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Wiley Photoshop For Right-Brainers: The Art of Photomanipulation, 3rd Edition

1. Normal Opacity m Advanced Blending Homidiy q Channels R V e B Knockout None _ Blend Interior Effects as Group M Blend Clipped Layers as Group V Transparency Shapes Layer _ Layer Mask Hides Effects _ Vector Mask Hides Effects Figure 1 61 Default Layer Style dialog box with no style settings yet in place You need not worry about drop shadows or bevels for this technique On the lower half of the current window is an area called Advanced Blending This is where all of the cool Blend If things take place For instance I ve set Knockout to Shallow Blend If defaults to gray so that drop down can be left alone for now it is the highlights and shadows I m con cerned with At the very bottom is a slider area called Underlying Layer This means is that if the Wall layer is black white or a varying shade of gray moving the sliders will render portions of the type visible semitransparent or invisible Each slider right and left can be split in two by holding down the Option Alt key and click sliding it either left or right This allows you to control the intensity and separation of the blend on your text as it attempts to match the luminosity of the wall With the sliders in the positions shown in Figure 1 62 the type takes on the faded and aged characteristics shown in Figure 1 63 Layer Style aw O ee SE E General Blending
2. X Stroke Path Figure 1 13 The new path resides in the Paths panel Name apple Preset Custom Width 1506 pixels elete Preset Height 1516 pixels v Device Central Resolution 300 pixels inch v Color Mode RGB Color 8 bit v z Figure 1 15 When you copy the object Background Contents v i i aai and create a new document to place it yee iii in by default the new document fits the dimensions of the object CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece Paste the apple into the new document 8 Ctrl V see Figure 1 16 If you would like to save this image for later use I recommend saving it as a PNG file This format will retain the transparent background so you can easily drag and drop the object into any photo envi ronment you choose as well as resize it to fit your needs Figure 1 16 The apple in a new transparent background Have you ever created a new document with a transparent background and find it appears all white Where are the tiny gray squares that we all know and love The checker pattern expected to delineate transparency is actually still there Photoshop CS4 at times defaults to a variation of light gray dark gray squares so it Is difficult to see that the document back ground is indeed transparent To change this select Edit gt Preferences gt Transparency And Gamut Mac users will find Preferences
3. Tools for Building Your Masterpiece Right brainers are typically artistic i some fashion and this book is for people who like me enjoy the journey Although right brainers are constantly chiding left brained people to think outside the proverbial box a right brainer who works with a piece of software such as Adobe Photoshop CS4 needs to spend some time in the box getting to know the tools and techniques that will lead to masterpieces at some future date This chapter discusses a few of the most important techniques and tools that are used throughout the book as well as some that are just plain good to know blending modes extractions layer masks those all powerful adjustment layers made even more powerful in CS4 than in earlier releases displacement maps and the Blend If feature I can t teach you to be an artist but I certainly can show you some of the tools I use that you might find helpful in your own work Let s take a look at some of these key techniques The images referenced as source files for these techniques can be found in the Chapter 1 Source Files folder on this book s CD CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece Using Blending Modes For right brainers blending modes open entirely new doors that perhaps you haven t con sidered For example you can quickly collage two images by placing them in layers and experimenting with the blending modes for just the right mix Blending m
4. Blending Options Custom Blend Mode N i Opacity m Advanced Blending Fil Opacty _ Channels V JR V G VJB Knockout ERTE v i Figure 1 62 Blend If works ona a a ai a as series of sliders that can be divided to give you more control over the blend 27 Hn 28 CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece Figure 1 63 The text takes on the aged characteristics of the wall beneath You can also manipulate the color channels with Blend If For instance there is a hint of red in the bricks You can further age the text by selecting Blend If Red and adjusting the Underlying Layer sliders as seen in Figure 1 64 Figure 1 65 shows a close up of the text after this adjustment You could almost swear that the text was paint that has been around nearly as long as the building and not simply a type layer altered by Photoshop Blend If Red v This Layer 0 255 a Figure 1 64 Blend If allows you to work with Underlying Layer 0 86 255 ee channels to get a more sincere meld between oa d ees layers Figure 1 65 The text looks so real you could swear it has been there for a very long time m Summary Summary Pve in no way covered every cool tool you will explore in this book on your way to the per fect masterpiece but I ve covered a few of the most important ones or at least those that will show up
5. Height 2400 pixels x Document Size Width 5 333 inches Height 8 inches Resolution 300 I pixels inch Figure 1 55 For Apply Image to work both documents or all that will be used in creating your final image need to have the exact same dimensions in pixels C Constrain Proportions Resample Image Bicubic best for smooth gradients You may now use the displacement map to warp the Map jpg image Select the map photo and choose Filter gt Distort gt Displace The Displace dialog box will then ask you to what Horizontal and Vertical scale you would like the warp to take place A setting of 10 for each should work fine in this instance because the images are both 300 ppi If they were of lower resolution then lower Scale settings would be in order The Displace filter uses a second image displacement map to determine how a layer or selection will be distorted Also in the Displace dialog box you are asked to choose either Stretch To Fit or Tile Stretch To Fit works best here because there is no need to have the edges repeat For the same reason Wrap Around should be selected under Undefined Areas see Figure 1 56 After these settings are selected click OK to apply the filter Displace Horizontal Scale Vertical Scale Displacement Map Stretch To Fit OTile Undefined Areas Wrap
6. brain painting Displacement Mapping Have you ever looked at an image created by someone else who seems quite proud of it but it just doesn t look right to you You hate to say anything that could be taken as a brutal kick to their ego but you know deep inside that if they had just taken a few extra steps a tweak here an adjustment there they could have a piece that really boggles the eye This often occurs when people try to overlay an image on top of another If the curves and con tours of the two images match the artist is well on the way to creating art that doesn t appear thrown together Displacement maps can help These are designed to help you conform one image to the shape of another using the shades of gray in the image to create the distortions in the sec ond Displacement maps play a part in several of the techniques found later in this book so a quick hands on tutorial is in order for you to get up to speed Need Direction Use a Map Open the images Back jpg and Map jpg see Figure 1 52 The foundation image for this technique is the photo of a man s back The thought here is to give him a map tattoo across his shoulders and the back of his head The second image should work fine but it first needs to be molded and stretched to match the highlights and shadows on the foundation image The best displacement maps tend to be those with the greatest variation in lights and darks They are cre
7. destructive The actual pixels were altered which could be troublesome if you forgot to save the original photo Adjustment layers have taken this concern wrestled it to the floor and given it a much needed wedgie You can now make adjustments to an entire image or aspects of cer tain layers without worrying about destroying the original document You can always back track in the history providing you remembered to take snapshots along the way Who has time for snapshots Bah humbug Adjustment layers work simply by creating a new layer separate from the other layers that will let you make your tweaks Each adjustment layer has a mask attached so that you can paint away the adjustments from areas of the image where you don t want them to apply New to Photoshop CS4 is the ability to alter the mask density isolate colors and even feather and further refine the mask You can alter the mask and thereby the adjustment layer by painting with black white or gray in the mask itself Better yet you can go back at any time reopen the adjustment layer and change the settings as you like a particularly easy task with Photoshop CS4 s new Adjustments panel Adjustment layers each have the appropriate adjustment s dialog box attached If you adjust levels by using a Levels adjust ment layer you do so the same way you do a standard Levels adjustment The only difference is that you are making the changes to a nondestructive layer as
8. E 4 3 l J e k Figure 1 32 I m ready for my close up the default settings that is a gradual change from black to white you ll see the photo take on charac teristics of both layers see Figure 1 34 The condition of the layer mask at this stage can be seen in Figure 1 35 Fa 00 gt Figure 1 33 Model 02 layer flipped and the mask firmly in place 16 CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece j F N f a i i ie Figure 1 34 A standard Black to White gradient in the mask gives the model a surreal appearance Nema Opa 0 P Lock O yta Fil 100 gt Model 02 Figure 1 35 The Layers panel should look like this in this step The result is interesting but we can make it more so by shortening the length of the gradient to a very small area in the center of the photo rather than across the entire image For instance redraw the same gradient in the same mask but this time span the width of the mouth Figure 1 36 The result has less faded blending and gives the model the appearance of being a computer generated female in some 3D rendering program rather than a living breathing human see Figure 1 37 Figure 1 36 Narrowing the distance between the Black and White color stops in the gradient eliminates much of the transparency effect restricting it to a narrow area Working with Layer Masks 17
9. We need to give this gray matter an overhaul Quick Cartoons You can also add a couple of cartoonish or drawn charac teristics to the image Selecting Posterize at the bottom of the Adjustments menu lets you establish the number of levels that appear in the image see Figure 1 49 This basically separates the image into four levels of color giving it a drawn or painted quality see Figure 1 50 Figure 1 49 A Posterize adjustment layer gives the image a quick painterly quality E _ Figure 1 50 Model photo or painting 22 CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece Keep in mind that all of these adjustments have in no way altered the original photo layer Simply by adding three adjustment layers you have been able to enhance the color repaint an area of the image and convert it to an artist s rendering Figure 1 51 shows the Layers panel with all four layers in place As mentioned in the preceding section Working LAYERS with Layer Masks you can fade the effects of your Normal v Opacity 100 gt adjustments with gray shades rendering the adjustment semitransparent Adjustment layers also have to heed the rules of blending modes so play around a bit and have fun with them Trust me you have not seen the last of them in this book Lock L Fill 100 gt Figure 1 51 Four layers three adjustments and two altered masks give us the final
10. need to place them in the same document To do this simply copy the second photo and paste it into the first They are different sizes so choose Edit gt Transform gt Scale and resize the new layer to match the size of the first In this instance you need to be concerned only that the monitor screen is overlaid with the second image see Figure 1 27 When working with a lot of layers it is smart to give your layers descriptive names You re working with only two layers in this example but it is still a good habit to establish so rename the layers Monitor the base layer and Tech The top layer is where the masking will take place you can create that mask now by selecting the Tech layer and clicking the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel see Figure 1 28 m Working with Layer Masks 13 Normal v Opacty 100 gt Lock O y Fil 100 gt Figure 1 27 Transform the top layer to match the monitor Figure 1 28 Renaming layers screen size can help organize your edits As a demonstration of how masks help in this instance you can quickly place the techno collage on the monitor without overlapping beyond the screen s border This is a piece of cake because the monitor face is roughly the same color across the object There are a few tools you can use to generate a selection of the screen The Polygonal Lasso and Magnetic Lasso tools are safe bets and even using the Select g
11. subtle green reflection see e Figure 1 23 Once the adjustment is made Saturation you should have replaced the eight ball with iia the apple complete with enhanced shadows a a and colored reflection see Figure 1 24 Pd f 0O 023 4 3 Figure 1 22 The mask helps nme Figure 1 23 The Adjustments panel gives S E isolate a region to be corrected you great control over your edits or edited m Working with Layer Masks 11 Figure 1 24 The apple in its new home Granted the final image is a bit far out but the extraction itself worked like a charm The Path tool does take a bit of practice but there is nothing like it for giving you crisp clear edges for your extracted objects Working with Layer Masks As you delve into all the nifty things Photoshop allows you to do to your images you may have already played a bit with layer masks Layer masks at their most basic are simple bit maps attached to a layer The black in the bitmap or mask hides the pixels of the standard layer and the white reveals those pixels As mentioned in the previous section Photoshop CS4 has added a Masks panel that allows you to control density feather color range and other mask features We will be looking at these features throughout the book First let s look at some possible uses of masks What benefit do you see from being able to hide portions of a layer Here s one practical application using two layers with the sa
12. the effect of richer more vibrant colors 26 CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece Discovering the Power of Blend If My good friend Richard Lynch whom you may know from his Hidden Power books also published by Sybex started talking to me about Blend If a few years ago A typical conver sation may have sounded like a Laurel and Hardy routine RL Al you ve got to try Blend If AW Blend what RL Blend If AW Blend if what What am I blending and why RL Blend If man It s the newest thing out there you re nobody until you get on the Blend If bandwagon AW Dude I don t know what you re selling but get it outta here or I Il call the cops If it s that cool it can t be legal Well maybe the conversation didn t go exactly like that But it did pique my interest especially because his books were the only ones I d found that even broached the topic So after much experimenting head scratching and throwing digital paper balls in the cyber trash I think think mind you that I m starting to grasp what he s been telling me all these years At least from a right brained point of view I ve found a few cool tricks that Blend If can be used for Blend If allows you to manipulate how certain colors will react to the color beneath them Granted this sounds similar to blending modes but Blend If is a bit more powerful in that it gives the user control over specific colors in the l
13. under the Photoshop menu From here you can change the color of the squares simply by clicking on one there are two shown and selecting a slightly darker shade of gray Now your transparent backgrounds will have the little alternating checkers once again A New Home The true test comes when you try placing your object in a new setting Take a look at Figure 1 17 What if we replace the eight ball with the newly extracted apple To play along open the eightbal1 jpg image found on the book s CD With the newly extracted apple image open the one resting on the transparent background drag and drop the apple into the eight ball file and place the apple over the pool ball with either the Move tool or the arrow keys see Figure 1 18 The Move tool needs to be selected in order for the arrow keys to work m Extracting an Image froma Background 9 Figure 1 17 Eight ball corner pocket Figure 1 18 The apple in a new environment Choose Edit gt Transform gt Scale and resize the apple to better conform to the size of the eight ball without leaving any of the ball showing see Figure 1 19 Once it s in place accept the transformation You may want to use the Burn tool to darken the lower edge of the apple as well as the ground beneath it to better conform it to the image You may also add a shadow to the grass with the Burn tool to achieve a bit more realism see Figure 1 20 HT 10 CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Master
14. 0 gt egge mion Figure 1 3 Place both images into the same document for merging m Using Blending Modes 3 Figure 1 4 Sunset layer blending mode set to Overlay Experimenting with Blending Modes Try another test this time selecting Darken for the blending mode of the sunset layer see Figure 1 5 This results in a very deep melding of the two images The outline of the mesa is clearly defined still but we see more characteristics and features of the sunset layer The primary thing that strikes me as being wrong with this version is it is simply too dark It makes sense the sunset layer is in Darken mode so those areas that are darker than the layer beneath will be darkened Those lighter will not The clouds are better defined but we lose the bright appeal of the previous example Let s give it another shot Follow along and see what you come up with Change the blend ing mode for the sunset layer to Soft Light see Figure 1 6 That is a good mix for achieving defi nition between the two photos The colors are less harsh and we still have good definition in both the mesa and the clouds Figure 1 5 Sunset layer in Darken blending mode 4 CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece Figure 1 6 Another version using Soft Light blending mode The Soft Light blending mode takes a look at the blend color and either lightens or darkens that portion of the image depend
15. Around Repeat Edge Pixels Figure 1 56 Setting up the Displace filter Displacement Mapping 25 But wait there s more Now Photoshop will ask you what psd image it should use as a map By default it will take you to the location on your hard disk where you saved the dis placement map simply select it and click OK The Map jpg image will warp to conform to the contours of the Back jpg photo Apply I Now on to Apply Image After you choose pE nee Image gt Apply Image you use the Source drop Co d down list at the top of the dialog box to select the me e Channel RGB l vi COnvert Preview image you would like to apply to your photo For instance say you would like a darker more color rich version of your current image You could use Apply Image with the same photo set as the Target Map jpg RGB Blending Darken Opacity 100 Source and the Blending mode set to Darken to 1 Mask accomplish this see Figure 1 57 Pve applied the map to the photo of the back see Figure 1 58 Figure 1 57 Apply Image can use the document you are working on as the The combination of displacement maps and Source image Apply Image are only the tip of the iceberg Pd love to continue this topic now but I ll force myself to wait until Chapter 4 In the mean time I have one more cool item to demonstrate in this chapter Figure 1 58 Applying an image to itself can have
16. Reversing the colors in the mask creates an entirely different rendition of the model though in this case it tends to make her look a bit masculine see Figure 1 38 This can be altered by moving the top layer toward the right to pinch her face and neck back to a more femi nine appearance You may then use the paint brush on the Layer Mask alternating with black white and shades of gray to remove or enhance certain areas such as hair the clothing the neckline and so forth see Figure 1 39 The end result will still appear a bit out of this world but you get the point This is simply an exer cise in masking and it does create some pretty interest ing results Figure 1 38 A more realistic marriage of layers Figure 1 39 More mask manipulations 18 CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece Shades of Gray One final example demonstrates how shades of gray can be used in a mask to create charac ter in your collages or backgrounds see Figure 1 40 In this instance I ve taken tech 02 jpg and tech 03 jpg and placed them in new layers in the file circuit jpg Grayed masks or layer masks filled with gray have been applied to the top two layers LAYERS Normal m Opacty 100 gt Lock L gf Fk 100 gt Figure 1 40 Using gray tones in a mask is a fast and easy way to create collages or to generate backgrounds with elements from multiple images When you loo
17. articular for merging layers is that your choice of blending mode will dictate whether a piece fails or succeeds You have many to choose from but usually one or two come close You want to get to the point where you intuitively know what additional tools in conjunction with the blending mode will give you the results you are looking for Photoshop isn t out to get you it is only as smart and creative as you allow it to be Photoshop is the toolbox you are the artist Extracting an Image from a Background I belong to several Photoshop related forums and lists online a favorite hangout of mine is PhotoshopCAFE at ww photoshopcafe com and it amazes me how many posts start with the heading How do I extract an image from a background Indeed Photoshop doesn t give the casual user an easy answer as there is a number of ways to perform this very task The best method for the task depends on a couple of factors the job at hand the object being extracted the background the object resides in and the user s knowledge of the soft ware or preferred method If the background is a solid color you can use the Background Eraser tool with pass able results but many in the graphics world consider this approach to be cheating in some way If it works I say go for it but rarely does that method work to satisfaction In the previous editions of this book I demonstrated how to perform extractions using the Extract feature which as of this w
18. ated from a channel that you select Select the Back jpg image I ve cho sen to duplicate the blue channel and use it as the base for my map because it gives the best white to black ratio across the image The highlights are brighter and the shadows are darker than the other channels Of course I can tweak these further by using Dodge and Burn Brightness Contrast and so forth but I prefer to choose the channel that will require a minimal amount of adjusting m Displacement Mapping 23 Figure 1 52 The two images as seen in Bridge You can duplicate the blue channel by clicking and dragging it to the Create New Channel icon at the bottom of the Channels panel second from the right next to the Trash A quick Contrast adjustment will help separate the whites and blacks further I ve chosen 25 Next apply a Gaussian blur to the map channel so that when it is used to distort the second image there are no sharp changes and the alterations appear smoother and Gaussian Blur Preview more transitional see Figure 1 53 O 3 The last link in the creation of the displacement map is radius pixeis to save it as anew psd file To do this right click the chan nel and select Duplicate Channel In the dialog box that appears name the new image and be sure to set the Destination setting to New see Figure 1 54 When the file opens as a new image in Photoshop choose File gt Save As and save the new psd file to your har
19. ayer and not over the entire layer For this example open the image Wal11 jpg I ve already taken care of generating a dis placement map of the wall and applied it to a rasterized type layer The result is seen in Figure 1 59 Just to prove it to you Figure 1 60 shows the Layers panel complete with ras terized text Blend If is found in the Blending options of the layer styles at the top of the left hand Layer Style dialog box Not only can you use this cool feature to make the text appear painted onto the wall but with a little Photoshop magic you can make it appear as though it has aged with the wall even wiping away those areas of text where the bricks have broken and worn away LAYERS 5 oms aloma rs P Fas 100 gt C a B z Figure 1 59 Wall photo Figure 1 60 The type has already been conformed to the cracks and with a rasterized type mortar in the wall image layer pre distorted with a displacement map m Discovering the Power of Blend If To follow along create a displacement map as we did in the previous tutorial Generate a text layer rasterize it and displace it with the map Now you are at the point I am with this project With the text layer selected click the FX icon at the bottom of the Layers panel When the styles menu expands select Blending Options from the top of the menu The dialog box in Figure 1 61 appears Layer Style Blending Options Fa agar Blending Options Default Blend Mode
20. d disk Remember where you placed it because you will need it again shortly When you have saved the new map you can close it in Photoshop Return to the Back jpg photo and delete the extra channel as it is no longer needed Figure 1 53 A blur helps conform the image to the map Duplicate Channel Duplicate Blue copy ps Buecony Ca m Destination Document New Name back map Piwek Figure 1 54 Save the new displacement map as a new document on your hard drive 24 CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece A Peek into a Later Chapter I m going to take this opportunity to discuss Apply Image something Pll cover in depth in Chapter 4 Texture Color and Layer Effects Apply Image has to be one of my all time favorite adjustments in Photoshop Pll reserve most of my praise until later but because it works for this effect Pll dip into it just a bit here Apply Image allows you to blend two images together Sounds simple enough until you discover the number of ways you can blend those images The effects can be rather astounding For this example however all you need to know is that both images must have the exact same dimensions in pixels Pll discuss why in Chapter 4 but for now simply adjust the size of the Map jpg image to match the size in pixels of Back jpg see Figure 1 55 Image Size Pixel Dimensions 11 0M Cox Width 1600 pixels M
21. edge Figure 1 11 Creating a path can be tricky but gets easier with practice m Extracting an Image froma Background 7 Work your way around the entire apple including the stem You may have to exercise a little guesswork in the areas of extreme highlight or shadow so work the path to make the shape appear natural When you have reached the starting point click on the first point to close the path see Figure 1 12 After you have outlined the entire apple open the Paths panel You will see a new Work Path resident in the shape of your apple see Figure 1 13 The next step is to convert the path into a selection which you do by click ing the Load Path As A Selection icon at the bottom of the Paths panel the third icon from the left or by open ing the Paths panel menu and selecting Make Selection from the list see Figure 1 14 Once the marching ants appear around the apple you can copy the apple and paste it into a new doc ument for later use To copy the apple press Ctrl C or select Edit gt Copy Create a new document File gt New or 8 Ctrl N which will be the size of the apple by default Ensure the Background is set to Transparent to avoid having to extract the apple again in the future in case you save it in a nonlayered format see Figure 1 15 Ba o ons Figure 1 12 After working the path around the object click the starting point to close the path Save Path Delete Path sre Fill Path
22. frequently Again please don t be content to simply use the images supplied with the book I encourage you to try these techniques on your own photos stimulating those right brain cells and creating your own art In the next chapter we ll look at editing correcting or otherwise altering portraits so the techniques found in these two chapters should play well together when you sit down with your own photos I assure you it will be far more grat ifying to you and for me as well when you have achieved some level of joy when watching your own images come to life using a technique or two you read in these pages I can t turn you into an artist but I suspect there is already one inside you lurking just beneath the surface and ready to make itself known If I can help you to realize at least that much by showing you these techniques then I am indeed a happy man So grab your coffee or beverage of choice grab a digital stack of your own images that could use some sprucing up and move on to Chapter 2 Get ready get set 29
23. ing on whether the color is lighter or darker respectively than 50 gray If the light source or blend color is lighter than 50 gray the effect is as though that portion of the image were dodged darker makes it look as though it were burned Painting with Black or White in the Soft Light blending mode will darken or lighten but will not result in true black or white Rather it will result in an increase of light or shadow When you find a blending mode that does basically what you want it to accomplish as Pve done with this example you may want to keep the blending mode and finish the correc tions with other Photoshop features No one tool or technique is a cure all it usually takes a combination of tools and commands working together to get what you are looking for Notice the jet stream trailing off in the upper left corner This can be wiped away to help maintain the Old West feel of the final shot One of the quickest ways to isolate and replace the offending area is to use the Spot Healing tool on the mesa layer see Figure 1 7 Figure 1 8 shows out final blended image MAF DOS S 2 f F Figure 1 7 Spot Healing quickly replaces the offending jet stream with the blue background surrounding the aircraft m Extracting an Image froma Background 5 Figure 1 8 Final blended image As you work through the book blending modes will become second nature What I want you to take away from these brief examples in p
24. k at the image with a mask applied you ll see elements of both photos overlaying the original see Figure 1 41 Basically this is the same effect as if you were reducing opacity or altering blending modes how ever you can use this effect in conjunction with opacity changes and blending mode changes for variations you may not expect I have said that before I will say this now and I promise I will say it again experiment You ll never know the effects you could have created unless you try subtly or extremely for that matter altering settings in your images dreamed up by you I can show you only a couple of variations in a few pages but I really want you to explore your own creativity by using the tools at your disposal I will go deeper in detail concerning the new mask ing features as you proceed through the book With such a powerful tool you will have incredible digital art in short order Figure 1 41 This tech background will fit in with almost any trendy modern website m Including Adjustment Layers Including Adjustment Layers Something I have found to be incredibly useful for the past few versions of Photoshop was the inclusion of adjustment layers Because of my interest in adding a personal touch to per fectly good photos the final image often doesn t resemble the original except in passing A long long time ago say three or four versions of Photoshop in the past altering layer infor mation was almost always
25. me pixel information you could correct the top layer or do some fancy special effect to it and then mask away portions of the layer so the correction or effect seems to occur only on certain portions of the image Layer masks are also excellent for merging photos either gradually or starkly so collages are a breeze Masks even go so far as to allow a savvy right brainer to turn any photograph into a seamless pattern or a floor tile Let me demonstrate what I m talking about i 12 amp CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece Dynamic Masking Pll begin with a practical example If you have perused any medium to large electronics store online in particular those that sell mid to high end televisions or computers you may have noted that many display their products with an image on the screen It is difficult to take a photograph of a television with the screen active and have it turn out with ad quality resolution on the display Rather than leave the screen blank many retailers will use Photoshop to place an image on the screen to make the product shot more compelling Layer masks can achieve this goal in quick order For this example open moni tor jpg Figure 1 25 Figure 1 25 A standard computer and tech jpg Figure 1 26 monitor product shot j k oo gt i i Figure 1 26 A techno collage to fill the screen To see how masks can help when working with these two images you first
26. odes for layers simply tell Photoshop how the pixels in one layer will inter act with the pixels in the layers beneath You knew that already though right Sure you did at least you probably already know if you have spent any time with Photoshop As you work through the next few chapters you ll use various blending modes For each new mode that s introduced you ll find a short definition Instead of rambling on about how you should use them Pll show a few examples of how you can use them to your advantage Blending Landscapes From this book s CD ROM open the images mesa jpg and sunset jpg see Figures 1 1 and 1 2 Here you have two images of similar tone and theme You might consider what these two photos would look like merged To check that out have one photo serve as the founda tion image and paste the other photo into a new layer in that document see Figure 1 3 Each blending mode when applied to the sunset layer will give a different result You might think that the Overlay mode would produce a good mix of the two images so check it out Figure 1 4 shows the image with the sunset layer set to Overlay Personally I love the results of this blend the addition of the clouds and color varia tion to the mesa s backdrop is simply stunning This wouldn t be much of an experiment if we stopped here however Figure 1 1 Choose images to blend together Here s the Figure 1 2 The second image Normal v Opacity 10
27. opposed to actual pixels Correcting without Corrupting To demonstrate correcting or editing an image in a non destructive manner or in such a way that the original pixels are not altered I have chosen an image reflecting the theme of this book a model of the human brain Open the image RightBrain jpg see Figure 1 42 Figure 1 42 I just had to work a brain into this book somehow 19 20 CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece With the image open click the Create New Fill Or Adjustment Layer icon at the bot tom of the Layers panel A menu will appear with a series of selections representing the types of adjustments you can make Choose Levels from the menu A Levels adjustment layer will appear in the Layers panel see Figure 1 43 Select the Levels adjustments and the Adjustments panel will change to give you a standard levels layout you can make your Levels adjustment as you would if you were oper ating from the Image gt Adjustments gt Levels dialog box Figure 1 44 shows a standard adjustment moving the left slider to where the color information begins Click OK to accept the adjustment I use this particular adjustment to darken the washed out area of the brain in particu lar the pink fleshy parts I m not sure that I want to adjust the gray area By painting in the white mask with a black brush you can wipe away the adjustment to that area leaving the rest of the brain corrected see Figu
28. piece Figure 1 20 Shadowing with the Burn tool Let s do one more little trick before we move on As the apple leaves a shadow on the grass the grass in turn should leave a reflec tion on the apple We can simulate this by generating a feathered selection on the right side of the apple with the Lasso tool then cre ating a Hue Saturation adjustment layer and forcing a green tonal change to that area To see what I mean select the Lasso tool On the Options bar change the Feather radius to 20px Draw a selection along the lower right region of the apple s edge as seen in Figure 1 21 You can move the selection into place with the arrow keys so the selec tion roughly follows along the edge of the object At the bottom of the Layers panel click the Create New Fill Or Adjustment Layer icon Choose Hue Saturation from the menu Any adjustments will be focused on the selected area thanks to the Sa adjustment layer s mask see Figure 1 22 New in Photoshop CS4 are the Adjustments and Masks panels which give you more control over the adjustments made and the areas of the layer affected LAYERS ELS PATHS With the adjustment layer in place orma a ER a ie Mourns MES double click it in the Layers panel to open Lock L Fil 100 gt Hue Saturation Custom v Figure 1 21 Create a feathered selection the Adjustments panel Move the Hue slider C ote X until you get a
29. re 1 45 v oparty 100 Normal v Opacty 100 gt Lock O Fil 100 gt Lock L Fil 100 gt fx aa uwa Figure 1 43 The Levels Figure 1 44 Levels Figure 1 45 Use the paint tools to adjustment layer is in position are adjusted in the mask areas you do not want to be and ready to go to work standard way altered by the adjustment layer Let s say you would like to create a mock up of this brain for a presentation of some sort You have found the gray just doesn t cut it and the brain seems flat on the projector It s time for a color overhaul By adding a Hue Saturation adjustment layer that effectively colors the entire brain blue see Figure 1 46 but then hiding most of the image except those areas you want to have colored with the mask you can dramatically alter the appearance of the piece see Figures 1 47 and 1 48 ADJUSTMENTS Hue Saturation Custom v Wm aste v Opacity 100 gt Hue 240 Lock Fil 100 gt aa Tia Saturation 25 ne a Figure 1 46 Lightness fo a A E Use Hue P Saturation set 2 to Colorize to pd Figure 1 47 change the hue Painting may also of the entire reveal alterations brain to a bluish H4 to areas and leave a 8 Ow color others alone m Including Adjustment Layers 21 Figure 1 48 Break out the model paint
30. riting has been removed for Adobe Photoshop CS4 Pm mixing things up a bit with this update and will instead demonstrate extracting objects or subjects using the Pen tool 6 CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece Removing Objects from Their Background Let s get started and remove an object from its background Open the image app1e jpg from this book s CD see Figure 1 9 Let s pull the apple off the background and give it a new home Duplicate the Background layer Create a new layer between the two apple layers and fill it with white Rename the Background Copy Extract see Figure 1 10 LAYERS ELS THS Normal v Opacity 100 gt Lock OJ Fil 100 gt Figure 1 9 The apple will serve as our Figure 1 10 Set up the Layers extraction model panel for extracting Select the Pen tool in the Toolbar On the Options bar click the Paths icon it is the sec ond icon from the left at the top of the screen see Figure 1 11 Click the mouse anywhere along the edge of the subject in this case the apple to serve as a starting point Move along the edge of the object a short distance in either direction and click to add another point If the path between the two points rests on a curve on the object s edge hold down the mouse when you create the second point and drag it further along the edge a short distance This will cause the straight path to slowly conform to the curve of the apple s
31. t Color Range dialog box would provide mod erate success Looking at the monitor with its clear f concise edges on the border of the screen you might see that the quickest and easiest way to generate the needed selection most likely resides in the Magic Wand tool and its default settings Ensure that the Monitor layer is active in the Layers panel and use the Magic Wand to generate your selection by click ing directly on the screen If the entire screen doesn t select increase the Tolerance value in the Options bar to 40 or so see Figure 1 29 When the selection is generated return to the Tech layer and create the mask The black in the mask hides the portions of the layer outside the screen area while the white area in the mask reveals the Tech layer The effect is that the image is now Figure 1 29 Generating a selection of the area displayed on the screen as you can see in where the second image will be applied will help Figure 1 30 you quickly place the photo in the next step 14 CHAPTER 1 m Tools for Building Your Masterpiece LAYERS LS E Opes 100 a Lock Oy Fil 100 gt Figure 1 30 The only area in the mask that should be filled with white is the monitor screen If you have performed the masking technique properly you will have a final product image with the Tech image resident only on the monitor Any additional corrections to the mask that may be required can be performed b
32. y using the paint tools with either white or black to correct and clean up areas of the masked layer see Figure 1 31 Figure 1 31 Final product shot with screen image in place Absurd Symmetry m Working with Layer Masks 15 For the digital artist masks are frequently used to generate symmetry in a photo or working piece of art Photographers may use masks for fine tuning the appearance of a model a wacky right brainer may take things to the extreme and use one photo to create a perfect albeit improbable vision of beauty Figure 1 32 ModelShot jpg on the CD shows a young lady who has absolutely nothing wrong with her Well in the real world maybe In the digi tal world however we can use Photoshop to give perfect symmetry In other words Photoshop masks can be utilized in such a way as to make the right side of the face the exact if mirror opposite twin of the left Let s see what a mask can do to enhance this photo With a photo open in Photoshop duplicate the Background layer Name both layers accordingly in this example name the layers Model 01 for the foundation and Model 02 for the layer to be manipulated with the mask With the Model 02 layer selected choose Edit gt Transform gt Flip Horizontal to rotate the image and then click the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel see Figure 1 33 By drawing a standard Black to White gradient across the mask and using 1 i AI i aa a tj B k ie a

Wiley Photoshop For Right-Brainers: The Art of Photomanipulation, 3rd Edition

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