Coloring Design

Photoshop CS3 + Custom Brushes + Colors


Source :http://www.flickr.com

History On Photoshop

The history palette is just like a fantastic expansion of the edit menu: it lets you handle different states of your documents so you can always go back, it lets you save some RAM, and is especially usefull when you submit different versions of a project.

When I made my jeans boots, my file soon ended up with more than 50 layers which included masks, adjustment layers, etc...hard to handle, both for me and Pshop, and very risky.Also,I needed to be able to go back at some early states of my document, therefore I created history snapshots before every critical operation : if you look at your history palette, you'll notice it displays every operation you made



Just try it: open a document, and change its hue (CTRL+U) to change its color, repeat twice, with different colors..(ie: red, green, yellow).Then your history palette should look like this



Now, by clicking on the different history states, you can compare, get rid of one state by draging it into the trash can at the bottom of the palette, or create a new document from it...and this is the most usefull tool, as it lets you work on a new documpent, you can just save and close your original file to be sure you dont destroy/alter it.Also, when you work on a file that involves all your RAM ressources because it's huge, and have finished preparing it, create a new document from its current state , then flatten the layers, and work easily on it to correct colors, or do some various final retouching operations.

For instance, I want to make a pic in which I have different versions of the boots.As the boots are composed of 40+ layers, I have to flatten them all, so I take a snapshot of its current state so I can go back to it



now just merge all layers into a new layer on top of the above as done in the previous lessons, (ctrl+shift+N, then alt+ctrl+shift+E), and I create a new document from this state so I can work easily on it, without all the ressource taking non visible layers



Now I can save and close the original file, and work only on the recently created one, and I can delete all the layers I dont need anymore , and keep only the one I have merged all the visible layers into.The easiest way to do it it to toggle off all these layers , by ALT+clicking on the eye on the layer you want to keep, and then choose "delete hidden layers" from the layer palette menu



Now you you have a safe original file, which contains all your masks, etc, and a new file it is safe to work on.Since I had to use 4 different files to make the boots, I could not even imagine what I should have done if I had had to work with limited undos. Hopefully this will prevent you from making pics that don't look the way you want them to just because you can't go back.

Source :http://photoshopcontest.com

How To Displacement Water

Part one: creating a displacement map We start with making an image in which the brightness represents the height of the surface. Bright is high, dark is low. The dimensions of this image control the size and shape of the waves. Start with a larger image to create smaller waves.
Create a new file in RGB mode of 1000 pixels wide by 2000 pixels high. Go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise... Enter these settings: Amount: 400% Distribution: Gaussian Monochromatic Click OK Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur... Choose a radius of 2,0 pixels and click OK.
We will use the result of the previous steps as a bump map to create a representation of the tilt of the surface. We will do this separately in channel 1 and channel 2. You can ignore channel 3. It does not affect the displace filter.
Select channel 1 in the channels palette. Go to Filter > Stylize > Emboss... Enter these settings: Angle: 180° Height: 1 pixels Amount: 500 % Click OK Select channel 2. Apply the Emboss Filter again, but this time use an angle of 90° instead of 180°.
Now we are going to change the perspective. Stretching the base lowers the horizon. We would have to drag the corners to infinity to extend the water surface all the way to the horizon. We will not do that. Stretching to anything above about 3000% is enough. The perspective stretch only works between 0 and 700%, so we will stretch to 600% twice. This equals 3600%.
Unlock the background layer. Zoom out and go to Edit > Transform > Perspective. Drag one of the bottom corners to the side, to a width of 600% and hit Enter. Select the canvas with Ctrl+A / Command+A. Press Ctrl+Shift+T / Command+Shift+T to transform again. Crop away the area outside the canvas with Ctrl+A / Command+A and Image > Crop. Reduce the height of the image to make it square. In this case 1000 by 1000 pixels.
In reality, waves cause rotations in a reflection instead of translations. As a result, the horizontal distortion decreases towards the horizon. The vertical distortion does not. However, we have to adjust channel 2 as well, because the perspective change has caused aliasing near the horizon. We will use motion blur later to compensate for this.
First adjust channel 1: Select channel 1. Press Q to switch to Quick Mask Mode. Draw a white to black linear gradient from the top down across the image to create a gradient mask. Press Q to go back to Standard Mode. Now we have a gradient selection. Fill with medium gray (brightness 128).
Adjust channel 2 in a similar way: Select channel 2. Go to Quick Mask Mode. Draw a gradient to select the narrow part near the horizon where the waves are too large. Press Q to turn the mask into a selection. Fill with medium gray.
This is what the finished displacement map should look like with the blue channel hidden. Note that in the green channel, the bright areas will shift a reflection upwards, which represents a tilt towards you. The dark areas produce a tilt away from you. This may be a little confusing because it's probably the opposite of how your brain interprets the brightness variations. Save as .psd with "Maximize Compatibility". You may have to change the preference at Edit > Preferences > File Handling > Maximize PSD File Compatibility to be able to save with Maximum Compatibility.

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Part two: creating a water surface We will create a lake in this valley.
First, we have to make a "flat" reflection which we will distort later with the displace filter. In this example, we will treat the landscape as a single background object. This only works if the background is very distant. Determine where the horizon should be. Select everything above this line and copy it to a new layer. This will be the reflection layer. Extend the canvas downwards to make room for the reflection. Flip vertical and move the layer down to mirror it with the background.
Near the horizon, almost 100% of the light is reflected of a water surface. At higher angles, the reflection component becomes smaller so you can see the color of the water itself. The color will be dark blue or turquoise if the water is clear. Of course, you can make any liquid you want by using another color.
Create a new layer below the reflection layer and link it to the reflection layer. Fill the area behind the reflection with the desired color. (You can adjust it later with Hue/Saturation.) Add a layer mask to the reflection layer. Draw a white to black gradient down from the horizon to show the lower part of the color layer.
Now we can add some wind. Before applying the displacement map, we will use motion blur to simulate the effect of the waves in the distance. The blur distance depends on the size of the image and the wind effect you want to create.
Select the reflection layer and Ctrl+click / Command+click the layer mask to make a gradient selection. Lock the transparent pixels by clicking the little checkerboard icon in the layers palette. Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur... Use an angle of 90°. Set the distance value and click OK. Repeat the motion blur with Ctrl+F / Command+F. Unlock the transparent pixels and deselect.
Now we are ready to apply the displacement map. To prevent aliasing in high contrast edges, we will scale the layer up first. You can skip the scaling steps or use smaller values if you are going to scale down the final image anyway. The displacement map will stretch or shrink to fit a selection. To get the right perspective, the horizon of the displacement map should approximately coincide with the horizon of the scene. Here, we can just select the content of the reflection layer to get the right alignment. Only a little displacement is enough to make the water look liquid. The right amount of displacement depends on the size of the image and height of the waves.
Use Transform to scale the reflection layer to 400% in both directions. Ctrl-click / Command-click on the reflection layer thumbnail to make the selection. Go to Filter > Distort > Displace... Enter the amount of displacement. The horizontal scale value should be about 50% of the vertical scale. Also select "Stretch To Fit" and "Repeat Edge Pixels". Click OK. Find the displacement map on your computer and click "open" to apply it. Deselect and use Transform to scale back to 25%.
Now it really looks like water. Notice that the layer mask is also distorted because it is linked to the layer. This causes the reflectivity to change with the angle of the surface. We will make some final adjustments to complete the image.
Select the layer mask, go to Levels and change the white output level to about 240 to make the surface slightly transparent near the horizon. If needed, use the other sliders to further adjust the reflectivity. Finally, cut away the edges of the image if the repeated edge pixels are noticeable.
Source :http://photoshopcontest.com

Tutorial : Create Graffiti Text On Photoshop

STEP 1: Select a good picture or texture to add the graffiti. We selected this wall:

STEP 2: Type your text. Is very important that you choose an appropiated font.

STEP 3: Right click in the text layer and Rasterize Type.

STEP 4: Duplicate the layer. On the new layer, press CTRL and click the text layer to select the content of the layer and go to Select -> Modify -> Border. Use a width of around 15 px.
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STEP 5: Select the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and paint the selection. Then erase it pressing the backspace key to obtain this effect:

STEP 6: Select the text layer. Select the Gradient Tool (G) and define the colors:

Press CTRL and click the layer to select the text. Apply the gradient:

STEP 7: Change the Blend Mode to Soft Light. Now the wall is visible through the text.

STEP 8: Go to Add a layer style and select Drop Shadow. Apply these values:

STEP 9: Select the Smudge Tool (R), and drag the graffiti down to simulate little drops.

Final result

Source :http://www.rnel.net

Butterfly

This was the first time I tried doing a photo manipulation piece.

I was just experimenting with colors, brushes, and the pen tool. Please tell me what you think.


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Old Photo

Old photo effect on one of my recent photos of Fantoft Stave Church in Norway.

Source :http://www.flickr.com

Photoshop and Illustrator

This experimental image was created using an intimate combination of numerous Photoshop and Illustrator techniques. The initial shot was of a friend of mine who I subsequently removed completely...

The various curves, lines and shapes were created using a series of scripts in Adobe illustrator. Once these were created, the two were then merged back in Photoshop.


Source :http://www.flickr.com

Manipulation : Create Graffiti On Wall

Graffiti as a form of art in its modern form first appeared at the beginning of 20th century, but its origins go back long ago when the first men expressed their artistic talents on cave walls.

Either graffiti is a work of art or mere vandalism, this question has no definite answer. Some graffiti have an artistic value and an idea behind them; others are a waste of paint and unsightly damage to state and private property.

In this tutorial we will show you how to make graffiti on any wall without running the risk of being fined.

The image below has been taken from the internet. We do not know the author personally, but we hope he will not mind.

We used the Chameleon plugin in Adobe Photoshop, but you can use any other photo editor compatible with the AKVIS Chameleon plugin.

• Step 1. Open the graffiti image in your photo editor.
  
• Step 2. Make a precise selection of the fragment. In this case the graffiti design has a difficult form, but the background is homogeneous. It’s easier to delete the background than to select the object.

  In Adobe Photoshop you can use Magic Eraser Tool . Select it from the Toolbar and left click on the background around the chicken and between the wings and feathers. The background will be removed.

  

  Now select the fragment. For quick selection click on the layer icon in the Layers palette keeping the Ctrl-key ( on Macintosh) pressed.

  
  "Layers" palette
  

  Select the command Filter –> AKVIS –> Chameleon – Grab Fragment in the main menu. You’ll see a message that the selected object has been saved into the clipboard.

• Step 3. Open the background image. Here we have a photo of a brick wall.
  
• Step 4. Select the command Filter –> AKVIS –> Chameleon – Make Collage. The Chameleon workplace will open with the background image and the fragment loaded into the Image Window.
  
• Step 5. Select the Emersion mode from the drop-down menu Mode in the Settings panel.
• Step 6. Use the Transform tool to adjust the size and the position of the chicken on the wall.
  

  Press the Enter-key (Return on Macintosh) to apply the changes.

  
• Step 7. Select the colors of the wall. The selected colors will be replaced with the fragment’s areas.
  
• Step 8. Click on to start image processing. Here is the result:
  
• Step 9. For the image to look more natural adjust the value of the Threshold parameter. In this case the optimum value is about 50-60.
  

  Now it looks more realistic.

  Apply the result. Click on to apply the effect and close the plug-in window. The result will be shown in the workspace of your photo editor.

• Step 10. One more trick to give the image the final touch. In Step 4 one can see a shadow that faded after the processing with the plug-in. We can restore it using the Photoshop Burn Tool. Select this tool from the Toolbar and adjust its settings. Now left-click on the shadow and, keeping the Shift-key pressed to get a straight line, draw a line over the graffiti.

  Here is the final result:

  

Source :http://www.rnel.net