimic a pencil being used on its side, or get that darker colour caused by marks overlapping. Move your mouse or stylus in the same way as you’d use a pencil and you won’t go far wrong.

Before

After TWO TOOLS IS ALL YOU NEED For a really quick sketch effect, go to Filter> Other and select High Pass and then Image> Adjustments>Threshold. Move the slider to see the detail.

GO BLACK AND WHITE Most sketches are in monochrome, so convert your photo to black and white initially. Choose a setting that offers a lot of contrast.

L PRACTICOAU Y S L SKIL ARN WILL LE

5

USE MASKS FOR COLOUR It’s nice to include colour in sketches,

Oil painting

Make an impressive oil 1texture painting with colour, and filters

and it’s easy with a photo. Have your photo layer on the bottom, your sketch in the middle and then a duplicate of the sketch on top. Turn off the original sketch, click the top one and click the Add Layer Mask icon. Pick a small Hard Mechanical brush from the Basic Brushes set. Click on the layer mask and using the movements you’d make with a pencil, scribble over areas to reveal colour.

Charcoal

Make a beautiful 2 charcoal portrait of a loved one with key skills

Watercolour

Simulate the subtlety 3 of watercolour from an originally busy photo

Sketch effects

Master digital 4 sketching for realistic graphite artwork MAKE THEM MARKS

ERASE AND REPLACE Instead of having lines go all the way to the edge, use the Eraser to cut into the image and then on a blank layer, draw some lines back in. Don’t be too accurate – just give the impression of a work in progress.

Incorporate traditional marks in your image. Crosshatch is a classic mark made with the pencil.

WorldMags.net

Blend modes

Discover how blend 5 modes play an important role

Photoshop Creative

21

TOP 10

WorldMags.net

Need-to-know advice for creating amazing artwork with Sara Biddle

Understand digital painting Get started as a painter with these quick and easy tips

W

hether you’re just getting started or are already familiar with Photoshop, these helpful tips will guide you through some of the trickiest situations that we could encounter. We’ll go over the fundamentals of painting from scratch, starting from the beginning all the way to the finished piece.

POLYGONAL LASSO Make straight and curved selections using the Polygonal Lasso tool. Straight segments are made by default, but you can transfer to freehand just by holding Opt/Alt.

START FROM SCRATCH

01

Starting a new painting is easiest with a solid plan and a sketch to work from. Before beginning, take some time to think about the composition and overall direction. Sketching a series of quick thumbnails could be helpful in generating ideas. Then, work out the kinks in a sketch to give you a clear starting point.

EXPRESS WITH COLOUR

02

Colour is a fundamental part of painting, and is especially important in conveying mood and creating a sense of balance. Focus can also be drawn to desired areas using colours that are vivid, or in contrast to the surrounding colour. For example, warm colours on a cool background stand out because of contrast.

BLEND YOUR BRUSHWORK

03

Blend modes such as Overlay and Vivid Light are effective in producing rich colour and lighting. Multiply and Color Burn are great for darker areas such as shadows. Soft Light is great for adding subtle colour tinting.

SMUDGING GENIUS!

04

The Smudge tool works in a similar way to the Brush, however instead of adding colour, the Smudge tool has the ability to push or pull existing colours around. Custom brush tips can also be used in conjunction with the Smudge tool to create a magnificent method for blending colours together.

SLY SELECTIONS

05

Selections can be made in a number of ways, such as with the Marquee, Lasso, Magic Wand and Quick Selection tools. For creating smooth lines in a painting use the Pen tool to draw and apply strokes to its path (Photoshop CS and CC versions only).

22

Photoshop Creative

WorldMags.net

09

WorldMags.net CLIPPING MASK BASICS

To create a clipping mask from a layer, use a shortcut Opt/ Alt+Cmd/Ctrl+G for Photoshop, or Cmd/Ctrl+G for Photoshop Elements. You can also use Layer>Create Clipping Mask.

07

BRUSH OPTIONS Brushes can be adjusted to your needs with Brush Presets (Brush Settings in Elements). For instance, Spacing controls the space between the brush marks, while Scattering controls the distribution.

10

ADAPT PHOTOS

06

To incorporate a photograph into a painting, it’s important that the photo and painting are similar in value, colour and lighting. The sliders in Levels (Cmd/Ctrl+L) are very helpful in controlling values, and the Hue/Saturation (Cmd/ Ctrl+U) works wonders with colour. For the light source, a little over-painting on a new Normal layer can fix lighting quickly.

CLIP THAT LAYER!

07

TEXTURE AND MATERIALS

09

Realistic texture can be easily created with patterns or custom brushes. Shiny elements such as metal or moisture will reflect surrounding colour the most, so use the Eyedropper tool to gather colours from the object’s environment. The more reflective the surface, the more environmental colour will impact it.

Clipping masks are wonderful. On a new layer, fill the element shape with colour. Make a new layer, then Opt/ Alt-click on the line between these two layers to create a clipping mask. Anything on the topmost layer will remain confined to the boundaries of the base.

CUSTOMISE A BRUSH

THE POWER OF LIGHT

10

08

Interesting lighting can make all the difference regarding impression and mood. For instance, lighting from below often indicates mystery. Colour light sources can brighten things up and all can be tested on new layers.

Settings can be altered for how a brush tip behaves, or you can create your own custom brushes from scratch. Use the Lasso tool to select the area of an image to be turned into a brush tip. Go to Edit>Define Brush From Selection and name your new brush. Find it in the Brush Preset palette, then adjust the settings as you desire.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

23

Tutorial UseWorldMags.net brushes for surreal composites

Essentials Works with

Photoshop CS and above, CC & Photoshop Elements

What you’ll learn Create a surreal image using custom brushes and the Dodge and Burn tools

Time taken

2 hours

Expert Daniel Sinoca “Creating an eye-catching composition is sometimes easier than you think. You can accomplish complex tasks just using simple tools. I started to get involved in the digital world more than ten years ago and I’ve been working as a freelance artist ever since, creating all kinds of multimedia projects and writing tutorial guides.”

Use brushes for surreal composites Learn how to use simple techniques to create a complex composition, combining images and brushes

I

n this tutorial we’ll demonstrate how to use a variety of images and brushes to create a stunning composition. We’ll start with the basics, creating a gradient background and then we’ll enhance the images using the lighting and colour adjustments. Another great technique used in this tutorial is adding shadows and highlights with the Dodge and Burn tools. We’ll also be calling upon custom brushes to apply over the image to add a dramatic effect. To supply the final flourish,

we will pay a visit to the layer styles. We created this in Photoshop Elements, but if you happen to be using Photoshop CS you have more professional features to go even further. When creating the water drops, for example, add an Inner Shadow and also modify the contours, trying different settings to create a more realistic effect. One of the secrets of a great composition is to use good quality images. You will find all the images and brushes to work with in the supplied files.

Place the image Set up the file

Make a gradient background

01 

02 

Go to File>New>Blank File or hit Cmd/ Ctrll+N. Name it Storm in a Tea Cup, setting the Width to 230mm and Height to 300mm. Set the Resolution to 300 then click OK.

24

Photoshop Creative

Grab the Gradient tool (G) and click Edit to open the Gradient Editor. Create a new gradient using the colours #000000 and #5a5a5a, set it to Linear and then click OK.

WorldMags.net

03 

Go to File>Place, find the ‘Teacup. jpeg’ file and hit Place. Grab the Quick Selection tool (A) and, using a hard brush, select the background. Right-click on the Smart Object thumbnail and choose Simplify Layer (CS users choose Rasterize Layer), and then press backspace.

Are you a fan of the surreal?

Tweet us @pshopcreative WorldMags.net

L PRACTICOAU SKILLS YARN WILL LE

5

Custom brushes

lightning strikes, 1it isWhen the best way to create with lightning brushes

Start image

Dodge and Burn

Boost highlights and 2 strengthen shadows with a great tool pairing

Saving selections

Don’t loose your 3 selection and have to start all over again

Modify Brush tool Why settings like 4 Jitter and Fade are essential variations

Free Transform

The perfect 5 technique for quick scaling and rotation

On the disc Great brushes and start photos!

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

25

Tutorial UseWorldMags.net brushes for surreal composites Expert tip Using Dodge and Burn The best way to work with Dodge and Burn is creating a new layer over the original image. Hold down the Alt/Opt key and click on the Create a New Layer icon in the Layers palette. Enter a name, set the mode to Overlay, select the option Fill with OverlayNeutral Color (50% gray), and then click OK. Select the Burn or Dodge tool (O), set Exposure to 10% and repeat sweeping movements over the areas you want to affect. This way you keep the pixels on the original image intact.

Relocate the image Refine your selection

04 

Go to Select>Refine Edge, check Smart Radius, change Radius to 0.2px, Smooth to 35, Feather to 1px, Contrast to 0%, Shift Edge to -25%, and Decontaminate Colors to 50%. Click OK.

Save the selection

06 

Grab the Elliptical Marque tool (M), set Feather to 0 pixels, and select the top part of the cup. Go to Select> Transform Selection and use the handles to adjust. Go to Select>Save Selection, name it Ocean, choose New Selection, and click OK.

26

Cut to fit

07 

08 

Head to File>Place and select ‘Waves.jpeg’. Right-click the Smart Object thumbnail and choose Simplify Layer (CS users choose Rasterize). Go to Select> Load Selection, on Source dropdown menu choose Ocean, check the Invert box and click OK. Hit backspace on your keyboard.

Add brushes

09 

10 

Photoshop Creative

Hit Cmd/Ctrll+T to open the Free Transform tool. Drag the image down to the bottom of the canvas, and check the Constrain Proportions box, set the Width to 150% and rotate the image around 2 degrees.

Insert image

Create the waves Right-click on the Waves layer and choose Duplicate Layer. Grab the Smudge tool (R) set the Size to 125 pixels and Strength to 50%. Drag the Smudge tool around the edges to create some waves.

05 

Let’s load some brushes. Go to Edit>Preset Manager (CS users go to Edit>Preset>Preset Manager), click Append, and locate ‘Teacup storm.abr’ from the supplied files. Click Load and then Done.

WorldMags.net

Press Cmd/Ctrll+D to deselect the image. Grab the Move tool (V) and drag the waves image down to create the idea of depth. Go to Select>Load Selection and choose the Ocean selection again, check the Invert box, click OK and press the backspace key on your keyboard.

Enhance the waves

11 

Create a new layer. Grab the Brush tool (B) and open the Brush Preset Picker. Choose the Splash brushes, resize and paint some splashes over the image. Use the Brush Settings to change the angle and the Eraser tool (E) to rub out the image.

Are you a fan of the surreal?

Tweet us @pshopcreative WorldMags.net

Place the boat

12 

Head to File>Place and add ‘boat.jpeg’. Right-click on the Smart Object thumbnail and choose Simplify (CS users choose Rasterize). Check the Constrain Proportions box and resize the image around 25%. Grab the Quick Selection tool (A), select and delete the sky.

Eraser tool

13 

Grab the Move tool (V) and drag the boat to the centre. Now grab the Eraser tool (E), choose a soft brush and a small size, and rub out the ocean part of the image.

Add clouds Dodge tool

14 

Now grab the Dodge tool (O), set the Range to Highlights, the size to 200 pixels and Exposure to 20%. Paint over the boat image, overexposing a little at the top of the main mast.

15 

Go to File>Place and pick ‘Clouds. jpeg’. Right-click on the Smart Object thumbnail and choose Simplify Layer (CS users choose Rasterize). Grab the Polygonal Lasso tool (L), set the Feather to 10px, and select around the cloud. Go to Select>Inverse and press backspace.

Adjust Lighting

16 

Click Cmd/Ctrll+T to open the Free Transform tool. Rotate the image to -10 Degrees. Now click Cmd/Ctrll+U to open Hue/Saturation, set the Saturation to -100. Hit Cmd/Ctrll+L to open the Levels, and set the Input Levels to 78, 1.00, and 255, click OK.

Expert tip Modify your Brush tool

Dodge and Burn

17 

Change the blending mode of the Clouds layer to Lighten. Grab the Burn tool (O), set the Range to Highlights, Size: 500, Exposure: 40%, and paint over to underexpose around the cloud. Select the Dodge tool and, using a smaller brush, paint to overexpose some areas.

Bring the storm

18 

Create a new layer name and name it Lightning. Now select the Brush tool (B) and open the Brush Preset Picker. Choose any of the Lightning brushes, resize and paint over the cloud image.

WorldMags.net

Click on Brush Settings to control your brush. The Fade option gradually reduces the brush strokes as you paint. Adjusting Hue Jitter makes the brush switch between Foreground and Background colours. Increasing the Scatter setting separates the brush marks in different directions. Spacing controls the distance between the brush strokes. Reducing the Hardness creates a stroke with soft edges. Angle and Roundness alters the direction and shape.

Photoshop Creative

27

Tutorial UseWorldMags.net brushes for surreal composites

Layer style

Rainstorm

19 

20 

Let’s add a glow effect on the lightning layer. Go to Layer>Layer Style>Style Settings. Click on Glow and check the Outer box, set the Size to 24px, click on the Color box, pick a light blue colour, set the Opacity to 75%, and click OK.

Add shadows

Create a new layer, name it Rain. Grab the Brush tool (B), open the Brush Preset Picker and choose the rain brush to paint over the image. Press Cmd/Ctrll+T to rotate and resize the image and use the Eraser tool (E) to rub out the borders.

21 

Create a new layer, name it Shadow and place over the Background layer. Grab the Elliptical Marquee tool (M), set Feather to 25px and create a selection almost the same size as the teacup plate. Fill with black colour, and change the layer opacity to 60%.

Further treatment Realistic water drops Apply the layer styles to create realistic water drops on the image You can use the Layer Styles window to create a variety of effects in Photoshop. Create a new layer and name it Water Drops. Go to Layer>Layer Style>Style Settings. Set the Lighting Angle to 45º Check Drop Shadow, set the Size: 3px, Distance: 1px and Opacity: 60%. Now check the Bevel, set the Size: 15px, Direction: Up, and then click OK. Change the blend mode to Multiply and the Opacity to 60%. Grab the Brush tool, pick a bush with a hardness of around 50% and start painting the water drops around the border and over the teacup plate.

LAYER STRUCTURE As always, the order in which your layers are stacked is of the upmost importance!

LAYER STYLE SETTINGS Within Layer>Layer Style>Style Settings you can edit specifics for effects like droplets.

BRUSH IN THE WATER Once the right settings are added water droplets are simply painted on with the Brush tool.

28

Photoshop Creative

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

Tutorial Create a vintage collage WorldMags.net

30

Photoshop Creative

WorldMags.net

Share your collage tips

Tweet us @pshopcreative WorldMags.net

Start images

Create a vintage collage Learn the techniques behind creating your own vintage design, taking you back in time on a nostalgic journey

T

here is a lot of enjoyment in creating a mash-up collage. If you want to provide a flashback to another era while exercising creativity, a collage made up of vintage elements is a versatile way to do just that. A good collage should have a well thought-out composition with a sense of experimentation. It is a trendy way to construct whimsical and quirky juxtapositions of objects such as posters, album covers, stamps and portraits. Unlike photographic compositions, the variety and contrast of imagery in a vintage collage gives a unique, cutout look – the aim is to be abstract and creative. This tutorial will show you how to adjust your images for a collage, with some handy filters to give your image a vintage appeal using handwritten texts, illustrations, textures, patterns and more. You will learn how to adjust colour and contrast as well as working with blend modes for best results. As a finishing touch we will call upon filters to mimic oldfashioned film grain. These techniques can be applied to images that you can easily source yourself, such as old postcards, making this look as though it’s from of the 1950s.

5

PRACTICAL SKILLS YOU WILL LEARN

Making patterns

1

With the Pattern Overlay Layer Style, creating impressive patterned effects is easy

On the disc All collage images and ready-to-use brushes!

Realistic shadows Create perfect 2 shadows with some Brush tool trickery and

essential Photoshop edits

WorldMags.net

Film grain

the grain size and 3 Vary intensity for cool

Collage borders

texture for 4 Layer interesting borders

Halftone effects

retro effect 5 Atoclassic add vintage charm

Photoshop Creative

31

Tutorial Create a vintage collage WorldMags.net Essentials Works with

Photoshop CS2 and above, CC and Photoshop Elements

What you’ll learn Use adjustments, masks, and brushes to blend a composite

Time taken

1 hour

Pattern making

Compile the composite

01 

02 

Open ‘background.jpg’. Create a new layer and draw a rectangle with the Rectangular Marquee tool. Hit Opt/Alt+Backspace to fill with a colour of your choice. Double-click on the layer to open Layer Styles and select Pattern Overlay. Load the pattern file ‘stripe pattern’.

Open up the model, car, stamps, hibiscus, palms, flowers, bird, letter, halftone, and pin-up girl images. Paste them into the file on separate layers. To keep things organised, be sure to name the layers as you go.

Expert Kate Rose “I am a freelance illustrator and designer in Honolulu, Hawaii. As a photomanipulator, my favourite aspect of Photoshop is the ability to transform photographs into magical images, merging the real with the surreal. It enables the artist to take pieces of reality and use them to create fantasy. The possibilities are truly limited only by the boundaries of a person’s imagination!”

Blend your images

Add subtle shadows

03 

04 

Add a layer mask to the Grass layer. With a soft black brush, cover the edges to make it spotty and soft. Repeat this process for the girl in the foreground to hide the edges of her hair.

Grouping

Organise

05 

Select the Halftone layer. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+U and move Lightness to 100. To stay organised, put the letter, palms, halftone, and striped bar in a group. Name the group Background Elements. Put the Grass layer, Car, Pin-up girl, and their shadow layers in a group named Car.

32

Photoshop Creative

Create a layer above the Grass layer. With a black soft round brush, paint a shadow under the car. Reduce the opacity of the shadow to 55% and pin it to the Grass layer. Repeat to create shadows for the pin-up girl, hibiscus flower, letter, and stamps.

06 

Repeat step five to make a group using stamps, the model and the hibiscus. Call this group Foreground. Take a moment to rearrange the layers as shown for better organisation. Change the name of layers or groups by rightclicking in the Layers palette and selecting Layer Properties.

WorldMags.net

Share your collage tips

Tweet us @pshopcreative WorldMags.net

Expert tip Alternative grain effect

Letter adjustments Add more elements

07 

Open the pattern palm images, and paste as shown. Repeat for ‘line art flower.jpg’. Turn the blend mode of each line art flower to Multiply, so the texture of the background shows through.

08 

The letter in the background looks too washed-out and faded. Select the Letter layer and go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels, and clip it to the Letter layer. Move the black slider to 90 to deepen the darker colors and make the image more noticeable.

There are several ways to achieve a grain effect. An alternative to the Noise filter is to add the film grain texture. Go to Filter>Artistic>Film Grain. Here you can choose grain size, sensitivity and intensity. Size ranges from 0-20, but anything over 5 tends to become too pixelated. This filter works best with Intensity kept at a low value, and the highlight value can vary depending on the tonal range of the image.

Pin-up adjustments

09 

Repeat step eight for the pin-up girl. Drag the black slider to 48, and the white slider to 227. Essentially, this brightens the lighter tones and darkens the darker tones, increasing the overall contrast of the image.

Colour variation

10 

Create a new layer on top of the stack. With a large soft brush, cover the layer with red, orange, yellow, and a little blue and green. Turn the blend mode to Color and reduce Opacity to 50%.

Sharpen Add adjustment layers

11 

Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Hue/Saturation. Do not clip it to the layer below. Move the Hue slider to -10, and the Saturation slider to -40.

WorldMags.net

12 

Make a merged copy by hitting Cmd/ Ctrl+A, go to Edit>Copy Merged, and then Cmd/Ctrl+V to paste. Go to Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask. For Amount, enter 130% and enter 8px for Radius and for Threshold enter 20.

Photoshop Creative

33

Tutorial Create a vintage collage WorldMags.net

Apply image

13 

With the merged layer still selected go to Image>Apply Image. Set the blend mode to Multiply and check the Mask option box. Set Opacity to 60%. You can check and uncheck the Preview box to see the effect this will have on your image.

Create vintage-style grain

Add a grunge border

14 

15 

Create a new layer. Go to Filter>Render>Clouds. Then go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Leave the settings at default, but check the Monochromatic option box and hit OK. Turn the Noise layer blend mode to Soft Light and reduce the Opacity to 50%.

Make a new layer. Select white as your Foreground colour. Select the Brush tool and from the Options bar at the top of the screen load the ‘Torn_Paper_Edges’ brushes. At 100% Opacity, create a border. Stretch and resize the brush strokes to fit the length and width of the image.

Closer look Zooming in on the final effect Small alterations resulting in big changes DESATURATE Adjustment layers sometimes produce an overly saturated image. Combat this with a Hue/ Saturation adjustment level.

SHARPENING Sharpening increases the contrast between neighbouring pixels, giving the effect of a more detailed and crisp image.

VINTAGE FILM GRAIN One of the most beautiful aspects of vintage photography is the grain, giving the image a dark, gritty, highly texturised effect.

34

Photoshop Creative

APPLY IMAGE

ADJUSTMENT LEVELS

Apply Image (Image>Apply Image) is typically used to blend images, but can also be used to highlight and deepen shadows without adding saturation.

Adding Levels adjustments, in addition to other adjustment layers, brings the images on layers below it together, resulting in a cohesive composition.

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net IMAGE IS EVERYTHING www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk

Available from all good newsagents and supermarkets

ON SALE NOW > Master the pen tool > 75 professional photoshop tips > Blend graphics and type RETOUCHING

DIGITAL PAINTING

PHOTOMANIPULATION

GRAPHICAL ART

EXPERT TRICKS

BUY YOUR ISSUE TODAY

Print edition available at www.imagineshop.co.uk Digital edition available at www.greatdigitalmags.com Available on the following platforms

facebook.com/AdvancedPhotoshop WorldMags.net

twitter.com/advancedpshop

Tutorial Re-create HDR effects WorldMags.net

On the disc SPECIAL! 100 free, high-quality photos from Fotolia!

After Before

Essentials Works with

Photoshop CS5 and above and Creative Cloud

What you’ll learn HDR toning and layer blending using free stock photos as the foundation

Time taken

30 mins

36

Photoshop Creative

Re-create HDR effects There’s nothing better than free images! Here’s how to transform a stock photo into a high-def, captivating scene

P

hoto-based art can be anything from basic but captivating edits, like this vivid HDR treatment, to more complex compositions. The essential bit is getting the start photo(s) right! Firstly, not everyone has the opportunity to get up close and personal with a crocodile! But what happens when you want a great photo like that but don’t have one? Well, we’ve secured 100 royaltyfree, high-quality photos from leading image,

illustration and vector supplier Fotolia (www.fotolia. co.uk). Download them from your disc and use them to test out your editing skills, or let them become the base of a magical montage. Get your imagination going. To give you an idea as to how stock images can be used. Try out this HDR effect using the HDR Toning adjustment (available in Photoshop CS5 and above), follow along!

WorldMags.net

More free resources from our site

www.photoshopcreative.co.uk WorldMags.net

Interview

A Q&A with Fotolia’s front-woman

S Free stock photos!

Better safe than sorry

01

02

Head to http://en.fotolia.com/ id/16136533 to download the image used here (www.fotolia.co.uk provide a selection of free images daily). Alternatively, load up one of the free images on your supplied resource disc.

For re-creating this HDR effect, open up your chosen image into Photoshop and duplicate it by going to Layer>Duplicate Layer. Assign a name and hit OK. Work on the top layer (the duplicate) to keep the original file safe.

avvy business-mind and Fotolia front-woman, Daniela Reissmann, has dedicated the last five years overseeing Fotolia’s UK and EU markets. Also in charge of overseeing the innovative Ten collection scheme, Daniela’s passion for the project is evident through the quality of artwork she gets to work with. Here she discusses the project, the artists and what she thinks you need to be a successful digital artist.

What exactly is the TEN Collection project? It’s an initiative enabling artists to showcase their work and themselves. It also enables the viewer to break down an artist’s work and gain detailed insight to how the PSD files were created.

What do artists need to become successful? Load up adjustment

03

To create an HDR effect, locate the HDR Toning adjustment found under the Image>Adjustments menu. The adjustment will apply a basic effect to start with. Set the Radius slider to 10 to help improve clarity.

Improve impact

04

To control the overall impact of the effect, set the Strength slider to 0.80. Tick the Smooth Edges option just underneath Strength, and then set Exposure to +0.23 and Detail to +84%. This image may look quite bright at this stage, but with lots of detail.

Creative talent, a high level of competence with digital arts software, innovation, originality, good business sense and attention to detail.

Have any artworks particularly stood out? We’ve had some of the world’s best digital artists, so it’d be unfair to say any were better than others. And there are many more to come. Here’s an example of a couple of them. Gustavo Brigante, Argentina

Play with Curves Better lighting

05

Control lighting by reducing Shadow down to -69%, Highlight to -26%, but increase Vibrance to +5% and Saturation to +50%. The tones and lighting will now look more even throughout the image.

06

Adjust the lighting further using the Toning Curve and Histogram option. Darken the shadows by dropping the lower half slightly and the middle region of the curve. Hit OK and duplicate the image by pressing Cmd/Ctrl+J. Change its blend mode to Soft Light for a finishing touch. Mike Harrison, UK

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

37

Tutorial Paint with brushes and filters WorldMags.net On the disc

L PRACTICOAU Y SKILLS ARN WILL LE

5

The start files to re-create this image

Feathered edges

to make perfectly 1 How smooth selections

Layering filters

the effect using 2 Get several stacked filters

Blend mode magic the power 3 Discover of blend modes

Work with texture

art interest with 4 Give effective texture use

Paint Daubs filter

filter can bring 5 One everything together

Essentials Start image

Works with

Photoshop C6, CC, and Photoshop Elements

What you’ll learn Use filters, brushes, and masks to transform your photos into a painterly creation

Time taken

2 hours

Expert Andre Villanueva “I love playing with filters and seeing what combinations I can come up with. I discovered Photoshop in the early 2000s while in school. I’m now Art Director for a large technology company in the Southeast US, soothing my inner instructor by sharing techniques with readers.”

38

Photoshop Creative

Paint with brushes and filters

Make use of Photoshop’s filters and brushes to turn a Japanesethemed photo arrangement into a digital treat!

P

hotoshop is a very accessible digital painting engine, allowing users to create beautiful artwork with tools and features commensurate with their respective skill levels. In this tutorial, we will combine filters and painting techniques to create a hybrid work that anyone can pull off. Let’s start with a geisha (courtesy of Morten Skogly – http://pappmaskin.no) and some nature photos. Using filters, masks, and blend

modes, we’ll unite them into a pleasing arrangement. Once the photos are blended, we’ll call upon the Oil Paint filter. For users without CS6+, Paint Daubs is a good alternative. After applying the effect, we’ll then really make the piece our own; painting, smudging and blurring. Additionally, we’ll explore sketch effects using another geisha photo courtesy of Nikita (http:// www.flickr.com/photos/malfet).

WorldMags.net

Show us your filter creations

search for photoshopcreative WorldMags.net

Expert tip Seeing double When involved in intricate work that requires a lot of zooming, consider having two windows open. Go to Window>Arrange>New Window (in Elements, go to View>New Window, then go to Windows>Images>Tile). You can keep one as a high level overview, devoting the other for detailing. As you work in one window, the other will be constantly updated. Users with two monitors can keep a window open in each. Simply close the extra window when done.

Select the geisha

Feather

01

02

Open ‘Geisha.jpg’ and use the Quick Selection tool to select the figure. To remove unwanted areas, hold Option/Alt. To manually add to or subtract from the selection, use the Lasso tool and hold Shift to add or Option/Alt to subtract.

When finished with the selection, go to Select>Modify>Feather (in Elements, Select>Feather) and add a 1-2 pixel Feather Radius. This softens the edges a bit. Press Cmd/Ctrl+C to copy.

Beautiful backdrop

Find Edges

Finding more edges

Open ‘Start.psd’ and press Cmd/ Ctrl+V to paste in the geisha. Use the Move tool to situate. To scale up, press Cmd/ Ctrl+T for Free Transform, hold Shift, then drag a corner handle outward. Press Return and set the Foreground colour to black.

03

Merge layers with Cmd/Ctrl+ Option/Alt+Shift+E. Go to Filter> Stylize>Find Edges. Set the blend mode to Overlay. Apply a layer mask and use a soft, round brush at 80% Opacity to remove some of the effect on the geisha.

04

05

Black & White

Streaky texture

Color Fill

06

07

08

Click the New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers palette, and choose Black & White. Paint in the mask in areas to remove the effect, restoring some colour in the geisha and backdrop.

Go to File>Place and add ‘Texture. jpg’ from the supplied files. Set the blend mode to Overlay. Apply a layer mask, and paint out areas such as the overly dark tree portion and the obscured lotus.

Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate. Set the blend mode to Soft Light and paint out a little more of the top mask area. Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate again. Set the blend mode to Hard Light. Paint out most of the mask except the bottom area.

WorldMags.net

Click the New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers palette, and choose Solid Color. Pick #d25ac5. Set the blend mode to Hue to get a nice base colour which we will build upon in the next steps.

Photoshop Creative

39

Tutorial Paint with brushes and filters WorldMags.net

Another sky

Borrow the sky

09

Go to File>Place and add ‘Sky1.jpg’ from the supplied files. Set the blend mode to Pin Light. Apply a layer mask, and paint out the fan and face areas.

10

Go to File>Place and add ‘Sky2.jpg’ from the supplied files. Set the blend mode to Hard Light. Apply a layer mask, and paint out the central and lower right background, and the fan and face areas.

Glowing Edges

12

Merge layers with Cmd/Ctrl+Option/Alt+Shift+E. Go to Filter>Stylize>Glowing Edges. Use Edge Width: 3, Edge Brightness: 7, Smoothness; 11. Click OK. Set the blend mode to Screen. Apply a layer mask. Paint out overly light areas.

Reinforce the geisha

11

Option/Alt+click and drag the Geisha layer to the top of the stack. Set the blend mode to Soft Light. Apply a layer mask and paint out areas for better blending.

Still finding edges

13

Option/Alt+Click and drag the first Find Edges layer to the top of the stack. Change the blend mode to Soft Light and drop the Opacity to 60%. Paint out more of the central area.

Expert tip Mixer Brush The Mixer Brush (CS5+) was a fabulous addition to Photoshop’s already formidable painting toolset. It allows for more realistic brushwork than the standard Brush tool because it mixes colours and varying paint wetness across strokes. This makes it produce very realistic strokes. To load paint, Option/Alt+click on the canvas or choose a Foreground colour. Pick one of the bristle brush presets to get the ultimate in real brush replication.

40

Photoshop Creative

More glow Trace the edges

14

Merge layers again. Go to Filter>Stylize>Trace Contour. Use Level: 217 and Edge: Upper. Click OK. Set the blend mode to Soft Light. Apply a layer mask and paint out the geisha areas.

WorldMags.net

15

Merge layers once again. Go to Filter>Stylize>Glowing Edges. Use Edge Width: 9, Edge Brightness: 20, Smoothness: 9. Click OK. Set the blend mode to Screen. Apply a layer mask. Paint out the geisha and fan areas, along with some of the tree.

Show us your filter creations

search for photoshopcreative WorldMags.net

Alternate effect Combine filters and make a sketch come to life

Looking sharp

A painterly base

16

17

Time to merge the layers another time. Go to Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask. Use Amount: 141 and Radius: 4.8. Click OK. Apply a layer mask and paint out most of the mask, leaving only the areas you want to stay sharpened.

Merge layers and go to Filter>Oil Paint (if you don’t have CS6+, go to Filter> Artistic>Paint Daubs). Play with the settings until you get a good painterly base. Here we’ve maxed out all settings except Shine, which we kept at 0.

Make it sketchy

01 

Open ‘Geisha2.jpg’. Duplicate and go to Filter>Stylize>Find Edges. Desaturate, apply Levels and move the sliders until sketchy. Add a layer mask and paint black into the focal point.

Make your mark

18

To keep the image from looking too filterized, we’ll now add some manual brushwork. On new layers at the top of the stack, use the Brush tool at varying opacities to paint over the key sections. To sample appropriate colours, hold Option/Alt and click an area.

Colored Pencil

02 

Select the Background, press Cmd/Ctrl+J. Move to top. Set blend mode to Hard Light. Go to Colored Pencil filter. Use a mask to paint out face.

Texture

03 

Go to File>Place and add ‘Texture2.jpg’. Set the blend mode to Hard Light. Add a layer mask and paint out the face and upper body.

Blend it

19

Now that you’ve made your mark, merge layers. Use various tools like the Blur tool and Smudge tool to blend everything together. If you’re using CS5+, definitely employ the Mixer Brush tool, which allows synchronised blending and brushing.

Soft glow

20

Merge layers, then go to Filter>Blur> Gaussian Blur. Set Radius to 16 and the blend mode to Lighten. Add a layer mask, then paint out any areas where the glow is too much.

WorldMags.net

Additional adjustments

04 

Add a Vibrance adjustment layer, set Saturation to -100. Paint out the mask around the focal point. Add a Levels adjustment layer to improve contrast.

Photoshop Creative

41

Tutorial Design your own posters WorldMags.net On the site Grab all the free goods for this tutorial from: www.blog. photoshopcreative.co.uk/ tutorial-files

Start images

Essentials Works with

Design your own posters Download all the files needed online and discover how to combine, create and blend 2D elements

Y Photoshop CS4 and above, CC and Photoshop Elements

What you’ll learn Create and compose ornate 2D elements and use layers like a pro

ou’ve seen it everywhere; this ornate craftsy style is red hot. We’re going to pull back the curtain on this design trend and show you how to achieve your very own illustrated poster in just a couple of hours. With ornate posters there are three big things to keep in mind: colour scheme, styling and composition. By all means let your imagination run wild but remember, if you want the end result to pack a punch you’ll need a consistent approach to

these three areas. Here we’ll be working with a classic ‘thirds’ composition and using brightly coloured vector elements to make the design pop. If you’re a ‘one software only’ kind of person and the mention of vectors is setting off alarm bells, do not fret. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to harness the power of the mysterious EPS file from within the comforts of Photoshop. Now put the kettle on and grab yourself a comfy chair because we’re going to make an awesome poster.

Time taken

2 hours

Expert Henry Rivers “Poster design is a handy skill for when you’re cornered by a mate and asked to “knock up a quick design” (for no pay, of course!). I trained as an architect but was soon sidetracked by a love affair with Photoshop. A few years down the line I’ve left buildings behind me; I’m now a freelance book cover designer and illustrator.”

42

Photoshop Creative

Retro sky

The setup

01 

Open ‘Poster.psd’ from the supplied files and press Cmd/Ctrl+; to switch on guides. Set the Foreground colour to #ffffff and the Background colour to #83d0e0. Press G (Gradient tool), select Foreground>Background from the drop-down menu at the top and tick reverse.

WorldMags.net

02 

Select the Background layer and holding Shift, drag your mouse down from just above the highest horizontal guide to the middle of the bottom third. Zoom out fully and go to File>Place, select ‘Words.png’ from the supplied files. Hit enter to fix the position.

Created a brilliant poster?

Tweet us @pshopcreative WorldMags.net

L PRACTICOAU SKILLS YARN WILL LE

5

Make funky text

Once text has been 1applied rasterized it can be with layer styles

Shards of light Make a stylistic 2 sunset with the Gradient tool

Make it warp

Shape banners in 3 place with effective use of the Warp tool

Fold effects

Make fold effects with clever layering 4 and a lasso trick or two

Remember depth

Learn why layering 5 is so important to achieve a sense of depth

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

43

Tutorial Design your own posters WorldMags.net Expert tip Set up your workspace When working on an illustrative project you need a different set of key tools. Make your Layers palette nice and big so you can see everything. The History window is also essential; it can save a lot of hassle if you need to go back in time (for example to before a certain vector was rasterized). You might also find it useful to turn on Window>Navigator. Take time to make a little collection of saved workspaces for different projects; this will make you more efficient.

03 

Go to File>Place and choose ‘Stripes.eps’ from the supplied files. Make a textbox underneath the word Design and write ‘Create’. Select the font Pacifico, set to 62pt. Right-click the text layer and select Rasterize Type (Simplify’ in Elements).

04 

Press V (Move tool) and grab the text to fine-tune the position. Using the Magic Wand tool with Anti-alias and Contiguous turned on, click on the word (you can use the Refine Edge tool to check smoothness) to select it.

Using the Layers palette

Circular decoration

05 

06 

Select the Stripes layer and click Add Layer Mask. Delete the text layer above. Go to Layer>Layer Style>Color Overlay. Change the colour to #ef4354. (For Elements: Layer>Simplify, Lock Transparent Pixels and paint over the stripes with a brush of the same colour).

Add the Stripes and Words layers to a new group above the Background. Name the group Text. Create another group below this called Shapes. Using the Shape tool, draw three white circles and arrange roughly behind the text.

Make a concentric design

Layer styles

More circles

07 

08 

09 

Duplicate a circle (Layer>Duplicate), hit Cmd/Ctrl+T and change the width and height to 90% in the top menu. Go to Layer>Layer Style>Gradient Overlay. (For Elements: Layer>Simplify, Lock Transparent Pixels and the Gradient tool.)

44

Making the selection

Funky zebra text

Photoshop Creative

Select Foreground>Background, Opacity 30%, Angle -135 and click OK. Repeat on another circle, but after duplicating and transforming, use Layer Style>Inner Shadow with Angle 135 degrees, Opacity 15%, Distance 8 and Size 8.

WorldMags.net

Balance the design by adding a few more circles, varying the size and opacity of each one. Try creating a striped circle by placing the Stripes.eps again, this time using the Elliptical Marquee tool when adding the layer mask.

Created a brilliant poster?

Tweet us @pshopcreative WorldMags.net

Paper mountains

10 

Create a group called Landscape above Border, then File>Place Mountains.eps. Drag to the bottom left. Duplicate the layer and select Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. Hold down Shift and drag the mirrored version to the opposite side.

Hue variation

11 

Rasterize both layers and select the Magic Wand with Tolerance set to 25. Select a mountain and press Cmd/Ctrl+U, change the Hue to +8 and Brightness to +15. Repeat for all the mountains (varying the input numbers slightly each time).

Begin the banner Let there be light

13 

Add a layer mask and select the Gradient tool. Select Black>White, Radial and tick Reverse. Drag the mouse from the middle of the target to a fraction before where the solid border starts.

14 

Create a group called Banner and select the Rectangle tool. Set the colour as #f55484. Draw a low rectangle starting from the central vertical guide and extending halfway into the top left area. Go to Edit>Transform Path>Warp. (For Elements use Liquify.)

Custom shapes

12 

Hit U (Custom Shape tool) and select Target 2 (from Symbols). Holding down Shift, drag the mouse diagonally across the page. Move the shape into a central position and rasterize it. In the Layers palette move it directly underneath the Mountains layers.

Warping

15 

Hold Shift and drag the left corners upwards, adjust the lines in the grid to create a natural curve, then Rasterize. Repeat the process with a narrower rectangle, this time warping downwards. Use Cmd/Ctrl+T to align the two shapes.

Expert tip Borders

Creating folds

16 

In the Layers palette, place the smaller shape underneath the first. Repeat the process again for a final fold, this time before warping go to Layer>Rasterize, make a triangular selection into the left edge with the Polygonal Lasso Tool and hit Delete.

Burning shadows

17 

Use the Burn tool to add shadows to the overlaps on the lower shapes. Select all three shapes from the Layers palette and hit Cmd/Ctrl+E. Mirror the banner following the technique in step 10

WorldMags.net

Borders are an easy way to make a design look instantly more like a poster. In this tutorial we have provided a simple border made using large white squares (with the blend mode set to Multiply) with chunky inside strokes. A nice trick for adding depth is to place a couple of elements on top of the border; in this design the raised mountains add to the collage aesthetic. You can go further; why not try a totally different approach such as superimposing a stock image of a gold picture frame?

Photoshop Creative

45

Tutorial Design your own posters WorldMags.net

Add a cheesy slogan

18 

Drag a textbox to match the banner width. Choose Pacifico, Size approx. 20, Color #ffffff and Centre text, type a slogan. Go to Layer>Type>Warp Text and select Style: Arc. Edit the Bend % to fit the banner shape.

Place hot air balloons

Add depth

19 

20 

In a new group place the ‘balloon.eps’ file and position it to the left of the banner. Duplicate and holding Shift, move it to the opposite side. Use Free Transform to give them a slightly jaunty angle.

Go to Layer>Layer Style>Drop Shadow and use these settings: Multiply: Global Light, Angle: 135 degrees, Size: 0, Distance: 18, Opacity: 20%. Repeat on the other hot air balloon layer.

Get the papery look

Expert tip

21 

Place the ‘paper.jpg’ file and drag so it fills the document; hit Enter. Move it to the top of the Layers palette and set the blend mode to Multiply. Create a new adjustment layer and select Channel Mixer (for Elements, pick Hue/Saturation for a similar result).

Creative typing Dashed lines are a standard tool in vector-editing software, but they are something of an Achilles’ heel for Photoshop. Don’t worry though, we have a neat solution. To create the extra stitching detail on the banner all we’ve done is used the Type on Path tool and typed - - - - - etc. This method creates a fully editable path. Use Window>Character to fine-tune the size and the Direct Selection tool to edit the route (Elements users need to pick Refine Path from the tool options). We used the same technique for the plane trail but with full stops instead.

Channel mixing

22 

Adjust the following slider values. Red Channel: Green +11%, Blue -9%. Green Channel: Red -3%, Blue +1%. Blue Channel: Red -4%, Green -1%. This finishing touch adds a subtle retro look to the colours.

46

Photoshop Creative

WorldMags.net

Get playful

23 

Time to add a few extra details, try including the ‘vectors plane.eps’ and ‘clouds.eps’ files. Have some fun, but remember to keep the style consistent, and not draw too much attention away from the central text.

Not just for dummies WorldMags.net

TM

A clear, comprehensive series for people who want to start learning about iPhone, iPad, Mac, Photoshop, photography and more

BUY YOUR COPY TODAY

Print edition available at www.imagineshop.co.uk Digital edition available at www.greatdigitalmags.com Available on the following platforms

WorldMags.net facebook.com/ImagineBookazines

twitter.com/Books_Imagine

Tutorial Create a zoom burst in Elements 12 WorldMags.net

W I ! A COPN Y

O

ELEMEN F TS pa

12

87

ge

Start image

On the site

Essentials

Use the image on the site to re-create this! Head to: www. blog.photoshopcreative. co.uk/tutorial-files

Works with

Photoshop Elements 12

What you’ll learn Use new tools like Content-Aware Move and Straighten, apply texture and special effects

Time taken

30 mins

Expert Simon Skellon “This effect is just right for improving your action shots and can be applied in a matter of minutes. As Photoshop Creative’s features editor, I have been using Photoshop ever since version 7 and enjoy nothing more than composing photomanipulations.”

48

Photoshop Creative

Create a zoom burst in Elements 12 Combine some of Elements 12’s new features to create this expressive photo effect in minutes

P

hotoshop Elements 12 is the latest entrylevel software from Adobe, and it includes some exciting new features. With Photoshop Elements 12, we have even more ways to improve everyday shots, or even create a dramatic effect. In the following steps we’ll take you through the process of straightening an image and moving a subject to a new position without leaving any giveaway signs. We then take a look at one of the

new Guided edits; the Zoom Burst Effect. Combining this with the Vignette effect can create an action-packed composition. Editing photos and staying organised is what Elements does best and with the tools available in version 12, we can edit and create effects quicker than ever. If you currently own an earlier version then you can upgrade to version 12 for just £63.49 ($79.99US). Head to page 82 to read a full review.

WorldMags.net

Share your opinions of Elements 12

search for photoshopcreative WorldMags.net

Enter Expert mode

01

Open up ‘Surfer.jpg’ inside Photoshop Elements 12. Click on the Expert button at the top of Elements to access all tools. At the bottom of the Toolbar (down the left side), select the Straighten tool (P) under the Modify group.

Prepare to Move

03

Click on the new Content-Aware Move tool (Q). For this tool, in the Tool Options panel, set Mode to Move and keep the Healing slider in the middle. If this tool is set to Extend, whatever is moved is duplicated.

Level out

02

Tick the new Autofill Edges box in the Tool Options panel and keep the Straighten tool set to Grow or Shrink. Draw a straight line across the horizon to level it out. Elements fills in the blank spaces.

Select the subject

04

Use the tool to draw a new selection around the surfer. Try not to go too close; leave just enough space between the selection and person for Elements to blend pixels after moving.

Move it!

05

Drag the surfer to a more central position in the image. Elements will automatically patch over the empty pixels left behind using the surrounding details. The surfer will blend neatly into his new position. Press Cmd/Ctrl+D to deselect active pixels.

Quick interface

06

Enter the Quick interface by using the buttons along the top. All edits are kept when you switch interfaces. Click the Textures button at the bottom-right of the screen.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

49

Tutorial Create a zoom burst in Elements 12 WorldMags.net

Grunge texture

07

There are 10 presets in the Textures panel in the Quick interface. For this photo effect, apply the Blue Wash texture preset (bottom left).

Guided effects

Bursting with life

08

09

Head to the Guided interface to view all the available Guided effects Elements 12 has. Click on the new Zoom Burst Effect under the Photo Effects category to load a panel of bespoke options.

Moving on…

Take control

10

The entire image is covered with the blurring effect. Click the Add Focus Area option, click on the subject’s face and drag outwards a bit. Repeat for the rest of the main subject to bring him into focus, leaving the blurring around the edges.

11

Skip the Apply Vignette option and head straight for Done at the bottom of the panel. Back inside the Guided interface, click on the Vignette Effect just above the Zoom Burst Effect.

Alternative vignette effect Get creative with vignette options

Photoshop Creative

L PRACTICOAU SKILLS YARN WILL LE

5

Content-Aware

Make edits easy with this extremely clever 1pixel-replacing tool

Zoom Burst

An exciting new 2 addition to Elements replicates great action

Before exiting the Zoom Burst Effect in the Guided interface, try out the vignette adjustment to apply a black vignette around the image instead of the white one we used. Click on the Apply Vignette button multiple times to create a darker, more intense vignette effect and see which one you prefer. If at any stage things start getting out of hand, hit Cmd/Ctrl+Z to step back in stages.

50

As we’ve already cropped using the Straighten tool, skip the Crop Tool part and click the Add Zoom Burst button. Photoshop Elements will take a few seconds to render the filter effect over the image.

photography effects

Autofill edges

Essential to fill in the edges after you’ve 3 straightened images

New textures

Choose from 10 4 brand new textures to add interest to your art

Vignette

a dark vignette 5 How improves an image

WorldMags.net

Share your opinions of Elements 12

search for photoshopcreative WorldMags.net

White vignette

Refine the vignette

Save with layers

12

13

14

Inside the Vignette Effect panel, click on the option to apply a white vignette. Elements will automatically apply a white vignette to the image with its default settings. Boost the Intensity slider to its maximum amount.

Click the Refine Shape button to access options for adapting the vignette. Slide the Feather adjustment up to 250px for maximum softness and set Roundness to -30 to close in the vignette around the surfer. Hit OK to confirm.

Hit Done at the base of the Vignette Effect panel then head to File>Save As and set Format to Photoshop to save a layered version of the image to your computer. Use File>Save For Web for uploading online, setting its size to 800px.

Closer look Elements 12’s Expert interface This is where our layers are shown in full

LAYERS After applying the Guided effect, the Layers panel consists of seven extra layers applied by automatic commands only.

NEW TOOLS

HIDE THE TOOL OPTIONS

ZOOM BURST

OPACITIES

The two new tools inside Elements 12 – ContentAware Move and Straighten – are both featured at the base of the Toolbar inside the Modify section.

Whenever a tool is selected, the Tool Options panel pops up. By clicking on its associated button at the base of Elements, this can be hidden to reveal a larger editing area.

The Zoom Burst Effect creates a heavy amount of blurring around a central subject. The effect imitates the movement of a lens while the image is being taken.

We can play around with these layers and their opacity settings at any stage simply by moving activities into the Expert interface.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

51

Plug-in special Re-create traditional film effects WorldMags.net

Essentials Works with

Photoshop CS3 and above, CC, Elements 9 and above

What you’ll learn Use a plug-in, Smart Object layers and edits to re-create film styles

Time taken

30 mins

Expert Simon Skellon “Plug-ins offer key alternatives to complex effects and make for the perfect complement to Photoshop and your workflow. As Photoshop Creative’s features editor, I have been using Photoshop ever since version 7. I’ve combined my passion for photography with Photoshop, and enjoy nothing more than composing photomanipulations. With years of editing experience, I have built up a large catalogue of top techniques.”

52

Photoshop Creative

Re-create traditional film effects

Use this powerful plug-in to create your own customised cross-processed effects

F

ilmPack 4 is the latest version of the photo effects plug-in by DxO Labs. It’s been designed to make creating traditional film effects easier than having to do them from scratch in Photoshop. As a plug-in, its focus is on a niche, which means we can achieve traditional film effects with little effort. FilmPack 4 is available in two versions; Essential and Expert. With the latter you get a wider range

of film types and presets, in addition to extra options for tweaking colour and lighting in the image. For a complete comparison of both versions, head to www.dxo.com. Over this tutorial we will show you how to start off your own film effect using the presets inside the plug-in. We then look into adapting them further using the sliders and adjustments featured in the Expert version.

WorldMags.net

For the latest plug-in advice

search for photoshopcreative WorldMags.net

Step by step How to use FilmPack4 Quickly apply stunning effects with the power of plug-ins

DISCOUNT

£20 off code for DxO FilmPack 4! Smart conversion

Choose a preset

01

02

Open ‘Portrait.jpg’ from the supplied files. So that we can control the effect after it’s been applied, duplicate the Background layer by pressing Cmd/Ctrl+J, and then go to Filter>Convert for Smart Filters. If you use Elements, there are no Smart Filters so just duplicate the image.

With your layers ready, go to Filter>DxO Labs>FilmPack 4 to load the plug-in. All presets are placed at the base of the interface, categorised under their film types. For a cross-processed effect, select Cross Processed – Kodak Elite 100 from the Color Negative Film group.

A quick comparison

Creative vignettes

03

04

Click on the preview options at the top of the interface to compare how the preset has affected the colour and light in the image. Under Film Rendering, set Intensity to 112 and Color Protection to 30 to start customising the effect.

Get £20 off the latest version of DxO FilmPack 4. Grab the Essential Edition for £39 instead of £59 or the Expert Edition for £79 instead of £99! Enter the following code into the Discount Coupon box at the checkout: PHOTOSHOPCREATIVE2013. Head to www.dxo.com and look for the online shop to take advantage of this offer. Expires 30 November 2013.

Working down the adjustments, set Film Grain: Intensity to 166. This increases the graininess of the effect. Change Creative Vignetting: Intensity to 91, Midpoint and Transition to 50, and Roundness to 34. Creative Blur Vignetting can be added, using an Intensity of 30.

Expert tip Smart layer editing By double-clicking on the Smart Object layer you can re-edit the plug-in’s settings. This allows you to tweak anything that’s not quite right or how you wanted it. Which can be very handy! Or, as this is on a layer, you can lower the Opacity and experiment with different Photoshop blend modes to make this image even more unique.

Adjust settings Light leak

05

Add the Color Leak 8 option from the Light Leak panel, with an Intensity of 100. Under Frame, choose Film. This gives this image an artistic film edge.

06

Go into the Settings tab and adjust the following: Contrast -59, Saturation -8 and Exposure 0.5. Boost Vibrancy and Micro-contrast to 15. Set Hue to 15 and Saturation to -24. Click on the plus symbol at the top of Settings to save your effect as a Custom Preset. Hit OK to return to Photoshop.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

53

Tutorial Illustrate with shape layers WorldMags.net

L PRACTICOAU SKILLS YARN WILL LE

5

Start sketch es

Pen tool anchors

of 1everyAthedeconstruction Pen tool will show step in detail

Creating curves

Discover how to 2 make the Pen tool create curved lines too

Make it glow

Work with Layer 3 Styles to make your vectors stand out

Quick selection

On the disc

A work-around for 4 Elements users without the Pen tool

The start files to get you illustrating

Work with strokes

Learn to create 5 an editable digital outline for your doodles

Essentials Works with

Photoshop CS4 and above and Creative Cloud

What you’ll learn Use the Pen tool and shape layers to create vibrant illustrations

Time taken

2-3 hours

Expert Moe Hezwani “When I found the Pen tool in Photoshop I discovered another form of illustration. It enabled me to bring my hand drawn illustrations into Photoshop and give them a digital feel. Creativity has always been second nature to me, so when I discovered Photoshop about eight years ago I was amazed at how far I could take my creativeness. I enjoy playing around with Photoshop to mix the composition between photo and illustration to build up a new image.”

54

Photoshop Creative

Illustrate with shape layers Discover how to create a vector illustration using Photoshop’s shape layers and enjoy unparalleled control over your work

T

he Pen tool is typically used to create paths for accurate selections. But the next time you use the tool, have a look in the top Options bar; there are actually three icons. Each icon stipulates what the Pen tool will create and when it comes to illustrations, the Shape Layer icon should be your number one choice. Shape layers differ from usual layers because they are vector-based. A vector is made up of mathematical points, connecting to each other by either a straight line or a curve. The main

advantage of working with vectors is that each time you make a change – either resizing or reshaping – you don’t lose any image quality. This tutorial will teach you how to use the Pen tool to trace over a sketch and create shape layers. We will also pay a visit to the Custom Shape tool and incorporate some of Photoshop’s default shapes to save time. And if you have Elements or just don’t fancy grappling with the Pen tool, we finish with an alternative method for getting the vector look without going near a shape layer.

WorldMags.net

Created an illustration?

Tweet us @pshopcreative WorldMags.net

Get started

01 

Create a new document (File>New) and make it 330x300mm, with Background Content as White. Hit OK. Next, change the Foreground colour to #b6e0d8 and the Background colour to #93c9c6.

Create a gradient

Group layers

02 

03 

Duplicate the Background layer by going to Layer>Duplicate Layer or hit Cmd/Ctrl+J. Next go to Layer>Layer Styles>Gradient Overlay. Make the Blend Mode: Normal, Opacity: 100%, Gradient: Foreground to Background, Style: Reflected, Angle 90.

Open up ‘Original.jpg’ from the supplied files, hit Cmd/Ctrl+A to select the whole canvas, then hit Cmd/ Ctrl+C to copy. Go back to the document with the gradient background and hit Cmd/ Ctrl+V to paste the artwork. From the Layer palette’s drop-down menu, pick New Group.

Shape layers

First anchor point

04 

05 

Creating a Group folder for illustrations is useful, because the Layers palette quickly fills up with shape layers. Therefore having each illustration organised will be important. Now grab the Pen tool, making sure it is set to Shape Layers in the top bar.

Make the Foreground colour #eea7c7. Zoom into the icing on the cupcake sketch and click. A small box appears – this is an anchor point. As soon as an anchor point is made, a shape layer appears in the Layers palette.

Create a curve

06 

Make another anchor point close to the first. Click (and hold) then drag the mouse down. The line will bend. Now drag and release the mouse button when the line curves. Repeat this process to make another curve.

Close a path Better vision

07 

When drawing a vector shape, anything below it is obscured; in this case the artwork. To get round this, lower the Opacity of the shape layer to 10%.

08 

WorldMags.net

After tracing round the first part of the icing, it’s time to close the path. This is achieved by clicking on the first anchor point. Once the cursor hovers over the start point, a little circle will appear. Just click to close the path.

Photoshop Creative

55

Tutorial Illustrate with shape layers WorldMags.net Expert tip No scanner? The ideal situation when starting out in digital illustration is to scan in sketches. That way you don’t have to worry about drawing in Photoshop. But all is not lost if you don’t have a scanner. Use a camera or mobile phone to take a photo of your sketches. Lay the sketches out in a well-lit room (natural light is best). Set the camera to the highest resolution and check the flash is turned off to reduce glare. Upload to Photoshop and let the editing begin!

09 

Trace the rest of the shapes for the icing, using the same methods as in steps 5 to 8. Create another group; call it Shadows. Make sure this is above the icing shape layers. Set the Foreground colour to #fc87bc and trace the shadow details.

10 

Draw the rest of the cupcake, the highlights of the icing (with a white), plus the cherry and the base. Trace the artwork using the same method; making new anchor points and closing the paths. This is good practice for using the Pen tool.

Add a stroke

Illustrate the rainbow

Delete Anchor Point tool

11 

12 

13 

To add an outline, select a shape layer and go to Layer>Layer Style>Stroke. Change the Size to 4px and Position to Outside and hit OK. Do this on all of the cupcake shape layers, except for the sprinkles, highlights and shadows.

Create a layer group called Rainbow. Make an anchor point on the cloud, then a second to create a curve. To change the direction of the curve press Alt and click on the second anchor. Create a third anchor and curve it; carry on to complete.

A handy tool is the Delete Anchor Point tool; its function is within its name. If you accidentally create an unwanted anchor point, use this tool to eliminate it. To do this, select the tool and simply click on the anchor point to delete it.

Add Anchor Point tool

Convert Point tool

14 

15 

Sometimes it’s only after closing a path that a mistake is noticed. Instead of going back and redoing the shape again, use the Add Anchor Point tool to fix. Simply click at the point where a new anchor needs to be placed.

56

Finish drawing the cupcake

Create detail

Photoshop Creative

Once a new anchor point has been added using the Add Anchor Point tool, it might be necessary to curve that point, for example to fit the rainbow. Switch to the Convert Point tool and use the levers to curve the new anchor point.

WorldMags.net

Created an illustration?

Tweet us @pshopcreative WorldMags.net

Custom Shape tool

16 

Photoshop includes a collection of shapes that can save some time. Pick the Custom Shape tool from the toolbar and have an explore. We are going to use the stars; create a new group (call it Stars), select the 5 Point Star and draw one star.

Add a glow

Finish off

17 

18 

Select the Stars shape layer and head over to Layer>Layer Style>Outer Glow. Enter the following – Opacity: 100%, Colour: #ffff3a, Spread:14%, Size: 5px, Contour: Cover-Deep, Range: 50%. Hit OK and press Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate. Repeat this to make more stars for the rainbow.

Helpful tips Improve your vectors Some tricks for getting the best results

Using the techniques covered in this tutorial, trace the other items to perfect your skills. To duplicate a layer group, go to the drop-down menu in the Layers palette and select Duplicate Group. Do this to the entire illustration. Hit V to move the groups into a pleasing composition.

LAYER STYLES Shading was added using a Stroke layer style on the ice cream cone, setting Size to 6px and Color to a darker shade than the cone.

CREATE LIGHT

DETAIL INDICATORS

SHADING

To help show how the lighting falls onto the illustrations, add shape to the line between shadows and highlights. This will add depth and impact to the simplistic outlines.

Keeping detail simple is key. Just by adding a set of hashed lines, the cone’s textured surface is implied by this clear detail.

To make sure the colour of the shaded area is consistent with the lighter areas, open the Color palette and change the sliders to HSB. Now gradually increase the ‘S’ slider.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

57

WorldMags.net Essentials Works with

Photoshop Elements

What you’ll learn A work-around for Photoshop Elements users

Now do it in Elements… Photoshop Elements users without the Pen tool can try this method

Scan and select

01 

The first task is to get sketches into Elements; the easiest way being with a scanner. Make sure the quality setting is set to a high resolution. Once open in Elements, use the Quick Selection tool to select the white areas around the outside of the sketch. Add a layer mask and press Cmd/Ctrl+I.

Click back on the sketch layer and go to Layer>Layer Style>Style Settings. Click the Stroke option and set Size to 3 and Opacity to 100%. Hit OK to confirm. This will create a solid outline around the sketch.

58

Photoshop Creative

02 

Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Gradient Map and hit OK. Click on the colour swatches inside the Gradient Editor window and set the colours of the gradient to match the subject. Try out the various presets or pick your own.

Smooth outline

Apply a stroke

03 

Gradient Map adjustment

04 

Click on the Gradient Map layer and press Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/ Alt+Shift+E. Then Cmd/Ctrl-click on the thumbnail of the new merged layer and go to Select>Refine Edge. Set Smooth and Contrast to 30 and hit OK. This will tidy the outline of the sketch and make it look nice and smooth.

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net If Apple made a magazine

w w w. icreatemaga zin e.com

Available from all good newsagents and supermarkets

ON SALE NOW

Complete iOS 7 guide t

(BSBHF#BOE
WT
-PHJD
1SP
t
:PV5VCF
WJEFP
HBNF TIPS & TRICKS

HARDWARE REVIEWS

CREATIVE PROJECTS

BEST ACCESSORIES

IOS & OSX APPS

#6:
:063
*446&
50%":

Print edition available at www.imagineshop.co.uk Digital edition available at www.greatdigitalmags.com Available on the following platforms

facebook.com/icreatemagazine WorldMags.net

twitter.com/icreatemagazine

Tutorial Make stunning panoramas WorldMags.net CREATE A PANORAMA

NEW SKYLINE

Our first steps are to use Photomerge to seamlessly stitch images into a panorama. The result is then cropped and tidied up before any visual effects are added.

The original sky isn’t dramatic enough, so we bring in a new one and blend it into the scene using layer masks.

Expert Julie Bassett “Turning photos from ordinary into dramatic is a passion of mine, which is something that I have done in this panoramic image, taken in a normal, daytime city centre. I am the former editor of Advanced Photoshop magazine, and now currently a freelance writer and sub editor with a very keen interest in photography and photo editing.”

Essentials Works with

Photoshop CS4 and above, CC and Photoshop Elements

What you’ll learn Creating panoramas, removing unwanted objects, adding a new sky and dramatic effects

Time taken

3 hours

60

Photoshop Creative

Make stunning panoramas Turn so-so city scenes into atmospheric environments using filters, adjustment layers and some nifty tricks

P

anoramic images are dramatic in their own right. However, sometimes they are crying out for a bit more atmosphere. Here we will show how you can get creative with panoramas. First, we will look at creating a panoramic using Photomerge. We have provided you with the start images, but you can skip this step as we have also supplied the ready-made panorama. Once the

image is stitched together, we neaten it up by filling in any holes left by the Photomerge process. With the groundwork is done, effects can be added. We are going to replace the sky using layer masks. We are then going to darken the rest of the image so it all fits in. From here, we can paint in a little light to shine through the dark. We finish with a little weather – some mist and rain to set it all off.

WorldMags.net

Reveal your panoramas to us

search for photoshopcreative WorldMags.net

Start images

REMOVE UNWANTED OBJECTS Our original image has a lamppost running right down the middle, so we use the Content Aware Fill and Clone Stamp options to remove it.

MOODY EFFECTS AND TONING We darken the image before adding a blue tint to go from day to night, before bringing some light back into the streetlamps.

RAIN AND MIST

On the disc

As a final step we add some rain using filters and mist using a soft brush to help bring the image together.

Create the panoramic

01

Collect the images for the panoramic. Go to File>Automate>Photomerge (in Elements it’s Enhance>Photomerge> Photomerge Panorama). Hit Browse under Source Files, choose the panoramic images, select Auto and then OK.

All the start images for this perfect panorama

Tidy the panoramic

02

Photoshop will create a panorama. Grab the Crop tool to remove the blank areas at the edges. For the remaining blank areas, select with the Magic Wand tool, then use Edit>Fill>Content Aware.

The Elements method

03

WorldMags.net

In Elements, once Photomerge has finished, you will be asked if you want to automatically fill in the blank areas. This does the same job as Content Aware in Photoshop. Select Yes and then crop out the required composition.

Photoshop Creative

61

Tutorial Make stunning panoramas WorldMags.net Expert tip Take your own images If you want to try this on your own photos, you will need a tripod or level surface. Set your camera up at one edge of your scene and take the first photo. Move it along a bit, overlapping with the first photo’s edge, and take the next. Continue until you have a minimum of three images (but more is better) taking in the whole of the scene that you want to capture. The overlap is very important, as this will help Photoshop figure out how the images should be stitched together.

Tidy up the image

Refine the removal

04

05

To remove unwanted objects, duplicate the Background layer. Select the whole of the lamppost using your favourite selection tool. We used the Pen tool, but you can get pretty good results with the Magic Wand. Next go to Edit>Fill>Content Aware.

And repeat...

Select the sky

Bring in a new sky

It takes some time to get a good result. Once the lamppost is removed, do the same on any other unwanted object. We’re getting rid of the A-board in the bottom left and one of the uglier buildings.

06

07

08

Blend the sky

More sky work

09

10

Add a layer mask to the top sky layer, then select a 50% Opacity brush with black paint. Carefully paint over the join of the two sky layers to blend them together. Now, go back to the top Background layer and select the layer mask there.

62

Content Aware Fill does a decent job (also see the Remove Objects in Elements boxout). Select the Clone Stamp and zoom in. Use Opt/Alt-click to select a source area and clone away imperfections.

Photoshop Creative

Duplicate the Background copy layer and use the Magic Wand tool to select as much of the sky as possible. Adapt the Tolerance value to suit. Go to Select>Inverse and hit the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers palette.

Set the black brush back to 100% Opacity. Zoom right into the sky line, and then paint on the mask where the original sky shows through to help blend in the new sky perfectly. This will take a bit of time to get right.

WorldMags.net

Open the sky image. Copy and paste it into the panorama and place it underneath the layer with the mask. Align to the right. Paste the sky in a second time, but rotate it 180 degrees and place it on the left-hand side to fill the whole sky.

Add some atmosphere

11

The rest of the image is too bright now. Hold down Cmd/Ctrl and then click on the layer mask on the top Background layer to create a selection of everything bar the sky. Add a Levels adjustment layer.

Reveal your panoramas to us

search for photoshopcreative WorldMags.net

L PRACTICOAU Y SKILLS ARN WILL LE

5 Control the Levels

12

Take the left-hand Levels control and pull it to the right to darken the shadows in the image. Do the same with the middle control to darken the midtones. You can go for any value you like; ours is 74, 0.76, 255 for the values from left to right.

Photomerge

Tone the image

13

Give the image a slight blue tone to make it more dramatic. Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer at the top of the layers. Tick Colorize and make Hue: 201 and Saturation: 37. Change the Opacity of the layer to 55%.

Learn Photoshop’s fantastic Photomerge 1feature for instant panoramic edits

Content Aware

An essential editing 2 technique to remove objects with precision

Clone Stamp

Remove 3 imperfections with a firm Photoshop favourite

Replacing skies

A common 4 Photoshop edit, discover how layer masks can help blend a new sky

Making rain

Turn on the lights

Dodge the light

14

15

Add a new blank layer, setting its blending mode to Screen and Opacity to 80%. Select a small, soft-edged brush and choose an orange/yellow shade. Zoom in on the lamppost to the right of the church, and carefully paint into the glass.

Let it rain

16

Add a new layer and fill with black. Go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise, tick Monochromatic and add a lot of noise (250). Use Levels to emphasise tone, then apply Filter>Blur>Motion Blur to get the rain effect, changing the Angle to around -50%.

Create a merged layer at the top of the stack (Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+Shift+E). Select the Dodge tool, set to Highlights and 50% Exposure. Paint over your streetlights and areas that would be hit by the light.

Final mist

17

Set the Rain layer to Screen and lower the opacity. Create one last blank layer and select a large soft brush filled with white set to 20% Opacity. Paint in some mist along the bottom of the image and change the layer blending mode to Overlay.

WorldMags.net

Add rain to a 5 landscape to give an instant shot of drama

Expert tip Remove objects in Elements Photoshop Elements does have some Content Aware features, but it doesn’t yet have the option to fill an area with the technology at your request. Therefore, when it comes to removing objects from the panoramic, you will need to try other methods. The most accurate is to simply use the Clone Stamp tool very methodically. However, you can get a good start with the Healing Brush tool which fills the area using information from a source point. It’s not perfect, especially on bigger objects, but used in conjunction with the Clone Stamp tool, you can get decent results.

Photoshop Creative

63

Start Tutorial Illustrate with the Pen tool WorldMags.net images

Essentials Works with

On the disc Download the textures and brush start file! Photoshop CS2 and above and Creative Cloud

What you’ll learn Discover how to draw shapes to create exciting visuals with the Pen tool

Time taken

2 hours

Expert Jenni Sanders “No matter what I’m doing in Photoshop, I’ll always use the Pen tool for something. My first experience with photomanipulation was watching wide-eyed as my dad cloned out holidaymakers from our family beach photos. From that moment I was hooked.

64

Photoshop Creative

Illustrate with the Pen tool Learn how to use the Pen tool to transform a blank canvas into a vector masterpiece

T

he Pen tool is one of the more advanced tools, and can be daunting if you’re just starting out. But have no fear; mastering this vector-based tool isn’t as hard as it seems. Based on Bézier curves, the Pen is actually very predictable and easy. And thanks to some handy keyboard shortcuts, it’s very efficient, too. When using the Brush tool, drawing is rigid, relying on the Eraser to correct mistakes. The Pen

tool enables shapes to be fully drawn and then revisited to edit size, shape, angles and curves. With this tutorial we’ll go through the basic Pen tool controls, and guide you through the many useful features of using paths, such as stroking lines and filling shape. Brush Dynamics will also come into play as you learn to utilise a range of different tools to quickly create a professionallooking masterpiece.

WorldMags.net

Share your Pen tool prowess

search for photoshopcreative WorldMags.net

Open the image

Make adjustments

Cutting out

03

Two adjustment points will appear. Click at the base of the wrist to make Keep dragging left until the left side the first anchor point, put a second matches the wrist. Release, then press Alt at the first curve, a third at the next curve etc. and drag the right hand point in so the The lines are currently straight, so go back to bottom of the curve matches the wrist. your second point, holding Opt/Alt, drag Adjust the other points, and then continue from the centre of the point out left. to draw around the hand.

Let’s get acquainted straight away with the Pen tool. Open the image ‘Paint brush.jpg’ and select the Pen tool (P). We’re going to use it to cut out the hand from the white background to allow for interaction with the shapes we draw.

01

02

Cutting out

Create your background

Add a centre point

04

05

06

If you put a point in the wrong place, simply hold Cmd/Ctrl and drag it back where you want. When the entire hand is outlined and with the Pen tool selected, right-click and click Make Selection. Set the Feather to 0px and hit OK.

Double-click the Background layer, then go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection. Press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N to add a new layer underneath. Use the Pen to draw a shape for a two-toned background. Ctrl/ right-click and select Fill Path.

Colour it in

Begin to draw

07

Select the Ellipse tool (U) and draw a circle at the tip of the brush, put this layer under the Brush layer. Turn off the Stroke and Fill the shape with a block colour. Repeat with other custom shapes for extra detail. Find these in the top banner.

Open the Paths palette via Window>Paths and with the Pen tool selected, click the New Path icon at the bottom of the palette. Draw the first curve emanating from the centre using Cmd/Ctrl and Opt/ Alt to adjust like before. The less points you use, the smoother the curve.

08

Go back to the Layers palette and create a new layer (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N) below the Brush layer. Choose a Foreground colour and set your Brush (B) to 100% Hardness and 30px. Select the Pen tool and Ctrl/right-click to pick Stroke Path. Select Brush and un-tick Stimulate Pressure.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

65

Tutorial Illustrate with the Pen tool WorldMags.net Expert tip Smooth curves When drawing curves with the Pen tool it is easy to make jagged and uneven edges instead of smooth flowing lines. There are some tricks for avoiding this, though. Try and keep your adjustments to no more than 30-40˚ away from the line. But most importantly, make sure that you place your anchor point where you want the line to change direction – not where you want the middle or the dip of the curve! This will ensure a smooth transition between angles.

Complete your shape Add more curves

09

Go back to the Paths palette. On the same path layer, draw a subpath of another curve, keeping the colour and brush size the same. This time, Ctrl/right-click and click Stroke Subpath and tick Simulate Pressure. This will add a nice tapered point.

Add more shapes

11

Create a new layer and paths layer and select a different colour. Repeat previous steps to draw in more curves, shapes and details, adjusting the brush size, toggle stimulate pressure and create a new layer for each colour – have fun with it!

Wrap it round

12

To add more depth, create a new layer underneath the Brush layer and draw a wavy line leading from the centre up the brush and hand. Ctrl/right-click>Stroke Path. Add a layer mask and paint in black alternating waves to make it appear as though the line is wrapping round the photo.

10

Continue to add to this path layer, varying the brush size and switching between Stimulated Pressure and not. Now also use the Pen tool to draw additional shapes such as leaves by joining up the path points. Then instead of adding a stroke, Ctrl/ right-click>Fill Path in the same colour.

Add a shadow

13

Duplicate the wavy line, double-click the thumbnail of the layer copy and add a pale Drop Shadow, hit OK. Ctrl/ right-click>Rasterize Layer Style. Fill the layer mask in black, and paint in white where the line crosses the brush or hand.

Expert tip Freehand Pen tool

Add more curves

14

Repeat these steps with a few more curves to add more interest. But don’t forget about the Brush tip. Create a new layer with Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N and with a black paint brush (B) at 5% Opacity, paint in a subtle shadow at the tip of the brush for even more realism.

66

Photoshop Creative

Textured background

15

Open the three supplied texture files and add them into the background above the Background layer. Use similar colours and varying opacities to give the image a textured grungy look.

WorldMags.net

Drag out the Pen tool icon to reveal the Freehand Pen tool. This allows you to draw freely without having to place anchor points and Photoshop will convert it to a path when you release the mouse. This allows much more creativity and freedom to make new shapes. You can adjust how sensitive the Pen is using Curve Fit – the higher the number, the smoother the curves.

Share your Pen tool prowess

search for photoshopcreative WorldMags.net

L PRACTICOAU SKILLS YARN WILL LE

5

Drawing paths

Discover how to make 1Photoshop’s perfect paths with Pen tool

Custom shapes

and edit ready2 Add made shapes

Fill path

your pen-drawn 3 Give creations colour

Vibrant colours

Final tweaks

16

17

To really make it shine, add a Gradient Fill adjustment layer, choosing strong, warm colours. Set the blend mode to Lighten to get the colours to interact with just the darker shades. To get back the lost detail from the paintbrush, add a bright levels layer with a layer mask.

Levels adjustment

If the gradient layer has washed the image out, add another Levels adjustment. Drag the black slider down until the contrast has returned. As you’ve saved your paths, if you want to adjust any of your past curves just go back and tweak away!

Closer look Pen tool art Useful tips when working in vector STEP BACK Make sure to keep zooming out to get a feel for the image as a whole. As important as the details are, you don’t want it to get too unbalanced.

Gradient fill

Add an interesting 5 colour wash that can be edited later

SWATCHES Create your own colour palette! Either use the Eyedropper (I) to copy a colour or select via Set Foreground colour, then on the Swatches window click the New Swatch icon.

EMBRACE THE CURVE Flow through your design by working with the natural curves of the Pen – the less points the better in order to avoid jutting points or edges where you don’t want them.

level and tone 4 Boost the safe way

SAVED PATHS SEPARATE LAYERS By drawing the shapes on separate layers it makes it possible to change the order of the shapes quickly to alter the dynamic of the image.

WorldMags.net

With each colour path created separately, it makes it easy to adjust each shape individually. Simply click a path to select it and begin adjusting with Cmd/ Ctrl and Opt/Alt.

Photoshop Creative

67

WorldMags.net

SPECIAL OFFER FOR USA READERS! ! e e r f s e u s is 5 t e g d n a Subscribe today

Exclusive

subscriber benefits ě Subscribe today and pay

Non read-eUrsS turn to

page 88 *Terms and conditions

just $120 for 13 issues * ě Get each issue for as little as $9.23 per copy ě Overall a 40% saving against purchasing on the newsstand ** ěũReceive the mag before it appears in the shops ě Money-back guarantee on any unmailed issues

This is a US subscription offer. You will actually be charged £80 sterling for an annual subscription. This is equivalent to $120 at the time of writing, although the exchange rate may vary. Your subscription will start from the next available issue and run for 13 issues. The five free issues refers to the USA newsstand price of $15.50 for 13 issues being $201.50, compared with $120 for a subscription. This offer expires 31 March 2014. Imagine Publishing reserves the right to limit this type of offer to one per household.

Source Code: USA

** Based on 13-issue subscription price vs 13 issues of newsstand at $15.50 which is $201.50

To order securely online, visit the website below and enter the offer code USA

www.imaginesubs.co.uk/pcr

To order by phone, call the number below and quote the offer code USA

+44(0)1795 592 871

WorldMags.net

The easy way to learn Adobe Photoshop WorldMags.net

Simple guides For Photoshop & Photoshop Elements Classic edits made easy…

Create a tilt-shift effect

12-page beginners’ section starts here

Give your images a classic photographic (page 70)

Top techniques…

Remove objects

Step-by-steps…

Essential editing guides Replace Color ............................................... 70 Tilt-shift toy town...................................... 72 Remove unwanted objects .......... 76 Stylised landscapes............................. 78

Ever taken a photo and wished something wasn’t in it?! (p76) WorldMags.net

Photoshop for Beginners

WorldMags.net

Quick Edit…

Colour magic

Learn to edit with Replace Color

Transform red into green in just a few clicks using the Replace Color adjustment

We reveal a quick and easy way to swap colours in your images Have you ever looked at an image and wished that you could tweak a colour, or better yet, take it out altogether and swap it for a new one? Happily, with the magic of Photoshop Elements at your fingertips, this type of edit is a real doddle. There are a few methods to try when it comes to colour swapping, but one of the

70

Photoshop Creative

easiest to master is the Replace Color function. If you have a relatively defined block of colour, this simple adjustment lets you select the colour you want to replace, and what colour you want to replace it with. Then after just a few clicks it’s hey presto! New life and new colour has been added to juice up your image.

WorldMags.net

Start image

WorldMags.net Change it up

Inject new colour into a shot

Replace Color panel

Get to know each of these buttons and sliders and use them together for colour wizardry Eyedroppers Use these tools to select, add (Shift-click) and remove (Opt/ Alt-click) areas of colour to replace on the image or the preview box.

Open up and double up

01 

Open your image in Elements. Ensure that Expert mode is selected. You can also use Quick mode, but we are going to be using layers. Ctrl/right-click the Background layer and select Duplicate Layer.

Fuzziness slider This lets you control if related colours are included in the edit. Drag to the right to include more or to the left to include less.

Selection or Image

Select the parameters

02 

With the duplicated layer selected, navigate to the top toolbar. Click Enhance>Adjust Color>Replace Color. The Replace Color panel will appear. Use the eyedropper tools at the top to select, add to or take away areas of colour to replace.

These are preview options. Selection highlights where colour will be replaced. Image shows a preview of the whole shot – handy if you’re zoomed in.

Preview checkbox Tick this box to see the full effect of your colour replacement. You’ll see your image change as you tweak the settings to make sure you get the right look.

Sample colour box This box shows you the colour that you’re replacing. All of the areas featuring this hue will be swapped out for your chosen replacement colour.

Replacement sliders Tweak and adjust these sliders to select the Hue, Saturation and Lightness of your replacement colour, which will be displayed in the box.

What does it mean?

Add new colour

03 

Once you have your area selected, take a peek at the Replacement area. Here you can tweak the individual Hue, Saturation and Lightness sliders to select the replacement colour. Tick the Preview checkbox to instantly see the effect.

Tidy it up

04 

Smaller areas of a similar hue to the one being replaced may come along for the ride. This is easy to fix. Working on the duplicated layer, pick the Background Eraser tool, select a suitable brush size and then carefully paint out any miscoloured areas.

WorldMags.net

LOCALIZED COLOR CLUSTERS This Replace Color option tells Elements to focus on the colour in the area where you clicked, and not select areas of that same colour throughout the image. Very useful if you have two red objects and you only want to change one of them, for example.

Photoshop Creative

71

Photoshop for Beginners

WorldMags.net

Classic techniques

Start image

Master the tilt-shift effect Learn how to shoot and edit your images to look like a toy town

The tilt-shift effect, which is particularly popular with cityscapes and street photography, can easily be imitated using Photoshop Elements. In fact, if you own a version of Photoshop Elements 12 or later, there’s a Guided edit called Tilt-Shift that will do all the work for you. But it’s still worth trying out this effect manually using your own mix of adjustments and learning how to

72

Photoshop Creative

manipulate layers and masks to achieve the results you had in mind. We take you through the various ways to make your own tilt-shift effect here, as well what to think about when taking your own photos to use. Locating the ideal position can be tricky, but it can also be fun to hunt down the perfect shot and make this effect your own memorable adventure!

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net How to shoot for tilt-shift

Nice and high

What to think about when sizing up a good photo for the effect When the opportunity presents itself we want to make sure we capture the image in just the right way. This will make editing in Photoshop Elements much easier. Here are some important points to consider when out and about with your camera searching for that perfect tilt-shift image.

Right

This is a perfect subject for the tilt-shift effect, as it’s high up and looking down on the city at an angle

Too low The angle looking down onto the scene is too low for the tilt-shift effect to work

Wrong

Tips for that perfect tilt-shift shot Valuable pointers to ensure success every time

Busy is good

The best kind of support

Think fast

Using a zoom lens with your camera is useful because you can crop the image while you shoot. When it comes to location, busier is better. Look for a scene that has plenty of people or vehicles because these will give more impact.

Be sure to take your tripod out for a test run, as it will help you to compose the scene and capture the action. Some tripods can even wrap themselves around objects, such as a rail or post, which helps to get between bars and fencing that could ruin a photo.

Stick your camera in Tv mode (shutter priority) and choose a fast shutter speed of 1/125s or above. This will make sure any moving subjects appear in focus, which is what we need for the tilt-shift effect.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

73

Photoshop for Beginners

WorldMags.net

Create your own effect Make the image come to life using layers and adjustments

Work smart

01 

Open ‘Tilt-shift.jpg’ from the supplied resources. We need to make a duplicate of the original layer (called Background inside the Layers panel down the right side). To do this, go to Layer>Duplicate Layer. Name this new layer Blur and hit OK. A new layer will appear above the Background.

03 

Add a new layer mask to the top image in the layer order (should be the blurry one) by clicking on the Add Layer Mask button in the Layers panel. This makes it possible to edit the layer without actually damaging the pixels of the image.

Draw a line out from the centre of the area of the image where you want the effect to be placed. The Gradient tool should create a soft line of focus. If this initial line of focus is too narrow, draw a longer line with the Gradient tool to enlarge this area.

Photoshop Creative

To create the heavy blurring that this effect is known for, go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Inside the filter, set Radius to 20. This gives a good dose of blurriness, and can always be increased later on. Hit OK to go back to the image.

04 

Press G for the Gradient tool. This is used to create the line of focus running through the image. Set the Gradient tool to Reflected from the Option panel, with 100% Opacity and tick Transparency. Be sure that the Foreground colour is black and the Background colour is white.

Boost colour

Gradual focus

74

02 

Set up tool

Masked pixels

05 

Create depth

06 

Now that the basic effect is in place, tweak colour and contrast to make the image really stand out. Add the Hue/Saturation adjustment by going to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Hue/Saturation and hitting OK in the pop-up menu. Increase Saturation to +30 to see a big improvement to colour.

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net doesWhat it mean?

SATURATION describes the strength of colour in an image. It’s the difference between the amount of colour in the pixels, and the more saturation there is the stronger the colour will appear.

Guided edits in

Photoshop Elements 12

Here’s how Elements 12 can create the effect for you

Better lighting

07 

Add the Brightness/Contrast adjustment from the New Adjustment Layer menu. Increase Contrast to around +50 for stronger lighting. Jump back to any adjustment layer by double-clicking on its layer’s thumbnail.

Follow the Guides

01 

In Elements 11 and 12, the Tilt-Shift effect comes under the Guided mode. This takes you through the steps for making the effect and does all the hard work for you. To get started, click on the Guided tab at the top.

Auto tilt-shift

02 

Locate Tilt-Shift from under the Photo Effects section down the right side of the interface. The first move is to click on the Add Tilt-Shift button. Doing so gives a pretty good effect to start off with.

Control blurriness

08 

To lower the strength of the blurring effect, click on the layer that was blurred earlier and lower its opacity. Reducing this down to 50% will fade the effect, and dropping to 0% will completely hide the effect.

Not bad!

03 

Clicking on Modify Focus Area enables the position of the focused part of the effect to be altered by drawing a new line over the image. But, as it stands, the Guided effect does a good job by default.

Carefully does it…

04  Reapply filter

09 

To strengthen the effect, create a duplicate of the blurry one by pressing Cmd/Ctrl+J. This layer will double-up the effect and increase the amount of blurring. Another possibility is to go back into the Gaussian Blur filter and increase the Radius setting.

WorldMags.net

Click on the Refine Effect tab to alter the colour and contrast of the effect, and strength of blurring as well. These sliders give the control needed to create the perfect tilt-shift effect.

Photoshop Creative

75

Photoshop for Beginners

WorldMags.net Blue skies

Contrary to what you might expect, areas of uninterrupted colour, such as a cloudless blue sky, can be tricky to work with. Thankfully the Healing Brush copes well.

Tool Focus…

Remove objects

Remember to zoom in as you work, but if an area of the image is giving you particular issues, zoom out again to see how noticeable it will actually be.

It’s all too easy to miss a distracting object like a street sign or lamppost while you’re busy snapping away, only spotting them afterwards when you look back through the photos that you’ve captured. More often than not, reshooting images with distracting objects looming behind the subject, perhaps even appearing to grow from out of their head or shoulder, is simply not an option. Fortunately though, Photoshop Elements 12 has the tools you need to remove these blemishes. How long it takes to carry out adjustments like this naturally depends on the severity of the problem but you will soon find that, with practice, you get quicker and more adept at dealing with distractions. Of course, the big secret lies in ensuring that the editing you do is as seamless as possible, so that anyone viewing the photo can’t spot that something has been removed at all.

Start image

Photoshop Creative

CLONE OVERLAY and SAMPLE ALL LAYERS can seem confusing, but each offers a simple choice. Clone Overlay allows you to choose whether the sampled pixels ‘hover’ over areas you’re working on. Sample All Layers tells Elements to take samples from all the layers. Generally, you can leave it unchecked.

Zooming in

Don’t let stray lampposts or street signs ruin your shot!

76

What does it mean?

WorldMags.net

Hair line Always pay close attention to areas of irregular detail, such as around the hairline, as this can be a giveaway if not blended carefully.

WorldMags.net Master the Healing Brush

It only takes a few steps in Elements to remove annoying distractions

Closer look at the Healing Brush tool The Healing Brush can be customised to perform as you want it to Healing Brush type

Source

You can choose either a Spot Healing Brush, which works well for pimples or sensor dust, or the regular Healing Brush.

Choose between Sampled and Pattern. There are relatively few common situations in which the latter will be of much use, so stick to Sampled.

Get set up

01 

Open ‘Lamp post portrait.jpg’ and activate the Expert mode in Elements. Before you begin, it’s an idea to duplicate the Background layer – the main image layer. Then head to the Toolbar and select the Spot Healing Brush tool or press J on the keyboard.

Healing Brush options

02 

Choose the normal Healing Brush. Change the Mode to Replace and uncheck Aligned. Use the Brush Settings button to reduce Hardness to 0%. Also ensure that Size reads as Off.

Aligned

Mode

When checked, the source point you selected changes as you carry out your retouching work. This can cause problems so is often best left unchecked.

The two options at the top, Normal and Replace, are the most useful. The former creates a blend while the latter places sampled pixels on top.

Begin retouching

Normal mode

Use the Marquee tool

03 

04 

05 

Hold down Alt and click once to select a source point. This is what will be referenced as you click on the object(s) to remove. Reselect source points often to ensure that it’s appropriate for the area that is being removed.

Elements 11 can intelligently blend the pixels from the sampled source area and the part of the image being removed. Be cautious with this, though, and always ensure that the blend is accurate, particularly when working close to points of transition.

WorldMags.net

Sometimes it is easier to remove a distraction by putting something on top. The windows in the building are a good example. Use the Marquee tool to select a neighbouring window, right-click and choose Layer via Copy. Move the duplicated window.

Photoshop Creative

77

Photoshop for Beginners

WorldMags.net

Merge photos…

Stylised landscapes Transform a standard landscape into a picture with punch by adding a new sky Landscapes are a very popular photographic subject and it is easy to get a great image of a vista. The problem is that all landscapes from one location look much the same. Luckily, Elements can help you turn a perfectly nice scene into something with a lot more impact. We’re going to take our mountain view and replace the bland sky with a vivid orange sunset. The orange sky and the blue landscape don’t look like they belong in the same photo, however, so we’re going to also colourise our mountains to take on a bright orange tone to match the sky and blend the two images together. We’re going to do all this with just the basic tools available in Elements (and Photoshop too) along with a few essential tricks.

On the site

Start images

78

Photoshop Creative

Download the two start photos to make this!

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net Refine Edge

Hue/Saturation

Refine Edge is a great feature in both Photoshop and Elements that helps you to make tricky selections without complex tools. You can make a selection as best you can of any subject and then use Refine Edge to perfect it. The Smart Radius analyses the edge of your selection and looks for where background might be creeping in based on colours, adjusting the radius of the selection to suit. Decontaminate Colors looks for patches of colour within the selection that belong to the background and eliminates them.

Use Hue/Saturation on any image to selectively adjust the Hue, Saturation or Lightness of the tones. If you tick the Colorize box, as we have done here, it applies a block colour over the whole image, keeping the original tones. Combine with blend modes for striking effects.

Give landscapes a vivid wash of colour for instant improvement Add an extreme colour boost to a lame landscape

The start images

Set up the canvas

First landscape

01 

02 

03 

These are the two images that we are going to use. They are very different, but the point of this tutorial is to show you how we can blend them together into one image regardless.

The final image is going to be portrait orientation. Create a blank canvas. Go to File>New>Blank File. Name the file, set Width to 23cm, Height to 30cm, Resolution to 300ppi with a transparent background.

Inverse the selection and refine

Select the sky

04 

Go to File>Open and browse to find the landscape to use for the scene, clicking Open to open it in a new tab in Elements. Zoom in a bit (Cmd/Ctrl+’+’) so you can see where the sky meets the mountains.

Pick the Magic Wand tool and click on an area of blue for part of the sky to be selected. Hold down Shift and then click on other areas of the sky until every bit of it is selected.

05 

When all of the sky is selected, go to Select>Inverse, so that the mountains are selected instead. We want to make sure that the selection is perfect, so go to Select>Refine Edge to bring up a new dialog box.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

79

Photoshop for Beginners

WorldMags.net

Set up Refine Edge

Finalise the selection

06 

07 

Change the View Mode to On Black so you can see where the sky is still visible in the selection. Tick the Smart Radius box and you should see some of that sky disappear. Adjust the Radius to 1px for the best results.

Copy the selection

08 

Back to the canvas

Select the sky

10 

Hold down Cmd/Ctrl and click on the layer with the sky cut out (the one with the mask). This will select the whole of the landscape, minus the sky. Go to Edit>Copy.

09 

Bring in the sky

Sort the layers

Adjust the colour

11 

12 

13 

Go to Edit>Copy, go back to the new canvas and Edit>Paste. Move the sky so it fits in with the landscape. We had to resize our sky, by holding down Shift and dragging the bottom corner handles.

80

Click Decontaminate Colors to help get rid of the bits of blue sky poking through the plants. Hit OK and the selection will be applied as a mask. Ctrl/right-click on the mask thumbnail and from the menu that pops up, choose Apply Layer Mask.

Photoshop Creative

Go back to the new blank canvas and Edit>Paste to paste in the landscape that was just cut out. Move the landscape around until happy with the composition.

Go to File>Open and select the replacement sky image. Pick the Lasso tool from the toolbar and draw around the sky – it can be rough as the bottom will be hidden behind the mountains.

In the Layers palette, move the sky layer below the landscape layer so that it sits behind the mountains. Now to start adding the colour effects. Make a duplicate of the landscape layer (Layer>Duplicate Layer).

WorldMags.net

Select the new landscape copy layer. Go to Enhance>Adjust Color>Hue/ Saturation (or Image>Adjustments>Hue/ Saturation in Photoshop) to bring up the Hue/ Saturation dialog box.

WorldMags.net

Set the colours

Blending the effect

Final touch

14 

15 

16 

Click the Colorize box and adjust the Saturation to 70. Now slide the Hue slider until it creates an orange tone that matches the sky. The orange colours are to the left of the slider.

Hit OK to apply the colour. The effect is a little harsh, so change the blending mode of this layer to Linear Light then adjust the Opacity until happy with the effect – we went for 70%.

Closer look Main techniques

Merge layers with this finger-twisting shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Opt/Alt+E. On that new merged layer go to Enhance> Adjust Lighting>Levels. Drag the right-hand and middle sliders to the left to lighten.

BUILD UP LAYERS

A sneak peak at the main tools needed for this simple effect

We are going to create a composite made up of one layer with a sky selection and one with a landscape, blended together with colour effects on further layers.

ENHANCE The Enhance menu (or Adjustments menu in Photoshop) is where our colour effects will come from. We’ll be using both Hue/ Saturation and Levels to add colour and lighten the mood.

SELECTION TOOLS We’re only going to use the most basic selection tools in this tutorial to cut out the landscape and sky: the Magic Wand tool and the Lasso tool.

REFINE EDGE This handy tool is going to turn our basic landscape selection into perfection – we need the edges to be precise so that it blends properly into the new sky.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

81

REVIEWS WorldMags.net PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 12 The specs SOFTWARE

Company Adobe Additional Specs

Price £78.15/$99.99US Web www.adobe.com

Photoshop Elements 12

Windows XP or later Mac OS 10.7 (minimum) 2GB RAM recommended 1024x768 minimum display resolution Download only

Adobe’s latest Photoshop Elements 12 is the next generation of entry-level photo editors

A

dobe’s Photoshop Elements has always been about providing the essential photo edits with minimal fuss. It has also excelled at making special effects easy to apply, and that’s why each new version is highly anticipated by those who are upgrading, as well as newcomers. Photoshop Elements 12 has seen a number of important changes, some pivotal to the way we edit and some not so. New tools including Content-Aware Move, and edge detection technology to complement the Straighten tool, go some way to making basic edits quicker and simpler. From a visual standpoint, however, Elements 12 has remained the same, so we have to dig under the surface to find those crucial differences. Let’s start by looking at Elements 12 as a whole. The Organizer and Editor form the two halves of the program, something we’ve come to know with each Elements version. Adobe has taken the idea of mobile integration one

step further with the addition of Mobile Albums featured inside the new Organizer. This will sync your libraries to your mobile devices anywhere with an Internet connection. The Editor is where the creation process begins. There are three interfaces inside the Editor: Quick, Guided and Expert. Ever since these were introduced as prominent features in Elements 11, the program has become more user-friendly. Each of these interfaces has seen a number of upgrades and new additions that have been a combination of Adobe listening to its fan base, as well as keeping up with the features given to its bigger brother, Photoshop CC. We were relieved to find Camera Raw software is now a bigger part of Elements, opened directly from the File menu. This will go some way in satisfying the needs of photographers looking for dedicated Raw file processing. Adobe hasn’t just focused on the more serious upgrades, though. Looking over

to the Guided interface and there have been a handful of creative additions, including Puzzle Effect and Restore Old Photo. These, along with the other Guided effects, are where the program shines. They have grown with each new release and after following their steps we are impressed with the range of effects.

Discover the best bits of Photoshop Elements 12 The choice picks to whet your editing whistle

82

Pet Eye tool

Content-Aware Move

Straighten tool

The Red Eye Removal tool inside the Quick interface now has the addition of Pet Eye. Select the Red Eye Removal tool and tick Pet Eye in the Options bar. This works by darkening the bright glare that sometimes occurs.

The Content-Aware Move tool replaces pixels that are left behind from moving a subject with similar surrounding pixels. This enables you to move one subject to another part of your image with minimal signs of editing.

Crop and straightening images is something we do regularly, so it was great to see the new Content Edge filling option with the Straighten tool. This reconstructs empty areas caused by images rotating when being straightened.

Photoshop Creative

WorldMags.net

W WorldMags.net A COPIN! ELEMEY OF NTS The new Quick interface Elements 12 introduces some new features for applying instant effects

12

SPOT HEALING BRUSH

INTERFACE

PRESET EFFECTS

PRESET TEXTURES

The Quick interface contains simple tools for cleaning up any dust spots or marks on images. There are no layers in this interface, so these tools are applied destructively.

Bespoke to each tool is the Tool Options bar. They could benefit more from being spread out across the base, which would then increase the space for the image while still being able to tweak tool settings.

The new Effects panel in the Quick interface contains 10 instant photo effects for transforming images. These include Cross Process, Scary Movie, Summer Day and Vintage.

New to Elements 12 is a Textures panel. There are ten in all, and range from flaky paint to metal surfaces. Click on one and Elements will adjust blending.

Camera Raw software

Auto Smart Tone

In Elements 12 you can open up an image into the powerful Camera Raw software. Although not as in-depth as Photoshop CC, photographers can adapt the lighting using the convenience and accuracy of Raw editing.

The new Auto Smart Tone offers control over the tones in your image. The adjustment is set by dragging an arrow over the image. It also remembers the changes to one image across multiple images the more times it’s used.

“We were relieved to find that Camera Raw software is now a bigger part of Elements, opened directly from the File menu”

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

83

REVIEWS WorldMags.net PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 12 The Quick interface is where we take a step away from layers and the menus found inside the Expert interface. Here we can take advantage of the new preset textures, frames and effects that have been introduced in version 12. With a total of 30 presets in the Quick interface, along with the existing adjustments and Smart Fix options, it is impressive how straightforward these otherwise complex effects are to make. The other side to Photoshop Elements 12 is its Organizer, a program dedicated to collating photos and videos for easier access. The new version brings photographers closer to mobile devices. The new Mobile Albums feature is something that we found beneficial, so long as we were connected to the Revel app. The Organizer is split into different interfaces, just like the Editor in Elements 12, and includes Media, People, Places and

Events. Photos can be managed depending on where they were taken, the people in them, or what the occasion was at the time. There’s also an Instant Fix editing panel to allow for a couple of important adjustments to be made before heading over to the Editor. With these we were able to crop for better composition, adjust the lighting with Levels or Contrast, and improve colour and detail thanks to the sharpness adjustments. The People option works to collect groups and portrait images according to face tagging and makes it easier to go back to a certain shoot or time, to edit certain images. Another side to the Organizer is its ability to share and create projects from photos. These range from photobooks, calendars and other gifts, as well as links to social networks for staying connected with friends and family. All in all, Organizer’s Mobile Albums will benefit those

“With a total of 30 presets… it is impressive how straightforward these effects are to make”

who shoot with their smartphones or tablets and need links to Elements on the go. We like the clean interface, which places a strong focus on the way we sort images according to content. The Tagging and Catalog features will benefit those of us who spend most of our free time behind the camera, and a lot of time searching through folders upon folders to locate specific images. Using the Organizer becomes a matter of habit and good practice, before considering which images are worthy of taking into the Editor. Having all our files there in front of us in an large interface allows for a more efficient workflow and selection process, and has quickly become our first port of call before moving into making some of the more serious edits in the Editor. The Organizer doesn’t just handle photos though, as it can also manage and collect video files that have been imported from external devices, such as a compact camera. But if it’s video editing that you’re after on top of your photos, then Adobe has jointly released its Premiere Elements 12 software. This can be bought together with Photoshop Elements 12 and will set you back a sum of £117.22 ($149.99US).

Mobile Albums HOW TO SHARE AND CONNECT IMAGES TO THE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS ORGANIZER The new Organizer is now smartphoneconnected, with Mobile Albums helping us to stay linked up on the go. Mobile Albums is designed for those of us who spend a lot of the time away from Elements but need a way to stay connected to image libraries. Images synced to a Mobile Album will appear in Elements 12, negating the need for cables and untidy USB connections. The Mobile Albums feature requires Adobe’s Revel app to work and make a connection to your image libraries. Revel is currently available for iOS and Windows devices, though if you’re an Android user then Adobe’s Revel Importer (which is free) will provide similar functionality. The Revel app allows unlimited imports for the first 30 days of use, and caps at 50 photos or videos each month after that. There is the option to upgrade to a Revel Premium account for just $5.99 per month, which allows you to take advantage of unlimited imports every month. Adobe’s Revel app will also help you back up images and let you share them across social streams. But this is mainly about syncing with mobile devices and can benefit those active photographers and those who want a little bit more between computer and camera.

QUICK PHOTO ENHANCEMENTS The Guided edits in Elements 12 are a joy to use, making it incredibly easy to add striking effects, such as Depth of Field, to images.

84

Photoshop Creative

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

INTERFACE SECTIONS The Organizer interface is split into four different parts: Media, People, Place and Events. The last three are there to help you keep your images organised into various categories according to a subject.

MOBILE ALBUMS

Upload to your Revel account and you can access your most recent photos inside Photoshop Elements when you return back to your computer.

FIX PHOTOS Much like the Quick interface in the Editor, there are a number of Photo Fix Options in the Organizer. These help to get the results needed before jumping straight into the Photoshop Elements Editor.

EVENTS AND TAGGING We can add events and tag people using the options at the base of the Organizer interface.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

85

REVIEWS WorldMags.net PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 12 The best one-click effects in Elements 12 Instantly improve your image with these options

Tint Purple

Sepia

Vintage Photo

Picture Stack

Lomo Camera Effect

Frame and Texture Presets

The latest Guided effects in Elements 12 Let Elements do the hard work and learn new techniques along the way

86

Puzzle Effect

Zoom Burst

Restore Old Photo

New Guided options include the Puzzle Effect, whereby an image can instantly be made to look like a puzzle. There are three sizes available for the puzzle pieces, and pieces can be moved for a realistic digital puzzle.

The Zoom Burst Effect re-creates a lens moving in and out as the image is shot. It’s possible to control exactly where the effect is placed with control over a vignette and cropping using the easy steps.

This Guided edit does a good job at restoring weathered old scans. It rounds up all the retouching tools and filters in Elements, and makes it straightforward to remove blemishes and scratches, bad lighting and low contrast.

Photoshop Creative

WorldMags.net

PICTURE STACK EFFECTS

WorldMags.net The Picture Stack Guided edit offers an interesting way to transform a plain image.

“Simple adjustments save the user a lot of time and the clear interface is very easy to follow” Share and share alike CREATING GIFTS AND STAYING SOCIALLY CONNECTED IS ALL A PART OF ELEMENTS 12 The Create and Share features within the Editor offer up ways to get our images out there into the world. With Mobile Albums and Revel connectivity now part of the Organizer, your Revel library can also be accessed directly from inside the Editor under the Share options. It is also possible to upload creations to Facebook, Flickr and Twitter streams. There are options to print directly from a connected printer as a single printout, Picture Package (a choice of layouts) or via an online print shop for those larger print runs. Elements also lets you design and print photo collages, greetings cards and calendars using your edited images directly from the Expert interface.

It’s the idea of having our photos available with us wherever we travel that really appeals, and Elements 12 seems to do that well. What’s more, if you’ve been searching for a piece of software that presents image adjustments clearly, Elements won’t fail you on that. The new features in the Quick interface have more creative potential and will help you edit if time is of the essence. Of course its greatest criticism is that Elements is viewed as a ‘watered down’ Photoshop CC, but then in retrospect this could actually be its strongest attribute. Simple adjustments save the user a lot of time and the clear interface is very easy to follow. In direct comparison to Creative Cloud, there’s always going to be a clear dividing line. The exclusion of the Pen tool for creating vector-based art is just one tool that has never made it across into the Elements feature set. Photoshop CC’s Mixer Brush tool is another example of commands that remain firmly away from the Elements toolkit, and not having the option to edit in CMYK colour mode is also on the list of differences. But then why should we worry about these when Elements 12 has so much else to offer us? Upgrading from an earlier version of Elements has its advantages in terms of a lower pricing, reducing the costs to £63.49 ($79.99US), and

when you consider what you get for your money, the bonuses start adding up. Overall, we found Elements 12 to have some useful features for integrating with smartphones using the Mobile Albums featured in Organizer. Technology like Content Aware and the edge filling capability of the Straighten tool may sway those considering a potential upgrade. But it’s the Editor that stands tall, with access to more tools to help photographers edit images, such as Camera Raw. Elements is whole lot smarter and more considerate of the common techniques photographers require on a day-to-day basis.

The verdict

9

One-click effects make Elements 12 so unique. This is heightened with the new Guided edits and additions to the Quick interface. A very worthwhile upgrade.

WIN!Elements12 A copy of the new

We’ve got three copies of the all-new Photoshop Elements 12 up for grabs! To be in with a chance of winning one of them, send us an email with your answer to the question below. It really is that simple. Send your entries to this address: [email protected] by 20 October 2013.

Q: Which Guided edit is new to Elements 12? A: Puzzle Effect B: Riddle Effect C: Joker Effect TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Email addresses will be used for Photoshop Creative purposes and won’t be given to outside clients. One entry per person. No employees, freelancers or close associates of Imagine Publishing or Adobe, may enter. Editor’s decision is final and no cash alternative will be offered.

WorldMags.net

3 UP FO

GRABSR ! Photoshop Creative

87

®

Voucher WorldMags.net creatIve Subscriptions  YES! Q

I would like to subscribe to Photoshop Creative

TO SUBSCRIBE Online

YOUR DETAILS Title Surname Address

THREE WAYS

First name

Order via credit or debit card; just visit:

Postcode Telephone number Mobile number Email address

www.imaginesubs.co.uk/pcr

Country

and enter code PAL134Q

Please complete your email address to receive news and special offers from us

DIRECT DEBIT PAYMENT Q UK Direct Debit Payment - I will pay just £18 every six issues. I will then pay £25.20 every six issues on the third payment made.

Telephone

Order by phone; just call:

0844 848 8415

Overseas: +44 (0) 1795 592 871 and quote code PAL134Q

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society to pay by Direct Debit Please fill in the form and send it to: Imagine Publishing Limited, 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, ME9 8GU Name and full postal address of your Bank or Building Society To: The Manager

Bank/Building Society

Post or email

Originator’s Identification Number

5

0

1

8

8

4

Address

Reference Number

Postcode

Name(s) of account holder(s)

Instructions to your Bank or Building Society Please pay Imagine Publishing Limited Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with Imagine Publishing Limited and, if so, details will be passed on electronically to my Bank/Building Society Signature(s)

Branch sort code

Bank/Building Society account number

Date

Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit instructions for some types of account

PAYMENT DETAILS Q UK £62.40 (Save 20%) Q

Europe – £70.00

Q

A6 instruction form

Please complete the form and post it to:

Photoshop Creative Subscriptions, 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, ME9 8GU Alternatively, scan and email the form to:

[email protected] World – £80.00

Cheque

Q

I enclose a cheque for £

(made payable to Imagine Publishing Ltd)

Credit/Debit Card

QVisa

Q

Mastercard

QQ

(if Maestro)

Card number

Issue number

Q

Amex

Q

Maestro Expiry date

Signed Date Code: PAL134Q Please tick if you do not wish to receive any promotional material from Imagine Publishing Ltd by post Q by telephone Q via email Q Please tick if you do not wish to receive any promotional material from other companies by post Q by telephone Q Please tick if you DO wish to receive such information via email Q Terms & Conditions apply. We publish 13 issues a year, your subscription will start from the next available issue unless otherwise indicated. Direct Debit guarantee details available on request. This offer expires without notice. I would like my subscription to start from issue:

Return this order form to: Photoshop Creative Subs Department, 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, ME9 8GU or email it to [email protected].

Manage your subscription account by visiting www.imaginesubs.co.uk

88

*Terms & Conditions This offer entitles new UK direct debit subscribers to pay just £18 for six issues, a massive saving of 50% off the cover price. Pricing will revert to our standard offer of £25.20 every 6 issues on the third payment made. Subscribers can cancel this subscription at any time. New subscriptions will start from the next available issue. Offer code PAL134Q must be quoted to receive this special subscription price. Details of the direct debit guarantee are available on request. Offer expires 31st March 2014. Imagine Publishing reserves the right to limit this type of offer to one per household.

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

Create better images with Photoshop Creative

Subscribe today

AND SAVE 50% *

The magazine for Adobe Photoshop inspiration and advice

Learn to edit your photos Create amazing digital art In-depth guides to the important tools and commands Free CD each issue with video tutorials, brushes and more...

S an ub th d s scri e c av be ov e 5 to er 0% da pr o y ice ff

USA readers turn to page 68

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

PHOTOSHOP & ELEMENTS

We put your niggling questions to our panel of editing experts!

Meet your experts… Sara Biddle “I really love experimenting with brushes and blend modes – the freedom to add lovely effects with very little effort at all!”

Daniel Sinoca “I can achieve really interesting effects using Photoshop Elements. Creating a helmet was a really fun challenge for me.”

Joseph Ahmad “Photoshop is an incredible digital darkroom that provides artists with an endless medium for creation and exploration.”

Peter Smolens “Photoshop doesn’t have to be about complex images. With just a few mouse clicks you can create a dramatic comic style artwork.”

Andre Villanueva “Despite all the fancy selection features now available, I still heavily rely on the trusty ol’ Pen tool.”

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

90

Photoshop Creative

Elements

HOW CAN I ADD LIGHT EFFECTS TO MY PORTRAITS USING BRUSHES AND LAYERS? Maria Kebby, via Twitter MATERIAL REFLECTIONS Certain materials are highly reflective, such as polished jewellery and metals. Use a light colour on a Vivid Light layer to up the reflectivity of the material with highlights.

CONSIDER ENVIRONMENT Surrounding light can be used to make the figure stand out. Try the Dodge tool on the background.

EYE GLOSS Without reflection, the eyes tend to look dull and dry. Use a brush in a very light colour on a Normal layer to add gloss to the eyes.

SKIN REFLECTIVITY Skin is reflective, especially where the skin is moist. Use a light colour on a Vivid Light layer to add highlights, especially around the eyes, nose, and lips.

Expert tip Layers in Photoshop Elements The Layers panel houses all layers, layer groups, and layer effects. The menu can be accessed at the top right corner, which includes the Panel Options. The panel icons control new layers, effects, masks, lock layers and transparency. Clipping masks can be made by Opt/Alt-clicking on the line between two layers. Layer blend modes and Opacity can be changed to alter the image.

WorldMags.net

ADDITIONAL LIGHT SOURCES Eyedropper the lightest colour from the background and brush around the figure edges to create bounce from the environment or another light source, adding drama and blending into the surroundings.

After

Before

PHOTOSHOP & ELEMENTS WorldMags.net

Photoshop CS

HOW CAN I MAKE A DISTRESSED TYPE EFFECT USING TEXTURE? Tina Blake, email

As with any task in Photoshop, there are a number of ways to create distressed type. Here we’ll use the often overlooked blending sliders to easily bring texture from a backdrop into type. First, find a suitable grungy backdrop, or create your own from a blend of photos as we’ve done here. Use the Type tool to create some text. A big, blocky font works best so there’s more surface area on which to show the effect. Next, click the fx button in the Layers palette and choose Blending Options. There are two Underlying Layer sliders at the bottom of the dialog. Slide the dark slider inward to progressively expose the darkest parts of the underlying image, and slide the light slider inward to show the lightest parts. Opt/Altclick and drag the sliders apart for smoother transitions. Keep adjusting the sliders until you have the desired amount of distress.

Before

After

Photoshop CS

Andrey’s expert edit Add colour back into old photos

01

Open ‘Old photo.jpg’ and separate the image out into layers (for head, clothes, etc). Tools like Quick Mask, Brush and Eraser can be used to blur edges.

02

Add colour with the Brush tool to the separate layers. Add a new layer above each of the layers for the colour and set the blend mode to Overlay.

03

Once all the elements have Use the Color Balance been painted, tweak colours command, switching in some areas using the Sponge between Shadows, Midtones and tool at 15-40% set to Desaturate or Highlights, to tweak each layer. Saturate.

04

Photoshop CS

Before

HOW CAN I MAKE A CREATIVE MONOCHROME EFFECT IN PHOTOSHOP? Damon Rolfe, via Facebook

To begin with, open any image and select Image>Mode>Grayscale. Next, select the Duotone option from the same menu, and set Type to Duotone. Choose a grayish colour for Ink 2 from the Color palette, and label it as ‘custom’. For Ink 1 try using the colour ‘cabfbf’ (enter this into the # field). Experiment with different colours for the two Inks. When done, convert the image back to RGB Mode and apply the Levels adjustment (Cmd/Ctrl+L) to tweak blacks and whites to get the desired effect. Then save the image as a PSD file separate to the original image.

WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

91

Common problems solved PHOTOSHOP & ELEMENTS WorldMags.net Before

Photoshop CS

HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE PEN TOOL AT CUTTING OUT OBJECTS? Alan Larkin, via Twitter The Pen tool is one of the most effective selection methods Photoshop has to offer, and can essentially be used to select absolutely anything you throw at it! Select the Pen tool and choose Paths in the Options bar. Click to set the origin point. Click again to set a corner point, creating a straight path segment, or click and drag to set a smooth point for a curved path segment (hold

After

Before Opt/Alt for a directional change). Continue around the object to the origin point. Use the Direct Selection tool to refine. Name the path in the Paths palette to save it. Press Cmd/ Ctrl+Enter to convert it into a selection.

After

Photoshop CS

HOW CAN I EMULATE AN OLD PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS USING AN ORDINARY IMAGE?

Before

Samantha Roads, via Facebook

To make this image of the Lincoln Memorial different from others, we have to reach into the bag of editing tricks and use Photoshop’s tools to put a different twist on a standard stock image. This process works better on images that don’t have much in the way of contrast. With your image open, make a duplicate of the base layer. Apply the Poster Edges filter from within Filter>Artistic. Although you can experiment with these settings, the default settings work well. Go to Layer>Adjustment Layer>Threshold. Set Threshold Level to 165. The settings you use will obviously depend on the original version of the image. Make a duplication of the Poster Edge layer. Move the layer to the top and change the blend mode to Multiply. To refine colour in the image, go to Layer>Adjustment Layer>Hue/Saturation and set Hue +12 Saturation +79 and Lightness +8.

92

Photoshop Creative

Photoshop CS

HOW CAN I QUICKLY TRANSFORM MY PHOTOS INTO COMIC ARTWORK? John Gerry, via email

After

WorldMags.net

Duplicate the Background layer and call it Color. Enhance edge definition by adding a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. How much is applied depends on how defined the edges are. Click Filter>Blur>Smart Blur. Adjust the Radius and Threshold sliders to smooth out the inside areas while retaining the sharp edge. Duplicate the Color layer and name it Outline. Click Image>Adjustments>Channel Mixer. Click on the Monochrome checkbox. Adjust the sliders to have a stark black and white image with easy separations. Click Filter>Stylize>Find Edges. Use the Edge Thickness slider to help define the thickness of the black edge. Use Multiply, Darken Color, Hard and Soft Light blend modes. If the outline edges are weak or too thick, use the Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer.

PHOTOSHOP & ELEMENTS Common problems solved WorldMags.net

Elements

Daniel’s expert edit How can I make a realistic helmet?

01

Open the helmet image. Create a new layer and use the Magnetic Lasso tool (L) to select the helmet. Grab the Paint Bucket tool (K) and fill with red.

02

Select the Gradient tool Apply the Bevel layer style. (G), select Radial, open the Grab the Burn tool (O), and Create a new layer. Grab the Editor, create a three-stop gradient Magnetic Lasso tool (L) and create extra shadows. Duplicate the set to dark red, red and white. Go to Layer>Layer Style>Style Settings and select the face guard. Grab the Paint helmet and use the Eraser to rub out the extra piece. Bucket tool and fill with a light grey. set Bevel to 56px.

04

03

BLENDING MODES

DODGE AND BURN

Create a realistic effect by setting the Overlay blending mode for the Text layer to reflect the lightness and darkness of the original helmet colour.

The Dodge and Burn tool (O) lightens or darkens parts of the image. Add shadows or highlights by setting to a low Exposure and drag over the image.

SELECTION TOOLS Grab the Magnetic Lasso tool (L) to make a selection by tracing an image. You can add, subtract from, or intersect with an existing selection, just click the corresponding button.

TYPE TOOL Grab the Type tool (T), write text, and apply the Stroke effect. Right-click on the text layer and choose Warp Text, pick a shape and then apply.

LAYER STYLES Use the layer styles to change the appearance of a layer’s content. Apply the Bevel style to add a combination of highlights and shadows to create a 3D effect.

After

Before WorldMags.net

Photoshop Creative

93

Before

PHOTOSHOP & ELEMENTS WorldMags.net

Photoshop CS

HOW CAN I APPLY THE GRADIENT TOOL TO MY PORTRAIT IMAGES? Rebecca Looms, via Twitter Practise this effect on ‘Studio portrait.jpg’ found in the supplied files. Slightly destatuate the image using the Hue/Saturation adjustment, shifting Saturation to -46 so that the colour gradient applies evenly. Apply a colour gradient using a pink tone for the darker colours and light fleshy tone for the lighter colours. Apply the gradient diagonally over the image on a new layer and duplicate it once by pressing Cmd/Ctrl+J. Set one of these layers to the Vivid Light blend mode and the other to Normal. Next, apply a texture layer in Color Dodge blend mode, and use the Eraser tool to remove texture from around the face, leaving it only in the negative spaces of the composition. Reduce the overall opacity to 50%. Use the Curves adjustment (Cmd/Ctrl+M) to boost contrast and make highlights more exciting. A white vignette (by going to Filter>Lens Correction) will help achieve a fantasy-style effect, with white edges surrounding the model.

After

Photoshop CS

HOW CAN I MAKE A WARM EVENING GLOW EFFECT IN MY OUTDOOR PORTRAITS? Chris McMillan, via email

To start with, open up ‘Outdoor portrait.jpg’ and create a new layer. Use the Polygonal Lasso tool to create sunbeams. Use a white fill, a Motion Blur filter at 800px and layer Opacity 80%. Duplicate the Background layer, and use the Gaussian Blur filter. Use the Eraser tool on the eyes, with the Opacity and Flow set to 100% for maximum impact. Duplicate and reduce Opacity to 4% and create a new layer and fill with colour ‘e39a78’ and change blend mode to Soft Light. To apply a light leak overlay, set a new layer to Screen blend mode, 100% Opacity, and use a white brush to paint over the bright highlights. Finally remove stray hairs using the Healing Brush tool and File>Save as a PSD.

94

Photoshop Creative

Before

After WorldMags.net

GREATWorldMags.net PHOTOS MADE EASY www.photoforbeginners.com

Available from all good newsagents and supermarkets

ON SALE NOW: > Black & white tricks > Settings explained > Great vistas > Wildlife tips PERFECT SETTINGS

SHOOTING TRICKS

CREATIVE PROJECTS

EASY EDITING TIPS

SHARE YOUR SHOTS

BUY YOUR ISSUE TODAY

Print edition available at www.imagineshop.co.uk Digital edition available at www.greatdigitalmags.com Available on the following platforms

facebook.com/PhotoforBeginners WorldMags.net

twitter.com/PFBMag

®

WorldMags.net

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

iPad iPhone Android phone Android tablet Apple Mac Wind WorldMags.net

No Disc. No Problem Many of the files you’re looking for can be

dows PC

WorldMags.net

found on the magazine’s website Imagine digital editions are a new and exciting way to experience our world-leading magazines and bookazines.

To get the most out of your digital editions, be sure to enjoy all of our fantastic features, including:

r
;PPNBCMF
UFYU
BOE
QJDUVSFT r
*OBQQ
CSPXTJOH r
4FBSDIBCMF
UFYU r
5BLF
ZPVS
DPMMFDUJPO
XJUI
ZPV r
3FBE
PGá
JOF

www.GreatDigitalMags.com

To buy more Imagine digital editions and for the latest issues and best offers, please go to WorldMags.net

Interview

WorldMags.net

Artwork for Fotolia Ten Collection Season 2

Eric Hosmer

“I learned almost everything I know about Photoshop from playing with the tools and filters”

The Making Of How Alberto created his image for the Ten Collection

The right image Poster

Alberto Seveso We find out what it’s like being a part of the global art project that is Fotolia’s Ten Collection

C

hosen to represent Italy in Fotolia’s Ten Collection Season 2, Alberto Seveso created a portrait image that would do his country proud. The Ten Collection reveals a new PSD to download free every month for ten months. This global art project displays the techniques and processes of some of the most talented Photoshop artists. Head to www.tenbyfotolia. com to download Alberto’s PSD.

What’s it like as a Ten Collection artist? I feel honoured to be involved in Ten Collection Season 2, because I believe it is a great idea that opens a window into the world of each artist. It can be a good starting point for young artists of the future to see what we do, where we live, how we work and how different our lives are.

How did it all begin? I was contacted last year and asked if I was interested in representing my country in this project. My answer was yes, because I was really excited to take part.

What has been your greatest artistic achievement? My greatest achievement is producing the

98

Photoshop Creative

official box artwork for Photoshop CS6 Extended. It’s my favourite work because I’m a big fan of Photoshop and this gave me the chance to express my creativity.

When did you actually start using Photoshop? I started using Photoshop around the late Nineties with version 4. At the beginning I was just playing with the software. I had a lot of fun using the tools and trying to understand them all. I learned almost everything I know about Photoshop from playing with the tools and filters. I think it was the best approach and I love learning in this way.

How do you approach working on a new design? When I’m working on an image my method is to focus on three stages. The first is to choose a good image. Then comes pure creativity with no rules – you can see the end but you don’t know the direction. The final part is when you know you have to say ‘stop, it’s finished, no more changes’. For more work by artist Alberto Seveso, you can head over to his website now: http://burdu976.com

WorldMags.net

I have to feel inspired by the photo. The choice of the image takes a lot of time; that’s because I have to be sure that I really like it before editing in Photoshop.

Visualise the effect Consider the composition and visualise how the final effect will look. I work with the darker Photoshop interface to keep my eyes focussed on the artwork.

Working with layers Layers are essential in my work. I used a lot of layers in this image in a very complex way; masking and transforming them together to create this abstract effect.

Blend colour Layers of colours were built up using masks and brushwork. The final Layers palette consisted of colour-coded groups so I could stay organised.

10

WorldMags.net

Increase your income and develop long lasting relationships with your clients.

3

0%

UK

SU

PP

OR

T2

Months FREE LIMITED TIME ONLY

YOUR CLIENTS DESERVE

100% YOUR BRAND Customise every aspect of your reseller hosting with fully white label features

CREATE CUSTOM PLANS Control everything from web space and bandwidth to prices and features

GREAT HOSTING Our award-winning Reseller Hosting package has been developed for web designers, developers, freelancers, agencies and web professionals to provide clients with high performance, stable and secure hosting. EXCLUSIVE RESELLER DISCOUNTS

UNLIMITED EVERYTHING Unlimited web space and bandwidth to let you host as many sites as you want

CUSTOMER SUPPORT 100% UK Support, 24 hours a day from our in-house customer support team

FREE & INSTANT SETUP

Prices exclude VAT.

Offer applies to annual contracts only.

NO HIDDEN FEES

WorldMags.net

4/7

25% OFF

Dedicated Servers and Virtual Private Servers

50% OFF

Hosted Exchange and Premium Email

30% OFF

Bulk Domain Names

FROM ONLY £29.99 PER MONTH

WorldMags.net Your One-Stop Image Solution

, Find the best creatives for your advertising campaigns by browsing Depositphotos library of millions of high quality photographs, vector images and video files.

Get a 7-day image subscription for FREE with promotion code:

WorldMags.net

S3671290

Depositphotos Inc. | Website: www.depositphotos.com | Customer Service: +44-870-8200052