~ :: About Adobe PhotoShop :: ~
Founded :1990
Website: http://www.adobe.com/photoshop
Company Overview: Adobe Photoshop is the market-leading image editing application made by Adobe Systems of San Jose, CA. Although originally designed for editing images for print, Photoshop is used today for a wide range of other amateur and professional purposes.Products:Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/Photoshop
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Website: http://www.adobe.com/photoshop
Company Overview: Adobe Photoshop is the market-leading image editing application made by Adobe Systems of San Jose, CA. Although originally designed for editing images for print, Photoshop is used today for a wide range of other amateur and professional purposes.Products:Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/Photoshop
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♦♦♦ Tweaks For PhotoShop CS3 or Higher ♦♦♦
:: How to Turn Humdrum Photos into Cinematic Portraits ::
There are a plethora of ways to treat a portrait for a myriad of uses, but that is for another feature. Let’s tackle adding drama or a cinematic quality to a regular, humdrum portrait. Let’s even throw in a little bit of faking HDR. That way if you work on a project that requires a stunning shot without the stunning photography, you’ll be able to cobble something together using your mad skillz!
Asset Preparation
The images I’ve used are: The man, the cloud, the water drops 1, and water drops 2. As always feel free to use your own images, however you may need to tweak the settings of any of the steps to get the right effect with different assets.
Step 1 : Open the man image from iStockphoto and separate him from the background. Use whichever method you’re comfortable with, I would usually use the Pen Tool, but I’ll be honest, as he’s got no hair to worry about and the background is white I kinda cheated. I used the, ahem, Magic Wand Tool to select the white. I then Feathered the selection by 1 pixel (Select > Feather), expanded it by 2 pixels (Select > Modify > Expand) and hit delete 2-3 times until the white halo disappeared. Call this layer “MAN.” Select the Dodge Tool, set the Range to Highlights and the Exposure to 15% and run it over the Iris a couple of times. This should bring the eyes out a bit.
Step 2 : Open up the cloud image from sxc.hu and import it into the document underneath the “MAN” layer. Resize it to about 130% and drag (Use the Select Tool, hold Alt and simply drag the cloud around the canvas) three duplicates. Overlap them as in the image below. Then select the eraser, set as a large soft-edged brush, and run it along the hard-edges where the cloud layers meet.
Step 3 : Finally, select the Clone Tool, set it to a large (around 400 pixels) soft-edged (0% hardness) brush and clone out the obvious pattern repetitions. Choose multiple source points to avoid more obvious patterns.
Step 4 : These next few steps are a lot easier if you have access to a graphics tablet, however you can still do it with a mouse. Create a Curves Adjustment Layer just above the “MAN” layer and check the box that’s marked Use Previous Layer to Create a Clipping Mask. Set it up as shown and call it “CURVES_DARK.” Select the “CURVES_DARK” layer mask and fill it with black, this should hide the effects of the Curves.
Select the Paintbrush Tool and set it to 0% Hardness, 15% Opacity and 65% Flow. Change the Brush size to suit the part of the image you’re treating. Obviously the bigger the brush, the smoother the transition. Set the Foreground Color to White and begin painting directly on the Layer Mask. Some areas require more work than others so don’t be scared of going over some patches several times.Check the image below for approximate brush sizes to use. Cover both the skin and clothing. There is no exact science to this, it’s a lot of trial and error.
To get the finer details you’ll need to reduce the brush size right down. The eyelashes as an example required a 3 pixel brush, but I increased the opacity to around 40 percent. I did the same with the wrinkles and other hard-edges.
Ultimately, your Layer Mask should resemble this (press Alt and click on the Layer Mask to see where you’ve painted on the mask). I didn’t quite do enough on the Mask and there are three ways to rectify this. Option 1 is to double-click on the Layer Thumbnail (this is represented, in this case, by a circle that’s half black and half grey). Adjust the Curves to produce a darker result. Option 2 is to continue painting on the Layer Mask, but you risk messing up your good work. Option 3 is to duplicate the Curves Adjustment Layer, then you can scale back the effect by tweaking the Layer Opacity.
Step 5 : Again, all you peeps with a graphics tablet are going to find this a lot easier. Create another Curves Adjustment Layer above “MAN” and “CURVES_DARK” on the layer palette. Check the box that’s marked Use Previous Layer to Create a Clipping Mask and call it “CURVES_LIGHT.” Pull the upper part of the line upwards to lighten the image. Note: How much you manipulate the Curves layers (including “CURVES_DARK”) affects how much you’ll need to draw on the Layer Mask and how much you’ll need to tweak the overall exposure later on.
Fill the “CURVES_LIGHT” Layer Mask with black and Draw directly onto it with a soft-edged brush loaded with white. Again pick the brush size and opacity to match the area you’re treating. If you overdo an area, load your brush with black and go over the problem area.
You’re looking to paint over all the areas where there are highlights. To strengthen things like the wrinkles, you should paint light next to the dark but not over it. Paint up to hard-edges with a small brush and then away from it with a large brush to diffuse the transition.Alt-click on your Layer Mask thumbnail to see where you’ve painted on it. It should resemble the image below. Note the Layers palette as well, all my layers are currently on Normal at 100% Opacity and Fill. The little arrow next to the Layer thumbnail signifies that it’s using the lower layer as a clipping mask.
If yours don’t, then select the “CURVES” layer and go to Layer > Create clipping mask. To mask off any areas you require a hard-edge such as the bottom of the nose, simply draw around it using the Pen Tool, turn the path into a selection and paint onto the appropriate Layer Mask.
Step 6 :Create a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer above “MAN,” “CURVES_DARK” and “CURVES_LIGHT.” Use the underlying layers as a Clipping Mask. Set the Gradient Map as shown below and then change the Layer Blending Mode to Soft Light and the Opacity to 75%. Now you could tweak the hue/saturation, play with the channel mixer and add a nice studio-esque background and stop there for now. But let’s carry on and add some real drama to this.
Step 7 : Add a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer below “MAN” and above “CLOUD.” Input the darker color as #164370 (a darkish blue) and the lighter color as #e2dc9a (a muddy yellow). OK this, then set the Layer Blending Mode as Soft Light and change the Layer Opacity to 68%. Add a Curves Adjustment Layer directly below the Gradient Map. Adjust as shown and then change the Layer Opacity to 60%. Your Layers palette should that shown below.
Step 8 : Add a new layer directly above “CLOUD” and fill it with 60% black. Set the Blending Mode to Overlay (it should disappear). Select the Burn Tool and set to a big brush (917 diameter, 0% hardness), set the Range to Midtones and the Exposure to around 15%. Then burn around the corners to create a vignette. Call the layer “VIGNETTE” and adjust the Opacity to suit. Mine ended up at 77%.
Step 9 :Create a new layer directly above “MAN” (using “MAN” as a Clipping Path) and another directly below the “CLOUD_CURVES” and “GRADIENTMAP” layers. Call the new layers “WHITEGLOW.” Select the Paintbrush Tool, load it with white and work on the layers as shown below. Create a soft, white glow below the man to lift him from the background. Then create a white glow above to bleed light from the background over the subject. Follow the pink path as shown, then go over a second time.
Step 10 :This next step is a stylistic choice as we’re going for a stylized look. However, if you want a more naturalistic finish you can skip this part. Select all the layers currently linked with “MAN.”
Then go to Filter > Stylize > Glowing Edges and set up as shown.
We want to knock out the midtones on this so go to Image > Adjustments > Levels and set up as shown
Then change the Layer Blending Mode to Screen and drop the Opacity down to around 34%. Duplicate this layer and set the duplicate Blending Mode to Overlay, change the Opacity to around 13%. I also masked off areas around the chin on the original Glowing Edges Layer (Screen, 34%).
Step 11 :Duplicate the “CLOUD” layer and drag it above the “GLOW_EDGES” layers. Apply a 2-3 pixel Gaussian Blur, then set the Layer Blending Mode to Screen and the Opacity to 50%. Take a soft-edged Eraser and delete all parts of the cloud that spill over the face and details. Duplicate the layer and drag it until you get a fairly even coverage of mist at the bottom of the image. Call these layers “CLOUD_BLURRED.”
Step 12 :Download the water drops 1 image from sxc.hu and open it. Go to Image > Rotate Canvas > 180 degrees. Erase the bigger ball of water and the broken balloon part.
Then select the Burn Tool, set it to Shadows with an Exposure of 35% and run it along where you’ve erased. This should give a more realistic blend.
Paste it into your document directly above the “CLOUD_BLURRED” layers and set the Blending Mode to Screen. Position on the shoulder so that the condensed drips line up with the mans shoulder. You will need to rotate it to fit. Then drag a duplicate of this layer along the shoulder, rotate and fit. Call these layers “DROPS_RIGHT.”
Duplicate both “DROPS_RIGHT” layers and with the duplicates selected go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal. Rotate them to fit the line of the shoulder and rename them both “DROPS_LEFT.”Download and open the water drops 2 image from sxc.hu. We only want the drops here so delete the Balloon and the denser part of the water (Eraser and then Burn Tool). Paste into the Working document, change Blending Mode to Screen. To get smaller bits of spray simply resize to make them smaller.
To get drops of rain, drag a duplicate and resize bigger. Make several copies until you get a good spread. Use the Clone Tool to get a more precise covering. Then group the layers, select the group and go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal all. Use this Mask to soften the impact of the rain, remove any drops covering detail and give it an overall clean up.
Step 13 : Create a new layer directly above the “WATER_DROPS” group (the rain and stuff) and call it “STARBURST.” Fill it with 60% black and go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise and set up as shown below.Then go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur. Apply a Zoom blur as shown. The Blur center should be just on the mans shoulder. If you don’t hit that, then just reposition the layer and resize it so it fills the entire canvas.
Finally, adjust the Levels as in the image below and set the Layer Blending Mode to Overlay. As 60% is pretty much an overlay neutral color, and the levels are well balanced out, it shouldn’t affect the whole image. Add a Layer Mask to mask out any areas that you don’t want rays. I masked out parts of the face and shirt.
Step 14 : Create a new layer directly above “STARBURST” and call it “FAKE_RAIN.” Fill it with 60% black, add noise (as you did for “STARBURST”) and then resize it.Then go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur.Bring up the blending options (click the f symbol in the black circle at the bottom of layers palette) and pull the black Layer Slider across to 130.Apply a Small Gaussian Blur.
And a Smart Sharpen filter.
Finally, tweak the Levels and set the Layer Blending Mode to Hard Light.
Step 15 : Duplicate “FAKE_RAIN,” call it “FAKE_RAIN_BGROUND” and move it below the “VIGNETTE” layer on the layers palette. Rotate it 10 degrees or so and change the Layer Opacity to 75%.
Step 16 : Create a new Gradient Map Adjustment Layer directly above “FAKE_RAIN.” Set the darker color as #075053 and the lighter color as white. Then set the Layer Blending Mode to Color with an Opacity of 55%. Add a Layer Mask (Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All), grab a large soft-edged brush, load it with black, reduce brush Opacity to 20% and paint over the face area a couple of times.
Step 17 : Add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer directly above the Gradient Map you just created. Pull the Saturation slider down to -68% and OK it. At this staged I added a Layer Mask and masked off some of the red tie using the a soft-edged brush at 25% Opacity.
Step 18 : Add a Curves Adjustment Layer above that and set up as shown below. It’s looking pretty moody now, time to add the finishers on this.
Step 19 : Create a new layer above the three new Adjustment Layers and call it “OVERLAY_DODGE/BURN.” Fill it with 60% black and change the Layer Blending Mode to Overlay. Using the Dodge and Burn Tools we’re going to further boost some highlights and a couple of shadows.Here’s how it looks with the changes.
Here’s roughly what your “OVERLAY_DODGE/BURN” layer should look like on Normal Blending Mode. Notice that some areas are whiter than others, those areas have been painted on more times than the darker parts. Layering it up is the key to a smooth and natural transition.
Step 20 : As a little salad garnish I’ve added a lens flare. Fill a new layer with black. Go to Filter > Render > Lens Flare and pick 105mm prime. The default settings should be fine. Set the lens flare Layer Blending Mode to Screen and position it above the shoulder. It’s worth mentioning that I also applied a small amount of noise, followed by a Gaussian Blur (around 4 pixels) and then a smart sharpen (around 150 at 7 pixels).
Step 21 : Select all of your layers and duplicate them. Merge all the duplicated layers into one, making sure you leave the originals untouched. Duplicate the merged layer and name one “HIGH_PASS” and one “INVERTED.” Select “HIGH_PASS” and go to Filter > Other > High Pass. OK a 2 pixel pass and then set the Layer to Overlay. Mask off any sections you feel are too strong, I did the starburst area a little.
Step 22 : Select the “INVERTED” layer and desaturate it (Command + Shift + U). Then invert it (Command + I), apply a 40 pixel Gaussian Blur and then set the Layer Blending Mode to Overlay. It’s a little much so drop the Layer Opacity to around 45% or whatever you’re comfortable with.
Conclusion : You should be left with a highly editable image. Adjust Layer Opacities, fine-tune Layer Masks, play with Adjustment Layers or even turn visibility of some of the layers off. Even without the rain and the clouds and whatnot, what you’re left with is a way to make portraits punchier.
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Step 1 : Open the man image from iStockphoto and separate him from the background. Use whichever method you’re comfortable with, I would usually use the Pen Tool, but I’ll be honest, as he’s got no hair to worry about and the background is white I kinda cheated. I used the, ahem, Magic Wand Tool to select the white. I then Feathered the selection by 1 pixel (Select > Feather), expanded it by 2 pixels (Select > Modify > Expand) and hit delete 2-3 times until the white halo disappeared. Call this layer “MAN.” Select the Dodge Tool, set the Range to Highlights and the Exposure to 15% and run it over the Iris a couple of times. This should bring the eyes out a bit.
Step 2 : Open up the cloud image from sxc.hu and import it into the document underneath the “MAN” layer. Resize it to about 130% and drag (Use the Select Tool, hold Alt and simply drag the cloud around the canvas) three duplicates. Overlap them as in the image below. Then select the eraser, set as a large soft-edged brush, and run it along the hard-edges where the cloud layers meet.
Step 3 : Finally, select the Clone Tool, set it to a large (around 400 pixels) soft-edged (0% hardness) brush and clone out the obvious pattern repetitions. Choose multiple source points to avoid more obvious patterns.
Step 4 : These next few steps are a lot easier if you have access to a graphics tablet, however you can still do it with a mouse. Create a Curves Adjustment Layer just above the “MAN” layer and check the box that’s marked Use Previous Layer to Create a Clipping Mask. Set it up as shown and call it “CURVES_DARK.” Select the “CURVES_DARK” layer mask and fill it with black, this should hide the effects of the Curves.
Select the Paintbrush Tool and set it to 0% Hardness, 15% Opacity and 65% Flow. Change the Brush size to suit the part of the image you’re treating. Obviously the bigger the brush, the smoother the transition. Set the Foreground Color to White and begin painting directly on the Layer Mask. Some areas require more work than others so don’t be scared of going over some patches several times.Check the image below for approximate brush sizes to use. Cover both the skin and clothing. There is no exact science to this, it’s a lot of trial and error.
To get the finer details you’ll need to reduce the brush size right down. The eyelashes as an example required a 3 pixel brush, but I increased the opacity to around 40 percent. I did the same with the wrinkles and other hard-edges.
Ultimately, your Layer Mask should resemble this (press Alt and click on the Layer Mask to see where you’ve painted on the mask). I didn’t quite do enough on the Mask and there are three ways to rectify this. Option 1 is to double-click on the Layer Thumbnail (this is represented, in this case, by a circle that’s half black and half grey). Adjust the Curves to produce a darker result. Option 2 is to continue painting on the Layer Mask, but you risk messing up your good work. Option 3 is to duplicate the Curves Adjustment Layer, then you can scale back the effect by tweaking the Layer Opacity.
Step 5 : Again, all you peeps with a graphics tablet are going to find this a lot easier. Create another Curves Adjustment Layer above “MAN” and “CURVES_DARK” on the layer palette. Check the box that’s marked Use Previous Layer to Create a Clipping Mask and call it “CURVES_LIGHT.” Pull the upper part of the line upwards to lighten the image. Note: How much you manipulate the Curves layers (including “CURVES_DARK”) affects how much you’ll need to draw on the Layer Mask and how much you’ll need to tweak the overall exposure later on.
Fill the “CURVES_LIGHT” Layer Mask with black and Draw directly onto it with a soft-edged brush loaded with white. Again pick the brush size and opacity to match the area you’re treating. If you overdo an area, load your brush with black and go over the problem area.
You’re looking to paint over all the areas where there are highlights. To strengthen things like the wrinkles, you should paint light next to the dark but not over it. Paint up to hard-edges with a small brush and then away from it with a large brush to diffuse the transition.Alt-click on your Layer Mask thumbnail to see where you’ve painted on it. It should resemble the image below. Note the Layers palette as well, all my layers are currently on Normal at 100% Opacity and Fill. The little arrow next to the Layer thumbnail signifies that it’s using the lower layer as a clipping mask.
If yours don’t, then select the “CURVES” layer and go to Layer > Create clipping mask. To mask off any areas you require a hard-edge such as the bottom of the nose, simply draw around it using the Pen Tool, turn the path into a selection and paint onto the appropriate Layer Mask.
Step 6 :Create a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer above “MAN,” “CURVES_DARK” and “CURVES_LIGHT.” Use the underlying layers as a Clipping Mask. Set the Gradient Map as shown below and then change the Layer Blending Mode to Soft Light and the Opacity to 75%. Now you could tweak the hue/saturation, play with the channel mixer and add a nice studio-esque background and stop there for now. But let’s carry on and add some real drama to this.
Step 7 : Add a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer below “MAN” and above “CLOUD.” Input the darker color as #164370 (a darkish blue) and the lighter color as #e2dc9a (a muddy yellow). OK this, then set the Layer Blending Mode as Soft Light and change the Layer Opacity to 68%. Add a Curves Adjustment Layer directly below the Gradient Map. Adjust as shown and then change the Layer Opacity to 60%. Your Layers palette should that shown below.
Step 8 : Add a new layer directly above “CLOUD” and fill it with 60% black. Set the Blending Mode to Overlay (it should disappear). Select the Burn Tool and set to a big brush (917 diameter, 0% hardness), set the Range to Midtones and the Exposure to around 15%. Then burn around the corners to create a vignette. Call the layer “VIGNETTE” and adjust the Opacity to suit. Mine ended up at 77%.
Step 9 :Create a new layer directly above “MAN” (using “MAN” as a Clipping Path) and another directly below the “CLOUD_CURVES” and “GRADIENTMAP” layers. Call the new layers “WHITEGLOW.” Select the Paintbrush Tool, load it with white and work on the layers as shown below. Create a soft, white glow below the man to lift him from the background. Then create a white glow above to bleed light from the background over the subject. Follow the pink path as shown, then go over a second time.
Step 10 :This next step is a stylistic choice as we’re going for a stylized look. However, if you want a more naturalistic finish you can skip this part. Select all the layers currently linked with “MAN.”
Then go to Filter > Stylize > Glowing Edges and set up as shown.
We want to knock out the midtones on this so go to Image > Adjustments > Levels and set up as shown
Then change the Layer Blending Mode to Screen and drop the Opacity down to around 34%. Duplicate this layer and set the duplicate Blending Mode to Overlay, change the Opacity to around 13%. I also masked off areas around the chin on the original Glowing Edges Layer (Screen, 34%).
Step 11 :Duplicate the “CLOUD” layer and drag it above the “GLOW_EDGES” layers. Apply a 2-3 pixel Gaussian Blur, then set the Layer Blending Mode to Screen and the Opacity to 50%. Take a soft-edged Eraser and delete all parts of the cloud that spill over the face and details. Duplicate the layer and drag it until you get a fairly even coverage of mist at the bottom of the image. Call these layers “CLOUD_BLURRED.”
Step 12 :Download the water drops 1 image from sxc.hu and open it. Go to Image > Rotate Canvas > 180 degrees. Erase the bigger ball of water and the broken balloon part.
Then select the Burn Tool, set it to Shadows with an Exposure of 35% and run it along where you’ve erased. This should give a more realistic blend.
Paste it into your document directly above the “CLOUD_BLURRED” layers and set the Blending Mode to Screen. Position on the shoulder so that the condensed drips line up with the mans shoulder. You will need to rotate it to fit. Then drag a duplicate of this layer along the shoulder, rotate and fit. Call these layers “DROPS_RIGHT.”
Duplicate both “DROPS_RIGHT” layers and with the duplicates selected go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal. Rotate them to fit the line of the shoulder and rename them both “DROPS_LEFT.”Download and open the water drops 2 image from sxc.hu. We only want the drops here so delete the Balloon and the denser part of the water (Eraser and then Burn Tool). Paste into the Working document, change Blending Mode to Screen. To get smaller bits of spray simply resize to make them smaller.
To get drops of rain, drag a duplicate and resize bigger. Make several copies until you get a good spread. Use the Clone Tool to get a more precise covering. Then group the layers, select the group and go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal all. Use this Mask to soften the impact of the rain, remove any drops covering detail and give it an overall clean up.
Step 13 : Create a new layer directly above the “WATER_DROPS” group (the rain and stuff) and call it “STARBURST.” Fill it with 60% black and go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise and set up as shown below.Then go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur. Apply a Zoom blur as shown. The Blur center should be just on the mans shoulder. If you don’t hit that, then just reposition the layer and resize it so it fills the entire canvas.
Finally, adjust the Levels as in the image below and set the Layer Blending Mode to Overlay. As 60% is pretty much an overlay neutral color, and the levels are well balanced out, it shouldn’t affect the whole image. Add a Layer Mask to mask out any areas that you don’t want rays. I masked out parts of the face and shirt.
Step 14 : Create a new layer directly above “STARBURST” and call it “FAKE_RAIN.” Fill it with 60% black, add noise (as you did for “STARBURST”) and then resize it.Then go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur.Bring up the blending options (click the f symbol in the black circle at the bottom of layers palette) and pull the black Layer Slider across to 130.Apply a Small Gaussian Blur.
And a Smart Sharpen filter.
Finally, tweak the Levels and set the Layer Blending Mode to Hard Light.
Step 15 : Duplicate “FAKE_RAIN,” call it “FAKE_RAIN_BGROUND” and move it below the “VIGNETTE” layer on the layers palette. Rotate it 10 degrees or so and change the Layer Opacity to 75%.
Step 16 : Create a new Gradient Map Adjustment Layer directly above “FAKE_RAIN.” Set the darker color as #075053 and the lighter color as white. Then set the Layer Blending Mode to Color with an Opacity of 55%. Add a Layer Mask (Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All), grab a large soft-edged brush, load it with black, reduce brush Opacity to 20% and paint over the face area a couple of times.
Step 17 : Add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer directly above the Gradient Map you just created. Pull the Saturation slider down to -68% and OK it. At this staged I added a Layer Mask and masked off some of the red tie using the a soft-edged brush at 25% Opacity.
Step 18 : Add a Curves Adjustment Layer above that and set up as shown below. It’s looking pretty moody now, time to add the finishers on this.
Step 19 : Create a new layer above the three new Adjustment Layers and call it “OVERLAY_DODGE/BURN.” Fill it with 60% black and change the Layer Blending Mode to Overlay. Using the Dodge and Burn Tools we’re going to further boost some highlights and a couple of shadows.Here’s how it looks with the changes.
Here’s roughly what your “OVERLAY_DODGE/BURN” layer should look like on Normal Blending Mode. Notice that some areas are whiter than others, those areas have been painted on more times than the darker parts. Layering it up is the key to a smooth and natural transition.
Step 20 : As a little salad garnish I’ve added a lens flare. Fill a new layer with black. Go to Filter > Render > Lens Flare and pick 105mm prime. The default settings should be fine. Set the lens flare Layer Blending Mode to Screen and position it above the shoulder. It’s worth mentioning that I also applied a small amount of noise, followed by a Gaussian Blur (around 4 pixels) and then a smart sharpen (around 150 at 7 pixels).
Step 21 : Select all of your layers and duplicate them. Merge all the duplicated layers into one, making sure you leave the originals untouched. Duplicate the merged layer and name one “HIGH_PASS” and one “INVERTED.” Select “HIGH_PASS” and go to Filter > Other > High Pass. OK a 2 pixel pass and then set the Layer to Overlay. Mask off any sections you feel are too strong, I did the starburst area a little.
Step 22 : Select the “INVERTED” layer and desaturate it (Command + Shift + U). Then invert it (Command + I), apply a 40 pixel Gaussian Blur and then set the Layer Blending Mode to Overlay. It’s a little much so drop the Layer Opacity to around 45% or whatever you’re comfortable with.
Conclusion : You should be left with a highly editable image. Adjust Layer Opacities, fine-tune Layer Masks, play with Adjustment Layers or even turn visibility of some of the layers off. Even without the rain and the clouds and whatnot, what you’re left with is a way to make portraits punchier.
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:: How to Create a Chilling Photo Manipulation in Photoshop ::
Step 1 – Blending The BackgroundOpen the pictures of the sky and the pier and drag them into the new document. Name the layer with the pier "PIER" and place it above the sky.
Now add the Layer Mask to the “PIER” (You can find the button Add Vector Mask in the Layers palette). Now grab the Brush Tool (B), select a soft round brush and pick black for the color. Make sure that the vector mask is selected (just click on it) and start painting over the areas you want to disappear.
You should use a smaller brush around the horizon to make the blending more precise. After this step your picture should be similar to that shown below.
Step 2 – Adding The DemonOpen the picture of the body of the deamon, drag it into the manipulation and name it "BODY." Now open the picture with the head, grab the Marquee Tool (M) and select the area of the head. Now select the Move Tool (V) and drag the head into the photo manipulation. Name the layer "HEAD." Press Command + T. It allows you to rotate with the layer. Set the rotation so it will be the same as the rotation of the demon’s neck. When you’re satisfied, press Enter.
Now we have to blend the head. Add the vector mask to the “HEAD” and with a black brush paint over the areas you want to hide, which means the background of the stock image and also parts of the face which are already covered with the ice. Also, hide the eyes because we cover them with the skull shortly.Open the picture of the skull and select the hole instead of the eyes (there are many ways to select something, you can use whatever you are comfortable with). Then drag them into the manipulation and place them instead of the eyes.
Create a new layer. Using the Brush Tool (B), pick a cyan color and paint two dots instead of pupils.
Step 3 – Adding IceIn this step we will add ice above the demon’s head and hand. Open the picture of ice. Now go to Select > Color Range… and set the value Fuzziness to about 170. Color Range is a useful tool if you need to make selections based on their color or tonal value.Add the vector mask to the “ice” layer. Grab the Brush Tool (B) and load the abstract glow brushes. If you don’t know how to add brushes you can look at this tutorial. It’s better to use shaped brushes instead of classical rounded ones because this way you get a more natural result.
Now paint with black on the vector mask over the part which you want to disappear. During the process you should change the size and opacity of the brush to get more variations.
Now we will do the same process with the head. Use Color Range to select the ice. Copy it into the manipulation, then change the blending mode to Hard Light, add the vector mask, and blend it by using a glow brush.
Step 4 – Shading The HeadSo far the head is flat and it doesn’t look very realistic. In this step we will add some highlights and shadows to fix it.
Create a new layer and fill it with a gray color (#808080) and change the blending mode of the layer to Overlay. Now using of Dodge Tool and Burn Tool add the highlights and shadows. By adding this new “gray” layer you are working using nondestructively, which means that you can always go back and make changes. If you use dodge and burn directly on the “head” layer, then you aren’t able to fix anything later.
Step 5 – Adding The HourglassOpen the picture with the hourglass and make a selection of it. Then drag it into the manipulation, change the size and rotate it (Command + T) so that it has the same direction as the hand. Add a vector mask and select a small round brush, set the opacity of the brush on at a low value of around 15%, pick a black color and start to paint over the parts of the hourglass that should be semi-transparent (mainly glass).
Now we will add the movement. Copy the “hourglass” layer and place it under the original layer. Now go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur… and set the value on 12, then press OK.
One more thing which has to be done is adding shadows. Create a new layer under the layer with movement. Fill it with #808080 color and change the blending mode on Overlay. Now select a soft, round brush, pick black for the color, lower the Opacity on 20%, and paint the shadows around the hourglass and under the hand.
Step 6 – Adding Water SplashIn this step we will add the water around the demon. We’ll use Color Range as we did it in the previous steps.
Found some stock photos with waves. I used these – waves 1, waves 2, waves 3, waves 4 from sxc.hu and also these water splash brushes.
Open the photo with waves, go to Select > Color Range and set Fuzziness on the value you’re comfortable with. It’s the same as selecting ice in Step 3. Just remember that the white parts will be selected and the black will not, gray will be semi-transparent. You should place some waves in front of the demon and also some behind, so it will look realistic. For inspiration on how to place waves look at the animation below.
Step 7 – Adding The WizardDownload a stock photo of a magician. The one I used is not publicly available, but it is no problem to find something similar. Cut out the background and using the Move Tool drag the selection into your document. Press Command + T and resize the picture to proper size.
Create a new layer above the layer with the wizard. Select the glow brush (it can be the one we used during blending the ice or you can download some you like more), pick a cyan color and paint the spell. Quite easy isn’t it?
I also added lighting between his hands, but it’s really up to you and how do you imagine the spell. You can use of course different colors Let your imagination play.
Step 8 – Adding The LightingThe main things are done. In the next steps we’ll add some details and then change the color and lights with shadows. Let’s start with the lighting.
Select the Brush Tool and add the lighting brushes you downloaded. Pick a white color, create a new layer and click on the place where you want to have lighting.
If you look at some photos of storms with lighting you’ll notice that clouds around the lighting are very light. And that is exactly what we’ll do now. Create a new layer again, fill it with gray and change the Blending Mode to Overlay. Now pick a soft round brush with a white color, set the Opacity on 10% and paint over the sky around the lighting to make it brighter.
I also paint some birds to fill the empty space under the demon’s left and upper-right hand. But it’s absolutely up to you if you do it too, or if you add some more details.
Step 9 – Local AdjustmentsSome parts of the demon’s face should be lighter and the hourglass should have more contrast. We’ll fix it in this step.
Click on the layer with the demon’s face (not with the ice) and add an adjustment layer of Levels (the Create a new fill or adjustment layer button can be found in the bottom part of the Layers palette).
Set the Input Levels on 0; 1,64;255 and press OK. Now right-click on the adjustment layer and select the option Create Clipping Mask. This way the adjustment affects only the layer which is below it (in our case the face).
Now click on the layer with the hourglass and also add a Levels adjustment layer. Now set the Input Levels on 26; 1,34; 215. Press OK and create a clipping mask too.
Step 10 – Adding MistTo create bit more fantasy atmosphere we’ll add some mist in this step. Create a new layer on the top of your layers. Grab the Gradient Tool (G). Now press Alt and pick a bright color from the picture. Choose the type of the semi-transparent gradient you see in the picture below and paint it from the bottom up to the wizard. Better to look at the picture to understand clearly. I made the gradient red so you can see better what to do.
Step 11 – Setting The Global LightingNow we’ll add some more dramatic lighting. Add a new layer on the top of your layers and fill it with a solid mid gray (#808080). Change the Blending Mode on Overlay. Now go to Filter > Render > Lighting Effects… and set the menu as you can see below, then press OK.
The demon’s head and right hand should be little lighter. To fix it use the Brush Tool (B), select a soft round brush, pick a white color and lower the Opacity of the brush to 10%. Now paint over the parts which should be lighter (on the same layer where you added the omni light). If you think some parts should be darker, pick a black color and paint over them.
On this picture below you can see my "setting lights" layer with normal blending mode set.
As you can notice I darkened wizard little bit. The result of this step is seen in the next picture.
Step 12 – Adding TextureThis is a simple step. Open the picture with the grunge texture you downloaded and drag it into the manipulation on the top of all layers. Now experiment with opacity and blending modes to get the result you will like. I used the blending mode Soft Light and set the Opacity on 37%.
Step 13 – Global AdjustmentIn this step we’ll set the global color adjustment of the picture. At first we will desaturate it a little. Add a new adjustment layer Hue/Saturation on the top of your layers and set the Saturation on -50. Now add an adjustment layer of Color Balance and set it as shown in the picture below.
Now we’ll change brightness and contrast. Add an adjustment layer of Brightness/Contrast and set both values at +10. And for the last adjustment, add a Photo Filter and set the Filter to Cyan to give a nice cyan tinge to the photo manipulation.
Step 14 – SharpeningSharpening is the last step we’ll do before this photo manipulation is finished. Grab the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and select the whole image. Now go to Edit > Copy Merged or just press Shift + Command + C. Then press Command + V to paste the merged image.
Now go to Filter > Other > Highpass and set the Radius on 4px, then press OK. The last thing you have to do is to change the Blending Mode of this layer to Overlay. The final image is shown below!
Conclusion ::Congratulations! You’ve just learnt how to create a photo manipulation called "You Can Not Frost The Time." I hope that this tutorial was useful for you and you have learnt something new or just found some inspiration for your next project.
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Electrifying Beam Effect
Here's a great effect that will bring some energy to your subject. We'll be wrapping this singer's arm with a glowing beam of light, adding sparkles, and adjusting the colors to make it all seem magical.
Firstly, create a new layer, then grab your Pen Tool (P) and draw out a spiraling path, as if you have a snake wrapped around the arm.
Then select the Brush Tool (B) and set your diameter to 7px, with the Opacity and Flow at 100%, and your foreground color set to white. With your path still on the artwork, go back to the Pen Tool, right click on the canvas, and choose "Stroke Path." A menu will appear with the Brush set as the Tool. Check "Simulate Pressure" and press OK. This will make the beginning and end of your stroke thinner.
Now you need to delete the parts you want hidden behind the arm. With your stroke layer selected, choose "Add layer mask" at the bottom of the Layers Palette. Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) to select areas of the arm you want in front of the stroke -- use your eye and imagine how this path will wrap around the arm. Make sure your mask is active by clicking on it, and fill these selected areas with black. They should now be cut out, appearing as if they're behind the arm.
Right click on your stroke layer and choose Blending Options. A Layer Style menu will appear, where you'll be adding an Inner and Outer Glow to the stroke, making the edges of it glow with a blue hue.
Make a copy of your stroke layer and right click on the Layer Effects icon. Choose "Clear Layer Style" -- we simply want to blur this layer (about 6 pixels) to add another layer of glow. Everything's looking nice and illuminated here, so let�s add some sparkles. With your Brush Tool, add some quick spots around your glowing path with varying small brush sizes (3 - 5px). Make as many as you want here, as you're always free Erase undesired sparkles.Make a copy of your stroke layer and right click on the Layer Effects icon. Choose "Clear Layer Style" -- we simply want to blur this layer (about 6 pixels) to add another layer of glow. Everything's looking nice and illuminated here, so let�s add some sparkles. With your Brush Tool, add some quick spots around your glowing path with varying small brush sizes (3 - 5px). Make as many as you want here, as you're always free Erase undesired sparkles.
Our energy beam is nearly there. To make the effect more dramatic, you can adjust the overall hue of your photo. Create a new Curves adjustment layer, and tweak the colors to get a vibrant blue atmosphere. Download the Curves preset below to load it in your document. After your colors are locked in, use the Dodge Tool (O) (with a diameter of 35 pixels and the exposure set to 25%) to brush in some highlights underneath your beam, directly on the background photo. This makes it appear as if your beam is casting light on to the arm.
For the last part of this effect, we'll add one more layer of shimmer. Hold down Ctrl and click on your main stroked path in the layers palette -- your path should now be selected. Go to Select › Modify › and Expand the selection by 7px, then feather it by 10px.
Now select your background photo layer and apply a Plastic Wrap filter, found in your Artistic filters. This will add some wispy lines around your path. Set the Highlight Strength to 20, the Detail to 6, and the Smoothness to 8. Finally, lightly Gaussian Blur your background layer with the feathered selection still active.
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Firstly, create a new layer, then grab your Pen Tool (P) and draw out a spiraling path, as if you have a snake wrapped around the arm.
Then select the Brush Tool (B) and set your diameter to 7px, with the Opacity and Flow at 100%, and your foreground color set to white. With your path still on the artwork, go back to the Pen Tool, right click on the canvas, and choose "Stroke Path." A menu will appear with the Brush set as the Tool. Check "Simulate Pressure" and press OK. This will make the beginning and end of your stroke thinner.
Now you need to delete the parts you want hidden behind the arm. With your stroke layer selected, choose "Add layer mask" at the bottom of the Layers Palette. Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) to select areas of the arm you want in front of the stroke -- use your eye and imagine how this path will wrap around the arm. Make sure your mask is active by clicking on it, and fill these selected areas with black. They should now be cut out, appearing as if they're behind the arm.
Right click on your stroke layer and choose Blending Options. A Layer Style menu will appear, where you'll be adding an Inner and Outer Glow to the stroke, making the edges of it glow with a blue hue.
Make a copy of your stroke layer and right click on the Layer Effects icon. Choose "Clear Layer Style" -- we simply want to blur this layer (about 6 pixels) to add another layer of glow. Everything's looking nice and illuminated here, so let�s add some sparkles. With your Brush Tool, add some quick spots around your glowing path with varying small brush sizes (3 - 5px). Make as many as you want here, as you're always free Erase undesired sparkles.Make a copy of your stroke layer and right click on the Layer Effects icon. Choose "Clear Layer Style" -- we simply want to blur this layer (about 6 pixels) to add another layer of glow. Everything's looking nice and illuminated here, so let�s add some sparkles. With your Brush Tool, add some quick spots around your glowing path with varying small brush sizes (3 - 5px). Make as many as you want here, as you're always free Erase undesired sparkles.
Our energy beam is nearly there. To make the effect more dramatic, you can adjust the overall hue of your photo. Create a new Curves adjustment layer, and tweak the colors to get a vibrant blue atmosphere. Download the Curves preset below to load it in your document. After your colors are locked in, use the Dodge Tool (O) (with a diameter of 35 pixels and the exposure set to 25%) to brush in some highlights underneath your beam, directly on the background photo. This makes it appear as if your beam is casting light on to the arm.
For the last part of this effect, we'll add one more layer of shimmer. Hold down Ctrl and click on your main stroked path in the layers palette -- your path should now be selected. Go to Select › Modify › and Expand the selection by 7px, then feather it by 10px.
Now select your background photo layer and apply a Plastic Wrap filter, found in your Artistic filters. This will add some wispy lines around your path. Set the Highlight Strength to 20, the Detail to 6, and the Smoothness to 8. Finally, lightly Gaussian Blur your background layer with the feathered selection still active.
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:: How to Create a Severed Arm in Photoshop ::
Step 1 : We will be using two different stock items for this project – first, the arm from cobweb-stock (use “Arm08.jpg” from the zip file) and a lump of meat from stock xchng. Please remember to follow these artists rules and credit them where appropriate.
Link to Download Cobweb-stock : http://cobweb-stock.deviantart.com/art/Arm-Stock-Pack-1-14073811
We start by opening the arm picture in Photoshop and duplicating the
“Background” Layer by clicking Command + J. We want to preserve the background
layer for later on. Hold the Alt key + double-click the duplicate layer, then rename it “Arm.”
Choose the Pen Tool (set to Shape Layer) to cut out the arm from its background. Its important to have a clean cut, so first zoom into the picture using the Magnifying Glass and carefully trace around the edge cutting across the top of the arm, as in the picture below. If you set the Fill in the Layer Palette to a 0% you will be able to see the arm, but still manipulate the path.
Step 2 : Once you have completed your path and you are happy with it, click the Eye
Icon in the Layer Palette next to the Shape Layer to hide it. Follow this by
holding Command + Clicking the Shape Layer. This puts a Selection around the “Arm” Layer, now press Command + J on the keyboard to create a copy of the arm onto a new Layer, rename this Layer “Arm Prime” and hide it by clicking the Eye Icon.
Step 3 :We are now going to remove the arm and shadow from the “Arm” Layer. Choose the Heal Tool from the Toolbox with mode set to normal in the options bar. Sample some of the sheet around the arm by Holding Alt + Clicking the sheet. Luckily the sheet is quite creased so making it look convincing will be easy.
Start painting over the arm and resample different parts of the sheet to keep the texture from repeating. Activate “Arm Prime” from time to time to make sure you don’t go to far up the arm. Eventually the arm and shadow will be removed leaving you with a stump and a clean sheet as in the picture below.
Step 4 : Reactivate the “Arm Prime” layer by pressing the Eye Icon next to it in theLayer Palette. Next we want to add a Layer Mask (Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All) to this Layer so we can mask out some of the arm. Choose a Hard Edged brush from the Brush Picker setting the size to 80 pixels, Opacity of 100% and Flow of 100%. Next set your Foreground color to black (#000000) and on the Layer Mask draw four cutting lines as in the picture below.
Step 5 : Save your progress and open the meat texture file that we downloaded earlier. Once again cut it out from its background. You don’t need to be as careful with this as we want to rough it up a bit soon anyway. Use your Pen Tool as before to trace around the edge – be careful not to select the shadow.
As in Step 2 copy this to a new Layer by pressing Command + J, and rename this layer "Meat." We now want to copy it to the working document, we do this by holding the Alt key and dragging the “Meat” layer to the "Create a New Layer" Icon within the Layer Palette . This will open a dialog asking you what document you want to copy it too. Choose “Arm08″ (which is our working document) from the list, and Click OK. Finally, go back to the “Arm08″ document.
Step 6 : Move the “Meat” layer to the top of the Layer Stack. Use the Healing Brush to remove some of the larger white patches of fat on top of the meat with other sampled texture. If you don’t have the Healing Brush then feel free to use the Clone Stamp. Position the Meat Layer so it totally covers the arm and hand, move the Meat Layer below the “Arm Prime” Layer.
Step 7 : We are now going to draw the flesh back onto the arm stumps, we begin by
adding a Hide All Layer Mask to the “Meat Layer” (Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All). Next we want to choose a Soft Edge Brush from the Brush Picker with a size of around 10-20 pixels, Opacity 100% and Flow 100%, the settings then need to be adjusted.
Press F5 or go to Window > Brushes to open the Brush dialog window. If you are using a pressure sensitive tablet then, your first stop is the Shape Dynamics, under Size Jitter locate the Command Drop Down List and select Pen Pressure.
We then want to change the Texture of the Brush to give it a nice rough look, choose Clouds from the provided list of textures, with Scale 100% also tick Texture Each Tip.
Step 8 : We are now ready to paint the meat back on, Select the Meat Layer’s Mask and with the Brush’s Foreground Color set to White (#FFFFFF) gradually build up the arm as in the picture below. Repeat this for each section of arm.
Step 9 : The shadow of the arm is used to ground the image and make it look less fake. We use the shadow from the original photo we preserved as the background
layer. Locate the “Arm” Layer and Add as Reveal all Layer Mask (Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal all).
We will now mask out some of the “Arm” layer revealing the shadow below, try and follow the shape of the arm. Once again we will be using a Soft edge brush, or you can continue to use the textured brush we created in the last step if you wish. This will add a rough edge to your shadow especially around the stumps.
Step 10 : The project is almost complete. The final steps are to draw some veins and strings of flesh onto the stumps and make some shadows. We shall reuse the “Meat” layer for this step.
First we need to copy this layer, either press Command + J or drag it to the new Layer Icon within the Layer Palette. The new layer will be called “Meat Copy.” Drag this above the “Arm Prime” layer and delete its Layer Mask by right-clicking on the Mask and selecting Delete Layer Mask. Once again the whole slab of meat should be visible.
The meat needs to be a little darker for the strings – so we adjust it with
Levels (Image > Adjustments > Levels) setting the Input Levels to 0, 0.64, and 255. We are then going to add another Hide All Layer Mask to this Layer (Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All>).
Choose the Brush Tool again, the textured brush should still be active. If not, then set it again as in Step 7, adjust the size so it is very small around 4 or 5 pixels. On the Layer Mask draw some strings of flesh joining the stumps together. Draw it from flesh to flesh – not skin to flesh.
Step 11: The strings of flesh will cast shadows down onto the cloth beneath, we caneasily fake this by choosing the “Meat Copy” layer Mask and holding Command
while Clicking it. This will put a selection around the strings.
Next we make a new Layer called “Shadow” and fill the selection with black (Edit > Fill > Black). Using the Move Tool adjust the shadow slightly so it is away from the strings. The black will be too dark so we reduce the Opacity to around 50%. You can also add a 2 pixel Gaussian Blur if you feel it is still too sharp. Finally, drag it below the “Meat” layer.
Step 12: Choose the Burn Tool from the Toolbox and set the Range to Midtones. Next set the Exposure to 20% and click the Airbrush option. Select the “Meat” layer and add some dark edges where the meat is exposed. Select “Arm Prime” and change the range to shadows, then burn the flesh where the arm has been severed.
Conclusion : The final and probably the easiest step is to create a Black And White
Adjustment Layer at the top of the layer stack and change the Blending Mode to
Soft Light. This makes the picture darker and more washed out. If you don’t have the Black and White Adjustment Layer option, then create a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and reduce the Saturation to -100.
Have fun cutting up your own meaty images. The final image is on top.
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Link to Download Cobweb-stock : http://cobweb-stock.deviantart.com/art/Arm-Stock-Pack-1-14073811
We start by opening the arm picture in Photoshop and duplicating the
“Background” Layer by clicking Command + J. We want to preserve the background
layer for later on. Hold the Alt key + double-click the duplicate layer, then rename it “Arm.”
Choose the Pen Tool (set to Shape Layer) to cut out the arm from its background. Its important to have a clean cut, so first zoom into the picture using the Magnifying Glass and carefully trace around the edge cutting across the top of the arm, as in the picture below. If you set the Fill in the Layer Palette to a 0% you will be able to see the arm, but still manipulate the path.
Step 2 : Once you have completed your path and you are happy with it, click the Eye
Icon in the Layer Palette next to the Shape Layer to hide it. Follow this by
holding Command + Clicking the Shape Layer. This puts a Selection around the “Arm” Layer, now press Command + J on the keyboard to create a copy of the arm onto a new Layer, rename this Layer “Arm Prime” and hide it by clicking the Eye Icon.
Step 3 :We are now going to remove the arm and shadow from the “Arm” Layer. Choose the Heal Tool from the Toolbox with mode set to normal in the options bar. Sample some of the sheet around the arm by Holding Alt + Clicking the sheet. Luckily the sheet is quite creased so making it look convincing will be easy.
Start painting over the arm and resample different parts of the sheet to keep the texture from repeating. Activate “Arm Prime” from time to time to make sure you don’t go to far up the arm. Eventually the arm and shadow will be removed leaving you with a stump and a clean sheet as in the picture below.
Step 4 : Reactivate the “Arm Prime” layer by pressing the Eye Icon next to it in theLayer Palette. Next we want to add a Layer Mask (Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All) to this Layer so we can mask out some of the arm. Choose a Hard Edged brush from the Brush Picker setting the size to 80 pixels, Opacity of 100% and Flow of 100%. Next set your Foreground color to black (#000000) and on the Layer Mask draw four cutting lines as in the picture below.
Step 5 : Save your progress and open the meat texture file that we downloaded earlier. Once again cut it out from its background. You don’t need to be as careful with this as we want to rough it up a bit soon anyway. Use your Pen Tool as before to trace around the edge – be careful not to select the shadow.
As in Step 2 copy this to a new Layer by pressing Command + J, and rename this layer "Meat." We now want to copy it to the working document, we do this by holding the Alt key and dragging the “Meat” layer to the "Create a New Layer" Icon within the Layer Palette . This will open a dialog asking you what document you want to copy it too. Choose “Arm08″ (which is our working document) from the list, and Click OK. Finally, go back to the “Arm08″ document.
Step 6 : Move the “Meat” layer to the top of the Layer Stack. Use the Healing Brush to remove some of the larger white patches of fat on top of the meat with other sampled texture. If you don’t have the Healing Brush then feel free to use the Clone Stamp. Position the Meat Layer so it totally covers the arm and hand, move the Meat Layer below the “Arm Prime” Layer.
Step 7 : We are now going to draw the flesh back onto the arm stumps, we begin by
adding a Hide All Layer Mask to the “Meat Layer” (Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All). Next we want to choose a Soft Edge Brush from the Brush Picker with a size of around 10-20 pixels, Opacity 100% and Flow 100%, the settings then need to be adjusted.
Press F5 or go to Window > Brushes to open the Brush dialog window. If you are using a pressure sensitive tablet then, your first stop is the Shape Dynamics, under Size Jitter locate the Command Drop Down List and select Pen Pressure.
We then want to change the Texture of the Brush to give it a nice rough look, choose Clouds from the provided list of textures, with Scale 100% also tick Texture Each Tip.
Step 8 : We are now ready to paint the meat back on, Select the Meat Layer’s Mask and with the Brush’s Foreground Color set to White (#FFFFFF) gradually build up the arm as in the picture below. Repeat this for each section of arm.
Step 9 : The shadow of the arm is used to ground the image and make it look less fake. We use the shadow from the original photo we preserved as the background
layer. Locate the “Arm” Layer and Add as Reveal all Layer Mask (Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal all).
We will now mask out some of the “Arm” layer revealing the shadow below, try and follow the shape of the arm. Once again we will be using a Soft edge brush, or you can continue to use the textured brush we created in the last step if you wish. This will add a rough edge to your shadow especially around the stumps.
Step 10 : The project is almost complete. The final steps are to draw some veins and strings of flesh onto the stumps and make some shadows. We shall reuse the “Meat” layer for this step.
First we need to copy this layer, either press Command + J or drag it to the new Layer Icon within the Layer Palette. The new layer will be called “Meat Copy.” Drag this above the “Arm Prime” layer and delete its Layer Mask by right-clicking on the Mask and selecting Delete Layer Mask. Once again the whole slab of meat should be visible.
The meat needs to be a little darker for the strings – so we adjust it with
Levels (Image > Adjustments > Levels) setting the Input Levels to 0, 0.64, and 255. We are then going to add another Hide All Layer Mask to this Layer (Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All>).
Choose the Brush Tool again, the textured brush should still be active. If not, then set it again as in Step 7, adjust the size so it is very small around 4 or 5 pixels. On the Layer Mask draw some strings of flesh joining the stumps together. Draw it from flesh to flesh – not skin to flesh.
Step 11: The strings of flesh will cast shadows down onto the cloth beneath, we caneasily fake this by choosing the “Meat Copy” layer Mask and holding Command
while Clicking it. This will put a selection around the strings.
Next we make a new Layer called “Shadow” and fill the selection with black (Edit > Fill > Black). Using the Move Tool adjust the shadow slightly so it is away from the strings. The black will be too dark so we reduce the Opacity to around 50%. You can also add a 2 pixel Gaussian Blur if you feel it is still too sharp. Finally, drag it below the “Meat” layer.
Step 12: Choose the Burn Tool from the Toolbox and set the Range to Midtones. Next set the Exposure to 20% and click the Airbrush option. Select the “Meat” layer and add some dark edges where the meat is exposed. Select “Arm Prime” and change the range to shadows, then burn the flesh where the arm has been severed.
Conclusion : The final and probably the easiest step is to create a Black And White
Adjustment Layer at the top of the layer stack and change the Blending Mode to
Soft Light. This makes the picture darker and more washed out. If you don’t have the Black and White Adjustment Layer option, then create a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and reduce the Saturation to -100.
Have fun cutting up your own meaty images. The final image is on top.
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