Advanced Photoshop Issue 036

Project files, desktop designs, stock art…

ISSUE 36 Become a Photoshop star | Pen & Vector designs | Recreating Film Noir | Surreal Photomontages

7-PAGE FEATURE

BECOME A

PHOTOSHOP STAR

Find out how online galleries and forum communities can help you to promote new work and raise your profile

PEN & VECTOR DESIGNS Create vivid illustrations with depth and impact using the Pen Tool and detailed shading techniques

FR EE

B AN RUS IM D H ON AG STOES M T ES CK CD ON HIS -R TH OM ’S

HOW TO…

Work in monochrome Paint convincing wood texture Adjust your preference settings Design intricate photomontages

RECREATING FILM NOIR

001_AVP36_Cover.indd 1

VISIT OURWEBSITE AT

www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk ISSUE 36 ISSN 1748-7277

£5.99 36

9

HOW I STARTED OUT... GET ON OUR COVER

Valuable the Upload toprofessional our websitetips for afrom chance hottest Photoshop talent around to see your image printed here!

771748 727009

pages of professional tips & essential stepby-step tutorials

ISS UE 36

www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk

Use your own photographs and a subtle swatch palette to create atmospheric scenes

SHOWCASE YOURARTWORK

19/9/07 15:45:31

Cover

Cover image This colourful illustration, entitled ‘Celestial Queen’, was created by professional artist, Philip Straub. Celestial Queen is a character from his book project and was included in The Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles 42nd illustration competition. There are a limited number of prints of this image, with only 150 signed, numbered and proofed available.

/ www.philipstraub.com

Imageer: PHILIP STRAUB

CELESTIAL QUEEN IS A CHARACTER FROM HIS BOOK PROJECT

4

Advanced Photoshop

004_AVP36_Cover Image.indd 4

21/9/07 08:40:50

Keeping an eye on the latest trends in contemporary photography, art and design, Insight sets out to snapshot innovation in the making

Turner over a new leaf It’s that time of year again when the art community comes together for one of its most prestigious events – The Turner Prize. This year, standards are as high as ever, but there is one change that some may find surprising. For the first time, the event will be held outside of London. Instead of gracing the country’s capital, The Turner Prize 2007 will take place in Liverpool, a city soon to be named European Capital of Culture. The shortlisted artists include Zarina Bhimji, whose photography and film work aims to engage with basic human emotions such as grief, pleasure, love and betrayal. Nathan Coley’s work incorporates a variety of media in order to highlight society’s belief systems. Then there’s Mike Nelson, who has been recognised for his work for the Frieze Art Fair, where he installed a photographic studio in order to bring the site of creativity to the forefront. Mark Wallinger is also shortlisted for his solo exhibition, State Britain at Tate Britain. This exhibition demonstrates how art can address contemporary political issues. The prize promotes public discussion of new developments in contemporary British art and is widely recognised as one of the most important awards for the visual arts throughout Europe. Plus, as if this wasn’t enough, the prize also offers a massive cash incentive, with £25,000 going to the winner and £5,000 for each of the other shortlisted artists. All shortlisted work will be on show at Tate Liverpool, opening 19 October, so don’t miss it.

Coop IAC SHRINE or Double MIKE NELSON AMNES e Nelson Courtesy Mik © 6. 200 , lery Gal t’s Displacement, Mat , London the artist and Matt’s Gallery

www.tate.org.uk/turnerprize

NATHAN COLEY Camouflage Mosq ue (Gold), 2006 © Nathan Coley Courtesy doggerfisher and Haunch of Venison

er IMJI No Bord ZARINA BH 006 © Zarina 01-2 Crossing, 20 , London 2007 Bhimji. DACS son unch of Veni Courtesy Ha

MARK WALLINGER State Britain, © 2007 Installation view at Tate Britain Mark Wallinger Photo credit: Sam Drake, Tate Photography

10

Advanced Photoshop

010-012_AVP35_News.indd 10

21/9/07 08:49:10

11.07

Knowing me, knowing MOO Fotolia, one of the largest global online marketplaces for digital stock images, has announced its partnership with another global company – MOO, an online company offering customised products created from customers’ images. So, what can consumers expect from this partnership? The answer is four pack themes – flowers, skies, puppies and kittens. Consumers will be able to create customised MiniCards, NoteCards and StickerBooks for any occasion from selected imagery. Alternatively, instead of uploading images, ready-made packs have also been made available, containing between 16 and 25 image designs. The merger makes perfect sense, with Fotolia focusing on the partnership to make it the number one choice for many

global companies, and it allows MOO to expand its content and provide customers with more ready-made images to choose from. Richard Moross, founder and CEO of MOO says: “MOO and Fotolia are both dedicated to high-quality products and captivating images, so it was natural for the companies to partner.” For prices and further product information, visit the address below. www.moo.com/readymade KEE Foto PSAK E and lia and S – Th cust visuall MOO i is merg ss e ome y ap rs ca peal et to o r betwe n pe ing p ffer s en rson rodu tylis alise cts t h hat

HOT or NOT

HOT

LOGITECH JELLY BATTLE GAME

Favourite weapon: Randomly drop a piano on your opponent’s head! www.jellybattle.com With cool sound effects and inventive ways to vanquish your jelly foes, strategy is the name of the game.

SPEAKERDOG SERIES 3 Price: Priceless, literally. www.bentheillustrator.com Print, cut and paste these crazylooking critters for your very own Speakerdog keepsake.

Upwards and onwards down under The 2007 International Arts Festival kicks off with a tremendous line-up of opening night events. Grammy award-winners Dan Zanes and Friends, whose concert House Party was a huge success last year, return for the opening night to set the incredible tone. Other cool performances come from the contemporary theatre group Dood Paard and Japan’s acclaimed dance company Sankai Juku. The Melbourne festival offers a ground-breaking menu of theatre, dance, music and visual art, and draws crowds and participants from around the globe. And this year it’s set to be no different. From 10-27 October, over seven hundred international artists will come together in Melbourne to perform, exhibit and screen their work in 19 stellar venues throughout the city. Not to be outdone, The Melbourne International Arts Festival Visual Arts Program presents an impressive collection of exhibitions and projects designed to engage, C H U N KY M OV Chunky Mov E – The internationa lly acclaimed e returns w ith its illum intimate so inated danc dance company lo performan e work. ‘Glo ce in which w’ is an the m triggers and controls mus otion of the human bo dy ic, lighting an d animatio n

surprise and inspire. Visitors can look forward to Riceboy Sleeps, an art collaboration between Jon Thor Birgisson, from hot Icelandic group Sigur Rós, and Alex Somers. They gather drawings, paintings and photographs, and install them in old and reclaimed window frames. You can also see Brazil’s Ernesto Neto’s newest creation, Otheranimal, consisting of sheer nylon fabric, stretched into organic forms to create striking hanging forms. For more information, visit www.melbournefestival.com.au.

LUXEED COLOURFUL LED KEYBOARD Price: $127.68 (£63.86) www.luxeed.com Brighten your digital life with this cool light-up keyboard. Set your keys to continuously glow or light up when touched. Also in black.

NOT

ANGRY RETAIL

Strangest design: Bingo dress Price: €5.00 (£3.37) www.angryretail.com This clothing selection’s approach towards design is a little disappointing. Perhaps it has a certain appeal, but not to us…

ZUB ZOT 38 WATCH WE USED TO WATCH YOU SLEEPING – Ranging from billboards and a roving limousine through to contemporary commercial and public galleries, this year’s programme will inspire laughter, awe and contemplation

Price: $135 (£68.14) www.nooka.com We’re all for cool design, but this watch set off alarm bells for all the wrong reasons!

11

Advanced Photoshop

010-012_AVP35_News.indd 11

21/9/07 08:49:31

insight Luxology training

DIARY DATES ZOO ART FAIR

Luxology® LLC, an independent technology company developing next-generation 3D content creation software, has launched Luxology TV. This is a new online hub that allows the 3D community to exchange and view highresolution video clips on its website. This enables viewers to enhance their 3D-learning experience by searching and selecting video on a variety of subjects such as modelling, rendering and painting. Luxology TV contains two main categories of video clip: training, including ‘how to’ video clips, and a presentation gallery containing animation and non-instructional videos. Easily navigated, you can

12 - 15 October

6 Burlington Gardens, London, UK

DAILY ENCOUNTERS: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM FLEET STREET Until 21 October

National Portrait Gallery, London, UK

INTERNATIONAL VINTAGE POSTER FAIR 26 - 28 October

IT’S GOOD TO SHARE single venu e to share th – Luxology.tv offers us ers a eir best tips and tricks

JOIN THE MASSES – Luxology TV is set to grow quickly into a massive resource for training and presentation material on modo® and other 3D topics

browse loads of video thumbnails with associated text descriptions and search for video clips based on keywords, industries or general 3D topics. All provide an efficient way to locate, play and download your chosen video. The majority of content can be downloaded for free and supports both QuickTime and Flash videos. Many of the videos are Apple TV-compatible. Commercial video training resources are provided in 720p HD format and are available to purchase through Luxology TV. Brad Peebler, president of Luxology, explains: “Luxology TV is a dynamic new vehicle that allows us to aggregate and share a vast amount of video training and other topical subject matter across the entire 3D community.” So, whether you’re a professional or just an enthusiast, all 3D-software creatives are encouraged to submit their videos at Luxology TV. Just visit www. luxology.tv to enjoy the video experience.

www.luxology.tv

Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, USA

THE ARTS IN LATIN AMERICA, 1492-1820 Until 28 October

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA

SF OPEN STUDIOS Until 4 November

San Francisco, USA www.sfopenstudios.com for venues

On the plus side The ’07 Plus International Design Festival five-day Expo will present A-Listers from the world of design and illustration, and offer exhibitors and visitors the chance to rub shoulders with some of Europe’s finest designers and typographers. With an impressive guest list including Michael Wolff of Wolff Olins, designers of the controversial 2012 Olympics logo, and Julus Wiedemann, editor in charge of Taschen Publishing, this expo is sure to impress. Other names to make the list include Si Scott, who showcases a new range of work created for the festival. Graphic Design agency Zip will be exhibiting a selection of work from its impressive client portfolio, which includes Harvey Nichols, Universal records and Manga.

GET ACTIVE –The festival offers a series of workshops covering activities such as letterpress printing, stone carving, sign writing, calligraphy, bookbinding and paper making, as well as more contemporary computerbased activities

COMMERCIAL INFO – There are a number of events happening, ranging from ‘design MOTs’ to business networking opportunities. Design is good for business: if you want to be more competitive, come along and learn how to do it through good design

Jasper Goodall, renowned for paving the way for the current renaissance in graphic art and his influential editorial work for The Face magazine, will also feature. Art buyers and corporate marketing directors from across the UK and Europe will be attending this design-led festival, which will offer an innovative, pioneering showcase in the world of international design. The ’07 Plus International Design Festival on 17 October in Birmingham, will comprise of an exposition, conference, exhibitions, workshops, business forums, seminars, walking tours and much more. So there will be plenty on show to inspire the graphics arena, and Jasper Goodall agrees that: “Design festivals are good… design festivals in Birmingham are better!”

www.youplusus.net

12

Advanced Photoshop

010-012_AVP35_News.indd 12

21/9/07 08:49:50

Letters

Mailbox

Do you have a question, rant or rave about the magazine? Email your thoughts to [email protected] or visit www.advancedphotoshop/forum with some photographers and models and have full permission to use their images. I was also wondering how to copyright my own work, and where I stand if someone were to use it without my permission. Any help you can give me would be hugely appreciated.

Don’t risk infringing copyright by grabbing pictures from the internet. Images from stock libraries, such as iStockphoto, are cheap and varied and they’re also royalty-free, so you can use them without worry

SUBJECT: Copyright blog FROM: Dean Gartland I’ve just been reading the copyright section of the Editor’s blog on the Advanced Photoshop home page. I have only been using Photoshop for a year and feel I should know more about this subject. The elements in my work are made mainly of brushes, which I am now beginning to make myself and I’m also making my own elements and scanning them in. In some of my older work, however, I have used a couple of models that I found randomly on the internet. Is this a problem for your site? I am now working

Editor replies: Thanks for your email, Dean. Using model’s photographs from the internet is a very risky business indeed. Even as a photographer, if you have captured an image of a model and the photographic copyright belongs to you, a Model Release agreement would still need to be obtained. We would advise you not to post these images anywhere in the public eye, as it could cause some serious problems and a hefty fine if the model/ photographer found them. Any image you create, that is made solely of elements that belong to you, is your own copyright. There are a number of ways to protect your images. Visible watermarks are the most common and can be added in Photoshop to make it abundantly clear who owns the copyright. Non-visible watermarks, like Digimarc, add a digital code to the image and are not visible to the human eye. However, the code is passed on to any image in which the original file is used, making copyright infringement easier to track. On several occasions, we’ve found images being used on the web that were the property of the magazine. Normally, a short email does the trick, but if there’s no joy, we recommend that you get in contact with NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals). It can offer some professional advice on copyright issues.

SUBJECT: Issue 31 cover FROM: Peter Kosciolek I was wondering, who did the cover of Advanced Photoshop, issue 31? It’s already sold out and I can’t get my hands on one! Editor replies: The artist you’re after is Artgerm. You can find out more and see other stunning examples of work on the website, http://artgerm.deviantart.com.

This stunning cover, to which we applied a MetalFX treatment, was created by Artgerm

16

Advanced Photoshop

016-017_AVP_36_Letters.indd 16

21/9/07 08:41:37

Tom Borowski’s complex tutorial concentrated on more advanced techniques, even if that did mean leaving out some more basic explanations

On the

forum SUBJECT: Tablet? FROM: Cie

SUBJECT: American distribution FROM: Alicia Rocka I purchased Advanced Photoshop today at Barnes and Noble bookstore and I’m interested in subscribing. I live in America and am wondering how I can do this with American money. Editor replies: Thanks for your email, Alicia. You can do this by logging onto our shop website and using your credit/debit card at www. imagineshop.co.uk.

SUBJECT: Issue request FROM: Celia Bankston I am writing to enquire about how to best obtain a copy of Advanced Photoshop 27, or an electronic file containing the particular article I’d like from that issue. It’s titled ‘Perfecting Beauty’ and it begins on page 42. Please advise me on the best way to acquire this article. Editor replies: I’m afraid Advanced Photoshop 27 is out of stock. However, you can now purchase our eMag disc at www.imagineshop.co.uk. This interactive disc which features sixteen issues of Advanced Photoshop on one disc includes over 1200 pages of tutorials, previews and projects as well as the tutorial files included in the released magazines, so you can follow the stepby-steps through from start to finish.

SUBJECT: Create a dramatic landscape tutorial FROM: Jackieboy, via forum Hi, I’ve recently graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a BA (Hons) Degree in Digital

and Lens Media. Although I am currently looking for a job, I feel that my skills as an art worker are rather patchy. I bought the latest issue of Advanced Photoshop and was amazed to see such an incredible illustration of stormy mountains, using photos and a drawing. This style of artwork is what I’ve longed to create since I first got into art. So I tried going through the tutorial, but found it rather difficult to follow, as there are certain parts that I feel have been left out. I would love to be able to create this type of work and was wondering if there are any courses in the London area to help me? If I had someone to help me, I would learn a lot quicker than by simply reading text. If anyone has any helpful tips, I would be eternally grateful! Thanks, Advanced Photoshop! Editor replies: Sorry you couldn’t follow the tutorial. We mentioned on the forum that we had a good crack at this tutorial and came up with some pretty good results, but it did take a long time. We’re the first to admit that it’s not one for those who want results quick, as it did require a lot of patience and dedication. Advanced Photoshop is targeted towards those who already have a good/professional level of understanding of Photoshop and as such, you will find that there are some more common tasks that aren’t explained in detail. Off the top of our heads, we don’t know of any courses in this style of painting, as we’re not based in that area. However, you might be interested in our sister magazine, Photoshop Creative, (www.pshopcreative.co.uk). This mag tends to take things at a slower pace and explains steps in more detail.

“YOU CAN NOW PURCHASE OUR EMAG DISC ONLINE”

Hi. I have recently been very interested in the different tablets on the market. To be absolutely honest, I do not know much at all about these things *lol* which is why I am posting here. So, I am looking for a model that is not too expensive, although a few hundred pounds may be expected for something like this. Is there anything I should know before I do anything I might regret? FROM: IdiotApathy In a word – Wacom. They are the kingpins in tablet manufacturing. There are other cheaper brands, but cheaper refers not only to price but to quality, in my opinion. If you are dead serious and planning on going pro, buy an Intuos3. They are expensive, but you get what you pay for. I use a 6 x 8 and I’ve heard larger can be a pain (it literally, tires your arm out), but it’s all personal preference I imagine. I believe they are around $350 USD (might be different for you?). If you are just starting out, buy a Graphire4 (perhaps it’s under another name in EU?). I started out with a 3 x 4 Graphire2 and really had no qualms. It does have 1/2 pressure sensitivity, no tilt or bearing control, or handy shortcut buttons on the side (comparing to the Intuos). However, these are negligible. Retail is around $100 USD. FROM: Psychobobb If you haven’t already got one, I would also recommend a Wacom tablet. I have the Graphire4 and it only set me back £50 (it’s probably come down a little now). FROM: Pete Well, I have the Wacom Intuos3 A5 and it really is great. FROM: SG Wacom tablet, most used and preferred. My lecturers would also recommend a Wacom tablet. Size is down to you. Currently, I have a large one (I’ve forgotten the name).

17

Advanced Photoshop

016-017_AVP_36_Letters.indd 17

21/9/07 08:41:48

insight on ered several textures COWBOY: “Here, I lay grainy the ain att to ter rac top of the cha d in some star texture. I also scanne ers from one att spl nt pai doodles and of my sketchbooks”

James Kingman Photoshop has certainly been a mainstay throughout artist James Kingman’s creative career. He worked with the more traditional application of pen and paper when he was younger, but at 15 he began flirting with the idea of Photoshop. He admits, however, that at first it was merely used as a cheeky device to manipulate photos of his nearest and dearest for kicks. His attitude soon changed: “It wasn’t until I got a scanner and started to integrate my sketchbook work that I really started to use Photoshop as an extension of my image-making skills. From there on in, it really started to take over.” After studying Graphic Design New Media at the UCCA, James’ first commission came quickly as a result of putting some of his designs on a portfolio-hosting website. “The client wanted some imagery that resembled one of my existing pieces and it was to support a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, entitled The Raven. It was a fun project and it paid very well for that time in my career.” Since then, James hasn’t looked back and has gone from strength to strength in the freelance arena, making a name for himself in editorial circles. He has worked for clients such as AOL, Square Feet UK Ltd, Vauxhall and Woodsuch. “I’ve also done a lot within the music and entertainment industry. The last job I did in that sector was a 30-footlong wall in Wembley stadium’s VIP area at Live Earth – that was pretty fun! But as time goes on, I really want my work to exist on anything. The possibilities are endless and very exciting!” Describing his method as a healthy mix of photography, vectors and various textures, James has never lost touch with his traditional roots. He explains, “It differs from image to image but usually it starts with my sketchbook.” Then Photoshop takes over, however: “Once I have the right components for the image, I put them into Photoshop to get the general composition right, or start editing photos/textures. Then I go into Illustrator and create whatever I need, or ransack my vector library I have created over the years. Then it’s back to Photoshop for the main assembly and a bit more pixel love.” James is currently working on a couple of exciting animation jobs, and is free to pursue some self-initiated illustration projects, but as he says, “things can change”. www.jameskingman.com

/

BRE EZ E top of a : “Again const ru c several ollage, I also c cted on b re texture rushes to get d ated effects” ifferent

BACK STREET LOVER: “This image was created by assembling a collage of photographs and textures within Photoshop, that I had either shot or collected. The image of the girl is half a vector trace and the rest left as manipulated photography”

REBIRTH: “The skin on this image, as well as the flowers, is a vector trace. The rest is a mixture of photography and spray paint textures. Once again, I used masks and brushes to create distress on the character’s clothing”

18

Advanced Photoshop

018-019_AVP36_Insight.indd 18

21/9/07 08:44:19

fire a different le bitmap bt , each with su es a ur s xt ha te d so D: “I layere photo. The photo al HOT HEA of a p to on n e top” colouratio ked over th texture mas

11.07

WHATEVER YOUR LIPS SAY: “This image is a mixture of vector graphics that I manipulated within Photoshop using various brushes. The lips also had a bit of a touch-up to make the red stand out and the teeth to be bright white”

URBAN GIRL: “This image was created by mixing Photoshop brushes and manual degrading to get the right backgrounds. I also left the clothing as photography but with a slight treatment”

KILLER SHOES: “This image was created with various photos that were spliced together, and different brush textures on the graphics”

LOVE SNOW: “A lot of this was done in Illustrator, but I put it all in Photoshop to add shadows and lighting effects to the flat vectors, which really made all the difference to the final product”

19

Advanced Photoshop

018-019_AVP36_Insight.indd 19

21/9/07 08:45:06

insight Marc Simonetti Marc has come a long way since working on formulas for the coating on frying pans. In 2002, after diverting his interests from scientific studies to learning Photoshop basics and 3D software at the Emile Cohl school in Lyon, Marc was hired as a 3D background modeller for a video games company. He soon progressed to become a freelancer in digital illustration. Currently working as a concept artist on an animation movie, Marc describes his art as illustrations that tell stories. “I try to incorporate a style that fits the mood of the story,” says Marc. “But my personal taste is orientated more towards twisted perspective, dark themes or slightly cartoon-like characters.” Most of his pictures start with a single pencil, then as soon as he’s happy with the whole composition, he scans it into Photoshop. “The way to build the pictures is exactly the same as with traditional media, although Photoshop offers more flexibility and some shortcuts that make it tremendously powerful.” Working with a lot of custom brushes, Marc regularly makes new presets for each illustration. “By playing with the textural features in Photoshop, as well as creating brushes, the er rld lov As I am a Discwo possibilities are endless.” de la Fontaine. e an th Je on by ils le ta ta de and The Logger s. As you can see, I’ve only put ath ” De e ing th Th www.marcsimonetti.com ery on d ok ev n’t detail ork is base in those bo

nal artw is depicted when you do RON: This perso an illustration the death like it MORTBUCHE helps give life to it fun to design it nd es fou I tim ), me ett So tch s. (books by T Pra some selected parts of the pic on characters and

/

BELGARATH: “This cover art for Belgarath, from D Eddings, is a sample of the composition that I like. The main character is very small, giving the scale for the whole illustration, and making it breathe”

DIABLO4: “This is the piec e that won the Blizzard Art Contest 2006, in the Diablo favourite video games. I found that the Diablo’s hor category. Diablo was one ns were its most distinctive of my horned tower, linked to the physical feature. So I crea other part of the world by ted this a very fragile structure”

20

Advanced Photoshop=

020-021_AVP36_Insight.indd 20

20/9/07 17:57:20

11.07 BABYLONIA: “This one is a matte paint ing done for a short movie called Baby lonia, by Toggle production. This is a view of a city, mainly inspired by Blade Runner er, with old dusty factories...”

ress of Darschiva by D Eddings. I DARSCHIVA: “Cover art for the Sorce dancing while doing magic – it often represent magicians or sorceresses gives some sensuality to the character”

GUERREFLAT: “This is the cover art for a role-playing game, based on the warring state period in China. I used very rough brushes to create a kind of calligraphic look”

rk, done for a contest on BELLE: “This is a piece of personal artwo good way to work a field that the CaféSalé forum. Each contest is a to push the architectural I wouldn’t otherwise explore. Here, I tried details and structures”

21

Advanced Photoshop

020-021_AVP36_Insight.indd 21

20/9/07 17:59:03

insight

ENCHANTED EV ENING: “This is a painting that wa s created for the Secret Places TM group of licensed products , which include children’s pu zzles and wall murals”

CHRISTMAS TOWN: “One of a few paintings created for a film project. Limited edition prints by the Gilded Griffin were launched at the Vegas Art Expo at the end of September. This image was created using both Photoshop and Painter”

er created for SUN: “This was a book cov FLIGHT OF THE DYING this image using ted crea I st. Coa the of the publisher, Wizards Maya” Photoshop CS, Painter and

22

Advanced Photoshop=

022-023_AVP36_Insight.indd 22

21/9/07 08:53:13

11.07

Philip Straub Philip has been working as a professional illustrator for about 15 years now, and the variety in his work is a result of “experimenting with a ton of different techniques”. With original plans to work as a freelancer after graduation, his circumstances changed after he landed a studio job with the well known American illustrator, Mercer Mayer. “I was hired as a digital painter using Photoshop 1, Illustrator and a few other now defunct programs to produce the illustrations for his books,” he tells us. “The rest, as they say, is history. I slowly but surely migrated to creating my work using almost solely digital tools.” For a while, Philip was working with a combination of traditional and digital techniques and processes, but he has now switched over to a completely digital process, favouring Photoshop and Painter. It’s fair to say that Philip’s work is an eclectic batch. “Everyone who represents my work says that marketing it is a blessing and a bit of a curse, since my range is pretty wide,” he explains. While his My Utherworlds book project is pure fantasy and science fiction, Philip’s whimsical Secret Places brand generally appeals to a younger audience. “Even with those two styles, there are some crossover sub-genres that I sometimes work in, including my sample flat and graphic licensed design work,” he says. It certainly pays off, as Philip’s work has appeared in over 35 children’s books, drawing from licences like Rugrats, Spider-man, Little Critter and Little Monster. He has also worked with quite a few different children’s projects in the games industry, for companies such as Fisher Price, Mattel and Disney – the list is endless. Philip is now working on a set of limited edition prints with the Gilded Griffin at the Las Vegas Art Expo, signing and certifying his artwork to 150 privileged customers. In addition to this, he is also working on a lot of new IP for his full-time art direction job. Looking at this selection of his work, we don’t think there are any boundaries to Philip’s future projects. www.philipstraub.com

s

p and Painter. It wa

Photosho using a mixture of image was created 5” Los Angeles, in 200 MONOLITH: “This s, tor stra Illu of Society commended by the

/

AFTERNOON LIGHT: “One of my favourites in my series of Fantastic Landscapes. Afternoon Light applies many of the classic matte painting techniques used by film artists today. Created using Photoshop CS, Maya 6 and Painter 9”

LLANOWAR REBORN: “Painted for the popular trading card game, Magic the Gathering, ’Llano war’ has become one of the more popular images in my catalogue. This was created using primarliy Photoshop CS”

er estial Queen is a charact CELESTIAL QUEEN: “Cel was included in The Society and ect proj k boo my from , 42nd Illustration of Illustrators, Los Angeles ion prints are available” edit ited Lim . tion peti com

23

Advanced Photoshop

022-023_AVP36_Insight.indd 23

21/9/07 08:54:24

The Gallery

On the web

www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk Our new website and readers’ forum is perfect for showing off your Photoshop creations. We present the best images on the site this month. Log on to get your images here next issue! MY SMALL GREEN WORLD

ARTIST: Violet Konieczna EMAIL: [email protected] For this image, Violet chose a cool picture of beer bubbles from www. stock.xchng and started to think about what she could do with it. She selected a base colour and opened up some pictures of her own. “I have a picture of an Irish castle and this seemed to work well with my project.” She blended them together and added a sky, moon, bones and texture. “I’m never satisfied with my pictures at the beginning, I always try to change something to make them look better. My Small Green World looked brilliant, but I still didn’t like it very much. When I added the trees, I felt that was it – My Small Green World was born!”

CLOSE TO THE EDGE

I LOVE SHOES

ARTIST: Jo Cogan WEB: www.myspace.com/joco82 EMAIL: [email protected] “This was created for a design competition for Schuh in 2004, which I won, and the piece was subsequently used on their voucher cards in stores. I later went on to adapt the design, adding colour and working new patterns into it. I like creating fun, bright and eye-catching designs with a bit of my humour injected into them. I usually start with a scanned-in doodle and then work on it in Photoshop. I just love creating fun-looking stuff that makes you smile!”

ARTIST: Victor Habbick WEB: www.thedreamenclosure.com Email: [email protected] “I like to add a little fantasy or a surreal makeover to many of my wildlife shots to give them some kind of creative freedom, and this is one example. On a vacation, visiting friends in Canada, we were taken to Lake Niagara and the Falls. Later, I visited Toronto Zoo, where I photographed the elephants. With all my montage shots, it’s essential to try to marry up the lighting conditions and directions as much as possible to pull off the illusion, otherwise the effect is lost.”

Readers’ Challenge THE RESULTS – SEPTEMBER Due to popular demand, you can now take part in a monthly online readers’ challenge. Take a trip to our forum website by visiting www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/forum and scrolling down to the Peer Pressure section. Keep an eye out for the most recently announced challenge. Readers are welcome to post one Photoshop creation up in response to the theme and all visitors are invited to cast their vote for the winning design in our online poll. We’re pleased to announce the winner of ‘The Flood’ theme, Chris Fearon. Here’s a little bit about the piece from Chris: “Once I discovered the topic of this particular artwork would be ‘The Flood’, I wanted to create a piece that was original and ‘outside the box’. Rather than create an image that concentrated on a typical flood, I used the boats as the main focal point. I used the title of the piece as a secondary focal point by spelling the title incorrectly, which draws the eye and makes the piece more interesting. I used various techniques to create the piece, including the use of colour overlays and adjustments to set the mood and feel of the colours. Plus, a lot of manual brush work was applied.” www.chrisfearon.com

/

24

Advanced Photoshop

024_AVP_36_Web Showcase.indd 24

20/9/07 17:55:48

Inter view

WINTER LANDSCAPE:

“What is waiting behind the horizon? It’s a little bit depressing, with winter, snow and heavy clouds”

MARTIN LISEC Since defying the drawbacks of the communist society he grew up in, Martin Lisec has become a respected illustrator and concept artist

W

hen Martin Lisec was a five-yearold boy, he had a book about prehistoric animals. He was so fascinated by these strange and unusual monsters that he asked his parents to buy him a paintbrush and some watercolours. Martin spent hours perfecting his drawings of lizards, mammoths and trilobites, fine-tuning his skills at an art club two hours a week. “It was good ground to start work on as a professional artist,” Martin reflects. “During my studies at grammar school, when I was about 16, I started painting covers for sci-fi and fantasy books.” But the circumstances in which Martin set up his career were far more unusual than those of most Advanced Photoshop-featured artists. Living in Prague all his life (at the time part of Czechoslovakia), Martin’s early life was dominated by communism. It wasn’t out of choice that Martin’s art was based on the classical techniques of paint and airbrush – there was no real alternative. “When I was at school in 1989, it was only two years since the revolution, after 40 years of communism,” he explains. “Nobody knew about computers here, let alone the concept of computer art. When I bought my first PC, a friend asked if I’d heard of some software you could paint in and use with photos. That was Photoshop 2 or 3.” It was a long-

FOREST

DRAGON: “I don’t like most fantasy illustrations. They’re all essentially the same: young and pretty girls with big weapons, or strong young men with big swords. However, I like dragons. So this was just an idea of a dragon that has been thou sands of years underground and is just abo ut to wake up”

26

Advanced Photoshop

026-031_AVP_36_Interview.indd 26

20/9/07 17:50:40

Martin Lisec

AUTUMN QUEEN: “The girl in this picture is my friend. She once asked me if I could make a portrait of her. So I tried it with contrast between bright light and shadow, like autumn light”

026-031_AVP_36_Interview.indd 27

27

Advanced Photoshop

20/9/07 17:51:07

Inter view IT WAS HARD TOEBOOFDFYER MY WORK TO SOM

RUSTY TRUCK: “It’s just about an old truck, forgotten on a distant meadow”

of first my early ones made in Photoshop. The was different to this picture; it was more this one. complicated, but I ended up choosing ’ in it, It’s just about the bottle and the ‘thing hidden somewhere in your freezer”

PRISONER OF ICE: This picture is one idea

METROPOLITAN EXPRESS: “I like the

Twenties and Thirties. I like retro. I like old trains”

distance run to start up, but Martin soon made up for lost time and, after a brief spell studying architecture and working in an advertising company (“the most terrible work I ever had”), he began work as a freelance artist. “Because I started as an amateur with digital art, it was hard to offer my work to somebody, especially here in the Czech Republic because we are a small market,” said Martin. “I said to myself ‘that’s enough, I must break through to the world’, but I knew I had to work hard and develop my style to become a good digital artist. I hope that anybody who looks at my pictures sees years of hard work in the background too.”

Working life Take a look at Martin’s images, and one of the most impressive characteristics of his work is the obvious detail and imagination. Currently

working as an illustrator, concept artist and texture artist for computer games, using Photoshop, Martin made a point of becoming acquainted with a selection of 3D software: “Sometimes it helps me with my work and enables me to understand the work of 3D artists, if I can understand their work and the tools they use.” However, Martin’s main focus now is with Photoshop and 2D pictures. As an illustrator and concept artist, he works alone but is part of a team of at least ten to twelve people when he is working in games. “You must cooperate with other 2D artists, 3D artists, animators and programmers, so you need to be a team player too. Trust me, sometimes it’s hard,” he confides. Although the contact list for his illustration work is thriving, as an artist for computer games, Martin admits he doesn’t have many regular

clients. After the development of one project (which generally takes around two years), he confesses he longs for change: “I need a change in graphic style and the kind of game – from realistic simulator to sci-fi, for example.” Working in two different fields of artistic design, Martin is able to view both careers in perspective, and has managed to secure a fine balance between the two. “Illustrations are a bit different to working on computer games, as you have more time to prepare yourself, collect resources and discuss the style, and you’re absolutely free.” EYES (NEAR RIGHT): “This could be a part of an alien. I just like the shape of smaller and smaller eyes” SEWER (FAR RIGHT): “My inspiration for this picture was an old metal part, probably a hedge or some kind of ventilation equipment, which I saw during a walk in the old part of Prague”

28

Advanced Photoshop

026-031_AVP_36_Interview.indd 28

20/9/07 17:52:04

Martin Lisec

29

Advanced Photoshop

026-031_AVP_36_Interview.indd 29

21/9/07 12:09:26

Inter view

DUESENBERG METEOR: “I love old cars because of their style, design ideas and because they’re made by hand. This was one of the most exclusive cars ever made. I heard that only three models were made”

tumn

au ER: “Another of my INDIAN SUMM why I like autumn; it’s rainy ow kn n’t es. I do lours, pictur se co because of all the and cold. Probably ht” lig g stin ere int d the haze an

PARASITE: “This kind of idea and shape is my curse. Over the years I have made many pictures like this one, just in different versions. This one was just quick work”

30

Advanced Photoshop

026-031_AVP_36_Interview.indd 30

20/9/07 17:54:03

Martin Lisec WILD STYLE: Pencil, watercolour ink, Photoshop Private work © 2006 – “She’s longing to be a fashion model that is tough and with a wild look. However, she’s still a young pretty girl”

OLD CYBORG: “It’s the same with fantasy pictures. I like cyborgs, but I don’t like most cyber illustrations. They usually depict young, nude girls. But what about old and ugly cyborgs waiting for their extermination and recycling?”

CHEMICAL SWEET GIRL: Pencil, watercolour ink, Photoshop Private work from 2006 © – “This was inspired by Black Strobe’s dark electro house. This illustration will be sold as T-shirt 2008 from 2K by Gingham (US)”

I LIKE DARKER STYLES OF ILLUSTRATION Before starting work, Martin sets out to find all the requirements from the client. Of course, he usually finds that they have contacted him because of his style, so there’s no need to create something that is drastically different from the artwork he feels comfortable in completing. A brief normally starts with quick sketches with a sketchbook and pencil, simply because he finds it quicker and more flexible to start without a computer. “When a client agrees to a sketch, I start work in Photoshop,” says Martin. “My process of work is a little bit different from other artists. They usually work with just one or two layers, but sometimes I use hundreds of layers. I like this style because I can work any time with any detail, without impact on other parts and details of my picture.”

Seeking inspiration As Martin’s images are so varied and showcase a vivid imagination, he relies heavily on seeking inspiration from the world around him, especially nature, people and architecture. “Because I like

darker styles of illustration, I like strange places such as cemeteries, old factories and the medieval streets in the centre of Prague,” Martin explains. “A 200-year-old cemetery during a rainy autumn day is good inspiration for me. Sometimes, when I see just a small detail like old doors, a lantern or a broken ventilation system, it offers a spark of inspiration for me. But other times, when I have a creative crisis, a good friend, some music or a movie is a powerful source of inspiration for me.” Describing his images as “realistic unreal compositions”, Martin’s work is a familiar sight on various CG websites. There, he sits among some of his most respected peers, including Steven Stahlberg, Daniel Dociu, Stephane Martinere and Laurent Pierlot. In the past four years, he has also accomplished coverage in the ballistic publishing books Exposé and d’Artist, as well as, of course, having art featured on around ten different computer games he has made textures for. The genre of art into which Martin’s illustrations fall is a competitive one; many clients

have praised Martin for his exactness and his ability to finish work on time. Of course, unlike most, he isn’t too fond of someone asking for a job with a really quick turnaround, as he likes to have time for inspiration. “Usually it’s the same kind of people who want work quickly, that don’t want to pay too much, so I don’t usually take that kind of job,” Martin explains. “Fortunately, I have enough offers and jobs available to me that I can say ‘no’ to these commissions.”

Looking forward The future holds lots of promising prospects for Martin’s career, which, apart from being prosperous, will also be varied. His current position is testament to that. Currently working on some parallel jobs, including another computer game and some 2D backgrounds, Martin is focusing on several other projects, including a batch of book and magazine covers featuring the notorious character, Jack the Ripper. His personal life is taking precedence too. “In a couple of months I’m moving with my girlfriend to a new house in Prague. It’s in a nice, quiet place, so it will hopefully be a new output of inspiration for my future work.” www.martinlisec.com

31

Advanced Photoshop

026-031_AVP_36_Interview.indd 31

20/9/07 17:54:25

MASTERCLASS

Getting obscure with your photos Free your subconscious and create this dream-like, surreal illustration by incorporating some down-to-earth source files in an unusual way

A

ll too often, Photoshop montages adhere to the rule book, perfect in every detail, except that all-important element of surprise or excitement. In this tutorial, you’ll see how incorporating a touch of surrealism will give your illustrations another dimension.

The subconscious mind has always played a large role in Surrealist works, achieved through the use of symbolism and unexpected juxtapositions. These techniques give the objects a new life outside conventional reality. The Surrealist movement was founded by André Breton in 1924 and was deeply

influenced by the psychoanalytical work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. The Surrealist circle was made up of many great artists of the 20th century. In this tutorial, we’ll pay homage to Salvador Dali and René Magritte, whose paintings involved realist imagery, arranged nonsensically (also known as Veristic Surrealism). You’ll learn how to use Channel masks to create selections, use non-destructive Adjustment layers, Clipping masks, Layer Blending Modes, as well as the Liquify filter to make cool Daliesque trees. Finally, you’ll give your masterpiece an authentic canvas look.

ON THE DISC You will find the images you need to create this tutorial on the CD. We have included a small version of the main iStockphoto image ‘3547780’. If you wish to download a larger version please log on to www.istockphoto.com.

OUR EXPERT

Mark Mayers

Mark Mayers is a freelance Illustrator and designer, based in Cornwall. He was recently awarded Designer of the Year by MetalFX Technology. To see more of his work visit www.markmayers.co.uk

1

Channel inspection Open ‘iStock_000003547780Small.jpg’, supplied on this month’s CD, convert to CMYK and flip horizontally. To isolate the figure from the background, go to the Channels palette and inspect the Colour channels. The channel that offers most contrast for the figure and shadow is the yellow one. Duplicate it by dragging it onto the Create New Channel icon at the bottom of the Channels palette.

32

Advanced Photoshop

032-037_AVP36_Dali.indd 32

21/9/07 09:11:09

2

4

Channel modification The channel needs further work to enable a clean selection, so hit Apple+L to access the Levels and drag the Black Point and Midtone sliders to the right and the White Point slider to the left, as shown. What you’re aiming for is a clean silhouette of the figure – don’t worry about any small remaining white areas as you’ll fix them next.

A clean mask You now need to isolate the papers, so take another look at the Colour channels and you’ll see the Cyan holds the most contrast for the papers. Duplicate the channel and follow the same procedures to create a clean masked area, remembering to fill any unwanted areas with black.

3

Path-based selection Ensure your new channel is targeted and, with a small, black, hard-edged brush, paint out remaining white areas that the Levels adjustment missed. For tricky areas such as the hands, switch on the Visibility of the composite CMYK channel and draw a closed path. Create a path-based selection and fill the new channel with black. Also, paint out any black/grey remnants outside the figure, using a white brush.

5

Channel options By default, the white areas in an Alpha channel are selected when you Apple-click to generate a selection; Double-click on the Channel thumbnail and ensure that Masked Areas are checked on the duplicate Yellow channel. Generate a selection, inverse it, target the top CMYK composite, switch to the Layers palette and copy. Open ‘3D_render.jpg’, paste, scale/position as shown and name the layer ‘Figure’.

6

Float a new layer Use the Pen Tool to draw closed paths around the figure’s shadow areas. Apple-click on the Paths icon to generate a selection and hit Apple+J to float a new layer. Set the Layer Blending Mode to ‘Multiply’, move it underneath and name it ‘Figure shadow’. Next, make a path-based selection and hit Delete on the Figure layer. Shift-click both layers and position them to the left of the canvas.

7

Channel-based selection Back in your iStock image, ensure that the duplicated Cyan channel’s options are set to Masked Areas. Make a channel-based selection, target the top CMYK composite, switch to the Layers palette and copy/paste into your working document above the Figure layer. Scale, rotate and position until you’re happy and name it ‘Papers’.

Masking

techniques The technique of Channel masking works best with images that have good contrast to start with and it doesn’t therefore always work for every image. It can be used in combination with other methods for masking more complex selections. That’s why we used the Pen Tool on the figure’s hands to refine the mask. We also used a variation of this masking technique on the bird images. It’s worth trying one of the Layer Matting options under Layer>Matting to clean up any stray pixels when pasting into another document.

33

Advanced Photoshop

032-037_AVP36_Dali.indd 33

21/9/07 09:11:37

MASTERCLASS “REMEMBER THIS IS SURREAL, SO YOU’RE QUITE ENTITLED TO BEND THE LAWS OF NATURE”

8

10

Blue skies Open ‘Sky.jpg’, drag it into your working document as a new layer, position it underneath the Figure layer and name it ‘Sky’. Scale vertically and flip horizontally so that it covers the figure, as shown. The reason for this is that you’ll be using the same sky image to fill parts of the figure later on.

Sky gradient Create a new layer above the sky and name it ‘Sky gradient’. Make sure your foreground colour is white and, with the Gradient Tool set to Foreground to Transparent, hold Shift and create a Linear Gradient, scaling it vertically until you’re happy. Next, generate a selection from Mask 1, and hit Delete.

9

Hide selection Open ‘Mask.jpg’, hit Apple+A to select all and copy. In your working document, create a new channel by clicking the Create New Channel icon at the bottom of the Channels palette and paste the selection. Make a selection from Alpha 1, target the Sky layer and go Layer>Layer Mask>Hide Selection.

Non-destructive

adjustments The benefit of using Adjustment layers is that no edit is permanent until you flatten the image. You can re-visit the image at any time and fine tune the adjustment by doubleclicking on its Layer icon. Adjustment layers use a loss-less editing process and are therefore non-destructive to the underlying layers. To apply an adjustment to just a single layer, hold down Opt and check Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask. Some other great things about Adjustment layers are that, by default, they are created with a mask, which can be modified in the usual way, and they have the same Blending Mode options as regular layers. You’ll get some pleasant surprises through experimenting with these.

11

Create a Clipping mask Open ‘Rocky_beach.jpg’ and drag it into your working document. Move it above your Background layer, changing the Layer Blending Mode to ‘Luminosity’ and name it ‘Rocks’. Add a Color Balance Adjustment layer by holding down Opt and check’ Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask’. Increase the Red to +18 and decrease the Blue to -68. Scale the rocks to suit and add a Gradient mask at the top.

12

An open door Open ‘Doorway.jpg’ and draw a Clipping path, retaining only the door and frame. Make a pathbased selection and copy/paste it above the Sky gradient. Scale and position centrally and name it ‘Doorway’. Now’s a good time to fine-tune positioning. Move the Figure shadow layer underneath the Figure layer, Shift-click both layers and move them until you’re happy. Scale and reposition the papers as well.

34

Advanced Photoshop

032-037_AVP36_Dali.indd 34

21/9/07 09:11:56

13

15

Figure gradient Duplicate the Figure Layer and name it ‘Figure gradation’, set the original Figure’s Blending Mode to ‘Screen’ and add a mask to the new Figure gradation layer. Ensure your foreground colour is set to black and while holding Shift, now add a Linear Gradient ensuring the Foreground to Transparent option is selected.

Figure clipping To achieve a clean edge on your two Figure layers, it’s best to use a Clipping mask. Generate a selection from the Figure Alpha channel, create a new layer below your Figure layer, fill it with white and name it ‘Figure clipping’. Next Opt-click between your Figure and Figure gradation layers. The nontransparent areas of this layer now act as a mask.

14

Cloudy figure Generate a selection from your Figure layer and create a new Alpha channel from this. Select all the content of your Sky layer and copy, make a selection from your new Alpha channel and go Exit>Paste Into. The resulting layer has a ready-made mask created from your selection. Name the layer ‘Figure clouds’ setting its Layer Blending Mode to ‘Linear Burn’..

17

16

Facial detail Use the Move Tool to position and scale the content of your Figure clouds layer. Add detail to the figure’s face by duplicating the original figure layer, move it above the figure clouds layer setting the Blending Mode to ‘Luminosity’ and the Opacity to 15%. Add a Layer mask and, with a large, soft-edged brush, paint out areas from the neck down. Name the layer ‘Figure head’.

Non-destructive adjustments Add a Color Balance Adjustment layer to your Figure clouds layer, ensuring the ‘Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask’ option is checked. Decrease the Red to -45 and increase the Blue to +43 in the Midtones. The great thing about Adjustment layers is that they can be altered at any time and are also non-destructive.

18

Add a seashore Open ‘Shore.jpg’, drag it into your working file, scale and position it above your Sky layers and name it ‘Shoreline’. Use the Eraser Tool to paint out the foreground sand areas and add a Color Balance Adjustment layer (as before), decreasing the Red to 40 and increasing the Blue to +27 in the Midtones. Decrease the Reds to -19 in the Shadows.

19

Rocky selection Open ‘Rocks.jpg’ and duplicate the Blue channel, adjusting the levels to create a mask. Switch on the Visibility of the RGB composite at the top and clean up any remaining black and white areas with the Brush Tool. Ctrl/Command-click on your new channel to generate a selection and copy.

35

Advanced Photoshop

032-037_AVP36_Dali.indd 35

21/9/07 09:12:17

MASTERCLASS 20

22

Match the horizon Now paste the selection into your working document above the Shoreline Adjustment layer and name it ‘Sea rocks’. Scale and position it to match the existing mountain range and delete the bottom half to align with the horizon. To keep track of all these layers, organise them into two group folders.

Branch out Open ‘Driftwood_2.jpg’, create more closed paths and copy/paste these into your new document. Start to construct the tree by duplicating layers and rotating and scaling them. You can also use the Transform Tool to flip some of them to avoid repetition. Where the branches join, use a combination of the Eraser and Clone Tools to blend them together.

21

Closed path Open ‘Driftwood_1.jpg’ and, with the Pen Tool, create a closed path around the main branch – don’t worry about being 100 per cent accurate here as you’ll be distorting it later. Make a path-based selection and copy to a new document 767 x 904 pixels, 300dpi with the background contents set to ‘Transparent’. Now rotate your selection to an upright position.

Storing

selections Channels are a great way of storing commonly used selections, but the downside is they bloat file sizes, especially if you’re working on large, high resolution images, so it’s wise to use them judiciously. The Photoshop native .psd and .tiff formats compress channel information and are therefore good file formats to use when working with a lot of extra channels.

23

Get surreal! Here’s where the fun starts. To get the surreal Daliesque feel to the tree, target your base layer and go Filter>Liquify, ensuring that Show Image is checked in View options (this allows you to view all other layers). Use a combination of Liquify Tools on each layer to distort the tree until you’re happy. Now go Shift+Ctrl/Command+E to merge visible layers.

24

Liquify again Drag and drop the merged tree into your working document above the Sea rocks layer. Create more trees by returning to your tree document and hitting Ctrl/Command+Z. Move and re-scale the branches, liquify and merge visible layers and then drag and drop. When you’re happy, merge all the Tree layers into one and name them ‘Trees’. Now use the Eraser Tool to blend in the roots.

25

Cast some shadows Duplicate the Trees layer and move it underneath, naming it ‘Tree Shadows’. With the Move Tool, drag and scale downwards, make a layerbased selection and fill with black, setting the Layer Blending Mode to Multiply. Adjust the Opacity to 40%. Use the Lasso Tool to draw a marquee around some of the shadows that don’t align and nudge them upwards. Next, add a small amount of Gaussian Blur.

36

Advanced Photoshop

032-037_AVP36_Dali.indd 36

21/9/07 09:12:40

26

27

Warp factor Use the Liquify filter’s Forward Warp Tool on the Figure shadow layer to drag shadow areas over to match the rock contours. You may be wondering why the figure casts a shadow, but not the doorway; remember, this is surreal so you’re quite entitled to bend the laws of nature!

Feathered friend Open ‘Birds_1.jpg’ and go Image> Adjustments>Threshold and drag the slider to 92 for a clean silhouette. Now use the Magic Wand Tool with Contiguous checked and, with a low Tolerance, select the bird. Ensure white is set as the foreground colour and hit Opt+Delete to fill the selection with white.

28

30

Make a flock Copy and paste into your working document at the top of the layer stack within the Background group folder. Follow the same techniques for the other two bird images supplied and paste as new layers. Flip the birds horizontally and then scale/ position them to the top right of the canvas.

Almost there Step back and review your illustration; now’s the time to make any adjustments. We smoothed out the sand areas within the door frame with the Clone Tool, adjusted the figure’s shadow to 70% Opacity and used a Color Balance Adjustment layer on the sky. There is also a Levels Adjustment layer on the trees. Finally, we felt the rocks were better suited with the Layer Blending Mode set to ‘Normal’.

29

Create an illusion Target the ‘Papers’ layer and make a layer-based selection. Paint the edges closest to the birds white, using a large, soft-edged brush, set to 100% Opacity and Layer Blending Mode set to ‘Screen’. Next, add a mask and make a layer-based selection from the ‘Doorway’. With a large, hard-edged brush, mask areas to create the illusion of the papers flying through the door.

Surrealism in

advertising Surrealism’s impact on popular culture can still be felt today, most visibly in advertising, which makes constant and sophisticated use of Surrealist techniques. You may recall a certain vodka campaign that utilised the illusion of an alternative image of the world when viewed through the bottle, or cigarette advertising from the Eighties that used similar visual paradoxes. Here are some useful links: www. darkroastedblend.com/2007/01/cool-adsissue-2.html, www.aber.ac.uk/media/ Students/crl9502.html, www. alastairmcintosh.com/images/bensons.html.

31

Final touches To finish off, we incorporated a scan of a blank canvas to give a subtle painterly quality. Open ‘Canvas.jpg’ and Shift-drag it to the top of the layer stack in the Foreground group folder. Set the Layer Blending Mode to ‘Soft Light’ and adjust the Opacity to 70%, and you’re done! You should now have your very own impressive Surrealist photomontage.

37

Advanced Photoshop

032-037_AVP36_Dali.indd 37

21/9/07 09:13:09

Feature

We are family

Online creative communities, portfolio sites and forums are not only great places to get seen and be heard, they also offer a wealth of feedback, advice, support and inspiration, as Nick Spence discovers

T

he irrepressible growth of the internet in recent years has united many who share common likes, loves and interests. Google your favourite band, actor or football team and chances are you’ll find an exhaustive list of websites and forums devoted to them. Even the most obscure of passions will have a presence in a dark corner of the web somewhere, along with a Wikipedia entry. If you have an interest, any interest, it’s never been easier to explore and share it. If you’re particularly enthusiastic about art, illustration, design, animation and all things creative, then you are in luck. Creative communities are among the most active and vibrant on the internet, giving you a chance to showcase your work and gain valuable feedback outside of family,

friends and tutors. Finding a good community to join and participate in is something that requires a bit of thought and time spent exploring online. Word of mouth recommendations and links from sites you already enjoy are a good starting point, but try and determine your main areas of interest. “There are thousands of sites, some easy and some not so easy to find. Really take a good look at the site before you start investing your time in it,” suggests Darren Di Lieto of illustration news portal, LCSV4 (www.thelittlechimpsociety.com). Some communities will have wide appeal, covering all aspects of digital art; others will be more specific, concentrating on areas such as 3D design, fantasy art and Photoshop photo manipulation. “My advice to anyone looking to join an art community site

would be to look around to see what’s out there and find the ones that most suit you and your work,” suggests Harry O’Connor of voodoochilli. net, a site devoted to promoting up and coming talent. “I think a really good community site should be about the visitor and not about the company that runs it.” It always worth looking at the number and frequency of forum posts, blog postings, news items and responses to online galleries from other users, as well as the general upkeep of the site. It doesn’t have to be beautifully designed with sublime coding, but it should look lived in, with frequent updates and regular user input a must. Although all good communities will have rules on etiquette and critiquing work, some can be more

38

Advanced Photoshop

038-044_AVP36_Online.indd 38

21/9/07 12:01:22

ANDREA AULWES ‘PORTRAIT’ I) (VOODOOCHILL drea Based in the US, An d an Aulwes is a fan of contributor to the ite, a Voodoochilli webs ity growing commun founded by artists

critical than others and you should be aware of this before posting your work or views. “While most sites and forums have a lot in common, each site attracts a different group of people and has a different vibe to it,” explains Martin Kool of GFXartist.com, an online community devoted to digital art, with over 50,000 members. “Getting the core members to share your views is the most important thing in my opinion. They are the ones that spread the unwritten rules and tell others when they’re getting completely out of line.”

Help is at hand If you’re just starting off, it’s probably a good idea to find a friendly community that welcomes everyone or is aimed at the beginner or

Illustration by Ben Grubb

WE ARE FAMILY

intermediate, with people happy to help and inspire ‘newbies’. Chichi Parish (www.chichiparish. com), looking to launch a new career as illustrator and cartoonist, found the Association of Illustrators’ forum was able to offer the perfect balance. “I was looking for ways to develop and establish a good working practice and found the AOI forum to be not only an ideal resource, but, more significantly, a friendly environment. It’s populated by working professionals and newbies alike, who are keen on sharing knowledge,” enthuses Chichi. “It’s undeniably a great resource for the freelance illustrator working from home who has no other point of referral or back up. From a technical perspective, the forum enabled me to be more efficient in my working practice.”

Illustration by Aaron Brio

nes

Second opinion Professions like freelance illustration are notoriously solitary, working from home with little day-to-day interaction with the outside world. Being your own boss can be great fun but if you want to develop your style and advance your skills, it’s hard to judge if it’s a step forward or backward when the only discerning eye is your own. Even when you’re starting out, it can be difficult to gauge whether what you are doing is any good, especially if those around take little interest. “I personally have no one to show my work to in the real world. There’s no one I know that really understands what I do,” explains illustrator Rebecca Parker (www.rebecca-parker.co.uk).

FROM A TECHNICAL PERSPECTIVE, THE FORUM ENABLED ME TO BE MORE EFFICIENT IN MY WORKING PRACTICE 39

Advanced Photoshop

038-044_AVP36_Online.indd 39

21/9/07 12:02:06

Feature Illustration by Rebecca Parker

I LIKE TO BE ABLE TO NOTE OTHER PEOPLE’S REACTIONS OF A PICTURE “When I first began using Photoshop and started out with photography four years ago, people would give me hints, techniques and tips, critique, or just simply say ‘great work’. It made me feel like I belonged to my new hobby and helped me to explore the subject at a deeper level, without feeling intimidated by it.” Learning Photoshop can get the better of even the most intelligent of minds, so another advantage of joining online communities and forums is asking for help. While an online nickname and avatar will give you a level of anonymity, it’s good to use the search function before asking a simple question that has been answered many times before. Ben Grubb (www. bengrubb.co.uk), an enthusiastic member of several creative forums, clearly sees the benefits: “They are an excellent place to ask specific technical questions about working methods. Photoshop queries come up regularly, and there is a wealth of experience at your disposal,” says Ben. “Most of my Photoshop experience has been self taught, along with help from others on various online forums. Because of the variety of users, and varying levels of Photoshop experience, there are always useful little tips to be picked up. I often find myself reading through a thread started by someone else asking a Photoshop query and thinking ‘That’s interesting; I must give that a try’. I have definitely learnt different tips and tricks from people online, and from subsequent experimentation I have felt my knowledge expand hugely.”

(AP FORUM) REBECC A PARKER t started contributing jus s ha r rke Pa Rebecca hop Advanced Photos to the expanding e gallery space fre ers off w no website, which to all users

40

Inspiration As well as providing new tips, tricks and techniques, a good forum will have plenty to inspire users. Simon Rudd, aka Advanced Photoshop forum regular Rev Jesse (www. pompeysworst.co.uk), has found a lot to inspire him by participating, and gaining valuable feedback in the process. “Feedback is the main appeal to me, I like being able to note other people’s reactions and critiques of a picture. Sometimes I have had suggestions that have made me take a different direction. I also gain ideas and inspiration from other artists’ work,” says Simon. “It’s very interesting to see how other people change or use stock pictures to come up with very different and diverse images.” At best, online forums can inspire passive members to have a go themselves, even those starting from scratch. “I initially joined online communities to admire the work of others and that in turn inspired me to try my hand at photography and Photoshop,” adds Rebecca Parker. “I was so in awe of some of the talent I found there, I just had to have a go at photo manipulation and digital art myself!” For students, older artists learning new skills, and those who are simply not computer savvy, online communities and forums offer a great cheap way to showcase your work, without the need to build or invest in a website. “Not everyone knows how to build their own website, so sites like Voodoochilli, which enable anyone to build their own online portfolio, are beneficial not only to the

SIMON RUDD (AKA REV JESSE) (AP FORUM) Simon Rudd, aka Rev Jesse, is an activ e member of the Advanced Photoshop forum. “I think that forums are a very good way of learning new tips, trick s and techniques for Photoshop. I have learnt a lot from other people and I hope my knowledge has been useful to othe rs”

Advanced Photoshop

038-044_AVP36_Online.indd 40

21/9/07 12:03:17

Background Illustration by AHD Imaging

Illustration by Ekaterina Kyulyumova-Petrovd

WE ARE FAMILY artists, but also to professionals looking to hire fresh talent,” explains Harry O’Connor. MySpace offers plenty of room to upload your artwork rather than MP3s, but you can target a more specific audience by signing up for one of the many free online gallery and portfolio services. Various websites now include gallery and portfolio sections as standard and posting work in forums is another way to show your work, especially when participating in competitions and themed challenges. It’s always worth checking the small print as some websites limit the number and frequency of uploads or request a fee if you want to expand your profile.

Trial and error Online galleries and portfolios also allow you to test the water, working out which images work best and gain approval, dumping the early efforts or the ones you or others don’t like before launching your own website or blog. Often aimed at specific audiences, it’s worth a look at other galleries and portfolios before adding your own. The excellent 5oup.net, for example, is aimed at students, although the range of work is vast and varied. “5oup is a great resource for student artists wanting to show their work to as many people as possible,” says illustrator Lizzy Stewart (www. singstatistics.co.uk/lizzy). “In allowing other students to add comments on one another’s work, you garner a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t beyond the realms of your college or university studio, where a house style often prevails. It’s also a perfect way for publishers and industry insiders to track down emerging talent before anyone else.” Fellow 5oup member Lehel Kovacs (www.kolehel.com), a student studying at the Novus Art School in Budapest, is in full agreement. “It’s a great way to expose your

Case study LINKS WE LOVE Upload your work, promote your website, share help and advice, gain valuable feedback , learn new tricks and tips or simply interact with like-minded creative folk. We browse some of the best online digital communities.

5OUP (WWW.5OUP.NET) 5oup is an online community for student artists, which has a reputation far beyond any halls of residence. Creators James Chambers and Tom Judd have brought a growing A-Z of new talent together, from animation to textiles. With a database of over 1,300 students and good support from Icograda, Design is Kinky and Pixelsurgeon, why not add your own free portfolio?

ADVANCED PHOTOSHOP (WWW. ADVANCEDPHOTOSHOP.CO.UK) Join the growing online Advanced Photoshop family with free image uploads and a friendly forum to air views and share work. Browse the most viewed galleries and top rated images and sign up for free. The popular Peer Pressure forum section showcases yet more truly excellent Photoshop work.

THE AOI FORUM (WWW.THEAOI.COM)

ARTSHOLE (WWW.ARTSHOLE.CO.UK)

The Association of Illustrators aims to advance and protect illustrator’s rights, with a range of support and advice funded in part by a membership scheme. A forum offers a free yet valuable insight from professionals as well as the usual range of offtopic small talk and good-natured banter. Sound on practical advice, it’s a great place to stop by if you have a professional query.

Artshole provides professional, emerging and student artists with a free platform to showcase and sell their exclusive and original artwork. With 500,000 unique visitors each month, it’s a popular choice for many. You can browse artwork by category, including illustration, graphic design and photography, and keep up to date with an excellent ‘What’s On’ guide.

COMPUTERLOVE (WWW.CPLUV.COM)

CONCEPTART.ORG (WWW.CONCEPTART.ORG)

art Illustration by Lizzy Stew

Computerlove is built and run by a group of motivated creative individuals, and maintained by a network of international contributors and artists. Create personal or professional portfolios and galleries in a few clicks, or share thoughts, inspiration and ideas through your own personal blog and RSS feed. Join the Creative Network and find creative people, jobs and events in your area.

Conceptart.org is a web community of artists who help each other learn about art, providing a place to showcase work and meet fellow artists. As well as a vibrant forum and IRC chat, the site boasts visitors from many Hollywood production houses and games developers, with pros and enthusiasts swapping advice.

41

Advanced Photoshop

038-044_AVP36_Online.indd 41

21/9/07 12:03:48

Feature Case study LINKS WE LOVE CONTINUED

DEVIANTART (WWW.DEVIANTART.COM)

ILLUSTRATIONMUNDO (WWW. ILLUSTRATIONMUNDO.COM)

Massively popular online community with a strong fantasy art element. Two types of membership, free and paid, allow you to submit artwork, add a blog-like personal journal and start to interact with other users. For an additional fee you can sign up to the deviantART shop and sell your work on everything from canvas to fridge magnets.

Currently on a sabbatical, Illustrationmundo.com is being redesigned for a promised re-launch later this year. Designed to showcase and expose all the great illustrators in the world today, it’s been a popular place to submit art shows, links, calls for entries, collaboration projects, contests, items for sale, illustrator websites, interviews and new work.

LOUNGE72 (WWW.LOUNGE72.COM)

PIXELSURGEON (WWW.PIXELSURGEON.COM)

Non-profit online design portal, community and ezine set up in 2002, which also includes photo galleries, a job channel and active forum. One of many excellent design communities online, you can find inspiration from interviews with leading contemporary designers and artists. A striking PDF-based calendar, featuring Vault49 and Inksurge, is also available to download and print.

Pixelsurgeon’s daily news section offers a regular stream of varied links to help stimulate and distract, as well as an archive of reviews and interviews. Illustrators interviewed include Gez Fry, Andrew Rae, Fiona Hewitt, Nathan Jurevicius, Kozyndan and John McFaul. Submit your news and website updates and be seen by a huge audience.

work and to be seen, which is very important when you are trying to get your foot in the door. It’s also inspiring to see other creative young people making their first steps in the business.” “It’s an effective way of getting your work out there for all to see and for us to see what other creatives are doing,” adds 5oup member Jo Cogan (myspace.com/joco82). “It’s very encouraging and good to share thoughts and ideas with one another. Plus, you never know, your work may get spotted!” Getting spotted and self-promotion motivates many to join websites like 5oup, Voodoochilli and GFXartist, although it can be difficult to judge how many browsing are art directors, commissioning editors, gallery owners and agents. “I would say that the majority of our audience are artists that have just started out or are established artists looking for new ways to promote their work,” says Harry O’Connor. “There are, of course, many other people that use the site, either looking for talent or simply browsing for inspiration. Members, including myself, have been contacted via the site to commission work or asked if they can buy a print.” Jim Rogers (www.handsome-boy.co.uk) is another who has been approached to sell work, after creating a profile on the 5oup website. “There’s definitely a commercial side to displaying your work and many artists on the web have several sites where they post their Illustration by Leh

el Kovacs

VOODOOCHILLI.NET (WWW.VOODOOCHILLI.NET)

WORTH1000 (WWW.WORTH1000.COM)

A community founded by artists, Voodoochilli.net was set up in 2002 to showcase the work of just two people. Sensing that other students were struggling to be seen, the site has grown hugely in the last five years. It’s a hotbed for new talent where you can upload a gallery and CV for free and browse work by thousands of members.

Named after the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, Worth1000 features regular challenges to test your skills and you can participate in one of the liveliest forums around. The often hilarious results of themed contests are featured in the media and the site has already spawned two Photoshop manipulation books.

42

Advanced Photoshop

038-044_AVP36_Online.indd 42

21/9/07 12:04:20

Illustration by Simon Rudd

WE ARE FAMILY new creations,” adds Martin Kool. “As in real life, word of mouth is incredibly effective and the more visible you are, the more likely it is that your name drops when someone needs work done.”

Get spotted Getting the balance right between commerce and creativity is the key to a good website. “I think we have a good mix,” says Tom Judd cofounder of 5oup. (www.5oup.net), a website devoted to students. “Obviously, it is key to get the students looking through the site, as they are the ones who add content, we merely provide the framework. However, we also understand that one of the main incentives for getting their work on 5oup is to get it seen by people in the business. This is why we have set up a number of weekly promotional gigs, whereby 5oup’s featured artists are mentioned and linked on a number of large portals such as Pixelsurgeon and It’s Nice That.” Ultimately, regardless of who’s looking at your work online, it’s a great way to be seen. A potentially unlimited audience means when you do attract work, it could be from anywhere in the world. “There is no doubt in my mind that the internet is one of the most powerful and effective ways to promote anything that you do. The internet is a very accessible tool, enabling people to instantly share thoughts, ideas and artistic creations with millions of people,” suggests Harry O’Connor. “When someone uploads an image onto Voodoochilli, it is then visible across the globe

(5OUP) LEHEL KOVACS being based in Budapest, cs, va Ko l he pose For Le ex to y wa t is a grea involved with 5oup . “It’s also inspiring to en se be d g their your work an ative people makin see other young cre ess” sin first steps in the bu

literally milliseconds later. That sort of promotion can’t be achieved through conventional marketing methods, and certainly not for free.” Many online communities have grown organically from humble beginnings, adding content and more features over time. Several now include news feeds, blogs, free tutorials, image downloads, and insightful interviews with professionals. LCSV4 has an excellent archive of Q&A sessions with established illustrators that are both informative and entertaining. “I think the interviewees are more than happy to get involved with the site. I never give them deadlines, so they’re not under pressure to just churn out generic answers. And I personally try to have fun,” says founder and editor Darren Di Lieto “It’s a mutually beneficial collaboration with no losers, like sitting on a bus and chatting to the person opposite to pass the time; you both enjoy it and may even make a new friend.”

Something for nothing When budgets are tight and resources low, finding suitable source material on websites and forums can be a welcome bonus, as Rebecca Parker suggests. “The resources, stock and tutorials found at sites such as stock.xchng (www.sxc.hu) and deviantART enabled me to learn from scratch, by myself at home,” says Rebecca. “To be able to download free brushes, stock images and tutorials and other resources for free is so amazing and not to mention generous of the providers. These people contribute so much to the communities and forums and help people like me learn and enjoy learning.”

Cogan Illustration by Jo

Reveal your identity Although numerous online communities are global, attracting contributions from around the world, local members will often arrange to meet up. It can be quite a shock to finally see the human face behind the avatar and compare how people actually look to how you imagined them. The brave will often bring their portfolio and work in progress to pass among the group and encourage comment and collaboration. A suitable venue or artistic event can also add to the occasion. “I find online communities are a great way of meeting other people,” says Simon Rudd. “I have

JO COGAN (5 Jo Cogan is a regula OUP) r on sites like 5oup and is en couraged by exploring thoughts and ideas with other students who share his interest in creati vity

43

Advanced Photoshop

038-044_AVP36_Online.indd 43

21/9/07 12:04:48

Feature made a number of new acquaintances I would never have made if it wasn’t for places like deviantART, B3ta or the Advanced Photoshop and Photoshop Creative forums.” AOI forum regular, Chichi Parish, agrees, having helped arrange several successful meetings. “I’ve made some good friends from the forum. There’s nothing better than meeting up with forum members over a few pints.” As well the social aspect, arranging to meet up can help polish your networking skills, introducing you to new people that can help raise your profile. Some professionals will more readily give advice and insight away from cyberspace, revealing insider information on clients and agents when fewer eyes are watching. Unlike the perils of internet dating, you will at least share some common interests when you do meet up. “The stigma of meeting people from the internet seems to have disappeared in recent years, which is a great thing,” suggests Ben Grubb. “The illustrators I have met have always been more or less how I expected. They have definitely become friends in their own right, and have gone beyond just online acquaintances. I know that come Christmas time, I always have a very colourful and eclectic mantelpiece from all the different cards I receive from members.” A little real life interaction has also encouraged

on

Illustration by Kate Wils

Ben and others to start blogs and other personal projects to develop themes that began on forums, captivating and inspiring all involved. It’s a move that would not be possible without those browsing the creative forums actively getting involved. “A forum is literally nothing without members. The more threads and posts there are about a variety of subjects, the easier it is for everyone to get involved. I have been very fortunate to be involved with sites and forums with friendly and interesting people who are genuinely welcoming and care about the other members. It’s a real privilege.” 5 www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk

/

Illustration by Juan Mar cos

Case study LCSV4 – THE ILLUSTRATION NEWS PORTAL News portals are increasingly popular across the internet, gathering together news, views and interviews while promoting the work of various creative communities, including illustrators, designers, 3D fans and Photoshop users. Darren Di Lieto, founder and editor of LCSV4, the popular illustration news portal, originally added a links box on his own website so fellow illustrators could submit news. “It was pure laziness on my part, but all of a sudden my personal site was receiving over 1500 hits a day and needed a redesign to cope with the extra usage,” explains Darren. “So I decided to give the links box its own site and it’s been growing ever since. The LCS has now become

my full time job, after I started turning clients down to have more time to work on the site to turn it into a proper organisation.” From humble beginnings an essential website has grown, packed with visual inspiration and useful links and updates from other illustration websites. With so little time to source new talent, Darren believes contributing to sites like the LCS will attract more than admiring approval from your peers. “Sites like the LCS, Illustrationmundo.com and Drawn.ca are becoming core to promoting yourself in what is now an international industry. Although the majority of the people viewing these sites are other illustrators, it is fast becoming

standard for art directors and commissioners to use them to source freelancers and artists.” The LCS also offers users not only a place to promote their work but new opportunities, potential commissions and a sense of community, suggests Darren: “Illustration can be a very isolated job, but being part of a community builds communication skills and creates a network of colleagues and friends. Networking is a core skill for any creative and is essential for survival as an illustrator.” www.thelittlechimpsociety.com / LCSV4 Darren Di Lieto www.apefluff.com /

44

Advanced Photoshop

038-044_AVP36_Online.indd 44

21/9/07 12:05:22

MASTERCLASS

46

Advanced Photoshop

046-053_AVP36_Pen and Vector.ind46 46

21/9/07 09:16:11

47

Advanced Photoshop

046-053_AVP36_Pen and Vector.ind47 47

21/9/07 09:16:28

MASTERCLASS

Create stunning illustrations Combine the Pen Tool, Vector shapes and brushes to rise above the ordinary

B

ringing life to Vector illustration can be daunting, but through Photoshop’s powerful tools and a shot of ingenuity, you can create unique and vivid illustrations with depth and impact. We’ll focus on techniques for shape creation and shading, and learn how to combine these tools. Before you begin, sketch out an idea to bring to life. I chose to illustrate Ganga, a Hindu Ganges river goddess. Hindu art is rich in symbolism and ornamentation. I love tribal art and intricate, decorative design, so it seemed natural that this piece should reflect that. In this tutorial, I’ll present my methods for creating shapes with the Pen Tool and using selections, in conjunction with the Brush Tool, to give your Vector illustrations an airbrushed look. You’ll learn how to create custom Vector shapes. And along the way, you’ll discover Photoshop’s hidden ‘step and repeat’ shortcut. Working through the tutorial, you’ll start with the background and move forward. We’ll then focus on Ganga’s head to demonstrate in detail the techniques I use to complete the composition. By the time you’re done, you won’t need incense to reach a higher state of Photoshop bliss!

1

Get started Begin with a sketch to use as a guide for your final art. I have started with a pencil drawing, scanned and placed on a new layer. Set the layer’s Blending Mode to ‘Multiply’. This layer will remain above all other layers, so we can turn it on and off for easy reference.

2

Rays of light Switch to your Pen Tool and draw out the first ray of light shape, making sure you extend well beyond your workspace. I have the ray of light emanating from Ganga’s forehead. By doing this, I design a focal point that directs the viewer’s eye to the strongest element. Rasterize this layer and turn off the sketch layer for now.

ON THE DISC In the ‘tutorials’ section of this month’s disc you will find several files to help you follow this tutorial. These include some helpful .psd files, some essential shapes and the original sketch .jpg that Jeff used to start this step by step.

OUR EXPERT

Jeff Miracola

Jeff has been illustrating since 1993 in the fantasy gaming industry. His art can be seen in games, books and magazines as well as an upcoming children’s book. Visit www.jeffmiracola.com.

4 3

Step and repeat Duplicate the ray of light (Ctrl+J). Press Ctrl+Opt+T to select this shape. Move the centre marker to the beginning of the ray to rotate around that point. Rotate it clockwise until it is alongside the previous shape. Hit Return. Press Shift+Opt+Cmd+T to ‘step and repeat’ as many times as needed.

Merge rays In the Layers palette, select every other (even-numbered) ray of light layer and merge them. Now select all the remaining ray of light layers (oddnumbered) and merge those. Change the colour of one ray of light layer to establish the pattern.

48

Advanced Photoshop

046-053_AVP36_Pen and Vector.ind48 48

21/9/07 12:10:52

5

7

Shade rays Ctrl-click one ray of light layer. Create a new layer (Shift+Ctrl+N), named ‘ray shade 1’, and fill the selection with a slightly darker colour. Contract this by 30 pixels (Select>Modify>Contract). Feather it by 10 pixels (Select>Feather) and hit Delete. In the Layers palette, set the Blending Mode to ‘Multiply’ and Opacity to 20%. Repeat for the other ray of light layer.

Finish the sky Using Adjustment layers, tweak the colours of the ray of light and reflections layers to your liking. Colours set the tone of the piece. In using Adjustment layers, you may discover you prefer taking your art in an unexpected direction. Use the Brush Tool to create a thin, soft line along the horizon, separating sky from water.

6

Reflecting rays Merge the ray of light and ray shade layers. Place a guide to create your horizon. Select the ray of light layer above the horizon. Copy/paste, flip vertical (Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical) and move below the horizon. This is your new reflections layer. Apply Gaussian Blur (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur) to your liking.

8

10

Create a cloud Create a new group in your Layers palette and title it ‘clouds’. Switch to your Pen Tool, making sure the Shape Layers option is active in the Options bar. Draw your cloud shape. Drawing with the Pen Tool may seem tricky at first, but before long, you’ll come to enjoy it and even rely on its ease and flexibility.

Create the cloud base Use the Rounded Rectangle Tool (Shift+U) to create the cloud base shape. Using the same techniques as in Steps 5 and 9, shade the shape. Place your cloud layers in a group in the Layers palette. Shift+Ctrl-click on the cloud and cloud base layers to select shapes.

9

Shade the cloud Using the same techniques as in Step 5, shade the cloud’s edges. To create shaded cloud curves, use the Elliptical Marquee Tool (Shift+M) to create a selection. Use the Brush Tool to brush inside that selection.

11

Finish the cloud Create a new layer under all cloud layers and fill your selection with a dark colour. De-select the Fill (Ctrl+D) and use the Gaussian Blur filter to give your cloud the effect of an outer glow. Ctrl-click on your Cloud group in the Layers palette and choose Group into New Smart Object.

Adding

Mehndi?

12

Duplicate the cloud Duplicate your cloud Smart Object and pepper the sky with these duplicated clouds, varying sizes and colours. To create cloud reflection on water, place all cloud Smart Objects in one Layer group, duplicate and merge. Flip clouds vertically, lower them onto the water, and apply Gaussian Blur.

In this tutorial you will give life to your vectors by adding intricate details, such as Mehndi, Mehndi the centuries-old art of decorating hands and feet with a fine paste. You can practice your own Mehndi designs using the Pen Tool on a plain canvas.

49

Advanced Photoshop

046-053_AVP36_Pen and Vector.ind49 49

21/9/07 09:17:53

MASTERCLASS 13

Create a mountain We need to make the mountains with the same technique that we used for the clouds. Create shapes with the Pen Tool and shade them with the Elliptical Marquee and Brush Tools.

14

Highlight the mountain Select your main mountain shape. On a new layer, using the Paint Bucket Tool (Shift+G), fill selection with a highlight colour. Switch to the Marquee Tool and lower the selection several pixels. Hit Delete. De-select the mountain and apply Gaussian Blur.

15

Duplicate the mountain As you did with the clouds, create a Smart Object of your mountain group in the Layers palette and duplicate it at varying sizes and colours. Use the Ellipse Tool (U) to create shapes on a new layer under the mountains, forming highlights at the waterline. Create reflections of the mountains, as you did with the clouds in Step 12.

16

Start Ganga Turn on the sketch layer for reference. Create a new layer and use the Pen Tool to create one shape of Ganga’s upper right arm, right leg and torso. Tip: in the Options bar, click the arrow just right of the Custom Shape Tool for Geometry Options. Selecting Rubberband allows you to see the Pen Tool path before committing to a point.

17

Continue on Ganga Don’t trace Ganga’s left leg because it overlaps her right. Making her left leg a separate shape will allow more accurate shading later on. Continuing with the Pen Tool, create separate shapes of her other arm, neck, head and hair on separate layers.

18

20

Begin shading Turn off the sketch layer. Ctrl-click on the left leg layer in the Layers palette and create a new layer. Using the Brush Tool, choose a 0% hardness standard brush, any size you like. Pick a colour darker than the selected shape and shade around the edges.

Detailed shading Now to Ganga’s head. Rasterize the neck shape and switch to the Eraser Tool. Set to a standard soft brush and erase where neck and body meet. Repeat in the neck shading layer.

19

Shading the other objects Using the same technique as in Step 18, shade all your major shapes. Create a well organised folder structure in your Layers palette as this will help you keep track of the many layers you will be creating.

50

Advanced Photoshop

046-053_AVP36_Pen and Vector.ind50 50

21/9/07 09:18:39

21

Create cheekbones and eye sockets Use the Elliptical Marquee Tool to mask off areas for the cheekbones and eye sockets. With the Brush Tool, use a darker colour to shade inside your selection. Using selections to aid shading is one of the best techniques in my arsenal. It gives my otherwise flat illustrations form and substance.

“USING SELECTIONS GIVES MY OTHERWISE FLAT ILLUSTRATIONS FORM AND SUBSTANCE” 22 23

Create an eye With your Pen Tool, create an elliptical shape for the eye and triangular shapes for eyelashes. Ctrlclick the elliptical eye shape and create a new layer.

Shade the eye Use your Brush Tool to shade the eye. As in Step 21, use the Elliptical Marquee Tool, along with the Brush Tool, to create details around the eye, such as the eyelid and wrinkles. Details are a good way to give your artwork humanity. They give your subject a history that is visible to the viewer.

24

Create the pupil and iris Use the Ellipse Tool to create a circle for the pupil. Create a new layer and build your own shape or use my Custom Shape (Ganga009) to make lines extending from the pupil’s centre. On a new layer, create, rasterize and add a slight Gaussian Blur to an iris. On another new layer, use the Ellipse Tool for a circular highlight. Rasterize and add Gaussian Blur.

25

Duplicate the eye Place all the eye elements in one Layer group. Duplicate that Layer group, flip horizontal and rotate into position. Move the eye highlight to the opposite side.

Step and

repeat This Photoshop keyboard shortcut can be a powerful tool in your creative arsenal: Ctrl+Alt+T to transform an object; then Shift+Ctrl+Alt+T to duplicate your last move.

26

Create the lips, nose, eyebrows and cheeks Use the same technique of shape creation and shading to make Ganga’s lips, nose, eyebrows and cheeks. Refer to your sketch layer for guidance, if needed. For the highlight on the bottom lip, use the Pen Tool to create the shape. Rasterize, apply Gaussian Blur and set the Blending Mode to ‘Overlay’.

27

Create the face shadows Using the Pen Tool, draw shadow on the left of Ganga’s face. Rasterize and add Gaussian Blur. If the shape extends beyond her face, Ctrl-click the head layer in the Layers palette and inverse the selection (Shift+Ctrl+I). On the shadow layer, hit Delete. Set Blending Mode to ‘Multiply’ and lower Opacity. Repeat for the chin shadow.

51

Advanced Photoshop

046-053_AVP36_Pen and Vector.ind51 51

21/9/07 09:19:10

MASTERCLASS 28 “PLACE THE WAVY STRIP OF HAIR OVER GANGA’S FOREHEAD, ALONG WITH THE SHADING LAYERS”

Create hair With the Pen Tool, draw a wavy strip over Ganga’s forehead. Ctrl-click the layer and create a new one. Use the Brush Tool to shade inside the selection. Switch to the Elliptical Marquee Tool to move the selection around. Using the Brush Tool, create other wavy, shaded strips to complete her mane of hair. Select the main hair shape, inverse the selection and delete any shading outside the mane.

29

Create hair shadows On a new layer, under the hair on Ganga’s forehead, create a shadow shape. Rasterize and add Gaussian Blur. Set Blending Mode to ‘Multiply’ and lower Opacity to your liking. Repeat the process to create the shadow of Ganga’s head onto her hair.

30

Create Ganga’s ear On a new layer under Ganga’s head, create and shade an ear shape. Place the wavy strip of hair over Ganga’s forehead, along with the detailed shading layers above it, into a Layer group. Press Ctrl+T to stretch the hair over the ear.

31

Create hair and face highlights Ctrl-click on the main hair shape layer. Create a new layer above all other hair elements and fill the selection with a highlight colour. Switch to the Marquee Tool, move the selection four pixels right, delete and de-select. Apply Gaussian Blur to soften the highlight, and create additional highlights using the Pen Tool. Rasterize and blur, and then repeat the process for face highlights.

32

Beginning earrings Here we create a custom shape. Custom shapes make your art unique. Open a new document, 1000 x 1000 pixels at 72 dpi, and switch to the Ellipse Tool. Check From Center in the Ellipse Options drop-down in the Options Bar. Place vertical and horizontal guides at 500 pixels. Draw a circle from the centre point.

34

Earring circles Create a small circle, positioned on the outside of your ring, on the X-axis. Now place a slightly larger circle next to the smaller circle, also on the X-axis.

33

Create earring loop Still using the Ellipse Tool, choose Add to Shape Area in the Options bar. Draw a slightly smaller circle on top of the first one and switch to the Path Selection Tool. Select both circle paths. Click Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas and then Combine, in the Options bar.

52

Advanced Photoshop

046-053_AVP36_Pen and Vector.ind52 52

21/9/07 09:19:42

37

35

Place the earrings on Ganga Back in your Ganga document, select your new earring design from the Custom Shape Tool palette and draw out one of Ganga’s earrings. Colour, shade and highlight your design. Duplicate your design and place both earrings into position.

Decorate earrings Switch to your Path Selection Tool; select both of the circles you just created and copy/paste. Hit Ctrl+T and Move the Centre Point of your selection to the centre of your canvas. Rotate 20˚ and apply transformation. Press Shift+Option+Ctrl+T to uniformly repeat the duplication to the X-axis.

36

Earrings/custom shape creation Use the techniques described in the previous steps to further embellish your design. Once you’re satisfied, create a custom shape (Edit>Define Custom Shape).

38

Finish Ganga Using the techniques learned so far, complete the rest of Ganga’s jewellery, clothing, body tattoos, water jug and lotus flowers. Once done with Ganga, duplicate her Layer group, merge, flip vertical and add Gaussian Blur and a ‘Color Overlay’ Blending Mode effect to create her reflection.

40

Finalise your art Add a new layer above all other layers, switch to your Brush Tool, choose a dark colour and shade the edges of your art. Set Blending Mode to ‘Multiply’ and lower Opacity to 40%. Create a new Adjustment layer and tweak the Color Balance to your liking. Congratulations, you’re all done!

39

Create grass in the foreground area To create grass in the foreground, make a single blade of grass illustration to duplicate, rotate, resize and rearrange. Once you complete your grouping of grass illustrations, merge them and create highlights. Duplicate and flip the grass layer for the opposite corner of your artwork.

Custom

shapes Creating custom shapes develops creativity and promotes efficiency. Easily duplicate elements across one or more works and even export paths to Adobe Illustrator (Export>Paths to Illustrator) for further modification.

53

Advanced Photoshop

046-053_AVP36_Pen and Vector.ind53 53

21/9/07 09:20:27

MASTERCLASS

Surreal Photomontage Turn your own photographs into something spectacular, using creative techniques with this surreal landscape

I

n this tutorial, we are going to create a surreal photomontage with an impressive dream-like scene full of details. While it’s sometimes true that less is more, details can make a scene fancy and interesting to look at. Some steps will require more flexibility in terms of positioning preferences and lighting effects, as well as colour palettes, but in just a few simple steps, you can achieve brilliant results. We will use a very simple method that I use to create my own artwork, so once you start to see the results your imagination will drive you into the scene, awakening your own creativity. You will be able to add anything you want to, with a crisp look. It’s recommended that you download some brushes; take a look at those on this month’s cover disc, or even seek

out some of the more creative ones from your own Photoshop brush library. A good selection will make things easier on this tutorial.

1

Let’s get started Let’s start by creating a new file, setting the width to 216mm and the height 162mm, with a resolution of 300dpi. You can make the resolution a little bit lower (something like 150 or 200) if your computer slows down during the process. Choose a colour profile, such as RGB as standard.

ON THE DISC You will find the source images you need to follow Nelson’s tutorial on this month’s cover disc. However, to get a full grasp of the techniques involved, we recommend trying out the techniques on your own images to see what surreal worlds you can create.

OUR EXPERT

Nelson Balaban

Nelson is an experimental digital artist and graphic designer from Brazil, currently working as an intern in an interactive agency in Sao Paulo. He contributes to the famous international art group depthCORE (www.depthcore.com) as a digital artist. Visit www.xtrabold.net.

54

Advanced Photoshop

054-058_AVP36_Surreal.indd 54

20/9/07 17:46:15

2

Import the background Import the JPG file named ‘background.jpg’, which can be found in the CD. We’re going to use this image as our background. It’s a simple scene with a very neutral perspective, which should help us in the future. Just copy and paste it onto the canvas.

3

Preliminary adjustments The photo we’re going to use is quite raw and needs some adjustments to get the desired appearance. Let’s start by adjusting the colours. Click on Image>Adjustments> Selective Color. On the Colors drop-down menu, choose Blacks. There will be cyan, magenta, yellow and black properties, choose Method ‘Relative’ and put +20% on black, in order to put some contrast on the image. Now select Neutrals on the Colors drop-down menu and put +10% on black again. The image should be a bit darker.

4

Goodbye blue sky We want the sky to be heavier and the best way to do this is using the Gradient Tool. Create a new layer, choose the black and white colours and drag it over the sky, diagonally. Now set the layer Blend Mode to Multiply and put 50% in Opacity. If you feel that the mountain was covered by the gradient you’ve just done, select the Eraser Tool and adjust it. You can even duplicate the layer if you want it even darker. We’re going to add more to the sky later on.

5

Let’s cut it Pay attention as we’re going to repeat steps five, six, seven and eight on each building we put on our canvas. There’s much more to add on our background image, but we’ve got to do it with the other elements altogether. Import files ‘church.jpg’, ‘mill.jpg’ and ‘rocks. jpg’, so we can cut them. Each person has their own way of cutting images; some people use the Pen Tool and others use the Magic Wand or the Polygonal Lasso. We’re going to repeat this process as we put new images on the canvas. There’s a Path on the .jpg files, so if you’re already used to cutting out images, select the path and ‘Make Selection’.

6

Fit into perspective Now that the images are cut, desaturate them (Ctrl+Shift+U). It’s better to desaturate now because we’ll make the whole scene a bit darker later. Drag the images onto the canvas and place them the way you see on the image.

depthCORE.com A great source of inspiration is depthCORE, an international art collective focused on modern and abstract art, incorporating design, photography, animation and audio. It’s like an online exhibition, featuring artworks made by the hottest digital artists from around the globe. This is definitely one to bookmark! (www.depthcore.com)

55

Advanced Photoshop

054-058_AVP36_Surreal.indd 55

20/9/07 17:47:08

MASTERCLASS 7

9

Look, the building is floating! Now it’s time to create the floating ground that supports the floating building. For this, we’re going to cut out a piece of an image called ‘sea_rocks.jpg’. Seek the path, make the selection and cut and paste it onto the canvas. Duplicate the layer, go to Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal, and make it symmetrical. We need to distort it now to give it some perspective, so go to Edit>Transform>Distort. You may want to apply some Healing Brush to this layer to avoid the symmetric aspect.

The shadow Now that we’ve finished our first flying building, it’s time to add the shadow on the ground. Be careful on this step, as you must add the shadow as the perspective and depth demands. Create a new layer, apply a medium brush and distort it the way you think is best. Now it should look like the image shown here. Repeat the process on all of the buildings.

8

Add the ‘ripped’ aspect It’s recommended that you use some brushes on this step, in order to make it easier and goodlooking. A cool website to find resources is Blue Vertigo (www.bluevertigo.com.ar). Once you’ve found the brushes, apply some on the bottom of the layer we’ve just added and it should look like this image. Surreal art is fun because it allows you to add anything you want to the artwork. Even if you’re not fond of details, you will certainly enjoy it.

10

Add more to the sky The sky is looking really calm as it is now, but we want to put some more weight onto it and include some details as well. Let’s add some stars. Create a new layer, select a normal brush, around five pixels. Have fun, spread it and make it separated. We can duplicate it and fill the whole sky with stars later on. Merge down the layers (Ctrl+E) and duplicate it. Now go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur: value four. Erase some points if you wish and make some spots brighter. It will create a cool depth effect.

11

Place the moon Now we are going to place a moon onto the sky. Just open the .JPG file ‘moon.jpg’ from the CD, select Path>Transform to Selection, and cut and paste it onto the canvas. We want it to be placed on the very top left of the canvas, so after you do it, duplicate the layer and add the same Gaussian Blur we’ve just added on the stars. Erase some points (the darker side) and there’s your moon!

“CREATING YOUR OWN BRUSHES CAN BE FUN AND IT’S GREAT TO USE ELEMENTS THAT ARE GENUINELY PERSONAL TO YOU” 56

Advanced Photoshop

054-058_AVP36_Surreal.indd 56

20/9/07 17:47:54

12

14

The vortex Open the file ‘vortex.jpg’ from the CD, drag it onto the canvas and distort it so it’s aligned with the river. Edit>Transform>Distort, so it looks like this.

Prepare the twirl Select the Magic Wand Tool and try to select the whole river. To do this, hold down the Shift key with just a few clicks. Now go to Select>Modify>Feather. Set two pixels as the Radius. Cut and paste and it will create a new layer with the river. Transform it to look like this.

13

15

Change the colours Press Ctrl+U and add -50 on Saturation to desaturate the vortex a little. Now select the Eraser Tool and erase the edges so it’s going to fit into the river. Transform it (Ctrl+T) the way you think is best, but make sure it’s well placed. Set the layer to Overlay, duplicate it and set this one to Lighten, 35% Opacity.

The twirl Now, with the Rectangular Marquee Tool, select the layer you’ve just created and apply the Twirl Effect: Filter>Distort>Twirl: Angle -245º.

17

16

Connect the buildings Now we’re going to connect the buildings with a kind of rope. To make it fancy, we’re going to add some details later on. Create a new layer and select the Line Tool with a weight of 3 pixels and ‘antialias’ checked. Draw a line on the centre of the image.

Fit the twirl Set the layer to Lighten, 100% Opacity, and press Ctrl+T to transform it to fit the river. Some parts will not fit into the space, so select the Eraser Tool and erase the edges. We have now a twirly river – fantastic!

18

Distort and place Now apply the Shear Distortion effect: Filters>Distort>Shear. Slide up the line, inserting a point in the middle of it, making a slight distortion. Rotate it 90º CW (Edit>Transform>Rotate 90º CW). Place it between the two floating buildings; both extremities should reach the darkest part of the floating objects. Duplicate them if you want to add more. Also, if you want to give it an impressive look, add some brushes like you did on the floating buildings.

19

Add the birds Open the file ‘birds.psd’ from the CD and drag the birds anywhere you want. The birds are important because they add movement to the scene. As we’re going to add some atmosphere on the next step, these birds should be placed before we do it.

57

Advanced Photoshop

054-058_AVP36_Surreal.indd 57

20/9/07 17:48:48

MASTERCLASS 20

Add atmosphere To explore the lighting and atmosphere, that’s where the brushes come in. Creating your own brushes can be fun and it’s great to use elements that are genuinely personal to you. Create a new layer, select a soft brush, around 300 pixels, and make some spots.

22

Add a focal point Create a new layer (above all the others) and select the Gradient Tool. Set it to Radial Gradient, at the top of your screen. Now click on the centre of the canvas, and drag it to the top left-hand corner. Once it’s done, set the layer opacity to 65% and change the Blending Mode to ‘Soft Light’.

21

The fog aspect We are going to add a fog aspect to this. Simply go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur: 54 pixels of Radius. Duplicate the layer, invert it (Ctrl+I) and, later on, move it to another place, not too far from the white fog. Merge both layers (Ctrl+E) and set it to 50% Opacity. You can stretch it so that we get a nice aspect of fog. Duplicate the layer and place it anywhere you want to, but just make sure it’s well placed. Erase some points if you wish.

23

Final adjustments We’re almost done! Now, if you wish, you can make some adjustments. We’re going to slightly adjust the curves. Change Output to 71 and Input to 74. We’ve moved the focal point a little bit.

24

Sci-fi

Movies

You’re done! There you have your finished surreal landscape. A cool tip to find errors and/or lighting issues is to take a day off without viewing the artwork. Placing the piece on another background with a different colour can also help you to spot elements that need changing.

Sci-fi movies can provide inspiration or simply work well as a reference. Of course, it all depends on the concept you want to achieve, but once you unleash your creativity, any concept becomes interesting. The Matrix trilogy is a good example.

58

Advanced Photoshop

054-058_AVP36_Surreal.indd 58

20/9/07 17:49:32

Step-by-step

Workshop

MADE IN MONOCHROME

Follow this month’s step-by-step guide to create a low-key black-and-white visual styles, producing your very own dark and broody film noir compositions ON THE DISC On this month’s disc you will find all of the source imagery you need to complete this tutorial. As well as the images we’ve used in this design, there are also some extras.

OUR EXPERT

Adam Smith

Advanced Photoshop’s Staff Writer and movie enthusiast, Adam Smith was inspired by some of his favourite films for this tutorial including; Blade Runner, Sin City and Hitchcock’s Vertigo.

I

n the world of Photoshop, anything is possible. For example, that mundane alley that you pass every day on your way to work can be converted into a sleazy crime scene, just as you had always imagined. With some clever lighting techniques atmospheres can be dramatically transformed to complete the mood. Although there are grey areas, all types of creation are plausible in Photoshop using its array of competent tools. This

workshop will teach you how to use inconspicuous photographs to produce your very own film noir scene. You will learn how to use Photoshop’s powerful Adjustment options, Blending Modes, Channels palette and Filter effects, without too much of a challenge. So, investigate your creative capacity using this revealing step-by-step workshop and create your own smoky streets and alleys, filled with deviance and ruthless crime, for that truly expressive film noir ambience.

1

Private eye Before you even touch Photoshop, take the time out to get snap-happy with your digital camera. Get out there and take some photos of your model and settings. However, remember to obtain certain levels of exposure, contrasting areas of light and dark within your photography, be it natural or manufactured. This increases the effect later on.

60

Advanced Photoshop

060-064_AVP36_Black&White.indd 60

20/9/07 17:43:45

2

4

Channels Once you’ve got your photos together, it’s time to edit. You may have taken shots of your model separately from your background, so let’s start by isolating them from the photo backdrop. Select the Channels palette, deselecting all channels bar the red/green channel, to leave a black-and-white image.

Painted area After clicking OK, with the red channel copy layer still active, select a hard-edged brush set to pure black. Begin to paint over the visual areas that you wish to keep, distinguishing them from the lighter areas we’ll disregard. Don’t worry; this won’t affect your original image at all. Use the tab buttons to quickly resize brushes as you go. Once satisfied, press Ctrl/Command+I to invert your image.

3

Get level You should notice that the image has a healthy contrast, and a clean backdrop, which we will intensify. Ctrl/Command-click the red channel, selecting Duplicate, and activate this copy, deactivating the original. Now select Image>Adjustments>Levels. Within the Levels dialog box, drag your light and dark sliders to match the peaks on the histogram until you have obtained an even stronger exposure.

5

Isolation Selecting the Rectangular Marquee Tool, Ctrl-click, choosing Color Range from the dropdown menu. Here, use the Color Picker to select the white tone in your image, using the slider to isolate it purely to your figure (as near as you can) and click OK. Use your Lasso Tools to tidy up your selection. Then return to the Layers palette, activate your original layer and copy and paste this into a new window.

7

Layering Once the Blend Mode has been set, move across to the Opacity bar and decrease it to 50%, reducing the image brightness. Now reactivate your original Model layer and, once again, duplicate, naming it ‘Model Copy’. Once complete, place this new layer as the top layer, setting its Blending Mode to either ‘Overlay’ or ‘Color Burn’, depending on your own effect preference. Set the Opacity to 75%.

6

Exposed Now we have our model isolated, it’s time to create some extreme contrasting exposure for that authentic film noir look. Begin by duplicating our Model layer, naming it ‘Model 2’. Then select Image>Adjustments>Desaturate. Duplicate this black-and-white layer, naming it ‘Model 3’, and from the Blending Mode options in your Layers palette, select ‘Screen Blend’.

“CREATE SMOKY STREETS AND ALLEYS, FILLED WITH DEVIANCE” 61

Advanced Photoshop

060-064_AVP36_Black&White.indd 61

20/9/07 17:44:03

Step-by-step

Workshop 8

Making noise Hiding your background layer, Shift-click on all other layers. Once activated, press Shift+Alt+Ctrl/Command+E to merge all, naming the new layer ‘Model Merge’. Now select Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Set the Noise value between two and five, the Distribution option to Gaussian and activate Monochromatic. Select Image>Sharpen>Smart Sharpen.

No need to sharpen up In steps eight and nine, we suggested using the Smart Sharpen filter. However, there may be users that are using earlier Photoshop versions than CS2. These users can use the Unsharp Mask filter. Select Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask, entering an amount around 150%, a Radius of 1 pixel and Threshold of 0.

9

Stay sharp Once you’re presented with the Smart Sharpen dialog box, set your amount between 55 and 60% and Radius to 1-2 pixels. Set your remove option to Lens Blur, making sure More Accurate is checked at the bottom before you click OK. Then, at the foot of the Layers palette, click the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button, selecting Curves from the Options menu.

10

Curves As soon as the Curves dialog appears, press OK. There is no need for any adjustments. Proceed to set the Blending Mode for this Curves layer to ‘Multiply’, darkening your image. Now select the Elliptical Marquee Tool and draw a large oval inside your image, corresponding to your light source. Press D to set to default colours and press Ctrl/ Command+Backspace.

11

Gaussian Blur Now select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. The value you set here will obviously be dependent on your pixel ratio, but anywhere between a 60 and 80 Pixel Radius should suffice to give your image nicely shadowed borders, accentuating the lighter focal areas of your image. Click OK.

“ADHERE TO THE PRACTICE APPLIED TO YOUR FIGURE TO GET THE DESIRED, COHERENT EFFECT IN YOUR BACKDROP” 62

Advanced Photoshop

060-064_AVP36_Black&White.indd 62

20/9/07 17:44:18

12

Black and white Before you merge these layers you can lower the Opacity value for your Curves effect. Next, select Image>Adjustments>Desatrate, renaming the merged layer ‘Model B/W’. You should now have a nicely exposed figure. You’ll need to treat your background, so adhere to the practice applied to your figure to get the desired, coherent effect in your backdrop.

High Pass

13

Integration Now you can copy and paste your figure into the newly created backdrop. The two images have to coexist in the same composition and you’ll notice that there may be disruptive light edges on your Model layer. Select your Burn Tool from the Tool bar, set your Opacity to 30% and choose the Star 55 pixels brush from the Brush palette. Set your Range to Midtones and get to work darkening those obtrusive edges.

If you’re using a standard digital camera and mocked up studio lighting to shoot your model, you may find that the effect this has on your model is a slight haze or blur. This can be easily resolved by duplicating your photo, setting a Multiply blend to this and then selecting Filter>Other>High Pass. This function will sharpen and heighten exposure, all in the same application.

14

Highlights With your model integrated into the composition, select the Dodge Tool from the Tool bar, set the Range to Highlights and, with the previous brush type, set to an Opacity of 10%. Pick out areas to highlight. You can also use the Burn Tool to offset. Be sparing yet consistent, as this should merely heighten your exposure for subtle, cool effects.

15

Graphics With the essentials completed, it’s time to add a little personal creative substance to the composition. Start by pressing D and then duplicating your Model layer, selecting Filter>Sketch>Graphic Pen, with this new layer active. Now set your Stroke Length to 12, Light/ Dark Balance value to 76 and Stroke direction to Left Diagonal.

16

Duplication Once you’ve pressed OK, set the Blending Mode of this layer to ‘Luminosity’, dropping the layer Opacity to 30%. Now duplicate your backdrop with the same Filter treatment, Blending Mode and Opacity value, so the images stay cohesive in effect and exposure. Then, with all layers active once again, press Shift+Alt+Ctrl/Command+E to merge all layers into one and name this ‘Merged Effect’.

17

Applied texture With this new layer active again, select a Luminosity Blend Mode at 30% Opacity. Then proceed to delete your earlier copied, sketch-treated layers for optimum effect. This is a subtle effect, which, again, slightly heightens exposure and gives your image a more textured feel, similar to old film.

18

Gritty texture Next, open the file ‘texture1.tif’ and, using either of the transform options, Edit>Transform or the Show Transform Controls when activating the Move Tool, rotate and/or resize your new texture layer. Name this layer ‘Texture 1’ and press Ctrl/Command+I to invert the textures colour to white. It’s now time to apply another essential Blending Mode.

“IT’S TIME TO ADD A LITTLE CREATIVE SUBSTANCE TO THE COMPOSITION” 63

Advanced Photoshop

060-064_AVP36_Black&White.indd 63

20/9/07 17:44:41

Step-by-step

Workshop Film noir iconography If you aren’t familiar with the smoky, shady settings of film noir or the iconography that makes it such a visual spectacle, don’t worry. Below are a few select cinematic examples that should help you familiarise yourself. G Men – William Keighley, 1935. This Oscar-nominated film, featuring legend James Cagney, offers up a treat of cops and gangsters. This is truly old-school and worth a watch for its moody action. The Big Combo – Joseph H. Lewis, 1955. John Alton’s cinematography really sums up the visual delicacy of the genre. Great mysterious ambience. Vertigo – Alfred Hitchcock, 1958. A real classic thriller with a lot of iconographic reference for any viewer. Sin City – Frank Miller, 2005. This parody of film noir serves as a 21st century look at the genre, but is a visual feast nevertheless.

19

Erasure With your Texture 1 active, set your Blending Mode to ‘Soft Light’ and drop the layer’s Opacity to 40%. Now you’ll have a nice grunge-style texture, but this can interfere with certain visual elements you don’t want affected. This is easily resolved, however, so just click the Add Layer Mask icon at the foot of the Layers palette, select a Star 55 pixels brush, black foreground colour, and, with Opacity set to 30%, brush away any interference.

22

Splash of red Click OK and, with your application active, press Ctrl/Command+X to erase all white value. Now select the Add a Layer Style icon at the foot of the Layers palette and select Color Overlay from the drop-down menu. Here, click on the Tonal thumbnail and apply a colour of R:206, G:0, B:0. Next, create a new layer and then merge the two. Copy and paste this new layer into your composition.

20

Close attention Again, be deliberate in your erasing application and remember that you are applying to the Layer Mask thumbnail. If you erase too excessively, simply set your foreground colour to white and undo the erasure of any visual value. Go in with a good zoomed close up and check for this interference; it takes time but it’s worth it. Once finished, you’ll have a subtle gritty texture that adds to the nature of the composition.

21

Threshold Next, open ‘Texture4.tif’ and use the Crop Tool, from the Tool bar, to select a desired area. Select Image>Adjustments>Threshold and apply a value that leaves you with a noticeably sharp-edged splatter effect. Next, with the Rectangular Marquee Tool active from the Tool bar, Ctrl-click and select Color Range. Use the Color Picker to select all white value. Set your slide bar value to around 60%.

25

Final curtain And there your have it, your very own film noir city street scene. Again, this is a simple result that needs only a little close attention and minor treatment to produce a capable and expressive composition. You can always work with your textures and Burn and Dodge Tools to enhance exposure further or actually apply and edit Curves to create more desirable effects.

23

Red right hand Try this same effect with your ‘Splat. tif’ file and copy and paste this into your composition. Apply a ‘Linear Burn’ Blending Mode to these newly created blood splat layers. Experiment with their position, according to your Model layer’s position. If necessary, for effect, duplicate, resize and position these layers. As you’ll see, the effects are dramatic.

24

Ambience Heighten the scene’s underhand ambience by taking a picture of a clear, cloudy skyline, utilising the channel editing techniques learnt and extracting the clouds. Copy and paste these into your composition, resize and shape, applying a ‘Hard Light’ Blending Mode. Edit Opacity values and apply Layer Mask editing to refine effects. Apply a slight Motion Blur by going to Filter>Blur, for added effect.

64

Advanced Photoshop

060-064_AVP36_Black&White.indd 64

20/9/07 17:45:26

Step-by-step

Workshop

CREATE REALISTIC WOODEN TEXTURES

Do you avoid wooden elements in your designs because they seem unconvincing? Fire up Photoshop and watch for splinters as we show you how to conquer the rings, knots and grains to create a realistic wooden texture you can almost touch ON THE DISC On this month’s disc you will find a set of files to help you along your way including; ‘WoodenGradients.grd’ – a set of custom gradients and ‘AgedTexture.png’ - a texture used to create weather damage on the wood.

OUR EXPERT

Kirk Nelson

Kirk has been a graphic artist for ten years in the Washington DC metro area. He returns this month to Advanced Photoshop for another tutorial on natural effects. His work can also be found in Photoshop Creative as well as the Marine Corps Gazette and Transition Point.

W

ood surrounds us. It is in our desks, on our floors, in our walls and part of our furniture. Wood is engrained in our reality, yet much digital art doesn’t reflect this. Often it’s avoided completely due to the difficulty of generating a convincing texture, the rich grains and beautifully curved rings proving to be the bane of many artists’ lives. However, with good use of Photoshop’s Gradient Tool and some creative filter apps, you can become a digital woodworker in no time.

Here we’ll show you how to quickly produce a convincing woodgrain texture completely within Photoshop. The technique is flexible enough to easily produce several different textures without having to start over each time. This is handy when your design calls for many pieces of wood that are similar, yet distinct. Whether you need to create a deck, hardwood flooring, or a beaten-up wooden crate holding mysterious cargo in a dingy cellar, Photoshop is here to ease your fears and make virtual wood convincing.

1

It’s all about the gradients We’ll be using the Gradient Tool quite a bit in this tutorial. Open the Gradient Editor and load the ‘WoodenGradients.grd’ gradient set from the CD. Now create a new file at 13cm x 13cm and 300dpi. On the background layer create a gradient from left to right using ‘#ead27c’ as the foreground and ‘#d3a44c’ as the background.

2

The Ring gradient Select the GrainRing preset from the gradients you just loaded. Notice the controls along the Gradient Editor bar. The top controls are for opacity and control the fade of the colours. Sliding the first stop left or right will control the thickness of the ring’s fade. The second stop controls the opacity of the ring itself. The bottom stops control the colour. Adjusting the colour to the second stop changes the colour of the rings.

66

Advanced Photoshop

066-068_AVP36_Wooden Textures.in66 66

20/9/07 17:42:03

3

Rings, rings and more rings Add a Rings layer. Set your Gradient Tool to Radial. Drag guidelines to the centre of the image and use them to draw a small ring. Adjust the gradient settings a bit and draw another slightly larger ring. Keep drawing rings that are slightly different until you get about 15 or 16 of them and reach the edge of your canvas.

Straight as a board?

4

Warped wood Use the Scale and Warp Tools to change the shape of the Rings layer until it’s an elongated, irregular shape. We’ll deal with the empty space on the top and bottom later.

7

5

Naturally imperfect The rings are a good shape, but they’re too smooth and perfect to be natural. Create a new file the same size (13cm x 13cm at 300dpi). With background and foreground set to the default black and white, fill this with the cloud filter (Filter>Render>Clouds) then save as ‘clouds-displace.psd’. Close it. Back on your wood grain file, select the Rings layer and go to Filter>Distort>Displace. Set the horizontal and vertical scale to 10, hit OK and then pick the clouds-displace file you just created. This distorts the rings enough so they don’t appear mechanical.

Wood tends to warp and bend. If you’re creating something with several boards such as deck planking or cargo crates, consider removing the straight edges from your boards to add to the realism. The Warp Tool is an obvious choice to warp the wood, but the Smudge Tool also works. Try using the Smudge Tool with a large brush size of around 500px. Gently push and pull the edges to change the shape of the board. Nothing drastic, just a few subtle slopes to break up that perfect hard edge.

6

Liquid wood? We’ll use the Liquify filter (Filter>Liquify) to really imitate the beautiful curves and swirls of natural wood grain. Use the Forward Warp Tool with brush size at 335 to push the rings around a bit to disturb the uniformity of the rings. Then with the Bloat Tool, make the centre rings wider at one end, almost pear shape. Hit OK and set the Rings layer to Linear Burn and lower the Opacity to 45%.

Add grain Create a new layer under the Rings layer called ‘Grain1’. Make sure your foreground and background colours are still black and white. Go to Filter>Render>Clouds, then Filter>Render>Fibers. Rotate the layer 90 degrees so the grain is horizontal. To finish, change the layer blending mode to ‘Hard Light’ and set the Opacity to 20%.

8

How knotty! Add a new layer called ‘Knots’ above the Rings layer. Create an oval selection in the middle of the rings. Then use the WoodKnot gradient to create the knot colours. With the Warp Tool, shape the knot to fit inside the shape of the rings. Here we also used a light brush to add some darker areas to the rings in line with the knot. If the edges of the knot are too sharp, use the Blur Tool to blend them into the wood.

67

Advanced Photoshop

066-068_AVP36_Wooden Textures.in67 67

20/9/07 17:42:27

Step-by-step

Workshop “WITH GOOD USE OF PHOTOSHOP’S GRADIENT TOOL AND SOME CREATIVE FILTER APPS, YOU CAN BECOME A DIGITAL WOODWORKER IN NO TIME” 9

Cracking up Select a 2px-wide Paintbrush, set the colour to black, mode to ‘Color Burn’ and Opacity to 50%. Turn on Shape Dynamics in the Brushes palette and set the size jitter to Fade at 150. Now, draw some cracks coming out from the centre of the knot.

10

Add more grain Create a ‘Grain2’ layer on top of the stack. Fill the canvas with the pattern called LooseThreads (if you can’t find it in your Pattern Library, load the Texture Fill pattern set that comes with Photoshop). Increase the contrast to remove most of the grey. Use Motion Blur (Filter>Blur>Motion Blur) with Angle set to 0 and Distance set to 42. Change the layer’s Blending Mode to ‘Colour Burn’ and reduce the Opacity to 28%.

11

What? No Saw Tool? Crop the canvas to a narrow rectangle shape you can use for a board. (If you want, you can crop out several different areas of the texture to use later for additional boards that have the same grain but are still unique.) At this point the texture is looking pretty good, but it’s lacking the depth we need to be convincing. We’ll add a handmade bevel effect and some weather damage to complete the illusion of realistic wood.

Variety is the spice of realism In reality, no two pieces of wood are identical. Resist the urge to make one wood texture and use it everywhere. With your layered wood grain file, you can create several similar yet unique pieces of wood quickly and easily. Try adjusting the Hue and Saturation of the background gradient and rings. Flip, scale, warp and Liquify the Rings layer to a totally different shape. Crop to different sections of the texture. Adjust the opacity of the grain layers. Don’t forget the small details like cracks, weather damage, nails and even hammer impressions.

12

A better bevel Instead of using a layer style, let’s create our own bevel effect. Add a Highlight layer at the top of the stack. Use a Linear gradient from white to transparent to draw the top highlight of the board. Set this layer to ‘Screen’, reduce the Opacity to 75%. Then use the Displace filter (just like in step five) to break up the straight line created by the gradient.

13

Bevel shadow Add a Shadow layer, then use a Black to Transparent gradient to add the shadow to the bottom of the board. Set the Layer Blending Mode to ‘Multiply’ and Opacity to 75%. Use the Displace filter again to break up the straight line.

14

Damage control As we’re using this for an old crate, we want to give the wood a worn appearance. Open ‘AgedTexture.png’ from the CD and drag it over onto the top of the layer stack. Add a slight Bevel and Emboss layer style with the direction set to Down. Set the Layer Blending Mode to ‘Screen’ and Opacity to 60%. Use a layer mask to restrict the texture to the board. And there it is! You’ve got the first plank for your old wooden crate.

68

Advanced Photoshop

066-068_AVP36_Wooden Textures.in68 68

21/9/07 12:11:28

Helpdesk This month, Helpdesk focuses on fixing your Photoshop effects problems

BY ADAM SMITH

BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY: Duplicating your rainbow layer and dropping the layer’s Opacity to around 40% intensifies the colours of the spectrum with subtlety

NEW HORIZONS I have taken quite a few gloomy pictures of late and thought what a great idea it would be to liven them up with some cool rainbow effects. Could you point me in the right direction so I can do this? I think it would really add that extra something to my photographs. Many thanks,

your gradients from the same drop-down menu, set the Foreground to Transparent Gradient. With Linear Gradient selected, press D to reset your colours to the default and drag from the bottom of the image to the top. Once complete, you should have a convincing rainbow effect. You can duplicate this layer again, dropping the new layer’s Opacity to create intensity.

Cheryl, North Carolina This effect works best with contrasting skylines, Cheryl, so keep that in mind. Start by opening your image and then selecting Create New Layer from the foot of the Layers palette. Next, select your Gradient Tool from the toolbar and click to edit the Gradient bar in the above options. Click the right arrow, choosing Special Effects from the drop-down menu, and then select Russell’s Rainbow Gradient. Set your Gradient Tool to Radial Gradient and drag the cursor to create a rainbow circle, which you can rescale with your Transform Tools. Once it has been matched with your horizon, apply Screen Blend Mode to this new layer and then select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, set to a percentage of around 60 pixels. Now take your Eraser Tool and erase the unwanted visual value from your landscape. Resetting

SKY AT NIGHT Hello Advanced Photoshop. I’ve recently completed sixth form and am on my way to university, so am in the process of brushing up on my Photoshop skills. I’m working on a small photography project to show my peers on arrival, and all’s going quite well. However, I’m having trouble with a certain image. I want to create a skyline cluttered with stars and have tried a few effects (like scanning spray paint and applying Blend Modes, which didn’t work), but nothing seems to have the desired effect. Are there any sure-fire ways to get good results? Tabitha, Hamilton

TWINKLE, TWINKLE: To add finer detail, activate the Brush Picker, clicking the right arrow, and select Assorted Brushes. The Starburst Small brush offers interesting effects Well, Tabitha, with a bit of help from Advanced Photoshop you can get some comprehensive effects for what you’re looking for, and it’s simpler than you might think. Start by opening your photo and then creating a new layer, selecting Edit>Fill>Use: Black. Next, with the layer active, select Filter>Noise>Add Noise, dragging the slider up to around 155%, depending on the image size. Set Distribution to Gaussian and check the Monochrome box. Now choose Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and apply a small amount, around 8 pixels. When you click OK, set the Layer Blend Mode for this layer to Screen. Next, select Image>Adjustments> Threshold, setting it to a value of 128. Your stars should look quite comprehensive now, but will probably be interfering with the rest of the visual value in your image. To rectify this, either use the Marquee Tool or Select>Color Range option to pick out your sky colour value, then click the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. Applying Filter>Render>Clouds and adding Blend Modes at different opacities also adds dimension to your effect, so experiment with these.

70

Advanced Photoshop

070-071_AVP_36_Helpdesk.indd 70

21/9/07 09:28:19

iqu es Te ch n LITTLE EXTRAS: You can even tell the Image Processor to convert JPEG output files to sRGB, making it easy to create images for web or email use

BLURRED VISION Dear Advanced Photoshop team, I’ve been toying with the idea of getting involved in digital photography and must say I am enjoying it. At times, however, I encounter a slight problem with blurred images. I thought that the Sharpening Tool could solve this issue, but it often leaves my images grainy and bitty. Am I using the tool wrong? Is there a better way? I’m confused. Charlotte, Devon I don’t think it’s the use of the Sharpening Tool, Charlotte, perhaps just the focus of your images. With a little more experience in handling your camera, problems like this will soon

become less apparent. However, to help you right now, there is something we can suggest. It’s true that the Sharpening options can enhance noise, grain and small artefacts within an image, so why not try using the High Pass filter? This will enhance the edge contrast and sharpen smoother edges. Simply start by duplicating your blurred image layer, then set the Layer Blending Mode to Overlay for this newly created layer. With this layer still active, select Filter>Other>High Pass. You’ll now be able to manipulate the effects to your taste, using the slide bar in the dialog box. You’ll be editing the amount pf grey pixels and brighter/darker values along contrasted areas, acting like an emboss effect of sorts. The Overlay Blend Mode is essential for this effect to succeed, as it acts in a similar way to dodging and burning along the contrast edge, thus sharpening the image without interference.

HANDY SECRETS I have a multitude of photographs on my computer, but I want to convert them from their automatic JPEG to TIFF files, so that they are of a higher visual quality. Is there a quicker way of doing this than opening each one and individually resaving or creating actions (which seems quite tedious)?

IT’S TIME WELL SPENT: Functions like

Michael, Baltimore Well Michael, you’re in luck because with CS3 there is an option that does all the hard work for you. It’s called the Image Processor option. To activate it, select File>Script>Image Processor and you’ll be presented with the simply defined Image Processor dialog box. Each numbered section serves a purpose; Section 1 targets the images that you wish to convert, either already open or selected from a folder. Section 2 allows you to set a location, either in the same folder or a newly created one. Section 3 offers you the choice to select whether you’d like to save as JPEG, PSD, TIFF or all three. You can also determine whether to resize your newly saved images here. Section 4 includes your Preferences, which allow you to attach copyright info, embed colour profiles (including ICC

HELPDESK CALL FOR QUESTIONS Want help with Photoshop? Send your emails to us at: [email protected] or post a message on our forum board at www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/forum. Remember to specify whether you’re using a PC or Mac and the version number of your edition of Photoshop.

the Sharpening Tool and the High Pass filter can only do so much, so it is always best to familiarise yourself with the zoom and focus functions on your camera first

profile) and even run a saved Photoshop action. It must, however, be loaded in the Action palette before it appears here.

TRY APPLY IMAGE Hi guys! I have taken quite a few photos in my spare time as it’s the school holidays and I enjoy it, but am looking to spice up a few of my black-and-white photos using Photoshop’s creative options. If I’m honest, I’m not sure exactly where to start, but I’m certain there must be a way. Any tips you can give me, Advanced Photoshop team?

palettes. Now select your preferred brush and apply broad strokes, using the colours of your choice. You should now have a black-and-white photo layer and a painted layer on top. With your painted layer activated, select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and set an amount dependent on your image resolution. Next, choose Image>Apply Image. Adjust the settings as follows: Layer: Background layer, Channel: RGB, Blending: Overlay or Soft Light, and Opacity: 100%. Depending on opacities and blending, your effects may vary, but you’ll still have a cool painting-style image.

Danny, Cardiff You’re not wrong, Danny, there are a few good ways. Here’s a simple, fun one to get you started, using the Apply Image command for cool effects. Start by opening your black-and-white photograph and then duplicate the layer, making a copy of it and naming it accordingly. Alternatively, you can just select the Create New Layer option at the foot of the Layers palette. Now select Image>Mode, and make sure your document is set to RGB/CMYK mode, so you know you’ll be able to access your colour

HAVE A BLAST:

Try using alternative opacities, Blend Modes and even outrageous colour schemes to create some truly unique photo productions

71

Advanced Photoshop

070-071_AVP_36_Helpdesk.indd 71

21/9/07 09:28:29

INSIDER INFO

Insider

Info

Performance with Preferences

Photoshop offers many practical functions that can speed up your workflow – Insider Info takes a look at how Preferences has a major part to play in producing such a slick performance

P

hotoshop’s Preferences options are a great way for users to specify and control their creative performance. Here you can identify general display options, file-saving options, performance options and much more. However, there are a few defaults that can be reset and applied when improving restoration and creative applications. Let’s start with Preferences>General.

General Here you’ll be confronted with several options that can create enhanced workflow, beginning with the History Log. This can be an essential option, once understood. Access the History Log options by clicking the empty well and you’ll see the ‘Save Log Items To’ options. Each serves a certain purpose, suited to several types of users and ability levels. Metadata is suited to those that wish to embed application information into the saved file itself. Text file creates a separate document listing OUR EXPERT Adam Smith application and should be saved in an Advanced Photoshop Staff Writer, Adam Smith, has appropriate place. worked on numerous previous commissions for The NDSF, as well as having work published in The Times and in several online and editorial publications. Adam is partial to creating his own photomontage, freehand and digitally-enhanced illustrations.

Scratch Disks Photoshop uses RAM to work quickly and efficiently at all times. However, this can be used up by other applications, so the Performance Preference option, Plug-ins & Scratch Disks in CS2, allows you to set up to four active Scratch Disks. Photoshop will utilise these to write and store part of the file data, saving space and sustaining efficiency.

Edit Log Items This option is also accessible within the History Log options and allows you to specify what information is logged in your metadata or text file. ‘Sessions Only’ acts simply as a time log, recording the times of access and closing of a file. ‘Concise’ will log the features used in their specific order of applications, but no specific settings are recorded. If this function is appealing, then select ‘Detailed’. This setting will let files record comprehensive application details, which is handy if you wish to recall and reapply certain settings to other similar imagery.

PLATFORMS: Preferences can be found in separate areas on both platforms. To access on a Mac, select Photoshop>Preferences. On a PC select Edit>Preferences. CS3 varies from CS2 but all functions are present regardless

History States This is such a simple option that is often a necessity for those working with large amounts of application, for example, montage, manip and restoration artists. In CS2, this can be found in the General options of Preferences, but in CS3, it’s found in the Performance options. This preference basically states the amount of application that is recorded and remembered in your History palette. With the maximum value of 999, this option offers those who deal with many layers the chance to take a step back at any time, after mistakes or dislikes are encountered.

Cursors Known as Displays and Cursors in CS2, this option has four standard options, each specifying a certain mode of applying and viewing your applied digital media. You can be forgiven for overlooking Standard and Precise, with default set to Normal Brush Tip. However, activating Full Size Brush Tip offers deliberate application, confined within the borders of the brush. This helps control all brushes, including Cloning, Healing and Erasing. Another relevant addition is the Show Crosshair in Brush Tip. This can be helpful when cloning or healing an image. You can also incorporate View>Rulers, dragging and dropping a

guide, to use the Clone Stamp Tool with perfect registration, corresponding to the original image.

Performance options Your Memory Usage and Cache Settings are options that will ultimately determine the speed of Photoshop’s functions and application. Incorporated in CS3’s Performance preference options, CS2 users can access them in the Memory & Image Cache options. Your Cache setting will determine whether user preference is towards quality or speed. A lower Cache Level will confirm quality, while higher confirms faster application. This function is used to improve screen redrawing and histogram speed. Memory Usage denotes the amount of memory assigned to Photoshop. Users should try on their own systems to see how much RAM is available and how much can be allocated to Photoshop.

Handy bits Other useful functions that can be set are the Options in the General and Interface Preference options. Here you can set to Automatically Launch Bridge or Show Tool Tips, which are useful in informing users about the functions of certain applications and tools. They are displayed in a small yellow dialog box.

72

Advanced Photoshop

072_AVP36_Insider Info.indd 72

20/9/07 17:41:24

Order Now! 16 ISSUES OF

ON ONE DISC Available now for o nly

£19 .99 FREE UK P&P Oversea s + £4 EU + £2

S L IA R O T U T T R E P X E F O S E 1,200 PAG In-depth tutorials from d we vie be n ca Articles best Photoshop High quality DVD brings you over 1200 pages of dedicated Photoshop content

on your computer or printed out high-res for later reference

the experts, with resource files on the DVD

Fully searchable database lets you find the exact content you want quickly and easily

Order online now! www.imagineshop.co.uk

Telephone +44 (0)1202 586200

eMag_SA4_h-ad.indd 1

21/9/07 12:17:52

Our pick of the best reader submissions sent to us this month

P

eer Pressure has once again been inundated with a volume of great artworks. The chosen entries this month offer an array of insights into the creative mind, sharing and revealing individual approaches and skills. Read on, enjoy, and if you feel that you have what it takes to showcase your work and join the ranks of your Peer Pressure fellows, then don’t hesitate to send us your entries. We always include your email and web address, so anyone interested in your designs can get hold of you. All you have to do is send us high-quality TIFFs or JPEGs (RGB or CMYK) at 300dpi minimum, which can be printed at a minimum size of 15cm x 15cm. Send us low-res versions to [email protected] – we’ll get back to you for higher resolution work if needed. Alternatively, log on to our forum at www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/forum. Unfortunately, we cannot provide individual image criticisms.

Tunnel vision NAME: David Gearin EMAIL: [email protected] Nineteen-year-old David Gearin from Boston, Massachusetts, is an aspiring graphic designer, currently attending school to gain a

bachelors in Graphic Design. In this piece, titled ‘Tunnel vision’, David made the render in cinema 4D then carried out all the post work in Photoshop. “The piece was inspired when I was looking in my rear view mirror and let my imagination run wild,” explains David.

76

Advanced Photoshop

076-079_AVP_36_Peer Pressure.ind76 76

21/9/07 09:31:52

iqu es Te ch n Catching love takes time NAME: Ruben Labree EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: http://arthenor.deviantart.com For this piece, Ruben Labree from The Netherlands was inspired by a friend’s drawings. “I saw them, they kind of got stuck in my head and I started working on this piece. It was actually my first attempt with this style, so it was all quite new to me.” Ruben started off with a white background, onto which characters and surroundings were placed by mixing and mashing black ornament brushes. “When I was done creating figures in black and white, I put multiple images of dried paint and scratched surfaces into the piece to get a more ‘grungy’ feeling.” The characters were coloured with hard and soft brushes. After implementing the text, the only thing left to do was some tweaking and putting on the finishing touches by giving the piece some adjustments and applying contrast layers and photo filters.

Head to heart NAME: Brian White EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.solomultimedia.com Brian has been a freelance designer/illustrator for almost ten years and works out of his studio in Lawrence, US. He runs a small design company called Solo Multimedia (www.solomultimedia.com), which specialises in interface, web and graphic design for ad agencies. “I love Photoshop and have been using it since 1994. I do all my compositions for web and print in Photoshop and use it for at least eight hours daily,” confesses Brian. “My favourite technique is to use subtle patterns in gradient overlays. Another reason I use Photoshop is for ‘grungy’ textures like coffee cup stains, exported as translucent PNGs for Flash work.” For his piece, ‘Head to heart’, Brian was in an intensive spiritual class working on the essence of faith and focusing your life. “During these night classes, I doodled every night with pencils, markers and brush pens. I really came to understand the process of moving your knowledge and faith of God into your heart. That is what the piece is representing.” Brian utilised the ‘touchable textures’ technique, from Advanced Photoshop 25, throughout the piece to help create the depth of the background and inserted his drawings in a subtle fashion. By submitting images to Advanced Photoshop’s Peer Pressure, you hereby grant Imagine Publishing and, if relevant, clients to whom the relevant work has been provided, an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free licence to use such intellectual property in relation to work similar or equivalent to the work. This includes the right to showcase work on multimedia formats. By submitting work you also confirm that your images do not infringe any copyright regulations should they be published.

77

Advanced Photoshop

076-079_AVP_36_Peer Pressure.ind77 77

21/9/07 09:32:13

Discover the thinking behind the art

I see deadpixels NAME: Sander Rietdijk EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.iseedeadpixels.nl Sander Rietdijk, the mind behind ‘I see deadpixels’, is currently based in the Netherlands and works there as a graphic designer. Experienced in illustration, print and web, Sander’s eye for colours and shapes has helped him to create lots of stunning graphic art. The images shown here are examples of the variety in his commercial and personal projects, using different mediums and styles. SCREEN WORK: Sander Rietdijk tells us he has been very busy lately, working on some collaborations and making new work. Motivated to finding new mediums and styles, the designs to the right showcase a more illustrative style of work

ORGANIZED CHAOS: Created in June of this year, ‘Organized Chaos’ was a personal project of Sander’s. Around the same time the I See Deadpixels website was awarded with a bronze Mowsnet Web Award. You can find out more about this by logging onto the Mowsnet website at awards.mows.ski

78

Advanced Photoshop

076-079_AVP_36_Peer Pressure.ind78 78

21/9/07 12:11:59

iqu es Te ch n BEST IN SHOW

NEOKATHMANDU: “This image was created in Adobe Photoshop as a website background for Film Senshi, a film production company in the US. Typically with work such as this, I will begin with a rough colour sketch and work out all the design issues with the client first. Next, I will look for suitable photographic reference material and textures, either taken by myself or purchased from photographic stock libraries. Coming from a traditional oil/acrylic painting background, my images also include a lot of brushwork, mainly using Photoshop’s standard brushes. Adjustment layers and colour overlays are also heavily used”

Vavtatch orbital NAME: Sarel Theron EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.sareltheron.com Sarel Theron is a 32-year-old digital matte painter, living in Cape Town, South Africa. After studying fine art and illustration, he worked in the more traditional mediums of oil and acrylics for many years, before

discovering the magic of Photoshop. He has produced matte paintings for a television movie, book covers, brochures, website backgrounds, as well as a matte painting tutorial. “I draw my inspiration from a variety of artists, ranging from classical painters such as Turner, Constable and Church, to contemporary matte painters such as Dussault, Raynault and Cole,” explains Sarel.

VAVATCH ORBITAL: “This is a personal piece that I created for my own satisfaction. It’s loosely based on and inspired by the Iain M Banks sci-fi novel, Consider Phlebas, in which the author describes a gigantic ‘ringworld’, encircled by a vast aquamarine sea. Its greatest attraction is its ‘megaships’, sea ships that are 4km long and weighing over a billion tons. These floating cities are forever circling the orbital’s endless sea. The main challenge was to create a believable upward curving horizon, such as one would experience when viewed from a world built inside a giant 14 million kilometre hoop”

79

Advanced Photoshop

076-079_AVP_36_Peer Pressure.ind79 79

21/9/07 09:33:08

resources

Strata™ Foto 3D Is the power of 3D prevalent in Strata’s recent software? We’re about to find out…

S

trata™ has recently supplied the Photoshop community with Strata Foto 3D, an extended plug-in that affords users the ability to transform a photography series, modelling it into a real-world object. The software’s reputation precedes it, so we’d heard great things about this latest plug-in. For example, creations can be made from the use of a standard digital camera and it also offers users a quick and inexpensive creation method, requiring far less technical skill or expansive hardware than similar systems. Strata believes that “learning how to use your camera is more complicated than turning those photos into real 3D models”. Here at Advanced Photoshop, we’re only too happy to put this theory to the test. We can honestly say that, from the onset, installation of Strata Foto 3D proved simple, with several useful options to help users familiarise themselves with the software’s functions and effects. For instance, the ‘Load the images’ and ‘Build the example’ options demonstrate how to create a fully textured 3D model from the supplied example photographs. Alternatively, users who are slightly more familiar with previous similar software can select the Quick Start Guide option. This provides a swift step-by-step tutorial on how to get the best results from your photography and offers advice on the use of the most essential tools.

Admittedly, without any prior knowledge of such software, it may seem daunting to be faced with the Strata Foto 3D interface and difficult to understand which option does what. However, with the coherent helpful assistance simplifying essential working practice for quick, efficient results, users will feel more at ease with the software. Strata Foto 3D provides advice on preventing problematic photos from disrupting the effective use of the software. This is presented as a ‘to do’ list, explaining how to avoid using camera flash and preferred photo amounts, as well as preferential photo angles and shooting degrees, in the Quick Start Guide. The need for the specially designed mat, which you place your object on, is thoroughly explained and, with the Print Mat button, users can define a diameter that is suitable for a range of objects and items. All users will find the Mask Application functions almost effortless, made easy with Strata Foto’s intuitive application science. By selecting the Mask All Images button, this software uses Auto-masking wizards to help separate the object in question from its background. You can then use the practical Paint Mask Tools to edit the applied mask accordingly. This set of options function according to tools found in Photoshop, and so those familiar with this program will probably master them quickly. Users simply need to double-click on the

Change direction: Exporting is, as always, a click away. The Use Current Orientation checkbox rotates the exported model so that it will initially appear to face the same direction as the current display in the Model window

required thumbnail in the working area, then choose from a tool set suitable for all types of editing. There’s the Brush Tool, with size increase/ decrease slide bar, for quick application, the even quicker Fill Mask option, working much like the Paint Bucket Tool, and the Fill Polygon that works much like Photoshop’s Polygonal Lasso Tool, allowing for a more detailed treatment. The only painstaking thing about this application process is that it can be time-consuming, but this is necessary to obtain the desired effects. More advanced functions include the Regenerate Mask option. After using this, the threshold for the image can be varied interactively by adjusting the slider that appears below this button. There is also the Shrink-wrap Mask, which, unlike Regenerate Mask, uses the current mask as a starting point, then shrinks the unmasked region by selecting adjacent areas of similar colour. Again, moving the slider adjusts the mask tolerance. Generate Wireframe is the next step in creating your 3D object using Strata, and again, not surprisingly, the software provides application at the click of a button. Upon selection users are presented with an uncomplicated two-option dialog box. You can access the Generate Wireframe function to create a basic surface quickly, or the more advanced Optimize Surface option. This allows you to define Parameters of the applied

Relocation: Transfer photos directly to Strata Foto and return a real-time 3D object to a 3D layer in Photoshop® CS3 Extended

80

Advanced Photoshop

080-081_AVP36_Strata review.indd80 80

21/9/07 09:34:33

Strata™ Design 3D CX

THERE AND BACK: The texture-editing tools allow you to touch up the surface texture using your preferred 2D image editor. Simply click the Copy View button, paste into Photoshop, adding labels or restoration tools, then merge, returning to Foto 3D and clicking the Paste View button. Simple!

Wireframe. Here, you can set a maximum number of images to be optimised. Dependent on your number of images and the complexity of your silhouettes, this number can be increased or decreased to determine the speed of optimisation alone. You are also provided with a straightforward Quality Level slider. If you have an organically shaped object, you can set Smooth Approximation for a smooth mesh with fewer corners. Choose Exact Fit if you’re confident that your masks are accurate, fitting the details of the silhouette, or Reasonable Accuracy as a standard default. Then just sit back and let Strata Foto 3D do the hard work. As always, however, if further editing is required, Strata has supplied a few advanced tweaking tools. One constructive example, which makes creation even quicker, is the Clipping Plane option. This tool can be essential when the automatic Masking Tool may not identify where the object ends and the pedestal starts, which happens particularly if the object casts a shadow. Although these area masks can be refined using the Clipping Plane, from the Edit Geometry tool bar, you can drag the blue Clipping Plane to where you want to shave the bottom of the mesh corresponding to the pedestal. Once in position, simply click the Clip Model button to complete the process. Generating your surface textures is the third stage of completing your model and it is as straightforward as the previous operations. Again, when clicking the Generate Texture Map button, users are presented with the Parameters dialog box. This time, you’re supplied with a Texture map size value, which is editable to a maximum of 1600 pixels, working in a similar way to all resolution values; the more detail in the image the higher your pixel quantity. Two check boxes are also present. Activating Tone Correct Textures will automatically enhance texture colour, compensating for any exposure discrepancy. Activating Texture Boosting will

allow Foto 3D to automatically select key images, according to project order when applying. This process can, again, be specified by deselecting this box and switching the Thumbnail window to Details mode, using Images>Image Order menu. Other advanced options include applying a bottom texture, editing surface texture and removing texture artefacts, all easy to fathom thanks to the extensive guides you’ll find in the Help menu. 5

Specifications

Rating:

Manufacturer: Strata™ Web: www.store.strata.com Price: $149 / £74.50 Spec: Powered by 3DSOM’s patented model generation Auto-masking wizards UV mapped baked-on texture Exported for display in a VRMLenabled web browser Imported into Strata 3D CX/ Strata Live 3D Mac OS X v. 10.4 8512MB of RAM 300MB of available hard disk space (additional free space required during installation) 1024x768 monitor resolution with 16-bit video card Microsoft® Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ Home P remium, Business, Summary: After taking the time to work with this software, we’ve concluded that it’s reasonable to describe Foto 3D as an efficient, cost-effective modelling system. We are inclined to agree that it does offer familiar tool functions and intuitive operation that lets you enjoy the creative experience at your leisure. Rating:

Manufacturer: Strata™ Web: www.strata.com Price: $149 / £74.50 Spec: Award winning Strata 3D CX application engine Extrude, lathe and subdivision surface modelling tools Full radiosity renderer with reflections, refractions, soft shadows, HDRI lighting, volumetric effects Mac OS X v. 10.4.8 Microsoft® Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ Home Premium, Business, Ultimate or Enterprise With three powerful tools, Match, Model and Render, synchronised to Strata’s 3D CX application engine, users can perform efficient functions such as taking the real-time model and rendering it using a full radiosity renderer, with reflections and refractions. They can also match the perspective, modify existing objects or create new ones.

4/5

resources

Similar products

4/5

Strata™ Live 3D Manufacturer: Strata™ Web: www.strata.com Price: $149 / £74.50 Spec: Export real-time 3D PDF or web page Based on Java™ Live 3D[in] content works on virtually any machine Mac OS X v. 10.4.8 Microsoft® Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ Home Premium, Business, Ultimate or Enterprise Live 3D[in] enables users to create real-time interactive 3D content for websites and PDF documents from Photoshop® CS3 Extended. It makes saving 3D content simple. Just select Strata Live 3D[in] Web or PDF from the Filters menu, choose what style of Navigation bar to use and then pick where to save the document. Rating:

4/5

81

Advanced Photoshop

080-081_AVP36_Strata review.indd81 81

21/9/07 09:34:56

resources Photoshop CS3 Workflow Optimise a skilled workflow, whether you’re an enthusiast or professional, and focus on your creative visions Manufacturer: Sybex®, Wiley Publishing, Inc Web: www.sybex.com/WileyCDA/ Price: $39.99 / £26.99 Spec: 327 pages Four parts ordered by level of proficiency 14 deluxe chapters Full colour print, images included Detailed index Order: www.sybex.com/WileyCDA/

P

hotoshop CS3 Workflow: The Digital Photographer’s Guide is another obliging piece of literature, part of Sybex’s Tim Grey Guides series. Much like all other titles in the range, this instalment offers resources and helpful tips that give digital photographers the chance to explore methods at new levels of excellence. With Tim Grey being Microsoft’s chief ambassador to professional photographers, his reputation precedes him, so it’s no surprise to find that this title provides a more than adequate guide to the software. The glossy, full colour, 328-page publication is easy to understand and all practices are explained clearly, with minimum fuss. More advanced issues, regarding complex practices or precise tool/option use, are often accompanied by detailed, full-colour reference images,

making the explanations that bit more coherent. There are also small yet insightful inside secrets revealed from page to page, such as hotkey functions and even author suggestions regarding practices. The topics covered in the book are split into four sections and subdivided into easy-to-find chapters, packed with a plethora of informative tips. But not in any old fashion; each section and chapter is introduced to allow readers to evolve their own skills, from understanding the basics to managing more advanced application. Topics for you to discover include understanding basic tone and colour, exploring advanced tonal adjustments and realising the output process. This is all knowledge that will ultimately guide you down the path to creating better imagery and also build your confidence. Due to the range of topics covered within this title and the hassle-free presentation of them, this really is a great read for Photoshop users and photographers of all abilities. Beginners can build strong foundations, while experts can better understand how to optimise workflows and, more than likely, learn a few new tricks as well. 5

Summary: This simple yet wellpresented publication is easy to follow and acquaints you with some essential practices in an enthusiastic and informative fashion. It will show you how correct procedures can in fact diminish repetitive errors and allow you to focus on your creative vision. Rating:

4/5

A lot to learn: Explore CS3 interfaces and updates, as well as learning how to process RAW captures to retain maximum detail. Get creative with colourisation, filters and more!

Photoshop CS3 Channels and Masks Bible

Mask your fears and channel your potential into a creative Photoshop masterpiece Manufacturer: Wiley Publishing, Ltd Web: www.wiley.com Price: $49.99 / £31.99 Order: www.wiley.com Spec: 510 pages packed with working practice 22 chapters Full colour print, images included Detailed index

A

nother title from the Wiley Publishing, Inc family, Photoshop CS3 Channels and Masks Bible claims to be the title you need to succeed when you want to tap into the full potential of Photoshop’s channels and masks. At first glance, it certainly doesn’t fail to deliver the goods. With over 500 pages packed with creative ways to utilise masking and colour functions, there’s enough here to keep even the most ardent Photoshop fan hard at work. From a creative point of view, functions are as standard, but there are a few nice applications that arise and related practices that think outside the box. These include using specialised tools like Apply Image to reproduce colour images from black-and-white photography. On closer inspection though, it was sometimes found that, although the book offers a good range of essential

practice overall, the more advanced Photoshop user might find it a little frustrating. However, enthusiasts willing to evolve their ability and methods to a proficient standard will find the book a real godsend. There are some particularly fun tasks to participate in, such as using the Type Mask to add an artistic touch to the text, unravelling the secrets of creating, mixing and converting digital colour, or simply reveal, conceal and refine imagery with Layer masks. That’s not to say the book lacks more interesting tutorials on advanced application. Take Part three, Chapter nine, for example, where readers are introduced to the function of specifying Duotones. The general layout of the book does not have the sophistication of other titles, and pages sometimes feel cluttered with imagery, with a few uninspiring examples. As an educational device, however, it delivers – just not as enthusiastically as the title suggests. 5 Summary: A steady educational read that leaves nothing to chance. Perhaps with an over-zealous title you expect more, on an aesthetic level at least. But serves well as a comprehensive reference that covers essential creative ground. Rating:

3/5

hensive skills: This compre ls to Channel your too ble ua val use to you reference will teach r posites, speed up you create efficient com s esome colour result aw get d an low rkf wo

82

Advanced Photoshop

082-084_AVP_36_Resources.indd 82

21/9/07 09:36:07

resources

FujiFilm FinePix F40fd

Another innovative product in FujiFilm’s flagship range of compact digital cameras, but how does it compare to its predecessors? Manufacturer: Fujifilm Web: www.fujifilm.co.uk Price: £136 / $274.24 (www.e4uelectrical.co.uk) Spec: 8.3 million pixels 3.0x optical zoom IR Communication (IR simple™) VGA movie capture of 30 frames per second with sound Built-in Face Detection Technology PictBridge™ compatible for direct printing without PC ISO 2000 sensitivity at full resolution (1600 selectable) FinePixViewer

F

ujiFilm’s FinePix F40fd is the latest in a long line of practical and proficient compact digital cameras. It has many features that make it one of the market’s principal products. The FinePix F40fd comes as standard with a stylish redesigned outer shell, available in three cool colours: silver, blue and ‘gunmetal’. It also has an easy-tounderstand Graphical User Interface (GUI) system. Much slimmer than its predecessor at 23.3mm deep, it fits easily into a slim pocket, ready to use in an instant. Its 2.5” LCD screen complements the camera’s 8.3 megapixel resolution, offering crisp viewing of all your images, with FujiFilm’s wide-view filter expanding viewing

angles by up to 25˚. However, forgetting the aesthetic pleasures of this product, there are also many features, old and new, that work in its favour. Practical features include the compact’s dual memory card slots, supporting both a traditional xD Picture Card™ and the popular Secure Digital (SD) card format, as well as a 300-shot battery life, convenient for prolific photographers. With its simple screen navigation and easily identifiable buttons, you can select specific options that add necessary effects for improved imagery. Fourteen Special Scene Positions account for many photographic environments, such as underwater, night and even museum, and make the FinePix F40fd suitable for any photo-specific situation. There’s also the cool function of Natural Light and Flash mode, which allows the user to take snaps in quick succession (one with flash, one without), displaying both side by side to examine the effects. Other features we mustn’t leave out include the RP Processor II, featuring double noise reduction CCD HR VI with unique octangular shape, supplying faster shutter speed and thus combating image blur. Efficient Display modes at the touch of a button, offering you a rule of thirds grid for those perfect compositions, make this compact an appealing product for the enthusiastic photographer. 5

INTUITIVE FUNCTIONS: In Playback mode, Face Detection will automatically zoom in to subjects’ faces and trim the shot

LOW-LIGHT FUNCTION: FujiFilm’s Intelligent Flash system analyses the subject of the photo and sets power output accordingly

Summary: After a trial run with this compact camera, its capabilities were evident. Enthusiast photographers who need a high-performance takeanywhere digital camera can’t go far wrong with the FujiFilm FinePix F40fd. Rating:

4/5

Olympus E-510

The E-510 is the new model targeted towards serious amateurs and semi-professionals. But is it worth the asking price? Manufacturer: Olympus Web: www.olympus.co.uk Price: £799.99 Spec: 10 effective megapixels 4/3” Live MOS sensor 2.5” TFT colour LCD 1/4000 – 60 sec shutter ISO 100 – 1600

T

he new 10-megapixel E-510 is the successor to the popular E-500 camera. Housed in a new body, the E-510 is meant for the serious amateur and semi-pro market, but does it meet their requirements? The specifications of the E-510 are great, with the 4/3” Live MOS sensor producing sharp, noise-free images. Colours are well saturated, even on Auto mode, and there is little evidence of chromatic aberration. There are some nice little touches, too, with features such as a double card cover that incorporates both Compact Flash and xD Picture card. However, this is heavily spoilt by the camera’s

usability. We have to admit that we really didn’t find this camera easy to use. For an asking price of £799, the kit includes two lenses, a 14-42mm and 40-150mm zoom lens. Despite this seemingly great deal at first glance, the camera and lenses aren’t pleasant to hold, with a very ‘plasticky’ feel. Perhaps most disappointing is that the camera menus aren’t intuitive at all, even to the most confident of photographers. Some of the unnecessary menu options are so tricky to control and led to a few lost shots in our test run. One of the biggest selling points of the E-510 is the Live Preview function. This allows you to preview images, including the depth of field, on the LCD monitor. You can also view the images at magnifications of 6x and 10x, to check that the images are sharp and well exposed. This is a great feature in theory, but in bright, outdoor conditions, it’s almost impossible to see the screen, rendering the Live Preview defunct. 5

MENUS: We found the menu system on the Olympus E-510 to be over-complicated and difficult to control during fast shoots

Summary: Overall, this is a good option if you want a lightweight DSLR camera. However, we think that the asking price is a little steep for the quality of camera body and usability. Rating:

3/5

83

Advanced Photoshop

082-084_AVP_36_Resources.indd 83

21/9/07 14:06:50

resources Dfine 2.0

Eliminate noise from your digital photographs the easy way Manufacturer: Nik Software Web: www.niksoftware.com Price: £80.41 / €118.94 + 19% VAT Spec: Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP or Windows Vista Pentium III 1GHz or better 256MB RAM Adobe Photoshop 7 through CS3, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 through 5.0, or Adobe Photoshop plug-in compatible application*

D

fine® 2.0 is one of the market’s latest noise reduction software packages, available for both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements users, by Nik™ Software. Its main objective is to provide users with the ability to rectify the inherent unwanted imperfection known as ‘noise’ in most digital photographic images, through unprecedented control. With its stylish and coherent workspace presented simply, navigation is leisurely with Dfine. The working area is straightforward, allowing you to get straight to work, selecting the Measure option that calculates the area and amount of noise present within your image. This can be done effortlessly and to a very high standard with Dfine’s

built-in Automatic feature, with boxes appearing, pinpointing and relating the problem areas. There’s also a Manual option, so detailed application can be specified at all times, the more familiar you become with practices. Once contrast and colour noise has been profiled and measured, simply select the Reduce options to continue. You can easily treat your whole image directly, editing contrast and colour noise. However, Dfine’s improved interface offers advanced options to manipulate noise effects, through pinpointing specific colour areas or by using the highly intuitive Control Points command. To activate this option, you just select Control Point from your Method menu, click the Add a Control Point to the Image button and apply to the necessary point on your image. With your Noise and Contrast bars, and a top bar allowing you to determine your adjustable area size, you can simply click and slide to edit treatment. Other cool built-in features include useful Zoom functions and Mode options, which allow you to select Luminance or Chrominance effects that help determine on-screen changes when applying Control Points. There’s also the Loupe screen that lets you see a simultaneous before-and-after shot of your image. 5

Maximum control: The Control Point and Color Range methods, along with the Selective Tool, offer you the most advanced ways for selectively applying noise reduction to your images

Summary: With just the one concern that rendering is slightly slow, the options and functions that Dfine provides really do afford unprecedented control and prevent the loss of detail after the tool is introduced, therefore improving image quality. Rating:

4/5

iPhoto ‘08

With its newest upgrade, iPhoto is sure to make your photo organisation that little bit more interesting Manufacturer: Apple Web: www.apple.com/ilife/iphoto/ Price: £39.50 / $79, Family Pack £49.50 / £99 ( iLife ’08 package) Spec: Automatic Event organisation New powerful editing tools New customisable book dust jackets and calendars Unified search options 512MB of RAM; 1GB recommended Mac OS X v10.4.9 or later

i

Photo ’08, the latest photo-organising software from Apple, has some inventive upgrades and it’s been provoking excitement similar to that created by the original version, when it was launched more than half a decade ago. So naturally we got our hands on a copy just to see what all the fuss was about – and were pleasantly surprised. First, for those who are unaccustomed to iPhoto or are flirting with the prospect of purchasing and using the latest edition, rest easy, as navigation is simple and quick. Importing imagery with Drag and Drop functions and sorting images into folders couldn’t be easier. Attaching Flag options allows you to make a visual note of all your favourite images, and there are some great creative options attached, too. You can produce calendars or picture books, with compelling, customisable layouts,

by selecting one of the easily identifiable options. Then Summary: iPhoto automatically there are the practical new features such as the Events organises your photo library and has some quirky new functions for very option, which makes a cluttered workspace a thing of the quick fixes. With the improved past and establishes a new way of looking at your libraries. organising function, you can get the It automatically organises and condenses photos into most out of your photo collections. Events that allow you to locate images quickly. Rating: 5/5 Another impressive updated feature comes in the form of the editing capabilities. You have a whole palette of retouching tools and an array of effects at your disposal, including a standard Red-eye Reduction Tool and a comprehensive Adjustment dialog box allowing you to manipulate exposure, temperature and sharpness, to mention just a few. There’s also a Crop command and a very cool Straightening Tool option, allowing you to manipulate the degrees of your image for that perfect horizon. This all adds up to provide you with a product that not only looks stylish and functional, but is also New and improved: iPhoto organises your photo library and makes editing as completely user-friendly. 5 easy as clicking your mouse – so even the biggest collections are easy to view

84

Advanced Photoshop

082-084_AVP_36_Resources.indd 84

21/9/07 09:36:32

Feature

mith

Ben Temples Illustration by

Illustration by Bob

Staake ly S Alexius

Illustration by Vita

hard Allen

Illustration by Ric

Illustration by Bob

Staake

86

Advanced Photoshop

086-091_AVP36_Genre Gods.indd 86

21/9/07 13:52:12

Genre gods

Genre gods Some of the industry’s ‘genre gods’ offer an insight into their own artistic fields and explain how these have helped them express themselves and provided inspiration for their success By Adam Smith

T

he term ‘genre’ is often bandied about in the artistic world, but what exactly does it mean? Well, the English dictionary describes genre as ‘a kind, category or sort, esp of literary or artistic work’. This description, however generalised it may seem, does in fact reveal the true meaning of ‘genre’. In all formats, genres are vague categories with no real fixed boundaries at all. Genres are defined through sets of conventions such as style, subject, iconography and even the built-in audience the creation is aimed at. Some will say a coherent grasp of a distinct genre can offer an artist the focus to create specific work that will contribute to creating a solid foundation for commercial success. After all, any lucrative product needs a certain target audience to succeed. Some artists will deviate, through expression and experimentation, taking a more liberal approach to a genre. They will transgress boundaries, inadvertently defining subgenres or hybrids, even at times redefining a genre completely. With so many variables and areas of interest available to us, we at Advanced Photoshop thought it was about time we offered

an insight into the realms of genre and how they might apply in contemporary art today. What better way to do this than to ask some of the industry’s finest to offer their thoughts and feelings on the subject? We find out how they discovered a talent for their visual field and how enthusiasm for working in a certain genre, be it nurtured or instinctive, became a mainstay in their artistic existence. We’ll also find out if a defined genre really does expand working opportunities or if it brands you as limited in your capabilities.

GENRES ARE DEFINED THROUGH CONVENTIONS SUCH AS STYLE, SUBJECT & ICONOGRAPHY

HORROR Ben Templesmith

Ben Templesmith is a highly successful commercial artist, and it’s no secret that many feel his work has redefined the horror comic genre through his modern definitive macabre and vampiric looks. However, when we asked Ben about his preference for horror, we were surprised to discover that it has not always been essential to his creation. “I guess you could say the genre found me,” he explained. “I’m more a fan of sci-fi and history than strict horror, which I seem known for.” Ben adopted his taste for the macabre when he aspired to recreate the effects of his favourite artists. “My first published work was directly following one of my favourites, Ashley Wood, on a comic titled Hellspawn, a gothic/horror title. I definitely wanted to find ways of keeping that feeling and vibe after Ash had left. Then I took it a step further on my first full published story, the ‘30 Days of Night’ miniseries, where some people say I redefined the look of vampires and placed mood over – or at least on a par with – the storytelling.” Since then, the horror tag stuck.

TRENDSETTER

: “Some would argue that I he lped re-invigora te horror comics. Although that’s not my claim, it’s sti ll nice to hear, an d if all goes well in the ‘30 Days of Night’ movie, th en hopefully I’ll have had a little impact on the history of vamp ires, visually. Th e movie seems to heavily riff off my artwork for the comic miniseri es, thanks to the am azing director, David Slade”

87

Advanced Photoshop

086-091_AVP36_Genre Gods.indd 87

21/9/07 13:54:34

,

Feature Ben’s actual definition of horror is far from trying to rehash old monsters in a modern context, or how much blood you can draw, but more about the style or tone of his work and its evocative temperament. “I’m just interested in the mood you can create when trying to get things dark and foreboding.” He recalls: “I think it was merely the tone of the stories I was ever into. I was never into the obvious horror titles, just ones that could be classed as horror, but were really part of other genres. At the time I started, I was aching to get into something darker and nastier.” They say with great power comes great responsibility, so we asked Ben how the reputation of his style has affected him. “Well, horror and dark art have exploded recently, but I think the perception that I am a ‘horror’ guy certainly limits the sort of projects people would think of me for,” admits Ben. However, not surprisingly, this doesn’t deter him from evolving in his own modest way. “All I can claim is to still be able to get work, which must mean something! I try to improve and change with each new thing. I guess having my name come up when people talk about ‘horror’ artists in the comic world is a good way of defining my achievement of some form of new standard. But it’s really what other people think, not what I think that matters.”

/ www.templesmith.com DRA

WING BLOOD: “Well, horror and dark art have exploded recently but I think the perception that I am a ‘horror’ guy certainly limits the sort of projects people would think of me for”

WORMWOOD: GENTLEMAN CORPSE: Ben

describes his own horror title as “Lots of tentacles and Cthulhutype things, rather disgusting concepts, sick critters and demons to draw. It’s my guilty pleasure and also tries to be a sort of black comedy/gross out as much as a true horror title”

NOT SO BAD: “I am often

tagged as a horror artist now though, so I’m more than happy for my career to be dictated by the vibe my art can bring to any given project. I’m probably lucky it’s so popular right now, from movies to comics to computer games. I’ve worked on or am currently working on things related to all of them that need a certain amount of popularity within the genre”

88

Advanced Photoshop

086-091_AVP36_Genre Gods.indd 88

21/9/07 13:38:43

Genre gods

CHILDREN’S N O I T A R T S U L IL

MARY, BLOOMSBURY CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

Bob Staake Children’s book illustration has been a mainstay genre, contributing to some of the art world’s most exciting and bestloved styles over the years. One familiar and distinctive contributor is Bob Staake, cartoonist and illustrator, whose work has seen him renowned and highly respected. Bob’s visual approach provided an almost natural progression into working in the realm of children’s illustration. “I suppose I slid in sideways into the world of children’s picture books. I had illustrated a number of titles (both for adults and kids), but in 1997 I stumbled upon a way to create a spattered effect with Photoshop paintbrushes.” This simple effect led to him exploring the potential of an ABC board book, which he supplied to Simon & Schuster and they instantly commissioned it. However, even with this almost instant success within this genre, Bob made it clear that at times it’s good to be aware of the potential commercial pitfalls that lie within the confines of a solitary genre. “I have always been extremely savvy when it comes to the business of illustration and I realised early on what a fickle profession it can be. That’s one reason I always cultivated an ability to work in a wide variety of venues and genres.” This approach has seen him create covers for The New Yorker, pages in MAD magazine, Little Golden Books, greeting cards for Hallmark and design for the Cartoon Network. “I like to think that it is my strategic approach to work that enables me to succeed from one genre to the next.” Bob underlined the fact that having a distinct style does not always equal limitation: “I cannot stress how crucial this has been to my success as an illustrator, because the ability to flow from one genre to the next has absolutely insulated me from the peaks and valleys that are so evident in the careers of many of my illustration colleagues.” So how does Bob’s design correspond with children’s illustration specifically? His answer was one that was dependent on pushing boundaries: “Visually, I’d like to think that my children’s books work because they are grounded in an appreciation of mid-20th century European poster art and children’s book aesthetics of the Forties to Sixties era. If what comes out of that is a hybrid approach to books that makes them seem one hundred per cent mine, then that’s really where I’d like to be.”

“To turn that seemingly uneventful scene into something magical, everything about it needs to exude other-worldliness – from the goofy shape of the car to the shape of the old man’s hat, the amoebic shape of the yellowing trees to the quirky expression on the driver’s face”

I’M A TRUCK, LIT TLE

GO

LDEN BOOKS®/RAND it comes to creating mea OM HOUSE INC: “There ningful children’s picture are no shortcuts when books. Insight, talent, driv appreciation for the read e, a point of view and a dee er – any illustrator must p possess these and a num ber of other crucial traits”

/ www.bobstaake.com BOWLED OVER, COMMONWEALTH another BOOKS: “Combine a scene like this with en’s

childr similarly well-crafted scene within a ly new world picture book and you create an entire cal for a child to explore. That can be a magi of reading” experience that solidifies a child’s love

89

Advanced Photoshop

086-091_AVP36_Genre Gods.indd 89

21/9/07 13:39:29

,

Feature

SCI-FI

Y / S A T N A F

DOWNFALL: “My genre wouldn’t exist without the success of computer art. If in the future all computer screens were to evolve into 3D holograms, I’d have to evolve and adapt with them or perhaps go back to good old oil painting”

Vitaly S Alexius Fantasy is a genre generally distinguished by the overall look, feel and theme of individual work. However, there are notable artists that partake in the traversing of boundaries into sci-fi, perhaps even horror, inadvertently defining subgenres. Vitaly S Alexius is one such artist. Inspired at a young age by the verdant surroundings of Siberia, it wasn’t until his discovery of digital media that Vitaly’s preferred genre blossomed. “I started using Photoshop and discovered that I could draw on pure black background, adding rays of light into the pitch-black darkness, bringing fire into the picture. It was a fantastic feeling, equivalent to lighting a match in a darkroom. This was the foundation for my high-contrast-style paintings, in which I tried to make the sun truly bright. Eventually my paintings broke free of simple landscapes, still life and portraits, and converged with fantasy.” However, with such influences as romantic seascape painter Ivan Aivazovsky and Salvador Dali, as well as modern digital artists Craig Mullins and Sparth, Vitaly found that the fantasy stories within his art echoed influences of sci-fi, inspired by those Romantic and Surrealist artists, defining a sub-genre that he calls ‘Dreaminism’. He describes it as: “A realistic, often romantically apocalyptic, easily recognised style. A sense of shifted reality realised in the split second before the waking, when the mind cannot define what’s real and what’s not.” Vitaly admits that this new sub-genre he’s fashioned has delivered many opportunities. However, he explains that his work’s healthy commercial appeal has much to do with his chosen field. “Dreaminism proved to be a great success, as my paintings spread over the net and I gained world recognition. I was lucky and smart enough to pick a genre that is very specialised yet widely required by clients all around the world. It ranges from writers to musicians to movie producers of dark sci-fi/fantasy stories, along with rock/metal music, all of which are popular in our time.” So after such success from his redefined genre, does Vitaly see more necessity for changes to the fantasy field on the horizon? His answer suggests that this is very much dependent on the nature of his inspiration: “I’m pretty much satisfied with it, but perhaps my style could evolve into something new, as my commissions, world events, the environment I live in and people constantly influence my work. Who knows where and what fate might throw me?” Although there is one thing he knows for certain: “My own genre wouldn’t exist without the success of computer art.” www.svitart.n-tek.ca

much as I ICEBOUND: “I challenge myself only as aying or low-p want to be challenged. If the job is too it. Some unfitting to my genre, I simply don’t take s, but usually clients are more demanding than other themes” they want me to stick with my style and

/

ANTIPODAL

EV

OLUTION: “Pers are always the onal paintings most fun, since guidelines, relyin I can select work without g only on my im agination”

90

Advanced Photoshop

086-091_AVP36_Genre Gods.indd 90

21/9/07 13:39:56

Genre gods

‘PAPERLESS FUTURE’ FOR 2007 PLANSPONSOR MAGAZINE (US) ways, I knew some “In EN: ALL ARD RICH A. (C) having

ial, so very little of illustration beyond editor (Hons), I turned my back on fine art after my BA of editorial” world the d beyon ns optio few dered consi

‘12 DRUMMERS DRUMMING’ FO R THE GUARDIAN (UK) 2006 (C) A. RICH “Recognise that you ARD ALLEN: will have

to market your wo board criticism an rk, taking on d dealing with reje ction, or often whole indifference, along sale the way”

‘BEACHED GIANTESS ’ FOR FORTEAN TIMES (UK) 2007 (C) A. RICHARD ALLEN: “In my more recent attempted work, I

to move away from droll cartooning, becoming mor conceptual. On the process e side of things, I experiment with textures and design elem ents, changing my familiar work patterns to keep things interesting and arrive at unexpected outcomes”

Richard Allen Editorial illustration is considered by many to be at the apex of commercial art. Used to summarise a subject or put forward a visual concept, work opportunities can be obtained through magazine or book covers and even accompanying technical or scientific articles. This ability to encapsulate the ideas within an article or narrative in a visual format, truly defining the editorial genre, is what appealed to successful commercial artist A. Richard Allen. Richard was beguiled from an early age with the ideas and artistry at work in the Observer magazine, finding the encapsulated ideas more engaging than the text alone. Embracing this genre, turning his back on his fine art roots and mastering in illustration, Richard found the editorial industry to be more precarious than he first imagined. With such expectation, how does Richard now feel about the commercial prospects of the genre? “While I’ve done reasonably well making a living from editorial illustration, it’s not the most lucrative or most reliable line of work,” admits Richard. “Salaried editorial illustrators are few and far between. I’m sure that even the most in-demand editorial illustrator wouldn’t necessarily describe themselves as an editorial illustrator to the exclusion of all other fields.”

Richard therefore works in related areas such as publishing and advertising as well. So what sustains his consistent interest in this changeable field? “The variety of subject matter, the unpredictability of assignments and living on my wits is what keeps me interested in editorial work,” he explains. “Print illustration will undoubtedly change with technology and the shifting tastes of publishers and editors. While I work mainly on computer, I have a lingering affection for seeing work printed on paper. I’m sure I’ll adjust to seeing my work appearing on-screen more often.” In a sometimes perilous industry with significant rewards, what advice does Richard have for those with a desire to pursue a career in editorial illustration? “I would suggest that predicting the future nature of the market that you are entering is of less importance than honing your talents as a communicator. The ability to draw and think laterally is vital. You will always need to be exploring and recording your visual environment, gaining plenty of influences from inside illustration and beyond. Don’t be too hung-up on acquiring a particular style – but don’t be all things to all people.” www.arichardallen.com/

/

91

Advanced Photoshop

086-091_AVP36_Genre Gods.indd 91

21/9/07 13:40:34

Part six

We present the final part of our Photoshop encyclopaedia measurements. Vanishing Point can also be used to paste graphics in perspective for illustration purposes and packaging mock-ups. The new dialog allows you to adjust brush strokes, healing and cloning as you paint over the planes. Unlike previous versions, you’re no longer restricted to 90° angles. You can quickly and easily create multiple planes, connected to any angle.

V

ariables

V

arnishes

V

ector masks

Variables in Photoshop are used to define which elements in your design change in a template. There are three different options for defining variables: Visibility shows or hides the content of a layer, Pixel Replacement replaces the pixels in a layer with pixels from another image, and Text Replacement replaces text in a type layer. You can define a variable by choosing Image> Variables>Define. Then select a layer from the Layer drop-down menu and choose the content you want to define as a variable.

Take a look at the front of this month’s cover and you’ll notice that we’ve applied a Spot Varnish treatment. This was created by applying a Spot channel to the original image. This procedure is very simple to achieve. Select Window>Channels to bring up the Channels palette and create a new channel by pressing the Channel button. Choose New Spot Channel from the Channels palette menu. Any selection you make in this channel will define your varnish target. In the New Spot Channel dialog box, click the Color box and choose your colour.

V

anishing Point

CS3 saw some innovative changes for the Vanishing Point command. Working on the principle that you can correct

perspective planes in your image (for subjects such as the sides of buildings, walls, floors or any rectangular object), Vanishing Point is perfect for correcting lens distortion. Photoshop Extended also now allows you to measure objects in an image and export 3D information and

You can create a Vector mask using the Pen or Shape Tools. It’s easy to add a Vector mask that shows or hides the entire layer. With your Layers palette open, select the layer that you want to add your Vector mask to and select Layer>Vector Mask>Reveal All/Hide All. You can also use the Vector mask to show contents of a shape by selecting a path, or drawing a work path and selecting Layer>Vector Mask>Current Path.

92

Advanced Photoshop

092-093_AVP_36_A-Z.indd 92

21/9/07 09:38:28

A TO Z PHOTOSHOP TIPS

W

arming filters

The Photo filters in Photoshop have a similar effect to placing a coloured filter in front of your lens. Photo filters are perfect for adjusting your colour balance and colour temperature. There are several different preset Photo filters that you can apply to your images. To do this, simply select either Image> Adjustments>Photo Filter or Layer>New Adjustment Layer> Photo and choose the filter from the drop-down menu.

W

atermarks

Watermarks are the best way to add copyright information to your images. A watermark will add a digital code to the image that is pretty much invisible

to the human eye, using Digimarc ImageBridge technology. Digimarc watermarks can be detected in both digital and printed forms, making your work extra secure. This is particularly useful for those who license their work. Digimarc has its own website on which you will find more information. Visit www.digimarc.com.

W

destination folder also specified. Photoshop will automatically create your webpage and put thumbnails, HTML pages and other data into this folder.

eb Photo Galleries

Adobe Bridge can be used to create your own Web Gallery in a few simple steps, but you can also carry this job out in Photoshop by choosing File> Automate>Web Photo Gallery. There is a wide range of gallery styles in the Web Photo Gallery dialog box, each with a small illustration so you can see exactly how they will look. To import images for a web page using the automated Web Photo Gallery, all images have to be selected from one designated source folder, and a

W

orkspaces

It’s possible to save the size and position of your panels just the way you like them, using Workspaces. Saved Workspaces can be found under the menu Window>Workspace. If you’ve set up a particular Workspace in which you enjoy carrying out your Photoshop work, you can save it by choosing Window> Workspace>Save Workspace. Be sure to select all three options: Palette Locations, Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus.

X

MP

XMP is the standard Metadata format that is supported in Adobe Bridge and Adobe Photoshop, among others. Many important Bridge features, including keyword searches, are made possible using the XMP format. XMP allows you to exchange metadata between Adobe applications. You can save metadata from one file and import it into another.

Z

oomify

Zoomify is the process by which you can post high-resolution images on the web, and users can pan and zoom to see more detail. You control your Zoomify options by selecting the command File>Export>Zoomify.

93

Advanced Photoshop

092-093_AVP_36_A-Z.indd 93

21/9/07 09:39:17