Photoshop Creative - Issue 144 2016

Tutorial Use adjustment layers creatively Place the butterflies Add birds to the sky Create some more shadows 18 Place ‘butterfly.jpg’, ‘butterfly1.jpg’ and 19 To add some interest to the sky, insert 20 Create a new layer, then use the ‘butterfly2.jpg’ near the door. Create a ‘birds sky.jpg’. Remove the Brush tool to make shadows for the new layer and use the Brush tool with black background, adjust the size and then position door, the girl blowing bubbles and the deer. as your colour to paint in shadows below the over to the right of the image. Change the When finished, change the layer Opacity butterflies. Insert ‘butterfly3.jpg’, use at a layer Opacity setting to 30%. setting to 60%. larger size, flip horizontal and then apply Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur set to 3px. Adjust the highlights Make the final corrections 21 To make any correction to the highlights, use the Burn and Dodge 22 Create a Vibrance adjustment layer with Vibrance: -7. tool (O) or create a new layer and fill in some parts with white using Use a Photo Filter adjustment layer, Deep Blue, Density: the Brush tool. Don’t forget to create a clipping mask. 24%. Change the blend mode to Multiply and layer Opacity: 30%. Expert tip TRY OTHER POSSIBILITIES Use Color Lookup This adjustment enables numerous effects by changing the opacity and In more recent versions of Photoshop the blend mode, combining two or (CS6 and above), there is a new more presets. adjustment layer worth trying. The Color Lookup adjustment helps to create a APPLY THE COLOR LOOKUP more enhanced colour correction by giving a quick and easy way to try out Create a new Color Lookup different combinations for the adjustment layer and pick 3DLutFile> composition’s elements by choosing a TealOrangePlusContrast. Adjust the new ‘look’ from a list of presets. The layer Opacity setting to 30%. major benefit of using an adjustment layer is that we can further tweak and fine-tune the results simply by changing the opacity or blend mode of the adjustment layer.50

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Tutorial Create smoke effects with brushes On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo. co.uk/photoshopcreative Essentials Works with Elements CS CC Create smoke effects with What you’ll learn brushes Work with the Pen tool, shapes, align options and Path Selection tools Time taken 5 hours Exper Learn how to create this smoking hot image, which is sure to give Andy your audience the hummingbird heartbeat Hau Did you know that a typical hummingbird can flight. To add dynamism we will make the wings “All designs should have an beat its wings around 80 times per second, look like they’re really beating using blend modes element of joy about them – creating the humming sound that gives and the Motion Blur filter. Finally, we will use from the inception to the final product. Design is an escape hummingbirds their name? This amazing feat is brushes and blurs to create realistic undulating from the futility of modern life; not an endorsement of it. the inspiration behind our image: a robotic streams of smoke from the bird’s body. “I am a London-based hummingbird that overheats from beating its wings Download the metal texture for free from Lost architect and graphic designer, as well as the too fast, causing smoke to billow from its body. and Taken (http://bit.ly/2be8tL8). The smoke owner of A.H.A. Design Ltd – a multidisciplinary Taking a scratched metal texture, we will use the brushes are free from Brusheezy (http://bit. design studio.” Transform tool and colour adjustments to sculpt a ly/2be9faX), and the stock image from Lisa Brank three-dimensional-looking robotic hummingbird in on flickr (http://bit.ly/2aGsRWH) is on FileSilo.52

Show us your smoke effects Search for photoshopcreativeSet the background Add a background texture Draw the hummingbird01 Create a new canvas (File>New). To 02 Lighten any additional areas of the 03 Draw the hummingbird using the create a dark, mysterious texture that you want to show Pen tool (P). Make sure the Shapebackground, choose a navy colour (#0d1625) through by selecting it with the Polygonal setting is selected. To create curves, click andand fill the entire canvas with this colour Lasso (L) on a high Feather setting and hold down the left mouse button. To editusing the Paint Bucket tool (G). Place the adjusting the Brightness setting (Image> shapes, select the Pen tool (P), hold downscratched metal texture from Lost and Found Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast). Apply Cmd/Ctrl and click on the anchor points.(http://bit.ly/2be8tL8) and change the Gaussian Blur (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur) toblending mode of this layer to Hard Light. defocus the entire image.Create the head Cut the shapes04 Rasterize the hummingbird pieces by right-clicking on 05 Select the shape using the Magic Wand (W) then select the metal the layers in the Layers panel and selecting Rasterize. texture layer in the Layers panel. Copy (Cmd/Ctrl+C) and pasteDrag in the scratched metal texture and scale it down (Cmd/Ctrl+V) this piece – you should end up with a piece of metal texture inappropriately (Edit>Free Transform). Place the texture under the the same shape and in the same place but on a new layer.shape that creates the head. We’ve included the hummingbird onthe FileSilo if you struggle to draw it.Sculpt it Make colour adjustments Use the visor shape06 Repeat steps four and five until the 07 Since the background is navy blue, 08 Select the visor shape with the head is complete. Identify your light the pieces should be more blue/cyan Magic Wand (W). On a new layer, fillsource, then using the Polygonal Lasso (L) in nature. Change the colour of each piece it in using the Gradient tool (G) – use a paleon a high Feather setting, select areas of light using the Color Balance setting (Image> cyan for the area closest to the light, andand shade on each piece, and change the Adjustments>Color Balance). Give each piece black for the area furthest away. Createbrightness (Image>Adjustments>Brightness/ a slightly different tone for a hotchpotch, reflections with the Polygonal Lasso (L) andContrast) accordingly to give the pieces form steam-punk effect. Gradient tool (G).and depth. 53

Tutorial Create smoke effects with brushes Expert tip Create the body Make a digital heart Use Adobe 09 Repeat steps five to eight to create the body 10 Use the Elliptical Marquee tool (M) to Illustrator and chest piece for the hummingbird, keeping create rows of circles in the shape of in mind the location of your light source as you contour a heart. Fill these circles in a pale blue As powerful as Photoshop each piece. Don’t forget to lighten or darken (Image> (#c7eff7). Double-click the heart layer and is, some people find the Pen Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast) the very edges of select Outer Glow, changing the glow colour tool a bit intimidating to use. each piece to give added definition. to the same blue. Change the perspective of While the outline of the bird the heart with Edit>Transform>Distort. can be created in Photoshop, as you’ve seen, and it’s a great way to practise using the Pen tool, why not have a go at creating it in Illustrator if you have it? You might find it quicker and easier to draw in Illustrator, so give it a go. If you don’t already have a copy or it isn’t part of your subscription, download a free trial to have a play and see how you get on. Create the front wing Duplicate the wings Apply Motion Blur 11 Follow steps five to eight to create the 12 Select all the layers that make up the 13 Select one of the wing copies and wing. For the glowing lights, on a new wing and merge together by right- apply a Motion Blur (Filter>Blur> layer, fill each strip with a pale blue (#ecfcff) clicking the Layers panel and selecting Motion Blur) on it. Repeat until each copy has using the Magic Wand (W) and Paint Bucket Merge Layers. Make copies of the wing and been blurred. Lower the opacity of the copies (G). Double-click the layer, select Outer Glow, fan them out using Edit>Transform>Rotate to where necessary to create a fluttering effect. changing the glow colour to the same blue. alter the angle. Change the blending mode of the copies to Screen. Make the back wing Soften the outline 14 Repeat steps 11 to 13 to create the wing in the 15 Select all of the layers that make up the hummingbird and merge background. Remember that since it is further away, this them together by right-clicking the Layers panel and selecting wing should be darker. For the copies, lower the opacity so that Merge Layers. Using the Polygonal Lasso (L) with a high Feather setting, they don’t compete with the foreground. strategically select certain edges and apply a Motion Blur (Filter>Blur> Motion Blur) to soften them.54

Show us your smoke effects Search for photoshopcreativeSprinkle digital fairy dust Load the smoke brush Apply Gaussian Blur16 Select the Brush tool (B) and choose a 17 Load the smoke brushes from 18 For a feeling of depth and movement, Soft Round brush to create a bokeh/ Brusheezy (http://bit.ly/2be9faX) by some of the smoke needs to befairy-dust effect using a turquoise colour clicking the cog button in the Brush tool defocused. Select these areas using the(#25d4ca) for the fill. Vary the size and opacity menu. Select one of the smoke brushes and Polygonal Lasso (L) with a high Featherof each circle to give an illusion of depth. choose a white fill. Left-click the canvas once setting, and blur them with Gaussian Blur to place an area of smoke. Vary the opacity of (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur). the brush for a more convincing effect.Add the wind-up key Zoom out19 We are going to add a wind-up key falling from the 20 Zoom out using Cmd/Ctrl+0 so that the entire image fits onto your hummingbird, which powers it. Download the photo from screen, and check that you are happy with the overall compositionLisa Brank (flickr: http://bit.ly/2aGsRWH) or from the FileSilo, of the image. Everything should look balanced, and the elements andand cut out the key using the Polygonal Lasso (L). Adjust colours colours should be evenly distributed.using Hue/Saturation (Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation).What you can do with itTurn it into a desktopwallpaper designWhile this image would look greatprinted and framed, unfortunately mostdesktop printers aren’t able to replicatethe subtle tones required to showcasethe smoke effects at their best. Withhigh-definition screens nowadays, youcan admire all the beautiful subtletiesin your image by using the image asa background for your desktop. Mostscreens have a screen ratio of 4:3 anda resolution of 1024x768, so keep yourPhotoshop canvas this size to ensure aperfect fit. 55

Tutorial Produce fantasy art using masks56

Check out the latest blog www.photoshopcreative.co.ukOn the FileSilo Start imagesDownload your free Produceresources at www.filesilo. fantasy artco.uk/photoshopcreative using masksEssentialsWorks withElements CS CCWhat you’ll learn Use masks, brushes,filters and blend modes tocreate a fantasy portraitTime taken2 hoursExpert Transport an everyday model to a fantasy realm using masks, filters, blend modes and moreAndreVillanueva One of the biggest draws to Photoshop non-destructive dodge and burn will provide editing is the power to alter reality. Now dramatic contrast. You’ll then use Color Fill layers,“Masks are one of my there are varying degrees to this. You can blend modes and the Hue/Saturation adjustmentfavourite and o en-used perform minimal retouching to give something a to alter the merged model’s colours. These editsfeatures. They enable me slight boost, push it a bit further into the threshold are also non-destructive.to merge characters, be of the supernatural, or go all out and forgeselective with adjustments something utterly fantastical. Here you’ll transport After finalising the model, you’ll place her atop aand hide brushwork, with a woman to a fantasy world where mystic energy forest populated with a (hopefully amicable)the all-important option to flows freely and dragons patrol the skies. dragon. From here you’ll utilise a variety ofrestore if needed. techniques such as High Pass sharpening and You’ll focus on the model first by selecting and starry brushwork to complete the vibe. Masks will “I discovered Photoshop masking her head, then merging her with an prove to be a potent ally throughout in achievingwhen studying web design. appropriately clad fantasy character. A dose of magical harmony across the layers.I’m now art director for atech company, soothing myinner instructor by sharingtechniques with readers.”Create a quick selection Refine the selection Clean up the selection01 Open ‘ModelHead.psd’ from the 02 Go Select>Select and Mask (non-CC: 03 Output to New Layer with Layer FileSilo. Use the Quick Selection tool Refine Edge). Paint with the Refine Mask. Click OK. Click the mask.to select the model. Resize the brush with the Edge Brush (non-CC: Refine Radius tool) to Using the Brush tool and a Soft Round brush,[ and ] keys. To remove from the selection, aid in selecting the hair. Resize the brush with paint black to hide, and white to restore areas.hold Option/Alt while using the tool. Continue the [ and ] keys. If needed, enlist the Global Use the Zoom tool to get close. Adjust brushto work until you get a basic selection. Refinements or Adjust Edge settings. Use size/opacity as needed. Decrease/increase Decontaminate Colors to help the cutout. brush hardness with { and }. Save and close. 57

Tutorial Produce fantasy art using masks Expert tip Merge the head and body Copy the hair Make a 04 Open ‘ModelBody.psd’. Place (CC: 05 To beef up the hair in areas, duplicate the final blur Place Linked) ‘ModelHead.psd’. Model Body layer, then Free Transform (Cmd/ Scale, position, commit. Add masks to both Ctrl+T) to scale, position and finesse. Repeat as needed. A final, selective blur is great. layers via the Layer palette’s Add Layer Mask Work with each layer’s mask to hide unwanted areas. By blurring non-vital areas, button. Paint black (adjust brush settings as Paint with white to restore hidden hair. When done, add you can ensure they remain necessary) to hide unwanted areas to meld a new layer at the top for the next step. relegated to the periphery. together. Free Transform (Cmd/Ctrl+T) to This will help the viewer’s scale, rotate and warp (Photoshop only) to fit. gaze slide towards the focal point. A er completing the main composition, select the top layer and merge layers (Cmd/Ctrl+Option/ Alt+E). (Photoshop: convert to Smart Object.) Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Adjust Radius for the amount of blur you want. Click OK. Apply a layer mask and paint black to reduce the blur. Dodge and burn safely Boost the lips Finalise the model 06 07Go to Edit>Fill (Elements: Fill Layers). Choose 50% Gray, click OK. Set the Click the ‘Create new fill or 08 Boost other areas. You can blend adjustment layer’ button in the multiple colours, such as on the eyes – yellow: #e0ea40, peach: #eecb93 and layer to Overlay blend mode. With a Soft Layers palette, and choose Solid Color. Pick toxic green: #72ff0b. Use the Color blend mode for simple recolouring. You can also Round brush (try 10% brush Opacity), paint #9c467a. Set the blend mode to Overlay. Click use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Tick Colorize, play with the Hue/Saturation sliders. black to darken, white to lighten. Add a layer the mask and invert it (Cmd/Ctrl+I). Paint Control with masks. When complete, save and close. Open ‘Start.psd’. mask, paint black (100% Opacity) to remove white with a soft-edged brush (30-60% brush the surrounding grey. Use multiple dodge Opacity) to boost the lips. Use this step’s and burn layers if desired. technique as a blueprint for the next step. Blur the dragon and place the model Paint some stars 09 Duplicate the dragon (Cmd/Ctrl+J). (Elements: right- 10 Create a new layer. Select the Brush tool. In the Options bar, click click the layer and choose Simplify.) Apply Motion Blur Brush Preview. From the panel menu, choose Load Brushes. Grab (Filter>Blur>Motion Blur). Set Angle: -48 degrees, Distance: 120. ‘Stars.abr’. Select the Stars brush. Set brush Opacity to 80-100%. Set white Add a layer mask, paint black (40-60% brush Opacity) to restore for both Foreground/Background colours (you can also use #ffff00 for some clarity. Add a mask to lower the dragon. Paint black one). Paint stars, varying size/opacity. Work across multiple layers. (40-100%) to hide/reduce. Place (CC: Place Linked) ‘ModelBody. psd’. Scale, position and commit.58

Check out the latest blog www.photoshopcreative.co.ukBlend stars Render clouds Sharpen with High Pass11 Go to File>Place (Place Embedded in 12 Create a new layer. Press D for the 13 Press Cmd/Ctrl+Option/Alt+Shift+E to CC) and choose ‘Space.jpg’. Set the default colours. Go to Filter>Render> merge layers. (Photoshop: right-clickblend mode to Screen and drop Opacity to Clouds. Set the blend mode to Overlay and on the layer, choose Convert to Smart Object.)40-60%. Add a layer mask. Paint black with a drop Opacity to 40-60%. Add a layer mask. Go to Filter>Other>High Pass (Radius: 20).Soft Round brush (60-80% brush Opacity) to Paint black (60-80% brush Opacity) to reduce Click OK. Set to Overlay blend mode. Add areduce the effect on the face. on the facial area. layer mask. Paint black in the mask (use an appropriate brush opacity) to reduce/remove the sharpening in areas.Blend in spiral Finalise14 Sometimes you want to blend in stuff outside the 15 Finalise with adjustment layers. Make it more restrained or go jurisdiction of merged effects, such as last step’s High all-out and jack up the vibe and colour to retina-searing heights.Pass. Place (CC: Place Embedded) ‘Spiral.jpg’. Scale up to cover Use Hue/Saturation and Vibrance (Photoshop) to affect colour. Use Levelsthe canvas before committing. Set to Lighten blend mode, to refine contrast, and Color Lookup (CS6+) to try quick new looks. Control40-60% Opacity. Use the Move tool to position. Add a mask and the adjustments with their masks. Save.paint black (40-60% Opacity) to reduce.Elements users LAYER NAMESOrganise your layers All layers should be named to keep you (and teammates) from having to guess what’s on them. You can also prefix related layers’ names with a common label.Although not explicitly mentioned, it’s advised LAYER DIVIDERSyou keep related layers corralled in layergroups. Elements lacks groups, meaning you You can use blank layers with a groupneed to organise your layers carefully lest you name to signify the beginning of a groupget lost in your work. Here are some things of related layers. Set apart with all capsyou can try to help you stay sane in Elements. and/or special characters.Keep all layers named (this is good in allPhotoshop versions). Use a named layer (withnothing on the layer) as a divider signifyingthe beginning of a group of layers. To makethese titles stick out, try all caps and/oradding special characters. Another idea is toprefix associated layers’ names with thesame label. 59

Resource project Make a custom spray-paint stencil PAPER SPRAY PAINT Bristol paper is best because it’s smooth and Acrylic-based spray paint is sturdy, so will hold the ideal for spraying on paper, spray paint. especially if you are going to use acrylic paint over the top once the design is finished. On the FileSilo CRAFT KNIFE Download your free A sharp cra knife is crucial resources at www.filesilo. to this project so you can co.uk/photoshopcreative achieve very detailed cuts. Make a custom spray-paint stencil Learn how to make and use a custom spray-paint stencil without expensive equipment or skill. Combine colours, designs and ideas to create beautiful custom artwork In 1949, spray paint as we know it came into market, it was the perfect combination of criticism of groups, people or policies. existence. Since then it has been used for being portable, easy to use, vibrant, and able Naturally, artists latched on to this and practical, as well as creative purposes. to provide quick coverage of large areas. The adopted spray paint as an artistic tool. Stencils Spray paint is durable enough to be used most common type of graffiti is tagging; this is began to be created so the same image could outside for construction teams, but it is also when someone will create a pseudonym and quickly be created multiple times in multiple colourful and versatile enough to be used to spray it on buildings and structures to places. Artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat used create art. When most people think of spray essentially mark their territory and show off it to merge street art and fine art. In this paint today, they first think of graffiti. Graffiti their creativity while flaunting who they are. tutorial, you will learn how to turn a photo into has been around since ancient times but when But since spray-paint graffiti began, it was a a custom spray-paint stencil with the help of affordable aerosol spray paint came on the rebellious way to show public support or multiple layers.60

Download free resources here www.filesilo.co.ukPhoto to stencil How to turn your photo into a usable spray-paint stencilAdjust the Threshold Create shapes Work on the skin01 Once you’ve chosen your photo, go 02 The background in this stencil is the 03 Do the same thing with the skin into the Image menu and choose hair, lips and her bracelet. Use the colour. If you turn off your black layer,Threshold, then drag the slider until you have Polygonal Lasso tool on a blank layer to the colours don’t look like anything but thethe desired amount of detail. This will be your create shapes for anything you want to be the black will bring it together. Keep in mind,outline stencil. Keep in mind you will have to same colour. Then select the black on your anything white cannot be floating (like thecut out all the black later. stencil layer and put it on its own layer so you right eye) or it won’t work as a stencil. can see the colour underneath.Prepare to spray paint Get everything in place to make your spray-paint designCut out coloured areas Number and order stencils Tape the corners01 Print each layer of stencil out onto 02 Once you have all your stencils cut 03 Since spray paint is an aerosol, it cardstock. You can colour code the out, you may be a bit confused about tends to blow things around. Topages if you think you might get confused. what order they go in. If this is the case, ensure that your stencil stays put, tape theCut out any coloured areas of your stencil. simply number each stencil and stack them corners and any areas that seem to beStart with the background stencil – it’s the in order so when you go to spray paint, you bubbling up.easiest. You will need a very sharp blade. know exactly what order they go in.Stencil layers Think carefully about how to build your stencilsFUN SHAPESThe shapes in your stencils will always be moregeneral at the beginning and progress to moredetail, so don’t worry if your stencils are goofylooking and don’t look like the original photo.EDGES MOST DETAILBe aware of your stencil edges. If your stencil is The black stencil will haveonly 8”x10” and your paper is 11”x17” then you may most detail. When makingneed to cover the rest of your paper to avoid sharp the stencil, it’s better toedges where the paper isn’t blocking. have more detail and simply not cut it out as opposed to trying to make up detail. 61

Resource project Make a custom spray-paint stencil Start spraying Now to spray over your stencil to make some art Spray the hair Paint the skin Make the final outline 01 To give this girl galaxy hair, start with 02 Remove your first stencil once the 03 Finally, after the previous stencil has the background hair stencil, then mix paint has dried for about 10 minutes. dried, tape on your last stencil and colours until you like the result. In this stencil Apply the next stencil and spray on the skin. spray. Be sure to not spray too much or it will we went over those edges with more paint to The skin will have to be more opaque so it bleed and you will lose detail. expand her hair after all the stencils were may need a few coats. applied, but this is a starting point. Stencil layers We’ve included the three stencil layers used in this resources project for you to use for your own personal projects.62

Hello How I madeHello EssentialsHow did Abesalom Kavelashvili bring such a detailed compositionto life, using stock photos, sketches and his own photography? Time taken 72 hoursAbesalom Kavelashvili is a digital artist from though, Abesalom uses all kinds of techniques and Georgia. “Photoshop is my most-loved tool,” tools to bring his artwork to life. The artist he tells us. “I use Photoshop to create most “It’s always interesting for me to work onof my work. I love retouching and creating conceptual and surreal projects, and I’d like to Abesalom Kavelashviliphotomanipulations, and often work with vectors, develop my skills in this field and work only in this “I’m Abesalomadding details in Photoshop.” direction in the future.” Abesalom says. “But a lot of Kavelashvili, a digital artist and art directorDetail is something that is obviously key in Hello, my artwork mixes 3D objects with photography, and from Tbilisi, Georgia. I have more than eight years ofa photomanipulation that Abesalom created for a I use about 80 per cent of the tools in Photoshop! experience working in the graphic and advertisingbank advertisement. It’s an image in which you can The Brush, transform and healing tools are used industry. Working in the field of design, I gainedkeep discovering new elements long after you’ve most often – plus adjustment layers, of course.” experience creating visual work, design and artworkfirst seen it, and it contains dozens of stock images, Hello took a long 72 hours to complete, so if it for more than a thousand big and small companies,as well as images that Abesalom shot with a Canon looks extremely complex, that’s because Abesalom brands and studios.” You can see Abesalom’s work atEOS 7D Mark II. put a lot of time into it. “I like to make experiments http://abesalom.com/.“Recently, I’ve become interested in and work on complex and difficult works,” he says. 63photography,” he says. “I like the shooting process This image, though, had very basic beginnings of aand the post-production in Photoshop.” Along with simple sketch, before Abesalom comped thethe photography aspect of his creative process elements together. Ideas and sketches 01 I came up with the concrete idea, started to make sketches for it, at first on paper, and then when I got the desired effect, I imported it into Photoshop and started to work on the composition with the Lasso in addition to several brushes. Compositing 02 Good compositions need the right photos. I found stock photos and started cutting and importing them. I shot a few photos myself, and began to create the main island, followed by other blurred islands in order to show depth. Lighting and details 03 The lighting must be even, so a lot of the lighting was tweaked at the end. I added electric lights using soft brushes and blend modes. I wanted the artwork to be interesting, so I added subtle details before working on highlights and shadows.

Project focus Underwater magic Underwater magic Andreas Varro turned a simple advertising commission into a majestic underwater scene that went viral – but how did Photoshop help him create it? About the artist When Andreas Varro was owners of the restaurant who the advert was commissioned to create an advert created for. But there were no details included Andreas Varro for a Swedish restaurant, he in the original brief, so my job was to find www.itsvarro.com turned a simple project into an ambitious different elements to add into the image to composition set underwater. give an underwater feel to it. Andreas Varro is an internationally “The image went viral,” says Andreas. “It So how did you decide to published photographer and was published in advertising magazine approach the project? retoucher from Sweden. He Campaign as the ad of the day among others has been featured by Campaign – the restaurant owners were super excited!” Normally when I do bigger assignments like magazine, Fstoppers and this, I always sketch and do mood boards. I do DigitalRev. His next project is The image is a fine example of how a little that part mostly for the customer’s sake so a “huge portrait photography thinking outside the box can produce a picture they can get a glimpse of the end result. In project with some Photoshop that reaches thousands. How did the project this case, I had a good enough relationship work included” looking to come to fruition and what went into making with the customer, and I also got the feeling raise money for people in the it? We caught up with Andreas to find out. that he had full confidence in my creativity, so Middle East. See more at www. I decided not to this time. We put that time facebook.com/itsvarrophoto/. How did the idea for this image into the production instead. I feel comfortable take shape? enough to work without sketches and mood Name of the project boards for my own sake. Initially though, the The basic idea of creating a restaurant under plan for this project was to add more details Sjökrogen the water was Roger Hjälm’s, one of the to the image, like crabs, more fish, maybe even the underside of a boat floating at the water surface by the ceiling, but in the end I decided to not add any more elements because I wanted more of an artistic feeling in the image. Once you had actually started creating the image, what were the big challenges? The big challenge was to make it look like it was shot underwater without overdoing it. If it was 100 per cent realistic, more objects would have been floating around. But I wanted to create a hybrid between water and land. The frying pan, for example, has smoke and flames emanating, even though it’s an underwater image. My stylist, Carina Lundgren, did a great job with styling. She styled haircuts so that they were standing up using steel wire and fishing lines. We also attached fishing lines to the male’s suit, making it look like it was floating out on the sides. The fish, leek, credit card and car keys were shot separately, either hanging from fishing lines or just dropped and then photographed. How did Photoshop bring all these elements together? Mainly selecting parts of the image with the client, but also raw conversion, retouching and doing final adjustments. That does not mean64

OBJECTS The various objects in the scene were photographed individually before Andreas decided with the client on which ones should make it into the final scene.COLOUR SUBJECTS All images © Andreas VarroPlenty of time was spent on The subjects were all given hairdeciding on the tone and colour and make-up treatments beforeof the scene, despite Andreas being shot; the floating womanclaiming that it isn’t a completely was photographed atop a boxnatural shade for the picture. before being edited into the picture.that the photography part is less important; different backgrounds. I use colour filters, shadows and highlights. I also used Colorprobably the other way around. Making the adjustment layers and layer curves to adjust Balance to add more cyan in the midtones.correct decisions when shooting elements is both colours and contrast.crucial to making the end result look good, for What tips would you give toboth perspective and lighting. But Photoshop How important is the colour in anyone wanting to create anwas, and is, a huge part of my job; without it, this image? underwater composition?this image would most likely have been almostimpossible, or at least the budget would have I spent a lot of time with colour. The colours If you want to make it look 100 per centbeen huge! of the water are not super-realistic, but that’s realistic then plan your image carefully, look at kind of the whole idea – none of my images photos taken underwater, and see howWhat are your favourite have realistic colours and that’s my style. Also, objects and people behave underwater. Try toPhotoshop tools? Swedish inland lake water is quite foggy; it has get a light and weightless feel of both models lots of algae and that has a greenish dark/ and objects. Take notice of how sight isIf I could marry a Photoshop tool it would black tone. It’s not clear as it is in the ocean. I exponentially decreased underwater theprobably be the Brush tool. And of course, I wanted to have a more exotic/ocean feel and further you look into an image, and play withlove the Clone tool and layer masks. I mostly a coral-coloured tone. I took the saturation layer modes. If you don’t photograph yourself,use the basic stuff and the rest is manual down in the whole image with Hue/ I would recommend finding high-quality stockwork, removing and adding stuff from Saturation. I added a gradient map, which images that are lit and shot from the samedifferent images, blending them together with gave me the control to add different colours in angles, shot with about the same focal length. 65

ADVANCED © Todd Anderson PHOTOSHOP WE UNCOVER THE SECRETS BEHIND PRO BRANDING PROJECTS AND THE ROLE PHOTOSHOP PLAYS IN THE INDUSTRY B randing is a challenging subject to tackle – it entails so many facets, Photoshop is a key program in any branding designer’s arsenal, acting as and incorporates a number of different skills, which means that a bridge between all of these different outlets for commercial identities. A designers working in the field need to be able to adapt quickly, and logo might begin its journey in Illustrator, for example, but its unique continually aim to improve their knowledge. For the smallest of finishing touches and effects are created in Photoshop. It’s then applied to companies, or even for your own personal brand, it is no longer simply a product mockups, user interfaces, print layouts and so much more, with case of a winning logo and a few business cards. Now, a logo has to be the Adobe powerhouse at the centre of everything. flexible and versatile enough to be used on physical products, on the internet, in motion graphics and videos, on location, in multimedia In this feature, we speak to emerging and professional designers to presentations and so much more. glean their top tips for turning you into a branding expert, and discover exactly how Photoshop aids their work.66

BRANDING IN PHOTOSHOP© Maurizio Pagnozzi, all rights reservedA logo can be incorporated across an entire product range, keeping 5 PHOTOSHOP TIPS FOR BRANDING © Beatrice Menis Designthe same colours and simplicity throughout the design How to get the best out of the Adobe app for branding projects Use Smart Objects Logos are often imported as Smart Objects so they are protected in their original state, particularly vector elements from Illustrator. It’s also worth considering Linked Smart Objects, when the source image will be called upon multiple times (for example, in a UI project). Work in RGB Design your elements in RGB, so they are ready to be used digitally, but be aware of how it will look in CMYK when applied to printing projects by going to View>Proof Setup and selecting Working CMYK. Explore Layer Comps Layer Comps are handy for showing clients how your branding could be applied to multiple versions of a web page or print product, helping them better visualise how their whole identity could develop. Collect product templates Use layered PSD templates to present your logo on the intended products (such as business cards, brochures or packages) – it’s easier for a client to visualise if the logo is in situ, rather than on its own. Work big Your branding elements might be used tiny in a mobile app, or huge on the side of a bus, so always work in vector so everything is scalable, and think big when creating new documents.HOW TO DEVELOP A BRANDBeatrice Menis shows the key stages of branding in this project to rebrand Temako, a Japanese restaurant in Porto, Portugal, incollaboration with the designer Jennie Lindell (www.jennielindell.com)Brainstorm ideas with the client Develop the brand elements Apply the branding01 02“We send out a brief questionnaire to understand the client’s vision. We also do “We show a maximum of three sketch 03 “Last but not least, we apply the branding proposals (even though we sketch more), across multiple channels; the goal is toour own research, analysing competitors to get a to give the client enough options to choose from approach each application very differently, inbetter overview of the market and to find new ways and allow us to stay focused on the design order to still have a consistent brand image but atto innovate the brand. Once we get a direction, we concept. As soon as the look and feel is set, we the same time surprise the consumers in asend out design concepts and moodboards.” start exploring all of the key branding elements.” playful way.” 67

ADVANCED MAKE YOUR LOGOS VERSATILE Ian Paget, aka Logo Geek, explains how to create logos for multiple mediums “A logo will be used at different sizes. For that reason, the logo should be vector based, allowing the artwork to be scaled when needed without any loss of quality. “As a logo needs to be versatile, it’s worth designing different versions for situations across web and print. For example, you may design a full-colour version of the logo with gradient effects and textures applied, which can be saved in CMYK colour mode and exported as TIFF files for print use. Resized versions can then be saved for web usage as JPEG and/or PNG files in RGB colour mode. A separate white version can be created with the effects removed for situations where the logo should be used on a dark background.” Designed by Ian Paget. © People Code The client wanted something rustic and homely. © Lucy Finch 2016 The colours had to match the outside of the shop and the feel of the inside © Lucy Finch 2016 Photoshop was used to manipulate the arches of the restaurant, From here, hand-drawn sketches can help to and have it then converted to RGB for web, this which included the Charcoal tool in the Effects gallery pull together initial ideas, before moving into the changes the colour drastically. This is why it is digital design process. Logos should always be always best to stick to CMYK, as that is what PROFESSIONAL LOGOS created as vectors, as these are then scalable for the main print process is, so you know the AND TYPOGRAPHY use throughout a brand’s entire marketing colour quality will be exactly what you expected. needs, whether on a package, a billboard or a When setting a logo for web use, it is best to A branding project starts with two elements: a website. Photoshop has been improving its then flatten it separately in Photoshop as an logo and typography. These are the foundations handling of vectors with every version and, while RGB.” Your client will likely need a number of upon which the brand identity is built. The logo many logo designers still prefer to work on the different versions of your logo design, so be may be either pictorial and accompanied by the initial design in Adobe Illustrator, logos can be prepared to supply these, as Ian Paget says: “It’s brand name in a complementary font, or the created from scratch using just Photoshop right important to provide the client with different typography itself may be the logo, otherwise from the outset. versions of the logo design for different known as a ‘logotype’. In either case, a lot rests situations across web and print, for example on a very small element. It’s important that you prepare your logo file CMYK, black, white and Pantone. By also correctly given its intended commercial uses, providing supporting usage guidelines you can The first step for a good logo design is a lot of and it certainly pays to be organised from the ensure your client makes the best use of your research. “As the sole purpose of a logo is to start. Selecting the correct colour profile to work design across all marketing collateral.” identify, it’s important to know the competition with is an initial consideration, as graphic so that you can design a logo that differentiates designer Lucy Finch (www.behance.net/lucy_ When it comes to actually creating your the business,” explains Ian Paget, aka Logo Geek finch) explains: “When your brand is being design, Paget suggests starting simply: “For a (http://logogeek.uk; @Logo_Geek). “It’s also printed, colour profile settings are very logo to work across every medium, the logo crucial to understand the businesses goals, its important. If you start to design a logo in CMYK must be versatile. To achieve this, I design and products and audience so that you can factor this into your decision-making process. Without Branding project for Pistinèga, a juice bar in Bologna, Italy, which exhibits © Maurizio Pagnozzi, all rights reserved research you have no goals to work towards the key elements that make a logo great, according to Maurizio Pagnozzi: – it’s a crucial step of the design process.” minimalism, readability, recognition, memorability and uniqueness68

IAN PAGET DISCUSSES LOGO DESIGN BRANDING IN PHOTOSHOP BUILDING A LOGO CONCEPT THE FINAL OUTCOME “I explored various routes during the design phase, however the “The final result is a very stylised and strongest direction came when sporty logo design that’s simple. It working to create a monogram will work well for Andrew (founder from the letter R that looked like of Rocks and Road) as a sole trader, a cyclist riding a mountain bike. I as well as a franchise for when the explored ways to combine a double time comes.” R into the symbol.”ADDING THE RIGHT TYPE PICKING A COLOUR Designed by Ian Paget. Copyright © Blue Inspiration 2016“To complement the icon, I used a bold, modern san- “Looking at direct competition, the generalserif typeface that has both a gender neutral feel to it colour palettes used were greens and blues.and remains approachable for riders of any level. The To stand out from the crowd I’ve introducedcharacteristics of the typeface also allow it to feel orange, which will be highly visible whilehonest, fun and enjoyable.” cycling and has an energetic and fun feel.”refine the logo in solid black before applying Designed by Ian Paget. Man O’ War: Corsair © Games Workshop Limited 2016colour. This also allows me to perfect the overallconcept and execution of the design, ensuring it Logo for Man O’War: Corsair (Games Workshop, developed by Evil Twinwill work well in every situation with or without Artworks). Photoshop was used to experiment with colours, gradientscolour or effects.” and finishes to create a worn metallic finish Once a basic vector logo or logotype has beencreated, it is time to add some Photoshop flair tohelp the logo stand out and give it a bit morespark. “Photoshop is great for converting yourlogos into a more realistic form rather than a flatitem,” says Finch. “It brings objects to life andallows you to manipulate them into certainforms to stand out. My favourite effects are the3D options and applying textures to thetypography; this always makes them unique toany other branding.” Paget also agrees that Photoshop is essentialfor these extra flourishes: “If the design requirestexture or lighting effects of any form, Photoshopis by far the most powerful tool available toachieve the desired outcome.” Next, you need to think about adding in anytypography that will go with your logo. Yourchoice of font in Photoshop needs to take intoconsideration the research you have alreadydone around the brand you are working on.“Distinctive typefaces could evoke particularsensations,” suggests brand designer andcreative director Maurzio Pagnozzi (www.mauriziopagnozzi.com; @mauriziopgn), whoruns One Design studio. “Some of them areassigned to personal feelings; others to cultures,styles or distinct eras. The study of fonts shouldbe a crucial skill for every professional designer.” 69

ADVANCED © David AireyBUILDING UP A BRAND The goal was to craft visuals that could stand out in the market and © Beatrice Menis Designembrace the brand’s core values of quality, consistency and availability Once you have your logo and typography in place, it is time to start thinking about how to project. Creative director Todd Anderson DON’T NEGLECT YOUR build those elements into a full brand identity. (http://toddandersondesign.com; PERSONAL BRAND Branding is a very wide sector, so your design @ToddADesign) creates intricate packaging work could theoretically be applied to anything designs, with a different look for each individual To attract clients, your own personal from business cards and corporate materials to product without losing the overall brand identity. branding needs to highlight your skills product packaging and shop signage. “A good “I strive to keep the brand icon as the focal point, brand should naturally transcend all mediums,” and consistent throughout a range. I then use Throughout this feature, we have focused suggests graphic-design intern Thomas Austin different colours, images or other graphic mainly on branding for commercial clients, (http://thomasmarkaustin.co.uk; elements on the external packaging to highlight but your first and most important branding @TomAustin0). “Identify the brand’s core variations. When working with tiered brands, project is likely to be your own. You need to elements – be that the logo, colours, typography classically the addition of foil stamping and have a strong personal brand in order to or tone of voice – and apply to a digital form. minimalism within the packaging design can attract the clientele that you want. “A weak, The challenges will be the technical details, such help to create a higher-end look.” anonymous or ugly logo is bad publicity for as ensuring the correct DPI for images, using your own studio. The logo itself represents vectors or sprites, file sizes and so on.” Visualising these bespoke packaging finishes the materialisation of a designer’s qualities and how the branding will apply can be difficult, and expertise,” agrees Maurizio Pagnozzi. The main aspect to consider when building a but Anderson often uses Photoshop to help Pagnozzi’s own brand, One Design, has complete brand is to ensure that no matter what mimic effects: “Recently I was working on a been given the full studio treatment – see the product or output, the branding is absolutely project where the brand icon ultimately was the case study here: www.behance.net/ consistent within the same project. Each going to be embossed into a metal cap, and gallery/10963073/One-Design. element of a branding project is “based upon the Photoshop’s filters aided me to depict how this same idea, and every element is developed with would look.” Building your personal brand is a good that idea in mind, whether it’s a typographic way to practise your Photoshop skills as style, play on words, a brand pattern or texture He also, like most of our brand designers, uses well. It can help you to ensure best practice or colour scheme, or one of many other things,” Photoshop frequently to create photorealistic in your logo designs and file handling; learn explains graphic designer David Airey (www. mockups of products or packaging, which are the right colour profiles and image sizes; davidairey.co.uk; @DavidAirey). “There’s a key to presenting a brand to a client, and and apply your logo to different templates detrimental effect if individual elements within showcase how one identity can be applied to and products in Photoshop. an identity are disparate in appearance, because multiple outputs. There are plenty of Photoshop it becomes unnecessarily confusing for the tools that help to produce quality mockups. client’s customer.” Brand designer and creative director Maurizio Pagnozzi explains: “I mainly use Photoshop for Photoshop has the capacity to play many creating mockups to be presented to the client, different roles within brand development, and whereby I show how the logo looks on several can provide you with the precise tools you need products of the brand’s corporate identity, even at various stages throughout the process. before the final choice, to avoid wasting time on Thomas Austin suggests it is useful for creating printing and photographing all the materials. To quick inspiration boards in the early days, in addition to editing any photography you want to incorporate into your designs. Specialising in packaging design and branding, graphic designer Beatrice Menis (www.beatricemenis.com) says: “Photoshop is extremely versatile. I’ve used it to colour-match product images that will go on packaging, for example.” There are plenty of technical challenges that you will face when working on a branding The wordmark is a bespoke customisation of Didot, with chiselled angles added to the serifs to reference classical stone masonry. PSD mockups were used to help sell the design idea to the client70

BRANDING IN PHOTOSHOP THOMAS AUSTIN DISCUSSES BRAND IDENTITY DEVELOPING THE BRAND IDENTITY “The brand was a blend of beauty and science. Its minimal, clean design appealed to a modern consumer, specifically the early adopters of wearables like fitness.” THE INITIAL CONCEPT BRINGING IN MORE DETAIL VISUALISING THE BRAND © Thomas Austin 2016 “Once I had identified that a number system “The final piece of the puzzle was the cell image, “The brand elements have been applied to a would be used to help users identify their which was enhanced to appear beautiful, selection of different mock products to help skin type, it became a core element of helping the product stand out from the crowd. It visualise how the entire range would look on the brand. The number system was both was perfect in the way it combined science, skin the shelves, a key step for brand designers functional and aesthetically appealing.” and attractiveness all in one visual element.” working with clients.”© Todd Anderson – but they help to bring a client on board with how the broader visual identity can increase The name of each individual ‘flavour’ is matched to business growth.” Packaging concept and design, working with © Beatrice Menis Design the right colour scheme, while the overall branding fellow graphic designer Anna Johansson stays consistent Finally, the joy of Photoshop and its non- (www.behance.net/AnnaByAnna) destructive editing options, means that you can accomplish this, I use empty stationery keep everything, and so you should. You don’t © Todd Anderson photographs for applying my graphics to using want to degrade the quality of your work or the Vanishing Point tool or by creating Smart over-save anything, which is why many of our Objects. To make things more natural and artists suggest using Smart Objects to bring in attractive, I apply a layer (Soft Light mode, 50% logos and other elements, and maintain their Gray) and use the Dodge and Burn tools in order quality while you mock up your designs. The to add light and shade to even out the newly back and forth with clients could see you going inserted graphics.” to older designs, or making small changes over long periods of time – but the end result will be You don’t need to photograph hundreds of more than worth it. different products for these mockups – you’ll find that plenty of designers have done this job Exhibiting how a subtle change in colours can help to for you, and you can simply download mock-up differentiate different products of the same brand templates, where you add your artwork to a without losing the overall identity blank layer and edit to fit the product, giving you endless possibilities. “Photorealistic mockups in Photoshop are essential for showing how a design manifests across print and digital,” says David Airey. “There are tons of PSD mockups available. Not all are great – some are very poor 71

Advanced Composite a world under water Essentials Composite a world Time taken under water 4 hours Use filters, adjustment layers and Smart Objects to create a scene Exper By exercising advanced techniques in creation of an underwater scene is the colour Photoshop, it’s possible to create anything – adjustments. It is essential that all the photos you Rodrigo even a new world! An underwater world is an use have the same tone, and the adjustment layers Marinelli interesting theme to explore; there are so many are helpful in achieving this. creative possibilities. Here we’re going to imagine “Creating a composition that and realise an astronaut discovering an incredible To create this image, we’ll call upon the Filter no one expects to see is very underwater world. Gallery to make an underwater effect, blend challenging, but also very modes to erase a photo’s background with just one exciting because you can Before we start creating the image, it’s very click, some linked adjustment layers and many create anything from your important to search for reference shots and have a other tools. imagination. You just need clear vision of the final scene. It’s always good to to have a good idea, choose make a sketch to help with this. Another very The images used in this tutorial are from the right photos, and use the important point to pay attention to during the Shutterstock, but feel free to use your own images, correct Photoshop tools. using these steps as a guide. It may sound simple, but it requires a lot of practice. That’s why it’s so important to follow tutorials to enhance your techniques. The best thing about working with Photoshop is that every day you can create a brand new world – it’s all up to you. “I’m an art director and have 11 years of experience in advertising agencies. I learned to use Photoshop by following tutorials.” For more of Rodrigo’s work, visit http://rodrigo_ marinelli.prosite.com. Apply the High Pass filter Convert to a Smart Object 01 Create a new document set to 230x310mm. At this 02 Place the underwater image from http://shutr.bz/2bwVetH as moment work in RGB, but to see how the image will look shown here. During the creation it’s usual to change the size or as CMYK, activate the Proof Color tool (Cmd/Ctrl+Y). Add the the perspective of the image, so to have more control and to keep the background by downloading http://shutr.bz/2bJJrGf, duplicate original photo information, convert the layer into a Smart Object. the layer, use the High Pass filter (Filter>Other>High Pass) set to 3px and change the blend mode to Overlay.72

Share your underwater worlds Tweet us @pshopcreative 73

Advanced Composite a world under water Blend with blend modes Make a gradient mask 03 Now add some detail by placing http://shutr.bz/2bOlZaA in the 04 Add http://shutr.bz/2byjUk9. To blend the image with middle of the image, then change the blend mode to Screen. Don’t the background, make a mask and use the Gradient overexpose the highlights in the scene – make a mask and erase the tool set to Foreground to Transparent, 40% Opacity. Smoothly unnecessary parts. erase the top of the image. Also use Hue/Saturation (0, -50, 0) and Levels (26, 1.00, 255) adjustment layers. Tweak the colour Draw some shadows Duplicate the image 05 Let’s make a few colour 06 With the Pen tool, draw out a curved 07 Add the http://shutr.bz/2bOlZaA adjustments to the image you’ve triangle and paint it with the colour photo again, change the blend mode just placed. Create a new layer and paint it #697773. Place it in the bottom-right corner to Screen and place it in the left side of the blue (#00d7ff), then change the blend mode of the scene (as shown above), change the scene, as shown above. Use a Color Balance to Color at 30% Opacity. Duplicate the layer blend mode to Multiply and use the Gaussian adjustment layer set to -40, 0, 0. and use the High Pass filter, just as you did in Blur filter set to 160px. Repeat to create the the first step. shadow for the bottom-left corner. Bring in some walls Link the adjustment layer 08 Add the photo http://shutr.bz/2bSx8GN and place it on the right 09 Flip the wall image horizontally and place it on the left side of the scene, as above. Change the Opacity to 70% and to side of the scene. Apply a Levels adjustment, press blend the image with the background, make a mask and use the Brush Cmd/Ctrl+Alt and click in the wall layer to link it. Then set the tool to erase everything but the rocky wall effect. adjustments to 19, 1.00, 230.74

Share your underwater worlds Tweet us @pshopcreativeApply a feather Make multiple adjustment links Expert tip10 Now add the explorer to the scene – the 11 Cut out only the shadows of the astronaut Utilise the astronaut (http://shutr.bz/2bSx4qu). To image. Change the blend mode to Multiply Brush panelmake the edges of the photo look softer, apply a and place it in the scene. Make a Hue/Saturationfeather. Activate the astronaut layer selection, use adjustment layer, link it with the photo and set to One of the most amazing toolsthe Feather command (Shift+F6) set to 2px, then 0, -100, 0. Now link a Levels adjustment layer in Photoshop has to be theinvert the selection and press delete three times. above this one, set to 0, 1.00, 124. Brush tool. To enhance your artwork and tweak the brush tip to behave exactly as you want, all you have to do is use the Brush panel and explore all the possibilities that this feature has to offer. Using the available options, you can set the shape, the texture and the colour dynamics of the tip, in addition to many other features besides. A er creating the perfect brush, save it to use any time that you want.Make astronaut colour adjustments Use the Motion Blur filter12 Link a Levels adjustment layer (8, 1.00, 185) and a Hue/Saturation 13 Now use the yellow fish from http://shutr.bz/2byjUk9 and adjustment layer (0, -26, 0). Duplicate the astronaut layer, paint it place it in front of the astronaut. To give the impressionwith #074d76, and change the blend mode to Color at 20% Opacity. Finally, that the fish are moving, duplicate the layer and use the Motionduplicate the astronaut layer, apply the High Pass filter set to 3px and Blur filter set to 13px and an Angle of 0. Make a mask to erasechange the blend mode to Soft Light. the excess areas.Place colourful fishes Add some bubbles Make water highlights14 To give more depth to the scene, add 15 Add http://shutr.bz/2cnWKOR. To 16 Let’s use the Brush tool to make a a few colourful fishes from the photo erase the background and leave just water highlight effect. Choose thehttp://shutr.bz/2cb5F51 and place them in the bubbles, change the blend mode to white colour, go to the Brush panel, pickfront of the astronaut, as shown here. To Screen. Make a group folder and place the Brush Presets and choose the ‘Roundblend the fishes with the scene, use the image inside. To enhance the effect, duplicate Brushes with Size’ option. Select the brushFeather command set to 1px. the layer and finally duplicate the layer group 300, draw the highlights as shown here, then and place to the right of the astronaut. change the Opacity to 80%. 75

Advanced Composite a world under water Make colour tone adjustments Enhance the shadows 17 Use the Photo Filter adjustment with Color: #00ccec and Density: 18 Let’s enhance the shadows from the top to give the 25%. Then apply Brightness/Contrast set to 42, 40 and Hue/ impression that the light is coming only from the centre Saturation set to 0, +26, 0. Make a layer group, put the adjustment layers of the image. With the Pen tool, draw a shadow and fill with inside and mask to erase the parts where original colours were damaged. #13495d. To help make the shape, use the Warp tool. Create dark edges Use a filter for a water effect 19 Duplicate all the layers and merge. Make a square with the 20 Duplicate all the layers again and merge. Transform the Rectangular Marquee tool, as shown above. Use the Feather layer into a Smart Filter, then go to the Distort gallery command set to 400px, invert the selection, press delete three times and and choose the Glass filter with the following settings – change the blend mode to Multiply. Distortion: 9, Smoothness: 15 and Scaling: 200. What you’ll learn DARK EDGE EFFECT Creating a believable Duplicate all the layers, merge, make underwater world a square selection in the centre, use the feather, invert the selection, press delete three times and change the blend mode to Multiply. SMART OBJECT When you change the size of the image many times, the pixels usually become distorted. So, to preserve the original photo, convert the layer into a Smart Object. GRADIENT MASK LINKED ADJUSTMENT LAYERS There are many ways to use masks; one To make a colour adjustment without is with the Gradient tool. Choose the losing any information from the original Foreground to Transparent option in the photo, use the adjustment layers and link Gradient Editor and erase where you want. to the layer you are working on.76

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Advanced Create vibrant video-game art Create vibrant video-game art Use a combination of basic shapes and tools to create a rich and detailed stylised artwork In this tutorial you will learn how to create program, which is especially important if You will need at least Photoshop 7. A a 2D scene intended to mimic the look of you’re making assets for a game that need drawing tablet is recommended, but not video-game promotional art. You’ll to be reused. For aesthetic purposes, a very required if you prefer using Photoshop’s employ several layers in your creation, with simple and child-friendly style has been Lasso or Pen tools. An understanding of Photoshop’s shapes and tools creating used to push the look of adventure. Using a colours, lighting and shadows is also depth. You can pile on as many shapes and style such as this is meant to look happy recommended, but not required if you plan items as you like, and each item can be and fun, so feel free to go wild with your on keeping the shapes very simple. Tailor usable in another artwork or even another imagination in making this scene. the techniques to your needs and vision.78

Watch the latest video Search Photoshop Creative Magazine On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo. co.uk/photoshopcreative Essentials Time taken 5 hours Expert Geneva Benton “I like to add a touch of whimsy to a seemingly ordinary piece of work to inspire and make the viewer ponder what exactly is happening or will happen a er the scene. Photoshop is my main tool of choice for its versatility. Though I am learning to create different scenes, portraiture, a pop of colour and calming ambiance is my favourite artistic subject to paint. “I’m a full-time freelance illustrator based in the United States. I have been drawing for over a decade and have been using Photoshop ever since. I love colour and the myriad of ways it can be mixed for different moods.” Visit www.genevab.com to check out more of Geneva’s colourful creations. Start image 79

Advanced Create vibrant video-game art Set up your canvas Create a concept Sketch out the scene 01 The first step to creating is setting up 02 The next step is to flesh out the 03 Once the rough idea is sorted, use a your work space. Even though the image concept. Starting rough with simple brush to loosely sketch out final artwork will be a flatter style, it is a basic brush can help to keep future ideas the idea on a fresh layer. In this case, it is a essential to work on a large canvas for better open. Another option is to make a few hero adventuring with his dragon. Keeping it quality if planning to scale the image down. thumbnail sketches of each scene, making open and simple will make creating shapes This was created at 460x310mm at 300ppi. each one a little bit different, and deciding and adding detail less difficult. which composition to go with. Draw final scene lines Begin colouring 04 On a new layer and using a thin brush, such as the Hard Round, 05 On a layer underneath the lines, start filling in your line create a final line art of your sketch. Try to keep it clean, as it will art. This artwork in particular needs to have a happy, be coloured over and the end goal is to not have any lines showing. This vibrant colour scheme to give the feel of a rich adventure. The line art is mainly for reference. The sketch is provided on the FileSilo. characters are started on first since they will be the main focus. Continue colouring Start back to front Do more filling 06 Work on colouring the rest of your 07 Once the artwork is coloured in with 08 Continue filling in the background, scene, keeping atmosphere and base colours, it is time to start keeping the shapes simple and tone in mind. Try using various and unnatural creating 2D shapes over the line art. It is each shape on its own layer. Depending on shades to enhance the believability, but generally simpler to work from background your preference, these basic shapes can be liveliness of the artwork. Using Color Balance to foreground. In this case, the mountains made with the Brush, Lasso or Pen tool. The (Cmd/Ctrl+B) can also help in achieving the and clouds. Each mountain and cloud is on its background was filled in using a combination overall colour tone. own layer for later ease. of all three.80

Watch the latest video Search Photoshop Creative MagazineVary shapes Start the foreground Expert tip09 Using different ‘edging’ is key to making your 10 After the background is completely Using shapes look believable. For example, the shaped, keep the layers together in a groupsoverall shapes for trees are rounded and blobby, and group (Cmd/Ctrl+G) for easier organisation.slightly random, yet grass transitions between smooth Start on your foreground subjects, which are This tutorial is quite layerand jagged for individual blades. the hero and dragon in this case. Since they intensive, with each shape are more detailed than the background, extra and shading needing its own attention is taken to creating shapes. layer in case of future editing. However, keeping track of these layers can be difficult. One easy way is to group layers together into their own folder. As an example, the hero in this artwork has several small parts and several small corresponding layers. By selecting all of the layers pertaining to the hero and pressing Cmd/Ctrl+G, every layer has been grouped into one tidy folder.Separate by colour Work on large area shapes Think about light11 Since the hero has a low count colour 12 Continue filling in your subjects. If a 13 Once the artwork is full of flat colour, it scheme but multiple parts, his shapes shape needs shading to show that it is time to start thinking about addingand layers are separated by colour instead of has multiple sections, keep in mind where depth. Where is the light source? In thisobject. So, all of his red areas have one layer, the shading will go. For instance, the dragon artwork it will be between the mountains toall dark blues are on another layer together, is mostly blue so one big shape is made for resemble a sunset. A quick light referenceand so on. This can be done in other areas. the blue, but this will be further defined by was sketched in to keep it in mind. highlights and shadows.Add gradients Begin to shade14 To give more depth, add gradient colours to your shapes. One clean 15 Shading will be done in reverse, working foreground to way is to lock the layer’s transparent pixels, located in the Layers background. Create a new layer named Shading overpalette. Use a linear or circular gradient with a variegated colour while your intended layer and link it to the layer underneath (Cmd/keeping in mind the lighter and darker areas. Ctrl+Alt+G). Using the Pen, Brush or Lasso tool, start shading your shapes, matching them to the lighting source/direction. 81

Advanced Create vibrant video-game art Expert tip Pick shading colours Shade difficult areas Vectorise 16 Try picking shade colours that are harmonious 17 For particularly difficult shapes that shapes with your current colour scheme. In this need to be shaded, it is best to section artwork, the darker colours tend to be blue so a slightly them off and fill in one section at a time. In Photoshop works in a raster bluish shade colour was chosen for each section. this case, the dragon’s legs and wings had to format, however if you Another solution is to use one shade colour and set the be separated. Using the line art as a prefer working in Photoshop blend mode to Multiply. reference can help with shading placement. but need a vector shape for Illustrator or another program, try this tip. Once the shape is drawn and on a layer of its own, make a form-fitting selection of the entire shape by pressing Cmd/ Ctrl and clicking on the layer in the Layers panel at the same time. Then go to the Paths tool panel and click ‘Make work path from selection’. You can then Export the paths straight into Illustrator. Work on the background Extra background shading Define areas with shade 18 With the foreground shading done, 19 Continue shading in the background. 20 If the need for more definition arises, move to shading the background. Try The closer the object is spatially to the add another layer of shading to matching the shading style with the shape. light source, the harsher its shading and certain objects. Create a new layer over your For example, the grass shading is random colouring needs to be. The mountains have a first shading layer, and link it to the layer and jagged, while the tree shading is smooth dark and large area of shading since they are underneath (Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+G). Shade in less and blobby, corresponding to the tree shape. closest to the source, which is the setting sun of an area. The dragon and hero’s cape in this case. needed one extra shade for more definition. Add gradients to shading Apply highlights 21 Repeating the same process as step 14, add gradient colouring to 22 In a brand new layer, try adding in simple shaped your shading layers. Lock the layer’s transparent pixels, and begin highlights according to the light source. White was adding darker and lighter tones to each of your shading areas, using your mostly used to keep the number of highlight colours low. Though own discretion. the style is playful, be careful not to add too many highlights, as doing so can give a plastic-toy feel.82

Watch the latest video Search Photoshop Creative MagazineAdd intricate details Bring back original details Change plans23 If you have not already done so, now 24 If some parts of your original line art 25 If some sections of your original would be a good time to start adding were covered up, try adding them sketch did not come out as intended,in tinier details, such as the hero’s face and back in at this stage. The patch of grass in the which in this artwork were the houses, trypatterns on his clothing. Try using a small, foreground was looking a little barren, so covering them up and starting these sectionsHard Round brush and keep the amount of some basic foliage was added back in from over. Instead of re-sketching the houses, theybrush strokes to a minimum. the original sketch. were drawn freehand due to their size.Work on the final details Get ready to finish26 Give your artwork a good look over. Are there any empty areas or 27 Add some dynamism by playing around with Color objects that need to be taken out? Now would be a good time to Balance or Levels over the entire image by creating atweak anything before doing a final colour balancing. new adjustment layer. You can also enhance the darkness or light source by playing around with gradients on a new layer set to Overlay.What you can do with it FILE PREPARATIONCreate a jigsaw puzzle PUZZLE PRINTING SERVICES When prepping artworkIf you’re using your game artwork for for a puzzle or anypromotional material, why not try a There are quite a few promotional printing,throwback approach with a jigsaw places to get uncommon make sure the file ispuzzle? The reason you might want to products like puzzles the highest resolutionuse a jigsaw puzzle is because it printed nowadays. When possible by saving atcreates a lasting presence. It stays in selecting an online at least 300ppi andthe recipient’s mind for a longer time. printer, make sure converting to RGB orUsing memorable artwork can the site is reputable. CMYK if required.generate more game and brand Printerstudio.com andrecognition, while also allowing an Createjigsawpuzzles. 83outlet for more people to potentially see com are both reputableyour game promo while it’s being built. and easy to use.

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ElementsElements Essential techniques Follow the step-by-step18 pages of practical guides tutorials Create more in Elements… On the FileSiloDiscover the power of brushes 86..................................................... Download your freeMake stylish photo collages............................................................92 resources at www.filesilo.Composite an apocalyptic scene ..............................................94 co.uk/photoshopcreativeDesign a geometric map 98......................................................................Q&A: Common problems in Elements...............................102 Creative project… E DIGITALTEXTILE DESIGNSMake your own repeating pattern and then print it onfabric to produce a unique design p88

Elements USE ADJUSTMENTS Hit the Fill Layer icon and add adjustments such as Levels and Hue/Saturation to enhance colour and tone. What does it mean? GRAPHICS TABLETS – A graphics tablet consists of a pen and a tablet to draw onto. They enable you to create with more precision, control the pen pressure, and make smoother strokes than you ever could with an ordinary mouse. They range in price, but cheap ones can cost under £50/$66. On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo. co.uk/photoshopcreativeTool focus…Discover the Startimagepower of brushesUnleash your artistic side with a range of brushes in ElementsBrushes are incredibly adaptable, lending themselves to a wide the blend mode you apply it with to the roundness of the strokerange of different projects, from masking in photomanipulations to itself, meaning that there is almost unlimited potential for the artisticphoto editing. Because they can be used in so many ways, it’s style you want to create. It’s easy to make watercolours with a softer,important to understand how to get the most from them. low-opacity brush, and it’s possible to create a pencil effect if you find a thin brush that has a little fade added to it. While it helps to be a talented sketcher, you don’t have to beparticularly arty to have fun with brushes; custom brushes especially Digital paintings are one of the hardest things to become a masteronly need you to click once to apply a painted effect, and there’s of in Elements, but learning the basics is not only useful fornothing stopping you from inserting a photo into Elements on a lower developing digital-art skills, but also expanding upon what you canlayer and drawing over the top of it with your brushes. create in other projects. Check out our top tips for creating simple digital paintings, along with the settings you need to take full control One of the best things about brushes is how they can be of your pictures.customised. You can change almost anything about your brush, from86

Create digital paintings Build on a blank canvas with different brushes Elements Shortcut Use the [ and ] keys to quickly change the brush sizeStart by outlining Move to bigger brushes01 Hit B to select a brush, then click on the example brush stroke 02 Scroll through the brushes to find more on offer. Bigger brushes icon. The most basic brushes are the small, hard ones found at such as the Chalk brush are good for shading and colouring inthe start of the Brush menu. These ones are fantastic for outlining and your work. Using these brushes at a low opacity can be useful so thatmaking details; these are the brushes you should create the basic you can blend your work as you go. Use the swatches to choose asketch for your picture with. colour before applying.Apply soft brushes Use custom brushes03 Alter the hardness via Brush Settings. Soft brushes are good for 04 You can find custom .abr brush files online to use in your work. a whole range of projects. If you create a new, Soft Light layer Splatter brushes are popular, and there’s a selection on theabove your other brush strokes though, brushing soft black and white FileSilo, as well as a pack included in the resources. They can help toonto your project can be a good way of adding highlights and shadows brighten up your image; just drag a .abr file into Elements to add them.to your work.Further tips How can you get more out of brushes from the settings?Blend modes Brush settings Tablet settingsClick on the blend mode drop-down menu to The brush settings, located just below the Mode Using a graphics tablet can improve the waychange the mode of your brush and how it reacts drop-down menu, are where you can change you use brushes. If you’re a budding digitalto your work when you start using it. Changing anything about your brush from size to shape. artist, it’s a good idea to invest in one. Be sureit can either lighten or darken your image as you There are options for Spacing, Roundness, Fade to use the tablet settings, which are just belowstroke, so try them out and see what works well. and whether brush strokes are scattered, so it’s Brush Settings, to set controls before you beginAlternatively, brush onto different layers and then worth considering these settings before actually drawing, because you can set the tablet totweak them for more control over the entire block trying to stroke onto your image. Remember to control aspects such as Size, Opacity, Scatter,of colour that you’re brushing. get in the habit of double-checking the settings Jitter and Roundness. to make sure you’re using the brush you want to. 87

Elements On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo. co.uk/photoshopcreative Creative project…Create digitaltextile designs StartimageDesign your own repeating pattern and print it on fabricThe practice of designing your own fabric patterns for clothes and to think about appropriate dimensions, which will depend on how youhome furnishings is growing in popularity. Personalising your home plan to use your fabric. For example, if you want to design a 40cm xand wardrobe with unique fabric designs can be so rewarding, and 40cm cushion and want your design to fill the entire cushion, a filewith so many online fabric-printing companies able to print your size of 410mm by 410mm (allowing for a 5mm bleed all around) anddesign on a range of materials and have it delivered to your door resolution of at least 150ppi would be ideal. Alternatively, if you wantwithin a few days, it is becoming easier than ever to do. to create a tile-able repeating pattern, for example to use for clothing, then you will need to consider how large you want the This tutorial takes you through the process of combining nature repeat to be. If you’re unsure, using a higher resolution of at leastphotos to create this striking pattern. For a personal design, you can 300ppi for your image gives you the option to have a smaller or largerapply the methods shown here to your own photos, perhaps of your repeat, without compromising the print quality.favourite places. But before you begin creating your design, you need88

ElementsSTAGE 1 What does it mean?Combineyour photos LEVELS – The Levels histogram shows the tonal range of your image,Begin editing with blendingmodes and transformations from 0 (true black) to 255 (true white). Moving the black point to, for example, 50 means that tones at a brightness of 50 or below will be shown as 0. Moving the white point inwards converts tones at that brightness level or above to 255.First we will need to set up our file and Open your photosgather all the photos we want to incorporateinto our design. The images we’ve used here are all on the FileSilo. 01 Open Photoshop Elements and click Photo Editor. Go to File>We will be using the lake photo to act as a background, onto which Open. Locate your photos and hold Shift while clicking each ofwe will be adding our other elements. Try to find photos that them, then click Open. They are now all accessible via the Photo Bin. Gocomplement each other and fit the theme and mood you want for to ‘Grass.jpg’, select the canvas (Cmd/Ctrl+A) and copy it (Cmd/Ctrl+C).your fabric. The lake backdrop will give us a soft base, with thesilhouetted grass and trees offering an interesting contrast andgiving a bolder final appearance.Make a Levels adjustment Duplicate and transform02 Go to ‘Lake.jpg’ and paste (Cmd/Ctrl+V) in the grass. Press 03 Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate the grass layer. Press Cmd/Ctrl+T, Cmd/Ctrl+T and position it across the bottom of the canvas. Set right-click and choose Flip Horizontal. Position it just overits blending mode to Multiply, press Cmd/Ctrl+L and move the sliders to halfway up the canvas, and stretch it width-ways in order to alter itsBlack: 55, Grey: 1.00, White: 149. appearance further.YOU’RE THE EXPERT ShortcutMake sure you are using Press the F10 keythe Expert workspace to in order to bring upgive you access to all thefunctions you need. the History windowEASY ACCESS BLENDING PHOTOSBy clicking Photo Bin, youcan see thumbnails of all Blending modes are keyyour photos and easily find in this tutorial to creatingthe one you need. a design with a variety of textures and effects. IT’S HISTORY Keeping the History window open lets you quickly undo a series of edits and revert back to a specific point. 89

Elements HARSH EDGES STAGE 2 In the next stage we will be blending these contrasting Finish your edges to make our pattern textile design more seamless. Paste in flowers and trees, then blend with masks Now we need to add the other photo elements to our image, and use blending modes and transformations to finalise the design. The placement and size of these elements is down to personal choice and preference; feel free to customise the layout but try not to have the trees or flowers extending over the edge of the canvas, as this will make it harder to create a seamless effect later on.Add a tree Duplicate and transform Blend in the trees01 Go to ‘Trees.jpg’, press Cmd/Ctrl+A, 02 Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate the tree 03 Use a black soft round brush to blend Cmd/Ctrl+C to copy and then paste it layer. Press Cmd/Ctrl+T, right-click and the edges of the tree layers. Create ainto your artwork. Change the layer’s blending choose Flip Horizontal. Position it between the soft outline along the bottom, and then fademode to Color Burn. Press Cmd/Ctrl+T, and bottom of the canvas and the middle section the thin branches into the background. Add aposition and resize it between the top section of grass, and make it narrower and taller to layer mask to the Grass copy layer, and softenof grass and the lake’s treeline. add some variation. Add layer masks to both any hard edges. tree layers.Bring in the flowers Duplicate the flowers Offset the design04 Copy and paste ‘Flowers.jpg’ into your 05 Add a layer mask and blend it in, 06 Press Cmd/Ctrl A to select the canvas, artwork. Press Cmd/Ctrl+T and removing all of the background. Use then Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+C to copy fromposition it over the bottom-left section of lake. Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate it twice, and Cmd/ all visible layers, then Cmd/Ctrl+V to paste.Change the flower layer’s blending mode to Ctrl+T to resize, flip and position the Move this layer to the top of the layer stack.Vivid Light and the Opacity to 50%. duplicates throughout the image. Edit the Go to Filters>Other>Offset, enter Horizontal: masks to vary their appearance. +1440 and Vertical: +1260.90

STAGE 3 CLONE STAMP Elements SETTINGSPrepare QUICK COLOURto print Reduce the opacity of CHANGE the Clone Stamp toolFinish your design and upload in the tool bar to create Photo filters are ait for printing onto fabric a smoother transition. quick and easy way to change the colour andHaving settled on the final layout, the mood of your artwork.Offset filter enables you to see howthe edges will join together when thepattern is printed as a repeating tile.From here, you are able to use toolssuch as the Clone Stamp tool toblend and conceal these joins,creating a more seamless, flowingappearance and remove any harshedges. Duplicating the flowers andadding them over the joins will makethe process quicker and easier.Use the Clone Stamp tool Make colour adjustments01 Select the Clone Stamp tool. Use it to pick (hold Alt) areas near 02 Sample the flowers and use these to cover any particularly the joins and then paint over them. Keep re-sampling frequently. tricky edges. Add a Levels adjustment layer and move the GreyTo blend significantly different colours and tones together, reduce the slider to 0.86 and White to 212. Add a Photo Filter adjustment layer,opacity of the Clone Stamp tool for a more gradual buildup. and choose the Cooling (LBB) filter and increase the Density to 40. Shortcut Bracket keys, [ and ], alter the Clone Stamp tool sizePrepare for printing Final fabric layout03 There are numerous sites online that enable you to upload your 04 Your design is now ready to print. Most printing sites offer own design to be printed on fabric. Check the file requirements plenty of options during the upload process, enabling you toof the site you will be using (most require a minimum dpi, a particular alter the size of the pattern and the layout, with a preview to show howfile type, and a maximum file size limit) and save your file accordingly. your final printed design will look. 91

Elements MOVE STRIPS CLEVERLY What does it mean? When moving the strips, try to align MARQUEES – The Marquee tools certain objects, such as are used to select circles and the tops of buildings. rectangles. As well as actually selecting parts of photos, they’re great for filling to create pictures. Illustrators can build up shapes with them, just by selecting and filling, and for this project it’s easy to quickly create a row of strips. CHOOSE PLAIN BACKGROUNDS Go for a solid colour in the background, preferably black or white, so as not to make an even busier scene. On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo. co.uk/photoshopcreativePhoto edit…Make stylish Startimagephoto collagesGive your photos a collage effect, using layers and clipping masksMany digital artists will create shapes on layers before they even skyline such as this into a unique picture, full of tone and interest.think about applying colour to them. They find that by getting the Adding layer styles, such as a bevel, can also help to add a three-shapes right first, they can then concentrate on the textures and dimensional aspect to the image.tones to really flesh out the image. This technique is very similar tocreating a stripped collage such as this. By creating the strips first One of the best things about this project is that once you areand then applying the main image onto them, it’s easy to get the happy with the basic technique, you can evolve the final result withshape of the composition right. circles and custom shapes, and start playing with opacities and altering the colours of certain layers. This a technique that can prove But unlike many photomanipulation compositions, this is just a to be extremely useful combined with other effects, but it workstechnique to bring your photos to life. You can turn an ordinary perfectly well by itself when turning images into fantastic collages.92

Layer the strips Create the collage using individual strips on layers Elements Shortcut Alt/Opt+ backspace to fill with foreground swatchCreate the strips Add the image01 Fill your background with black and hit Cmd/Ctrl+’ to bring up the 02 Paste your image at the top of the layer stack and position it. guides. With the Rectangular Marquee (M), draw a long strip on Once positioned, hold Opt/Alt and click on the layer below toa new layer and fill in white. Deselect (Cmd/Ctrl+D), hold down Cmd/ clip the picture to the uppermost white strip. Cmd/Alt+drag this pictureCtrl+Alt/Opt and drag across your page numerous times to duplicate layer above each white strip, and clip to each.the strips.Shift the strips Add a bevel03 On each of the image layers, Ctrl+right-click and choose Merge 04 To make it feel as if these layers are 3D, click on a layer and go Down so that you’re left with just the images. On various layers, to Layer>Layer Style>Style Settings. Click on Bevel and choosehold Cmd/Ctrl and use the up and down arrows to nudge the strips up Angle: 125 degrees, Size: 18, Direction: Up. Ctrl/right-click this layer,and down, creating this cool effect. choose Copy Layer Style, then Ctrl/right-click the other layers and choose Paste Layer Style.Alternate effects What other styles can you try using this technique?Circles Horizontal ShapesInstead of using the Rectangular Marquee to Vertical strips can look great on the page if The shapes in Elements are fun tools to play withcreate the strips needed for the collage, an you’re applying the effect to a skyline, but other as they can create awesome, unique effects inalternate idea is to use the Elliptical Marquee to images might look better with a horizontal your artwork. By using them instead of strips,create circles on different layers, and alter the approach. One thing to try is rotating some of the altering the opacity of each and even clippingopacities for each one. This builds up a bubbly strips just by a few degrees to get a shutter- colour to the odd shape, you can build up an eveneffect and has more of a random feel to it. blind-look to the image. more creative collage. 93

Elements MASK TECHNIQUES Learn how to apply masks into your composition to create a variety of effects and blend images like a pro. What does it mean? REFINE EDGE – The Refine Edge command enhances selections via settings to create a precise mask. You can use the Refine Edge to select soft edges like hair or fur, but also to improve hard edges. Open the Refine Edge, choose your view and try each setting to get to grips with this handy tool. On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo. co.uk/photoshopcreative Surreal art…Composite an Startimageapocalyptic sceCreate a post-apocalyptic city using masks and adjustmentsPhotoshop Elements is perfect for making quick and fun edits to and the content from the base layer will determine which part of theyour family photos, but you may be surprised to discover that you layer above will remain visible. Clipping masks also enable you to addcan also create incredible compositions using the tools in Elements adjustments layers and effects to a specific layer without affectingand basic techniques. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to use layer any of the other layers.masks and adjustment layers to create a fantastic post-apocalypticscene. There are two kinds of masks used in this tutorial: layer Adjustment layers will be used to enhance the tones and makemasks and clipping masks. A layer mask basically enables you to colour corrections to the different images used for the final work.hide or reveal specific areas of a layer by painting these areas using These techniques are ideal for blending images and effects to createblack, white and shades of grey (to create transparency). With fantastic compositions. Follow each step closely and take a look atclipping masks, you need to stack two layers on top of each other the original PSD file to observe how the layer masks and clipping masks were used to create the effects.94

ElementsMask essentials The basics of selecting and masking specific areas of a layerSelect the sky Place a new sky Edit Brightness/Contrast01 Go to File>Open ‘Cityscape.jpg’. Now 02 In Options, click Refine Edge. Set to 03 Go to Layer>New Adjustment open the Tool Options bar and grab the Smooth: 2, Feather: 0.5px, Contrast: Layer>Brightness/Contrast. Adjust theMagic Wand tool (Shift+A). Set the Tolerance 0%, Shift Edge: 0%. Check Decontaminate Brightness to 65, Contrast to 45 and then clipto around 30, uncheck Contiguous and check Colors, Amount: 100%, Output to: New Layer to the layer. Do this by clicking on the ‘Clip toAnti-aliasing. Press and hold Shift, start with Layer Mask and click OK. Go to File>Place the layers’ button found at the bottom-left ofselecting the sky, then press Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+I ‘Sky.jpg’. Resize the image and drag the layer the Brightness/Contrast panel, or use theto invert the selection. underneath the Cityscape layer. Cmd/Ctrl+G shortcut.Crack the walls Mask the wall04 Place a texture over the buildings. Click on the ‘Cityscape’ layer 05 Go to File>Place ‘Wall.jpg’. Resize it and place over the building and then go to File>Place ‘Texture1.jpg’. Resize the image. Now on the left. Press and hold Opt/Alt and drag the corner handlespress and hold Cmd/Ctrl and drag the handles to adjust the to adjust the perspective. Now create a layer mask. Go to Layer>Layerperspective. Press Cmd/Ctrl+G to clip to the layer and then change the Mask>Reveal All. Grab a soft brush and hide the hard edges.blend mode to Multiply.Shortcut CLIPPING MASKSPress Cmd/Ctrl+Gin order to quickly Create clippingcreate a clipping masks every time you want the effect mask or adjustment to only affect the base layer. TOOL OPTIONS BAR ADJUSTMENT Use the Tool Options bar at LAYERS the bottom of the window to choose different tools and Apply different customise their settings. adjustment layers to make tonal corrections REFINE EDGE or enhance the colours for each image. Use the Refine Edge command to refine the 95 selected edges and create layers masks.

ElementsAdd more texture Create a new layer Expert tip06 Go to File>Place ‘Texture2.jpg’. Adjust 07 Create a new layer (Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+N). Name it Access different the size and hit Enter. Now clip the Moss, check ‘Use previous layer to create brush presetslayers and press Cmd/Ctrl+G. Create a layer clipping mask’, change Mode to Multiply and press OK.mask and using a soft tip brush, and hide the Grab the Brush tool (B). In Options, open the Brush Photoshop Elements hasareas around the building on the centre. Preset Picker and choose Scattered Maple Leaves. many amazing predefinedChange the blend mode to Multiply. brushes to use on your projects. In step eight we used the default Scattered Maple Leaves brush to create the moss. You can easily access them through the Brush Preset Picker in the Tool Options bar. Grab the Brush tool (B) and open the Tool Options bar. Open the Brush pop-up panel menu. From the menu, choose Default Brushes and then scroll down to locate the brush. Use the Brush Settings panel to add dynamic elements or change the behaviour of the brush.Paint the moss Use more images Place the debris08 Set the Foreground/Background 09 Go to File>Place ‘Grass.jpg’. Adjust the 10 Go to File>Place ‘Debris.jpg’. Adjust the colours to #495c1a and #9caf53 size and hit Enter. Create a layer mask size and angle then hit Enter. Create arespectively. In Options, set the Size to 10px and then grab a soft-tip brush (B). Brush away layer mask and use a hard-tip brush (B) toand then open the Brush Settings panel. the hard edges, blending the grass with the blend the images. Go to Layer>NewAdjust Fade to 0, Hue Jitter: 60%, Scatter: street. Apply a Levels adjustment layer. Set Adjustment Layer>Photo Filter. Select Color10%, Spacing: 25% and start painting the the Inputs to 0, 0.80, 240, and clip the layers. and choose a light yellow colour, set Densitymoss over the buildings and traffic lights. to 70% and clip the layers. LEVELS BLENDING ADJUSTMENT MODES Boost the contrast and Choose the blending colour balance of the modes from the images by adjusting the drop-down menu to Input settings of the Levels. add unique effects by overlapping the layers. PRESET BRUSHES TEXTURE Use predefined brushes IMAGES with different sizes and opacities in order to paint Search for grunge new elements and enhance textures and use the the masks. blending modes to make the images look dirty or old.96

ElementsDuplicate the debris Add a new tree Blend the image11 Press and hold Shift and then select 12 Go to File>Place ‘Tree.jpg’. Grab the 13 Make an adjustment on the tree. Go to the Debris and the Photo Filter layers. Magic Wand tool (A). In Options, Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Hue/Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate the layers. Now increase Tolerance to 50 and uncheck Saturation. Set Hue: -25, Saturation: -20 andgo to Image>Rotate>Flip Layer Horizontal. Contiguous. Hold Shift and click on the sky a then clip the layers. Now go to File>PlaceDrag to the left. Resize it and use the Brush few times to select it. Press Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+I ‘Vegetation.png’ on top of the layer stack.tool to blend the image again. to invert the selection and then create a layer Resize, duplicate it and place over the debris. mask. Drag the Tree layer under the debris. Add a layer mask and blend with the scene.Complete the scene Make some final touches14 Go to File>Place ‘Palm tree.png’ on top of the buildings. Drag the 15 Click on the first layer on top of the layer stack and then create a layer under the Cityscape layer. Duplicate a few times and place snapshot (Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+E). Go to Layer>Newaround different buildings. Repeat this step and place more trees, Adjustment Layer>Brightness/Contrast. Set Brightness to 31 andbushes, a car and flying pigeons to complete the scene. Contrast to 0. Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Choose Channel: Yellows and set Hue to -10. Choose Greens and set Hue to -35.The Enhance menu Shortcut You can easilyAdjust the colours and lighting duplicate a layer byThe Enhance menu contains all of the commands you pressing Cmd/need to adjust the colours, shadows or highlights, as Ctrl+Jwell as tackle common problems that might otherwiseruin a perfectly good image. You have the option to applythe changes automatically, or you can try to adjust thesettings manually for more control. The difference between the Enhance menu adjustmentsand the Fill or adjustment layers is the fact that changesyou make will permanently alter the pixels in the originalimage, while the Fill or adjustment layers enable youto make changes over and over again without alteringthe original pixels. With the Enhance menu, you havemany more options to fine-tune your image. In thiscase, duplicate the original image prior to applying theadjustments to have a safe copy in case something goeswrong down the road. 97

Elements VARY SIZES What Not everything in the does it mean? map has to be realistic in size; it’s a nice effect to CLIPPING MASKS – A clipping mask vary the sizes of objects is a layer that only appears over the and landmarks. pixels of the layer below. If you have an object on a layer, a clipping mask enables you to draw over that layer without affecting layers below. For example, terrain in step four is clipped to the green map, so it doesn’t show over the coast. On the FileSilo Download your free resources at www.filesilo. co.uk/photoshopcreative 98

Digital art… Elements Design a Shortcutgeometric map You can copy and paste hexcodes from Adobe ColorCreate colourful national icons with selections and brushesThe best thing about creating a detailed digital-art piece is that you can also help you to create perfect circles. Make a shape beforecan spot something new every time you look at it. A geometric map applying detail in the form of a clipping mask over that shape, andis no different, and as long as you have space, you can fill the area round pointy edges by masking.with as many buildings, landmarks and national objects as you like. This tutorial shows you how to produce a few objects to populate While this might look like a job for the Pen tool in Photoshop or a map, but once you’ve learned the basic skills of selecting, brushing,Illustrator, this map is made completely from selections and brushes. masking and clipping, you can create any object in geometric form.Just remember that holding Shift keeps your brush stroke straight – Remember, you can duplicate an object quickly – like a tree – bygreat for the cricket stumps or tree trunks, for example – and Shift holding Alt/Opt+Cmd/Ctrl and dragging.Start illustrating Build your map with nothing more than brushes and selections of colourPick a palette Use the cutout Create the shadow01 We’re going to create a cohesive look 02 Open ‘Before.psd’ into Photoshop 03 With your map created, select the from just a few colours: a strong blue Elements. Head to Filter>Filter white with the Magic Wand. Hit the(#38DFFD), greyish purple (#B5B4CA), green Gallery>Cutout and choose Number of Levels: mask to remove. Duplicate and with the lower(#77FA5C), bright red (#E34554) and golden 8, Edge Simplicity: 7, Edge Fidelity: 1. This map, nudge 30 pixels left, 20 down. Clip acolour (#FDC46C). Go to http://color.adobe. quickly reduces the map to a low-poly block Solid Color Fill layer of #3c3c3c to the lowercom/ if you’d like to pick your own colours. for us to build upon. map, your selected green to the upper, and fill your background with your blue. Clip by Ctrl/ right-clicking a layer>Add Clipping Mask.Master the terrain BUILDING MOUNTAINS04 Of course, a large block of land isn’t likely to be the same colour Create a triangle with thethroughout. With a soft brush on a new layer, Polygonal Lasso, fill inbrush yellow around the hotter areas and grey blue or grey and roundin the colder areas, or areas with mountains. the top. With a whiteReduce Opacity to 30% and clip these layers brush on a clipping layer,to the main green layer. create the snowy tip. CREATING LAKES Select the Elliptical Marquee. Hold Shi to create a perfect circle and fill in blue. Do this again, overlapping the original to create a lake. 99